Research.., and then Research Again!

In contrast to common belief, analysts and mathematicians are typically employed by oddsmakers and sportsbetting establishments to generate and determine odds. It is therefore very recommended that, as a bettor, you conduct thorough study before to buying your betting tickets. Research should focus on a number of important topics, such as coaching matchups, injuries, home field advantage, historical trends, motivation levels, and weather. Your chances of winning at betting increase with the quality of your research, which increases the likelihood that you will base your wagers on more reliable odds.

Set a Ceiling on What You Can Afford to Lose

This cardinal rule reminds me of the old betting adage: Never ever bet more than you can afford to lose. The fundamentals of safe betting suggest that you set a limit on your football betting budget in order to prevent going beyond your means, especially considering how incredibly addictive football betting can be. In this manner, you may just enjoy yourself if you win, and you won’t be forced to sell your home or dig yourself out of a financial hole if you lose. In this sense, never wager more than 10% of your bankroll on a single selection, regardless matter how certain the so-called experts claim the selection is a lock. There are no infallible victors in our industry; everyone can be defeated, and most winning streaks eventually come to an end. Instead of placing all of your money on one team that can leave you in complete disarray if things don’t work out, you can be sure that you will have some money left over for future wagers by practicing sound money management.

Be on the Lookout for the Best Lines

To all of you novice football wagerers, please take note of this: just because Las Vegas has the Green Bay Packers set as 10-point favorites against the Dallas Cowboys, it doesn’t mean that they think the Packers will win by ten or more points. Football betting lines are only a reflection of what the general population believes, including what bookmakers and oddsmakers take at face value from gullible bettors. This basically explains why, even when they aren’t playing well, some football teams with large fan bases are sometimes overrated in the betting lines. This is where the maxim “do your homework” really helps, since it frequently enables you to look for the greatest lines that have the power to turn a losing bid into a winning one.

It’s also important to remember that there are many different kinds of online football betting lines available, such as:

  • wagers on the halftime results and the entire game’s point spread. 
  • wagers with a money line on teams to win “straight up,” or SU for short. We refer to “against the spread,” or ATS, when point spreads are involved. 
  • wagers known as OVER/UNDER that are based on the combined number of points scored by the two teams, including games with an overtime possibility. 
  • There are also Parlays, Teasers, and Future Picks that frequently combine any combination of the lines listed above.

Similar to overindulging in alcohol, pick your poison wisely; ideally, it should be something you can manage without being completely overwhelmed by unfamiliarity.

Bet on Teams/Leagues You Follow Closely

Related to the previous point, you should make sure that the football teams, conferences, and divisions you wager on are ones you are familiar with. Stick with the SEC if you watch it constantly and you are more familiar with it than your girlfriend’s pastimes; don’t try to win in the Sun Belt conference, where you don’t even know who the current conference champion is. The worst bets are those made in response to bookmaker advice that persuades you to wager on a football league or division that you don’t even follow. If you are familiar with a club, like I am with the Oregon Ducks, you may make astute and knowledgeable wagers since you will be well-versed in the team’s major concerns, which include players, managers, injuries, and transfers.

Bet with Your Brain, Not Your Heart

Every sportsbetter has a favorite team, either for simple reasons like growing up rooting for that team, loving their clothing, or the way their cheerleaders dance, or because they have had previous betting success with them. And because it’s human nature, we frequently find ourselves (including me) rooting for and placing bets on these teams even in situations where they don’t deserve our confidence, which may frequently have terrible financial consequences. The sports books lure you in with carefully crafted free picks on these teams, and because we are shady bettors, we frequently fall for their bait. The oddsmakers snoop about. So, when it comes to betting, as a general rule, learn to regulate your emotions. If not, stick to betting on teams you are neutral about and avoid placing bets on teams you have a strong emotional attachment to.