Anyone here make any significant money betting on sports?

[ElSapo]

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The answer to your question is yes, although probably not the way you envision it. Most people that win at sports betting do so by line shopping, scalping, middling, and so on. There just aren't that many long-term winning handicappers.

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Hey Tech... you make it sound as though anyone could learn to do this - much the same as I believe just about anyone can learn to beat low limit hold'em. You put in the time, learn the math and there's your profit (albeit small at times).

Do you think this is true?

I thought the great advantage to sports betting was that once you were "winning," there was not the same "limit" restriction. In theory, once you can beat the books, there's no limit to how much you can bet. In poker, in theory, the games get tougher as you move up.

ElSapo

[tech]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey Tech... you make it sound as though anyone could learn to do this - much the same as I believe just about anyone can learn to beat low limit hold'em. You put in the time, learn the math and there's your profit (albeit small at times).

Do you think this is true?


[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I would say you are right that anyone can learn to make money at sports without handicapping. One of the best scalpers/middlers (for those of you that know him, I am talking about Dreamer) is a terrible handicapper. But he still does very well at sports betting.

[ QUOTE ]

I thought the great advantage to sports betting was that once you were "winning," there was not the same "limit" restriction. In theory, once you can beat the books, there's no limit to how much you can bet. In poker, in theory, the games get tougher as you move up.


[/ QUOTE ]

My opinion has changed on this over time. It sounds great in theory, but it doesn't work so well in practice. For one thing, when you are a winning bettor making large bets, you get the shaft from sportsbooks. You get crappy lines, your account might get closed, your limits might get cut, all of your bets might require "approval," and stuff like that. Also, as your bet sizes get larger, it is hard to get good lines on games because your bet might actually move the line (except on events with large handles like NFL games).

Went from $100 to $2k in December. Football only.

[MyTurn2Raise]

I'm a loser

It's impossible [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[homedog]

I've made decent money betting home dog moneylines. I love situations where the game is basically a coinflip but I'm getting the positive side of the vig. Makes me feel like the house.

[Indiana]

Wanna beat sports? Then you gotta narrow down and get to know a sport well like I know boxing. I read all the mags, attend the fights, and make friends w/ trainers so I can hang out around the training camp.

Holla,

Indy

[Indiana]

Dont you think its harder to beat a game like football, as the entire public knows the game so well? People suck at boxing which is why I got 6:1 on tyson's last fight.

Indy

Wayne Root and Jim Feist don't wear those shiny suits for nothing.

[MyTurn2Raise]

serious answer:

Yes, people make significant money. I'm small time and add 4 figures per month to my lifestyle.

So far, read the FAQ. Use bonuses from the sportsbooks. Look for profitable middles/arbs/etc. Pay attention to posters who know what they are talking about and ride their coattails. For example, Null's picks, NoChance's system, and NajdorfDefense's system are carrying me through college basketball. Mr Baseball was hot at the end of the baseball season. The bar stool pundits picks were good for NFL. I carried my own weight in college football. Just look for who's hot and who has a history and ride them. Also, like Warren Buffet's investing, bet what you know. I'm fanatical about Illini bball and major conference college football. I look for the gaps there. I pay attention to people who seem to be betting what they know real well.

I started following this forum in Late July and it's been very sweet since.

[CCx]

i made quite a bit of money (for me anyways, mid-5 figures) from middle of '02 - early '05 mostly on football (lots on props and when parlaying props was the goodness) and nba basketball (mostly 1st quarter and 1st half lines)

from early '05 til now im only down total a few hundred bucks (a few big ups and downs kept it somewhat level), and for no reason whatsoever have not bet more than 5 props all year but am getting above water on the nba 1st q/h bets

prior to '02 (and since '95) i never kept records of how i did, but i would guess that i was an overall loser during that time frame despite a number of huge scores

i'm not a stat-rat, i dont spend 500 hours a day thinking about betting sports, but i do bet games early and late, on a ton of different books, with varying bet amounts, etc.

it's certainly possible to make money hand over fist betting sports if you have a large bankroll to begin with, but right now i wouldnt want to base my sole income off of it - poker's much better for that i think

the lesson to be learned with sports messageboards is to never be angry when you bet someone else's picks - no one has all the answers, and someone's winning streak may be ending just when you hop on