If you want to learn how the expert sports bettors do it, you have come to the right place. Applying a good sports betting strategy is not difficult, and it is not a long tedious process of calculating and tracking your bets, spending big money, or making 100 bets every weekend. No, in fact, the following strategies and nuanced betting tactics can be used by bettors of any experience level, regardless of how big or small their budget is, or how often they place bets.
The foundation for any solid betting strategy is a strong knowledge of how sports betting works. Just about anyone can sign up at a sportsbook and start placing bets on the biggest teams, but you are missing out on a world of opportunity. That won’t happen here, as our handicappers and sports betting experts have collected all the terms, betting conditions, and considerations that you must know, and then you can use the strategies to their full extent – possibly even making a strategy or two of your own.
Sports Betting Central Directory
On this page, you will find everything you need to hone your betting strategies and gain an edge over the best US sportsbooks. Whether it is how to use complex system bets, learn how odds fluctuate before an event starts, or when you should cash out, we have covered it all. From betting beginners to seasoned professional bettors, our strategies can be used by all.
NHL Betting Strategy
Learn how to bet on the NHL like a pro with our dedicated betting guide
NFL Betting Strategy
See how the experts bet on the NFL with our expert betting strategy guide.
Masaniello Strategy
See how to implement the Masaniello Betting Strategy for consistent profit.
Progressive Betting Systems
Discover how to bet with a progressive betting system to lock in profit from your bets.
Matched Betting Alternatives
If matched betting is too much of a chore for you, check out these top matched betting alternatives.
Injured NBA Player Bets
Discover strategies for betting against injured NBA player props. See how it should be done and why you should be doing it.
Middles Betting Strategy
See how to use the profitable middles betting strategy and if its the right betting strategy for you to use.
Mathematical Betting Strategies
Is using a mathematical betting strategy the way to always win your sports bets? We test the theories.
Importance of Understanding Betting Terms
When reading journals or blogs from top betting tipsters, you will run into a lot of betting jargon. Most of these terms are quite simple, in fact, you can probably guess what they mean in the right context. But by doing that, you missing the whole background of these terms and how they can affect the way you bet. Check out any of our betting terms guides and you will get a swift summary of everything there is to know, and you will have that valuable background information.
“Paul decided against betting on the Chiefs last week, claiming the sportsbooks had heavily shaded their lines on the Chiefs to win. His findings pointed towards the underdogs to upset the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, and that the Chiefs moneyline was a trap game. Instead, he bet against the spread on the Denver Broncos to win.”
Again, it is quite straightforward in the right context, but why would you take Paul’s word for it? If you know how sportsbooks shade their lines, what trap games are, or how underdog bets against the spread can be useful, then you will be able to form your own conclusions.
Finding the Best Sports Betting Site for Your Needs
Professional sports bettors, who are fully independent (and are not sponsored by any of the betting sites), usually shop around for their odds and use multiple sports betting sites to get the best odds and value. There are no restrictions on how many betting sites you can sign up to, but not all betting sites work in all the legal US sports betting states.
If you live in, say, Colorado, then you will have a grand choice between the likes of DraftKings, Caesars, BetMGM and FanDuel. Some of these sites have more generous odds on the wagers you want to place, or bonus bets that you can use to fund your wagers.
Getting the Max Out of Sports Bonuses
Reputable betting sites catch your attention with their sign up bonuses, promising lucrative offers that can get you off to an explosive start. These are extremely valuable, but so are the existing player bonuses and recurring promotions that you will get after your welcome bonus has been used.
Sportsbooks can offer all sorts of bonuses, from parlay insurance promotions to odds boosts and various bonus bets in between. They may all look good, but behind the big numbers lie a plethora of terms and conditions. These are not all bad, but you need to know how the conditions work, such as playthrough requirements or what types of bets qualify. By knowing the conditions, you should be able to max out these offers and use them where they can bring you the best returns.
A good bonus strategy is always a useful way to boost your bankroll. Essentially, it is buying you a few more shots to make winning bets, and turn a profit.
Value in Betting Odds and Betting Lines
Checking statistics and historical data is a mania among some US bettors, but this is only half of the game. The other half is evaluating the odds given at a sportsbook, to see if they are worth the risk. A lot of bettors tend to bet on favorites or pick Overs in totals bets, and this shapes the way oddsmakers price their bets.
Instead, you can stay a few steps ahead and look for valuable wagers that are well priced. There are lots of ways to check the value of odds, using all sorts of tools and strategies to assess their risk-to-reward ratio and determine how much of your betting budget you should allocate on that specific wager.
Make Your Life Easier with Betting Tools
This segues into our next topic, the significance of having superior betting tools to do the hard work for you quickly. We have several bespoke tools, such as our betting calculators, that can quickly convert the odds, show you the probability, and show how much you stand to win with all sorts of round robin betting combinations.
Cast a Wider Net with Your Parlay Bets
When sports bettors come to us and ask how they can improve their betting strategy, one of the most common solutions is to show them new types of wagers and what they can bet on. The grand majority of NFL or NBA bettors place parlay wagers, picking out moneylines or spread bets on different games, and combine them into one parlay wager to get the biggest returns.
But there is a reason why the odds propel to massive proportions when you combine numerous wagers. Chances are, even if you are betting on heavy favorites, 1 in 5 of your bets will lose, just because betting on favorites is not always a guaranteed winner. Far from it, as there are so many upsets during a season, and you only need to have 1 in your parlay to lose that bet. Fret not, as there are lots of remedies to get you back on your feet.
For example, if you are betting against spreads, you can use teaser bets to shift the lines in your favor. It comes at the expense of the long odds, but you are reducing the risk to a minimum. Another strategy is using either round robin bets or system bets (full cover wagers). Commonly used in horse racing, round robin bets give you more coverage, though you will need to divide your stake across numerous cross-parlay wagers.
But round robins are only useful when the odds are long enough (which is why this is more common in horse racing bets). Simply put, if you are round robin betting, then you may not necessarily pick the same bets as you would for parlays.
Usage of Props and Alternative Betting Markets
Knowing all the different types of props and player bets that a betting site offers is another crucial step to turning those losses into wins. There is a lot of value to be found around alternative lines, game and team props, and player bets. Again, you may not necessarily go for them all the time, but you should always browse all the betting markets before picking your selections. You never know when you will stumble across a golden betting opportunity while combing through the markets.
Also, don’t rule out live betting or futures betting markets. These markets tend to get overlooked by the average bettor, most of whom are focused on pregame betting. Anyone who does place futures wagers, tends to place them in the offseason. But good sportsbooks offer futures throughout the regular season, so you will get numerous opportunities to hit well-priced outright wagers.
Some bettors find more luck through in-play wagers, as they can watch the action on the field and spot early indicators as to how the game may finish. Live betting requires quick decision making. There is little time to hesitate, and you will need to have swift access to your betting account. It makes your life easier if you have a good sports betting app downloaded onto your phone. Mobile access is not only useful for making live bets, but also for checking out any cash out offers, and quickly withdrawing your money if you get a good offer.
Do Some Line Shopping
To make sure you are getting the most out of every bet you place, look around for the best odds. Check the lines at the best online sportsbooks, such as the ones we have listed above, so you can find the highest value. Yes, it can be time-consuming, but anything worth having is and is certainly worth the effort so you can find the best payout.
During the course of a sports betting season, whether you closely follow the NFL or the NBA, you can bank some extra cash by shopping for lines. We only list sites with great odds, but remember, these can constantly change depending on new information during the preparation for any game. This means no one sportsbook always has the best odds which makes doing some shopping important.
Manage Your Bankroll
When engaging in any betting activity, you should always have a budget in mind and stick to it. This money is also known as your bankroll, and should be money you are not worried about losing. It may be a small amount of your monthly wages, that you have already factored in.
With a set budget in place, you can then carefully consider how much you want to stake for each bet. A general rule to follow is only placing bets with 1-5% of your bankroll as this will see you through any run of losing bets.
One of the most common mistakes bettors make is they start chasing losses. It is completely the wrong thing to do and often results in people placing bad bets that they wouldn’t normally place. Sticking within your bankroll limits means you avoid this and will also mean you limit losses during a losing streak.
Top Proven Sports Betting Strategies
This is what you came for, and after going through all the additional considerations and useful terms, the foundation of your knowledge is fully equipped to learn some of the most popular and advanced betting strategies out there. Betting strategies can relate to virtually anything, from only betting on good value straight bets, to all sorts of convoluted parlays and cross wagers. Or, the strategy can be based on how much you stake for each of your wagers, constantly changing the amount for your next wager depending on whether you won or lost your last.
For example, progressive betting systems are quite common among sports bettors. You may be familiar with the Martingale betting strategy, a Roulette strategy that has been adapted for sports betting. There are numerous progressive betting systems, utilising both positive and negative progressions, and each one has its own special usage. Martingale is quite an aggressive strategy that attempts to ultimately bring you a profit no matter what, but the D’Alembert progression is far more conservative. Then, you can mix things up with more complex systems such as the Fibonacci betting strategy.
There are also strategies that sportsbooks don’t want you to place, and if you abuse these strategies you may risk getting banned. We are talking about hedging, or abritrage betting. There are ways to slip under a sportsbook’s radar, but there are also legal hedge betting strategies that won’t get you into trouble.
These strategies can work for virtually any types of wagers. You will find that they are quite flexible, and can be applied for live betting, outright wagers and all the different pregame wagers that sportsbooks offer.
Using Tipsters for Inspiration
Following a few sports betting tipsters is never a bad idea. You don’t necessarily need to follow their picks or follow all of their moves. But the best betting tipsters can give you a little inspiration and provide good betting angles to look for in upcoming sports games. At BettingTools, our team also provides weekly picks and predictions, which you can follow on our betting picks pages or on our Twitter handle @BettingToolsUS.
