A Guide on Betting Season Win Totals

There are several kinds of sports bettors who thrive on having a vision of what lies ahead on a certain team in a particular sports league or event. For punters who are into the futures market, the effort of looking through lots of statistics and numbers will go a long way to becoming successful in this field.

To thrive in the futures market, a bettor must have foresight as to how a team can win as many games in the regular season and if its durability and consistency can withstand the long wear and tear to go all the way to the championship.

The concept of betting on regular-season win totals comes from bettors’ capability to determine how a team will perform long term and if the sportsbooks will guide them well enough before making their decision. Punters should know how teams have performed the past few seasons and if most key players are healthy enough to survive the long grind to get that pig payout in a futures bet.

WEIGH BOOKMAKERS’ PROJECTED LINE FOR FUTURES BETS

One of the popular futures bets that lures the attention of several punters is betting on the regular-season win total, which allows bettors to place money on whether a team will go over or under the projected line set by the sportsbooks

For example, if oddsmakers posted an over/under of 10.5 on the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL, a bettor must decide whether he or she believes that the Suns will end up with more than 10.5 victories (i.e., 11 or more) or less than 10.5 wins (i.e., 10 or less).

This kind of betting is a hit to many punters because it allows a bettor to bet on how good or bad he thinks a team will be in an entire season. There will be many opinions by other bettors on one team if it will be a sleeper or another team will underperform.

PICK SPORTS WITH SEASON WIN TOTALS BET

Football, baseball, and basketball are identified as the top three sports that are popular on betting regular-season win totals. The lines for these kinds of bets are opened much earlier by sportsbooks, particularly the NFL and college football, to give punters more time to discuss and decide how many wins do teams expect to wind up with.

Betting on season total wins in baseball also comes in early by sportsbooks to give an early indication as to which teams will likely figure in the World Series and which squads will eventually struggle during the course of the regular season.

Punters who eye regular-season win totals betting in the NBA get ready just before late summer, when the league has already held its NBA Draft and major free agency moves have been completed by that time.

CHECK PREVIOUS SEASON RECORD, ROSTERS

A veteran team carried by three or four superstars well into their 30s may be on their last legs, and the wear and tear won’t guarantee they can still play at a high level for more seasons.

A veteran team carried by three or four superstars well into their 30s may be on their last legs, and the wear and tear won’t guarantee they can still play at a high level for more seasons.

If a young team is in rebuilding mode, for example, goes above .500, gets eliminated the past season but has compiled a winning streak late despite missing out on the playoffs shows a lot of promise. And bettors should not take these instances for granted if they want to place money on them for futures bets.

OFF-SEASON CHANGES, PRE-SEASON ACTION KEY FOR TEAMS

After making a hard look at a team’s previous win-loss records in the past few years in many regular season stints, bettors should focus on what changes these teams made during the off-season.

Picture a scenario where an NBA team gives up a superstar who is just at his peak and is entering his 30s to a couple of draft picks with several young players after that team that has reached 60 wins in the regular season. Chances are, that team is unlikely to dominate the regular season again, although a winning record is still possible with several young bloods in their core.

When the draft and free agency moves are sealed and signed, focus now shifts to how a team’s new pieces mesh together in a game, and the pre-season is the early indicator to determine those future best visions.

INJURIES MAKE OR BREAK TEAMS

For much of a team’s glitter on paper based on new faces of stars and key rookie acquisitions, all those predictions get thrown out the window once a player or two goes down with major injuries.

But not all injuries will haunt teams for the entire course of the season. Take all players’ injuries into account, but check out if these have long-term effects, or the players can still come back late but in time for the playoffs.

It pays for bettors to wait until the last minute before placing money for season total wins. Some players may suffer major injuries during the pre-season, but if they can still come back late into the regular season, their teams may still make that turnaround to compile as many wins as possible and eventually get higher positioning in the postseason.

UNDERS OFTEN EASY TO WIN THAN OVERS

Unders in regular-season win totals for a team can be won by a bettor compared to overs. Punters should realize that a lot more can go wrong than right.

For example, a bettor has placed his money on the Chicago Bulls to go over their regular-season win total. For the bettor to win and get his over, the Bulls have to gel as quickly as possible with the new faces. The coaching staff must push the right buttons while the team has to perform beyond expectations despite drastic changes in their roster.

However, a lot of things can go wrong if a punter bets on the under. If a team takes longer to gel as expected, a major injury hits one of their key players, or what was deemed as an easy schedule turned out to be a nightmare for the team since their opponents also got better with major changes on their own. With these instances, Unders are mostly described as a safer bet than Overs.