Sports Betting Strategy
Making money betting on sports can be tough, but there are a lot of sports bettors who consistently win. There are even a lot of professional bettors who make a good living off of sports betting. To achieve consistent success like the pros, you need a winning sports betting strategy.
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There are several basic sports betting strategies for beginner bettors. Of course, experienced bettors may prefer to use a more advanced sports betting strategy.
The Basics to Sports Betting Strategy
There are some basic strategies and tips you can follow to help yourself make money from sports betting. None of these sports betting strategies are secrets by any means but following them will help you win money betting on sports.
The bettors who don’t follow any of these strategies are often referred to as “squares.” These are the type of bettors that the sportsbooks will make their profits from.
Sportsbooks that take US bets and publish their sign-up terms
These books accept US customers and state the rollover attached to the sign-up offer. Free-bet offers and deposit matches are listed on the same basis so the numbers are comparable line by line.
- 1
BetUS 9.6Online since 1994 · Sportsbook + casino · Crypto · 0–1h
Crypto acceptedSportsbookFrom $100Curacao licenceSports welcome: 125% up to $2,500 (100% sportsbook + 25% casino)Wagering 14x sports · Minimum deposit $100 · Code JOIN125Bonus detail
Welcome offer Sports welcome: 125% up to $2,500 (100% sportsbook + 25% casino) Wagering 14x sports Minimum deposit $100 Bonus code JOIN125 Withdrawals Crypto · 0–1h Licence Curacao; Comoros Gambling License Authority Banking
Deposit routes: Crypto, Card, Wire
Cryptocurrencies supported: 2
Typical withdrawal: Crypto · 0–1h. Card and wire payouts run to several business days at every offshore book, which is why the crypto rail is the one we time.
Pros and cons
What works- Crypto cashier for same-day withdrawals
- One account covers the sportsbook and the casino
- Trading since 1994, one of the longest US-facing records
- Headline offer runs to $2,500
Watch for- Needs $100 in to claim the welcome offer
- No free spins attached to the welcome offer
- Short coin list — crypto limited to the majors
- 2
Bovada 9.3Online since 2011 · Sportsbook + poker + casino · Crypto · 10–15 min
Crypto acceptedSportsbookPoker roomFrom $10Curacao licenceCrypto sports welcome: 75% up to $750 with a 5x rolloverWagering 5x · Minimum deposit $10 · Code BTCSWB750Bonus detail
Welcome offer Crypto sports welcome: 75% up to $750 with a 5x rollover Wagering 5x Minimum deposit $10 Bonus code BTCSWB750 Withdrawals Crypto · 10–15 min Licence Curacao Banking
Deposit routes: Crypto, Card, Wire
Cryptocurrencies supported: 2
Typical withdrawal: Crypto · 10–15 min. Card and wire payouts run to several business days at every offshore book, which is why the crypto rail is the one we time.
Pros and cons
What works- Crypto cashier for same-day withdrawals
- Sportsbook, poker room and casino share one balance
- Welcome offer triggers from a $10 deposit
Watch for- No free spins attached to the welcome offer
- Short coin list — crypto limited to the majors
- Offer only applies if the code BTCSWB750 is entered on deposit
- 3
BetOnline 9.0Online since 2001 · Sportsbook + poker + casino · Crypto · 3–5 min
Crypto acceptedSportsbookPoker roomFrom $20Panama Gaming Control Board licenceSports welcome: 50% free bet up to $250Minimum deposit $20 · Code FREE250Bonus detail
Welcome offer Sports welcome: 50% free bet up to $250 Minimum deposit $20 Bonus code FREE250 Withdrawals Crypto · 3–5 min Licence Panama Gaming Control Board Banking
Deposit routes: Crypto, Card, Wire
Cryptocurrencies supported: 2
Typical withdrawal: Crypto · 3–5 min. Card and wire payouts run to several business days at every offshore book, which is why the crypto rail is the one we time.
Pros and cons
What works- Crypto cashier for same-day withdrawals
- Sportsbook, poker room and casino share one balance
- Welcome offer triggers from a $20 deposit
- Trading since 2001, one of the longest US-facing records
Watch for- No free spins attached to the welcome offer
- Short coin list — crypto limited to the majors
- Offer only applies if the code FREE250 is entered on deposit
- 4
MyBookie 8.6Online since 2014 · Sportsbook + casino · Crypto · 0–1h
3 cryptocurrenciesSportsbookFrom $50Sports welcome: 100% up to $1,000Wagering 10x · Minimum deposit $50 · Code MYB100Bonus detail
Welcome offer Sports welcome: 100% up to $1,000 Wagering 10x Minimum deposit $50 Bonus code MYB100 Withdrawals Crypto · 0–1h Banking
Deposit routes: Crypto, Card, Wire
Cryptocurrencies supported: 3
Typical withdrawal: Crypto · 0–1h. Card and wire payouts run to several business days at every offshore book, which is why the crypto rail is the one we time.
Pros and cons
What works- Crypto cashier for same-day withdrawals
- One account covers the sportsbook and the casino
Watch for- Needs $50 in to claim the welcome offer
- No free spins attached to the welcome offer
- Offer only applies if the code MYB100 is entered on deposit
- 5
Sports welcome: 100% up to $200 (crypto) / 50% up to $200 (card)Wagering 10x · Minimum deposit $45 · Code XBCRYPTO100Bonus detail
Welcome offer Sports welcome: 100% up to $200 (crypto) / 50% up to $200 (card) Wagering 10x Minimum deposit $45 Bonus code XBCRYPTO100 Withdrawals Crypto · instant Banking
Deposit routes: Crypto, Card, Wire
Cryptocurrencies supported: 1
Typical withdrawal: Crypto · instant. Card and wire payouts run to several business days at every offshore book, which is why the crypto rail is the one we time.
Pros and cons
What works- Crypto cashier for same-day withdrawals
- One account covers the sportsbook and the casino
Watch for- Needs $45 in to claim the welcome offer
- No free spins attached to the welcome offer
- Short coin list — crypto limited to the majors
- 6
SportsBetting.ag 8.0Online since 2003 · Sportsbook + poker + casino · Crypto · 10–15 min
4 cryptocurrenciesSportsbookPoker roomFrom $50Panama Gaming Control Board licenceSports welcome: 50% up to $250 in free bets plus 100 free spinsMinimum deposit $50 · No code neededBonus detail
Welcome offer Sports welcome: 50% up to $250 in free bets plus 100 free spins Minimum deposit $50 Bonus code None required Withdrawals Crypto · 10–15 min Licence Panama Gaming Control Board Banking
Deposit routes: Crypto, Card, Wire
Cryptocurrencies supported: 4
Typical withdrawal: Crypto · 10–15 min. Card and wire payouts run to several business days at every offshore book, which is why the crypto rail is the one we time.
Pros and cons
What works- Banks in 4 cryptocurrencies, so withdrawals clear in minutes
- Sportsbook, poker room and casino share one balance
- Trading since 2003, one of the longest US-facing records
Watch for- Needs $50 in to claim the welcome offer
- No free spins attached to the welcome offer
Advertising disclosure. Links marked “Visit” are commercial and we may be paid when you open an account through them. That does not change the order above: it follows the offer terms, the banking and the operating record. 21+ only. Gambling should be entertainment, never income — if it stops being that, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
#1 Money Management/Bankroll Management
When you are betting on sports you should always set aside a certain amount of money to gamble with. This money, which we refer to as your “bankroll”, is disposable income you can afford to lose. Like with any type of gambling, you never want to bet betting on sports with money you cannot afford to lose.
Set aside a certain amount of money that you can use for your bankroll for the week, the month, or the season. A general bankroll management sports betting tip is to only make bets with 1%-5% of your bankroll.
For example, if your bankroll for the NFL season was $1,000 you would be making $10-$50 bets on each NFL game you wanted to bet on. It is also very important that you do not chase your losses with bigger bets.
It is common for some sports bettors to be down money and increase their bet size to try and win back their losses. This is the wrong mindset and will often lead to you losing even more money. Work with the size of your bankroll and look to slowly increase it over the length of the season.
Here’s a video going over bankroll management strategies for sports betting:
#2 Bet Sober and Don’t Go on Tilt
Although betting while sober seems like common sense, you’d be surprised how many people bet on sports under the influence. Is it a coincidence that the Las Vegas casinos offer free alcoholic drinks while you are gambling? I don’t think so.
I don’t want to sound like your mother here, but betting while under the influence will impair your judgment. It should be avoided if you want to become a winning sports bettor.
The second part of this tip is “don’t go on tilt.”
Going on tilt or “tilting” is a commonly used term with poker players. It refers to players who let their emotions take over, which often leads to bad decisions.
If you are angry about something, such as a couple of bad beats, you shouldn’t be placing any more bets. Take a break, go for a walk, and get your mind clear before you start making more sports betting picks.
#3 Do Your Homework
This is maybe the most important sports betting strategy. You will always want to do your research before placing your bets. Going with your hunch may work some of the time, but it will not lead to consistent winning over time.
In order to profit from sports betting, you will need to research and do your homework for each pick. Look at stats, find trends, create sports betting systems, and analyze past games. Basically, do everything you could possibly do to ensure you have value in your pick before you place your wager.
Many bettors find it helpful to read our free sports picks. Others prefer to rely on computer picks for their betting advice. Luckily, we offer both here at Gambling Sites.
#4 Line Shopping
A very big step to becoming a winning sports bettor is to make sure you are shopping for the best lines. What this means is that you will have to have an account at multiple online sportsbooks. Before making a bet, you check the different sportsbooks and find which book is offering the best line for you. This lets you find max value when betting.
For example, let’s say you are looking to bet on the New England Patriots on a 7-point spread. you would want to check multiple sportsbooks to see if any of them are offering the Patriots at 6.5-points. At the very least, you want to find the best price you can get them at 7-points at.
Over the course of a sports betting season, you can win yourself a lot of money from shopping the lines. Line shopping is definitely one of the best sports betting strategies used by winning sports bettors. To see a list of sportsbooks we recommend signing up for visit our online betting sites section.
I’ve created a line shopping video with more information below.
#5 Avoid Buying Points
Avoid falling into “square” tendencies such as buying favorites down or underdogs up. For example, some bettors always feel the need to buy an NFL favorite of -3.5 down to -2.5. The sportsbooks are smart enough to charge more juice to do this, mathematically making it a bad strategy.
The same goes with buying an NFL underdog from +2.5 to +3.5 for example. In 99% of cases, I would advise against it. Check out this video I made below about buying points on NFL underdogs.
Other Sports Betting Strategies and Myths
Above are the four main basic strategies you will want to follow in order to become a winning sports bettor. There are other tips you can use to help you win money as well.
For one, you can try following a sports handicapper who is using a proven sports betting system. Be careful of scammers out there, though. If they don’t show their past records of long-term success, you should probably pass.
An old sports betting strategy is to bet on home underdogs. The theory is that teams are usually more inspired to play at home. They will often not fold if they are down like they may when on the road.
Betting home dogs in the past could have made you money, but this isn’t true as much anymore. You can read this current betting market article to learn why.
Another great sports betting tip is to try and place your bets at the right time. With lines shifting from the time they are posted to the time the game starts, you will want to get your bet in at the time when you are getting the best price.
Predicting line movements is extremely hard but it is worth looking into. Check out the video below that I made titled “When To Place Your Bets”.
Betting Trends
One of the best sports betting strategies you can learn is to follow betting trends. A betting trend shows you how other bettors are waging on a betting market. Sportsbooks will adjust the odds for a specific wager based on its betting trends.
Understanding betting trends will help you know when to place your bet. If the sportsbook is about the move a line, it may be the last chance to lock in any value. On the other hand, it may be better to wait to secure the most value.
Betting with Stats Models
There is a plethora of information about any given sporting event. A stats model will take all of the relevant information and make a prediction for you. These systems can be very complex, but they are easy to use.
Stats models are not a perfect science. It is hard to account for variables such as injuries, coaching decisions, and general human error. Despite these flaws, many bettors are able to find success with this sports betting strategy.
Betting With/Or Against the Public
You may have heard of the concept of “fading” a player or team. This term means you are betting against what the majority of the public thinks will happen. So, if a ton of money is pouring in on a specific team, you can fade them by betting on their opponent.
Betting against the public can also be viewed as betting on the underdog. If you are betting on the favorite, then you are technically betting with the public.
Advanced Sports Betting Strategy Articles
Here are some additional resources that will help you on your journey to becoming a sports betting expert.
How to Bet How to Win Sports Betting Math Teaser Strategy Future Strategy Pleaser Strategy Prop Strategy Sweetheart Teaser Betting Parlay Strategy
Current Betting Market How to Research Mistakes to Avoid Win/Loss vs Value Hedge Betting
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