Month: December 2022

Longshots may be most associated with horse racing, but bookmakers and bettors are getting more exposed with the term at any sport to tag two respective teams or players in a certain game. Conservative bettors are likely to stake their money on the favorites despite a smaller profit (depending on how big you are betting) that carries low risks. But bettors who calculate their risks or take a bold hunch defy logic and pick on the underdogs.

Bookmakers provide bettors with betting odds to serve as a guide or a basis on picking the bed., But deciding your bet solely based on betting odds may not be advisable, as bookmakers apply a certain margin to betting odds to ensure guaranteed profits on their end.. Bettors who place their money on longshots should gauge their decision based not only on odds, but on several aspects before weighing their options and making that call.

HOW LONGSHOTS ARE CLASSIFIED FROM THE FAVORITES

A longshot is simply defined in sports betting as the underdog, the side with the odds stacked against them, the one team or individual who is not expected to win in a match. A favorite is self-explanatory; the wise bet to win it all if it was the last game of the World Series in Major League Baseball, the no-tomorrow Super Bowl in the National Football League, or in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.Bookmakers do not just tag favorites and longshots by their whim, sentiments or biases. Even if the two teams are almost evenly matched based on lineups, winning records and statistics/past performances, there should be a favorite and the longshot. In such cases, the odds between each team can be close, prompting bookmakers to add margins to the odds very closely depending on how many bettors favor one team as the game approaches.Like rabid fans (or number geeky fans for that matter), picking the favorite from the longshot can be based on statistics, recent win-loss records of the teams, the, addition or subtraction of key players close to the match and momentum swings favoring one team or player against the other in some instances.

GETTING PAST THE FAVORITE-LONGSHOT BIAS

After poring over data ranging from team and individual statistics, win-loss records, player availability and checking out the intangibles from both teams and weighing it with the odds and margins offered by most bookmakers, bettors then get to decide where to place their money. But long-time bettors noticed the so-called favorite-longshot bias among many bookmakers. So how does this work? Or not?For the uninitiated, shortening the odds by bookmakers relative to expectations associated with each outcome of a match is the way to determine the favorite-longshot bias. For example, the odds of Roger Federer winning are listed as “a” while the odds for Novak Djokovic to win are “b,” the margin will be determined by : [(1/a) + (1/b)] x 100%.A strong favorite-longshot bias was spotted at the 1992 UK flat racing season, where only seven percent of losses was experienced by bettors among runners priced shorter than even money (2.00) from among a sample of 4,689 runners in 481 races. Bettors who placed their money on longshots at over 40/1 odds lost over 40%.Stronger biases are determined once bookmakers place larger margins,with the underdogs getting the extra margin. An example would be the 2018-2019 NBA season, when the Toronto Raptors took on the Golden State Warriors in the finals. One of the bookmakers priced the two teams at 1.07 and 14.00, respectively, while another bookmaker – with a much higher margin- priced them at 1.06 and 9.00. This showed that the major difference between the two bookmakers was determined on the longshot.

LONGSHOTS PROVIDE THE BIGGEST PAYDAYS

Like it or not, betting on a team whose odds range from 200/1 to even 500/1 and somehow defies logic to topple the highly-favored team in any sport spells nothing less than a fairy-tale moment in sporting history, much more at sports betting websites as a select few laughing their way to the bank after collecting their winnings.Betting on longshots may not just be confined to smart bettors who see something even bookmakers do not. Fan loyalty may also play a factor here, but it comes as a great risk. Imagine supporters of Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers placing all their money on their favorite player and team despite taking on Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2000-2001 NBA Finals, ignoring the major odds stacked against them,and winning it all.From team or player loyalty to gut feel to a hunch and the intangibles into play as well as going against the majority, the glitter of betting on longshots and winning big will always be at the back of every seasoned (and even a newcomer) bettor.. But better money management skills and a deep bankroll should come in handy for those going the longshots route to stay afloat in sports betting.

LONGSHOT BETS GONE WRONG

As previously mentioned, betting on longshot comes with very high risks, and the stakes could be even more dangerous if a large amount of money is placed on the underdogs. But making calculated risks gone wrong should be an eye-opener for bettors to approach each match depending on each sport.Team sports can be a safe haven for new bettors, as they only have to choose between two sides. But how about in horse racing where there are multiple entries in each race? Bettors should study carefully the odds and each horse and jockey lined up at the starting gate before making that call to bet. The success probability of longshots is difficult to be estimated by bettors in horse racing, as several factors may come into play, like a slow start, the horse suddenly fading at the homestretch.or the jockey making the wrong turn in the last 400 meters. Some bettors only bet on longshots as they “need” a big win to recover their previous losses. That is a dangerous option, as the chance for a big payday may not come at all long after all the races for the day are over.Sentiment or superstition is not advisable in horse sports betting, as these likely result in losses. For example, a bettor placed his money on a longshot like Flash Jockey just because he was impressed with the horse’s name. Such a decision is a recipe for disaster.

STRIKING A BALANCE

After bookmakers announce “all bets are off,” it is important for bettors to stick to their choice and live with the results, particularly when losing. Just in any competition, players should learn from losing, no matter how painful it may be. In sports betting, bettors should learn to accept losing huge amounts of money if they stick to picking the longshots often over the favorites.
For sports featuring multiple entries in every match, it helps that bettors are well-versed with each entry, their past records and compare the odds among different bookmakers. Take calculated risks like starting with a small amount of money before making big bets on longshots.Sure, getting your money tripled or quadrupled from your original betting amount is too tempting to pass up. But make longshot bets on sports bettors should fully understand, Best of luck and happy hunting (for that big payout).

There are always two sides to a story. This also holds true with spread betting, which has gone a long way that it expanded at a giant universe, or say, a multiverse, through several sports betting websites that are accessible anywhere from a local bar to even a remote town that barely has enough Internet access for bettors to stake their money on the games they love. As the availability of point spread betting has grown virtually, so are the many options bettors can use to raise their chances of winning in so many ways. The odds of winning in spread betting vary not only with the sport and leagues you are betting but also how you know the sport, the teams and trends surrounding the competition. Sure, sportsbooks will guide bettors how much a point spread will possibly serve as keys to winning big money. They can only help you as much but ultimately, it is yours to decide your fate in winning or losing.

ADAPTING TO THE TIMES

At the time social media serves as a powerful tool to spread information around the world, gone are the times that bettors have to go straight to the casino to place their bets without even thinking properly about the choices they make due to the long travel time and the stress of going back home. How expanded is the spread betting multiverse? Everything can be accessed by a click of your fingers, from your desktop PCs to laptops and even to smartphones on some sites. Placing bets has been more accessible than ever; it gives bettors no excuses to miss out on their favorite teams or the crucial games that merits their full attention after a full working day.Can spread betting further expand to a bigger universe (or yes, a multiverse like in a popular superhero movie)? Bettors have seen how the sportsbook breaks down all aspects of the game at every sport from a quarter to a half to another quarter (in basketball) and per half (football) and even player-related bets. Sports betting websites continue to lure more potential bettors with increasing bonuses and risk-free bets for starters and this trend will further continue.
Point spread betting can only go higher, thanks to more exciting teams and players in every sport and an expanding creativity by sportsbooks that can provide unlimited potential. The world is indeed catching up, and sports betting lines can only spread everywhere from Internet cafes to the smallest store in a remote town of a province. Change is good in everything we do. It’s just a matter of embracing these changes and properly adapting to the times but being responsible for the (points spread) choices that we make.

THRILL OF CHASING POINT SPREADS

Point spreads may be different depending on any sport, but some of the basic aspects remain. In football, bettors look out not just which team will win and by what margin, but also how the match can go based on the two teams performance the past few matches. For example, take the case of a match between Manchester United against Tottenham. The sporting line says United will win featuring two to three goals as Tottenham has proven to be a defensive team by limiting opponents to less than two goals at the time the match will be played. If bettors believe the two teams will end up in a low-scoring match, they will sell at the lower end of the spread to raise their chances. A high-scoring match, however, will urge bettors to buy at the upper end of the spread.
Things would be different in a possible high-scoring, entertaining matchup like, for example, Arsenal and Manchester City. A bettor gets to earn GBP12 in profit should the match end up tied at 2-2.High-scoring games are usually the case in basketball, particularly the NBA, so point spreads may vary from six to eight points to as much as 10 to 20 points. But there are also some defensive-minded teams that, when ranged against a high-scoring team, can drag the match into a low-scoring match that could be different from the lines posed by sportsbooks days before the match.But what do sports bettors get in point spread betting aside from the chance to win and get a higher payout? For the die-hard non-bandwagon hoops fan, it’s the glory of sticking to their favorite team win or lose and still have a chance to win if they get the right point spread against their team’s opponent. Say, an NBA matchup between a defensive-minded team in the San Antonio Spurs back in the Tim Duncan era of the 2000s against the high-scoring Golden State Warriors that featured Stephen Curry, Klay THompson and Kevin Durant in the mid-2010s provide contrasting fates based on their playing styles. Bettors then look back at the last five to 10 games of both teams, and say the Spurs are winning by holding down teams to 97.5 points per game. But the Warriors were 4-1 in their last five games by scoring 121 points per game and outgunning their opponents by 10 to 15 points. So how do you bet on this game?If both teams are on winning streaks, the sportsbook will still pick a favorite and a point spread for bettors to choose. The hunch may come into play here, as the decision is still yours to make, but try to look carefully if you believe the Spurs will win by five points or less or the Warriors emerge victorious by 10 to 15 vpoints.The thrill of betting on point spreads? You can still bet on an underdog like the Spurs and they lose but you still win your bet.

RISKY BUT EXCITING

The risk of betting on point spreads will also be how fast the complexion of the match differs throughout the course of the contest. A slow start in soccer may doom bettors to a low-scoring match that might end up in a scoreless draw, only to see a sudden momentum change late in the second half or the final minutes of the game that sees a team like Man United outscore Man City, 5-1 despite their last five matches seeing them limit their opponents to get victories.For low-scoring sports like soccer, bettors are urged to adjust their bet amounts accordingly while making adjustments to high-scoring sports like basketball, rugby and cricket. There are some bettors who bet on impulse and their faith on their favorite team that they spend larger amounts for them winning by a huge margin. A word of advice: Know the sports, your team, the opposing teams and their recent performances before plunging on high stake bets. New bettors in a particular sport can start with smaller amounts before slowly taking it to a whole new level and make large bets once they learn the ropes of the sport.Another exciting feature for point spreads betting? Bettors need to watch until the end of the game – a lopsided result of a close one – to determine if they won or not.

MORE CHANCES TO WIN

For basketball, the NBA in particular, the point spread market has already expanded not just for the final result but from the first quarter to halftime and the third quarter to prop bets involving one player against the other during the playoffs. Newcomers into point spread betting will not be out of the dark as most sports betting sites offer tips and information on spread betting and near accurate betting odds to guide them before placing their money on a certain spread.Sportsbooks in most sports, not just in basketball, now offer live scenarios and futures game days for bettors to analyze and consider, as well as alternate spreads and variations for battles among players, for example. Risk-free bets for new bettors to as much as USD2,500 are now offered in these sportsbooks to give them more confidence to stake their money early into their sports betting journey.

There are always two sides to a story. This also holds true with spread betting, which has gone a long way that it expanded at a giant universe, or say, a multiverse, through several sports betting websites that are accessible anywhere from a local bar to even a remote town that barely has enough Internet access for bettors to stake their money on the games they love. As the availability of point spread betting has grown virtually, so are the many options bettors can use to raise their chances of winning in so many ways. The odds of winning in spread betting vary not only with the sport and leagues you are betting but also how you know the sport, the teams and trends surrounding the competition. Sure, sportsbooks will guide bettors how much a point spread will possibly serve as keys to winning big money. They can only help you as much but ultimately, it is yours to decide your fate in winning or losing.

ADAPTING TO THE TIMES

At the time social media serves as a powerful tool to spread information around the world, gone are the times that bettors have to go straight to the casino to place their bets without even thinking properly about the choices they make due to the long travel time and the stress of going back home. How expanded is the spread betting multiverse? Everything can be accessed by a click of your fingers, from your desktop PCs to laptops and even to smartphones on some sites. Placing bets has been more accessible than ever; it gives bettors no excuses to miss out on their favorite teams or the crucial games that merits their full attention after a full working day.Can spread betting further expand to a bigger universe (or yes, a multiverse like in a popular superhero movie)? Bettors have seen how the sportsbook breaks down all aspects of the game at every sport from a quarter to a half to another quarter (in basketball) and per half (football) and even player-related bets. Sports betting websites continue to lure more potential bettors with increasing bonuses and risk-free bets for starters and this trend will further continue.
Point spread betting can only go higher, thanks to more exciting teams and players in every sport and an expanding creativity by sportsbooks that can provide unlimited potential. The world is indeed catching up, and sports betting lines can only spread everywhere from Internet cafes to the smallest store in a remote town of a province. Change is good in everything we do. It’s just a matter of embracing these changes and properly adapting to the times but being responsible for the (points spread) choices that we make.

THRILL OF CHASING POINT SPREADS

Point spreads may be different depending on any sport, but some of the basic aspects remain. In football, bettors look out not just which team will win and by what margin, but also how the match can go based on the two teams performance the past few matches. For example, take the case of a match between Manchester United against Tottenham. The sporting line says United will win featuring two to three goals as Tottenham has proven to be a defensive team by limiting opponents to less than two goals at the time the match will be played. If bettors believe the two teams will end up in a low-scoring match, they will sell at the lower end of the spread to raise their chances. A high-scoring match, however, will urge bettors to buy at the upper end of the spread.
Things would be different in a possible high-scoring, entertaining matchup like, for example, Arsenal and Manchester City. A bettor gets to earn GBP12 in profit should the match end up tied at 2-2.High-scoring games are usually the case in basketball, particularly the NBA, so point spreads may vary from six to eight points to as much as 10 to 20 points. But there are also some defensive-minded teams that, when ranged against a high-scoring team, can drag the match into a low-scoring match that could be different from the lines posed by sportsbooks days before the match.But what do sports bettors get in point spread betting aside from the chance to win and get a higher payout? For the die-hard non-bandwagon hoops fan, it’s the glory of sticking to their favorite team win or lose and still have a chance to win if they get the right point spread against their team’s opponent.

Say, an NBA matchup between a defensive-minded team in the San Antonio Spurs back in the Tim Duncan era of the 2000s against the high-scoring Golden State Warriors that featured Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant in the mid-2010s provide contrasting fates based on their playing styles. Bettors then look back at the last five to 10 games of both teams, and say the Spurs are winning by holding down teams to 97.5 points per game. But the Warriors were 4-1 in their last five games by scoring 121 points per game and outgunning their opponents by 10 to 15 points. So how do you bet on this game?

If both teams are on winning streaks, the sportsbook will still pick a favorite and a point spread for bettors to choose. The hunch may come into play here, as the decision is still yours to make, but try to look carefully if you believe the Spurs will win by five points or less or the Warriors emerge victorious by 10 to 15 points.

The thrill of betting on point spreads? You can still bet on an underdog like the Spurs and they lose but you still win your bet.

RISKY BUT EXCITING

The risk of betting on point spreads will also be how fast the complexion of the match differs throughout the course of the contest. A slow start in soccer may doom bettors to a low-scoring match that might end up in a scoreless draw, only to see a sudden momentum change late in the second half or the final minutes of the game that sees a team like Man United outscore Man City, 5-1 despite their last five matches seeing them limit their opponents to get victories.For low-scoring sports like soccer, bettors are urged to adjust their bet amounts accordingly while making adjustments to high-scoring sports like basketball, rugby and cricket. There are some bettors who bet on impulse and their faith on their favorite team that they spend larger amounts for them winning by a huge margin. A word of advice: Know the sports, your team, the opposing teams and their recent performances before plunging on high stake bets. New bettors in a particular sport can start with smaller amounts before slowly taking it to a whole new level and make large bets once they learn the ropes of the sport.Another exciting feature for point spreads betting? Bettors need to watch until the end of the game – a lopsided result of a close one – to determine if they won or not.

MORE CHANCES TO WIN

For basketball, the NBA in particular, the point spread market has already expanded not just for the final result but from the first quarter to halftime and the third quarter to prop bets involving one player against the other during the playoffs. Newcomers into point spread betting will not be out of the dark as most sports betting sites offer tips and information on spread betting and near accurate betting odds to guide them before placing their money on a certain spread.Sportsbooks in most sports, not just in basketball, now offer live scenarios and futures game days for bettors to analyze and consider, as well as alternate spreads and variations for battles among players, for example. Risk-free bets for new bettors to as much as USD2,500 are now offered in these sportsbooks to give them more confidence to stake their money early into their sports betting journey.

Sports betting is all about the thrill, the rush, the feeling of earning heaps of money off compelling bets. And there couldn’t be a more exciting type of sports betting than betting against the point spread, more commonly known as ATS. But what exactly is betting against the spread? How does it differ from the typical wagers that bettors do?The higher the risk, the higher the reward” is an unwritten rule in betting that every bettor knows. And betting against the spread or ATS embodies what that quote is basically all about. Bookmakers set a specific number known as point spread or betting line to level the playing field between two opposing teams. The betting favorite is represented by the plus (+) sign which typically indicates that they are the better team. Meanwhile, the underdogs, least expected to win, are represented by the minus (-) sign. Spreads are usually decided based on the two opposing team’s win/loss records before their eventual matchup.
Betting against the spread simply means that you would bet on the underdogs. Even though favorites are called favorites, what kind of bettor doesn’t love a little bit of thrill, hence them usually leaning much more on the underdogs.
Don’t be fooled, though. Betting against the spread is much more than bettors being visceral. People tend to bet on the underdogs for one main reason: bigger payouts. It’s almost become a precedent in betting that the fewer chances of you winning, the higher the money you’re bound to win in such a case. For example, The New York Jets are (-7) against the Jacksonville Jaguars (+7) in a Sunday Night Matchup in the Big Apple. Normally, bettors would wager their money on the Jaguars winning the bout as they’re clear favorites expected to win at least a score above the Jets. But betting the spread isn’t that. It’s the complete opposite. ATS betting means that you’d risk betting on the Jets losing by no more than 6 points or, in an even better case, winning the game, especially if you are a Jets fan. This bet covering would result in a bigger payout compared to a bettor taking the favorites. Sometimes it might just be due to emotions, but often, it’s a monetary decision. We all know that bettors get as cerebral as a person can get when betting, but occasionally, there’s this opportunity presented to us by bookmakers in the betting lines that we just have to jump on. Usually, it takes the form of betting against the spread. Whether it may just be the lines being bad, complete undivided trust on the underdogs, or just that breath of fresh wind that we’re looking for, betting against the spread few and far between certainly won’t hurt bettors.

Parlays and Teasers might be the most polarizing form of Sports betting to wager on. People, from time-to-time bet on parlays and teasers, some just more frequent than the average. Bottomline, people love to bet on parlays and teasers. However, if you were to ask betting experts or connoisseurs, they would most likely shut you down by saying parlays or teasers are bad for casuals and are to be avoided. But what exactly are parlays and teasers, and how do they work?

PARLAYS

A parlay is a term in sports betting that centers around at least two or more bets or wagers linked together into one big bet. Every single bet that a parlay is composed of is called a leg. A bettor can have as many legs as he wants on his parlay. But it is not advisable to do so, for the more legs you add, the odds of winning stack further and further against the bettor.

If any of the legs fail to hit, the bettor outright loses his bet even if the other legs cover. Even so, this is where the fun part of parlays comes in, the higher you bet and the more legs you have, the lesser the chances to win, but the higher the payout you’ll earn.

Say that a bettor bets 100$ on a full Detroit-team parlay which is made up of bets such as the Detroit Lions +1500 to win the Superbowl, Detroit Pistons +1700 to win the NBA Championship, Detroit Tigers +180 to win the World Series, and Detroit Red Wings +190 to win the Stanley Cup. If the bet covers, the bettor would win a whopping 233,756$ . Though, if one of the legs fails to hit, the bettor would lose his 100 dollars flat.

TEASERS

Teasers are bets that comprise two or more point spreads wagered into one flexible bet. This form of betting is adjustable and heavily favors the bettor. For this reason, since the bettor can shift the tide of luck into his way, Teaser bets tend to have low payouts. Similar to other forms of betting, if a point spread fails to cover, the bettor outright loses the bet, though it is uncommon due to its ideal nature. For example, 7-point teasers would move the point spread line for every wager in favor of the bettor by 7 points. And if the spread offered by a sportsbook is -8 for the favorites, the line would move, and the spread would be reduced to -1 instead of -8. This would mean that the favorites would only need a point or more to win, which is more than likely to happen. Inversely, for underdogs, the line would move up, meaning if it’s +8 for them, a 7 point teaser would mean the spread will go up to +15, making the point margin for the underdogs to lose on a little bit bigger. Parlays and Teasers have a love and hate relationship with bettors. Parlays have all the risk with bigger payouts, while on the other hand, Teasers offer minimum risk with low return. If you are a bettor, especially if you are relatively new, it’s best and suggested that you try betting on parlays and teasers, not only for the experience. But also for the sake of finding that sweet spot where you could earn the most money while betting.

Getting into sports betting isn’t easy and will never be easy. It’s tough to get into betting with the help of just research alone, especially if you don’t have that one friend who splurges all his money wagering on teams. Sports betting incorporates numerous terms and systems that aren’t beginner-friendly, to say the least. But just like every other thing in life, there’s always a way to streamline things. And with the help of this article, we’ll run you down through the basics of the sports betting basics: straight betting.

Straight Betting

Straight bets are wagers on a game or event’s outcome or result. Straight bets comprise moneylines, spreads, and over/unders or totals. In straight betting, a certain pointspread needs to be covered by the team that the bettor bets on. Meaning betting on the favored team means that you trust that they’ll win more than the pointspread and betting on the underdogs implies that you believe they would cover. Straight bets are the most famed form of sports betting. For reasons that they are easy to understand and straightforward.

SPREAD

The point spread is essentially the margin of points between two teams by the end of regulation. It is usually represented by the signs (+) plus and (-) minus. Plus signs (+) indicate that a team is favored to win the game with a certain amount of points. On the other hand, Minus signs (-) indicate that the team is an underdog and will lose at least by a certain amount of points. Moreover, sportsbooks also often show how much a bettor needs to bet to win 100 dollars flat off their bets. Take this for an example, if a bettor wages 110 USD on an underdog with the odds of (+8 and +110), which basically means that the score margin at the end of regulation between the underdog and favored team needs to be at least 8 points or less. If the team they bet on covers the 8-point spread, they would win 100 dollars. However, if their team fails to close the final score margin by 8 points or less, the bettor would outright lose their money. Essentially, betting on the spread is not about WHO or WHAT TEAM will win the game. Instead, it is about HOW MUCH will one team win against the other on the grounds of the final score of a game or event.

MONEYLINE

Moneyline is a wager on the winner or loser of a game. Unlike the spread that centers around the final score margin, the moneyline is more straightforward and is all about the winner regardless of the numerical gaps. The favorite is represented by the minus sign (-), and inversely, the underdog with the plus sign (+). If you bet on an underdog that has an odds of +300, that means that you have to bet 100$ to win 300$. And if you bet on the favorites with an odds of -300, you need to bet 300$ to win 100$.

TOTAL (OVER/UNDER)

The total, more commonly known as over/under bet, is betting on the combined amount of points scored by the two playing teams by the end of the game. Betting on the over means that you trust the playing teams to be able to score as much or more than the given point total while betting on the under means that you believe that they’ll put up less. Few and far between, some games end with the exact point total. In such cases, all bets are voided, and the money is refunded. Like the spread, it is also usually accompanied by how much you need to put at stake to win $100.
If you bet at the under with the odds of (OV 50 and -110), this means that you would win $100 if the two teams of the game that you bet on combine for more than 50 points. On the flip side, if they fail to reach the cut, the bettor outright loses the bet. And in an atypical fashion, if both teams combine for 50, the bet gets voided. Right now, you might be thinking that betting isn’t all that complicated as it once was. You are most likely right. However, we’ve still only scratched the surface. Betting is a vast and niche market that encompasses schemes to splurge and spend money on. Straight betting is only the start of the long journey of a bettor; there’s still a wide field of choices open ahead to earn you quick and bigger bucks like parlays and teasers.

Oddspedia Odds Comparison widget displays real time data from more than 70 bookmakers,with the best prices and odds movements available for both upcoming and finished games.