Easy Sports Betting Strategies

Whether you’re a beginner or an expert sport bettor, there’s no sure way to guarantee your wagers win or know outcomes ahead of time (especially with sports!) However, certain sports betting strategies can give you an advantage or an edge, whether you’re betting on the statistical favorite or your home team. Below are some strategies that are easy to use for all players. While we can never guarantee a plethora of profits, we can ensure that these will improve your probabilities per wager made.

Hedging Your Bets

With the rise of online betting, identifying winners is becoming easier. Today, online betting is available in most online sportsbooks and many states. Of course, there are other ways to hedge your bets, but we recommend utilizing live betting features.

For example, there’s an NFL game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders. You’ve bet $100 on the Buccaneers’ Moneyline of -275. If you win, you’ll receive $36.36. The Buccaneers get a quick 10-0 lead during the game, but it’s only the first quarter. You look at the live betting odds and see that the Raiders are now +625. This puts you in an excellent spot because if you wager just $17, you’ll receive a payout of $123.25. By doing this, you’ll either net $19 from the Buccaneers winning or $6.25 if the Raiders win. You’ve not only played the lines well, but you’ve put yourself in a win-win situation.

Zig Zag Theory

While the Zig Zag Theory is relevant in all sports to some degree, the three best sports for it are the NBA, NHL, and MLB. These sports are best as the Zig Zag Theory functions better when used during a seven-game playoff series.

The general idea behind this theory is that the losing team will rally in the next game and, at the least, cover the spread. Some general situations to look for are teams that not only lost the most recent game but will play at home in the next game.

Ride Winning Streaks

While sports betting is an informed, educated decision, there are sometimes elements that feel beyond us and set us on a winning streak. It’s essential to remember, however, that during these winning streaks, to stick to your game plan in terms of your baseline wager. This is also known as sticking to your plan for your standard unit.

Always make sure to establish what your unit wager will be. This can be $20 or $1,000, depending on your bankroll. The winning streak will come to an end—keep that in mind. Thus, if you establish your unit amount and consistently bet that, you’ll mitigate the inevitable incoming loss thanks to the win streak.

Arbitrage Betting

Arbitrage betting will require using some math, but it’s somewhat like hedging your bets, but slightly different. Arbitrage betting aims to wager on all possible outcomes in an event to guarantee a profit. This will include any combination of the moneyline, spread, and totals. Arbitrage betting may not be possible for all contests. However, you’ll want to monitor odds on games up until they start, as betting lines could change at any time.

Bankroll Management

The idea of bankroll management depends on your budget. Ideally, the closer you get to each wager being 1% of your bankroll, the better.

So, if you have a bankroll of $500, you’ll want to wager $5 per bet. This may not seem like a lot, but it’s the best way to maintain your bankroll over the long haul. If you want to profit from your favorite bookmaker, this will be a bit of a slow burn. We mentioned setting your standard unit bet before. You can think of the $5 in this example as that unit.

Picking a Good Sportsbook

Picking a good sportsbook may seem like a common sense “tip,” and that’s because it is! There are some things to look for to determine if the online sportsbook you’re exploring is a good one.

Look at the welcome bonus
Review the terms and conditions of the welcome bonus
Check for additional promotions
Check what kind of bets are available for your favorite sport
Download and navigate the mobile app
See what customer service options are available
Confirm the banking methods available make sense for you

Finally

While we’ve gone over multiple ways to go into your next bet with more strategy, it’s essential to remember that betting on sports is meant as entertainment and shouldn’t be viewed as a way to quickly make a lot of money. You should also never try to redeem your losses by betting more than you can afford. All legal online sportsbooks in the United States will have information related to Responsible Gaming. This will provide tools for you if you’re experiencing issues or need assistance. For more information on how to bet on sports, check out our extensive guide!