How Research Can Be The Key To A Successful Sportsbook Session
Sports gambling is all the craze these days.What used to be a no-no or relegated to the Las Vegas strip or shores of Atlantic city can now be done in the comfort of your own home. It brings an added level to excitement to watching sports. Games you normally wouldn't pay attention to now have an added layer of tension. You'll find yourself rooting for teams and players you never thought you would. And the best part - it can win you some money! The thing about sports gambling that sets it apart from regular casino gambling is that there is no house edge when gambling on sports. The odds are set for every game and as the player, the decision on who you want to bet on is squarely on your shoulders. You don't need to worry about RTP or house edge. It's all on you!
And as is the case with any sort of gambling, players are always looking for their advantage. With sports gambling that advantage can be found in research. We're not talking about sitting down and doing hours of research like you're cramming for an exam. But brushing up on teams, players, matchups and even the weather can be the difference between you winning and losing. Today, we're going to touch on some different things to look for when placing bets so that the next time you're ready to play, you'll be gambling like a pro!
The Matchups
Taking a look at the different matchups of games before placing your bet is one of the best ways to gain an advantage. Here are a few examples of different sports so you can get a better idea of what we're talking about…
- Football
As we all know, football puts an offense against a defense. So, before placing a football bet, it would be beneficial to take a look at how the two teams match up. Let's say Team A has a very high powered passing offense and Team B has a very poor pass defense. You could say that there's a pretty good chance that Team A is going to have success because of that matchup. Or say Team A has a poor offense and Team B has a strong defense. There's a good chance Team B will have the advantage and be able to shutdown Team A because of that matchup.
- Baseball
Baseball is a little different. You still have a defense against an offense but you have the pitcher you need to look at most importantly. So let's say Team A has a very good starting pitcher and Team B has a so-so offense. Probably a smart move to place your money on Team A because the odds of their starting pitcher shutting down a weak offense are high. You can even get more in-depth than that and look at specific matchups. Let's say Team A is starting a pretty normal starting pitcher and Team B's projected lineup for the game has had success against that pitcher. Because of that, we'd think about placing our money on Team B because they have a history of success against Team A's starting pitcher.
- Basketball
Like football, basketball puts an offense against a defense so you'll want to look at how those two units match up. Lets Team A shoots the 3 point shot a lot and they shoot it very well and Team B has a very poor 3 point defense. Well, the odds are Team A is going to exploit that advantage so Team A might be the better bet. On the other hand, let's say Team A has a below average offense and Team B has a stout defense. Team B is probably going to keep Team A to a low score which would give them the advantage and make Team B the better bet.
Streaks
Seeing how a team is playing lately is a great indicator on whether or not you just bet on them or against them. In sports like baseball and basketball, because they play so many games, when you look at the standings you'll see a STRK and L10 next to every team. They stand for STREAK and LAST 10, respectively. If you see a team with a streak of 7 wins and a last 10 record of 9-1, that means they're playing exceptionally well. You could choose to ride that hot streak yourself and pick them to win their next game.
And on the flip slide, a team with a streak of 6 losses and a last 10 record of 3-7 means they're playing poorly as of late and might not be the best bet.
Weather
Looking at the weather for upcoming games is primarily for football as basketball is played inside and baseball tends not to play once heavy rain starts. But things like wind, rain, cold, they can all affect both football and baseball. A rainy football game might impact how teams run their offense. Let's say Team A likes to throw the ball a ton. That's going to be hard to do in the rain so they might be at a disadvantage.
A windy and cold night at the baseball has impacts too. It's very hard to play well on offense when it's windy and cold. So if Team A already has a weak offense, they might struggle even more so in the cold and the wind, making Team B the better bet.
Location
So teams play better at home and some teams play poorly on the road. When looking at location, look at team's home records and team's away records. In football, is a west coast team traveling across the country to play an east coast team? Advantage east coast team. In baseball and basketball, is a team on the end of a long, multiple city road trip? Odds are they'll be playing tired, so advantage home team.
Conclusion
There we have it! Some of our top things to look for before placing your bets. As you can see, you won't beed to spend a ton of time researching. But by taking that extra amount of time before placing your bets could make or break you session!