Newbie Sports Betting Information Request

[Bama Boy]

Can someone help with some of the terms used for sports?

If a team is -300, what does this 300 represent? Is it basically making it a 3 to 1 bet? Some basic sports betting info and examples would be appreciated. Sports are great, and I think I do well at picking some games, so I'm interested in learning some..

Thanks in advance!

[Raken]

<font color="blue"> 52.37 % </font color>

That's the most important number you need to know. It's your break even point when laying 11 to win 10. 11-10 is your most common bet in football and basketball.

<font color="blue">Paper Bet </font color>

That's the most important bet you can make as a newbie. Do it on paper before you lay cash on the line. Only when you've beaten the 52.37 % should you put money at risk.

<font color="blue"> martingale </font color>

Any of the countless patterns of bet sizes that you think will net you profit from a lot of bad picks. The most common is the 1-2-4-8-16 progression. Martingale betting is a very efficient way to lose your bankroll. If you can't beat 52.37 with flat bets you ought not to be playing this game.

<font color="blue"> Ducks +1.5 -240 +150 Ov 4 -110
Devils -1.5 +200 -170 U 4 -110 </font color>

You get 1.5 pucks with the Ducks if you are willing to lay 240 to win 100.
You win 150 if you bet 100 on Ducks to win straight up and they do.
The o/u is usually around -110. The books move the total's line rather than adjust the odds.

The most important rule in sports betting is: use what works for you.

Raken

[Wildbill]

Pretty funny Raken, did you lose your shirt using the Martingale early on? Fortunately its something that is almost always seen at the roulette wheel or the blackjack table, I haven't heard of too many people using the Martingale to bet on sport. Sports betting is where all the losers are trying to bet $10 to win $500, not bet $500 to win $10 as you would at the end of a bad run with Martingale.

Good point on using what works for you. I will tell all those starting out or just dabbling that this is excellent advice. Think about most things in life, when you first try them they move far too fast for you to grasp them. Then as you do something and do it often enough, you gain some comfort with it. The activity "slows down". When you start out its great to just work on one sport, but something daily, not football. Football is a graveyard for starters, yet almost everyone starts with it. By playing a daily sport to start out you will get more frequent ups and downs, you will start realizing your mistakes, then you will get better. My best advice for beginners, something rarely heeded unfortunately, is to pick the sport you least like and/or know to bet. Betting on a sport is about betting on a sport, not knowing who plays for who and who can do what. That stuff doesn't lead to many winners. Best to pick something you know little about and that way you don't have biases on who you will and won't bet and also you will learn the game from a betting perspective, not a fan's perspective. Even better you hopefully won't spend countless hours wasting time just watching games because you won't be as interested in them. Just take me and baseball. Frankly I hate the game, but I bet far more on it than all other sports combined. Part of that is the schedule, but it also comes from the fact that I abhor the game, but like to bet it. This strategy is for winners though, fact of life is 5-10% can make consistent money at it so in the end if you never aspire to become a big winner at the game, just take it easy and slow, pick something you will stay interested in out of the 3 daily sports, and just give yourself time. Paper picks are ok, but really with offshores now I suggest you bet real money to get a feel for it. With an offshore you can bet $10 or $20 a game, nothing serious, yet you need money on the table eventually to get better. Paper picks are just a different world from real picks, even if the money is small. In the long run your goal should be to go full circle and settle into betting games with a bankroll that doesn't mean that much to you, so you bet with logic, not with your emotion.

Ok enough, good luck, keep Raken's tips in mind and follow my advice about one daily (not football) sport, and then give yourself a year or two of small (but real) bets until you really start expecting some results.

[Bama Boy]

Thanks for the information guys, Good stuff.

Can you interpret the betting line for NJ on this one? Also, betting the o/u. What are you betting on with the over/under bet in hockey? If the # is 110, I assume the bet is laying 110 to win 100? I guess my lack of understanding is with the 110's, 250's, etc. From what you've said I think I'm understanding it correctly that it all has to do with betting that amount to win $100? Does +/- have anything to do with it other than to show which team is favored?

Example from before:

Ducks +1.5 -240 +150 Ov 4 -110
Devils -1.5 +200 -170 U 4 -110

Also, is there a better place to do sports bets then somewhere else since I'm not in a place where I know anyone that does it?

Maybe if I keep learning enough I can find a way to become a degenerate gambler .... I mean winner!

[Holybull]

If there is a - in front of the number (moneyline) that is the amount you need to bet to win 100. If there is a +, then you bet 100 to win that amount. Teams with a + are always the underdog. You don't necessarily have to bet $100. That is just the ratio that is used to determine odds.

In the above example if you are betting to win only, it is bet 170 to win 100 on the Devils and bet 100 to win 150 on the Ducks. If you choose to go with the puck line things are different. If you take the Devils, they must win by MORE than one goal and you are betting 100 to win 200. For the Ducks, they must either win or lose by exactly 1 goal, and you are betting 240 to win 100.

The over/under is for the total combined score of the game. In this case it is a "pick em". That means you are laying 110 to win 100 on either over 4 goals or under 4 goals. If the total score of the game ends on 4 all wagers are a push and you get a refund.

I hope this helps.