Sports Bets – Over Under – Point Spread – Parlay
Basic Types of Sports Bets
There are only a few basic types of sports bets that you have to know and master. There are three most common sports bets: the over/under bet, the point spread bet, and the parlay bet.
Betting Tips for Sports Betting: Over Under
The Over or Under bet is a variation on the normal total bet. In this bet you don’t predict how much a team will score but rather against what odds makers predict. You look at their predictions and then bet on whether you think the team will score more or less points than the prediction. Bear in mind that most sports books will use professionals to predict the numbers and these pros will consider all factors before making a prediction.
Over/under total bets do not usually have 50/50 odds, like you would expect. Remember that sports books are not likely to offer 50/50 odds as they need a specific edge where they will make their profit. It’s also the odds maker’s job to figure out a point total that will ensure a house edge. Sports books prefer to have rather equal bets and have to therefore try to get the same amount of players to bet either ‘over’ or ‘under’.
Betting Tips for Sports Betting: Point spread
Players who take part in the point spread have to predict which team will be victorious and or which team will lose. The sports book will try and create an equal betting field by allocating the right amount of points to both the favorite team and to the underdog. You will be able to differentiate between the favorite and the underdog as the favorite will have a plus sign next to it and the underdog will have a – sign next to their name.
The point spread will have a certain value and your chosen team has to win by more than the point spread in order for you to win money. If they don’t win by enough points, you will still lose the bet. The same goes for when you bet on a team to lose: they have to win by a large enough number according to the point spread. You will see that sports books sometimes include a half point in a point spread to eliminate the chances of a tie result, this way only one team can have an outright win.
Betting Tips for Sports Betting: Parlay
Parlay sports bets are mostly considered to be non-traditional or exotic types of bets. Parlay bets are best left to more advanced sports bettors as you will be betting on two or more sporting events at the same time. You will choose two separate matches and predict which team will win or lose each one. This way you will stand the chance to win a much bigger amount than when you bet on only one match. Some sports books will also offer various other parlay bets in which you can bet on multiple days, seasons or even sports.
Parlay is usually only considered to fall in the good sports bets category when you focus on a sport and or team that you know really well. Baseball parlays sports bets are especially popular, as are European soccer parlay sports bets.
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