I have always wondered how many people actually make a living off of betting on sports. I guess that number is really quite high, considering the amount of people betting on sports that actually win. In these instances, smart people are more likely to win. However, even the biggest winners still have a lot of expenses set aside for their successes.
The first sports bet I ever made, was on the underdog Cleveland Cavaliers, over the San Antonio Spurs at +8. At the time, San Antonio was the favorite. I picked the Spurs to cover the spread (cover the cost of the bet). If I remember correctly, the Spurs won the game by 3 points. They covered the spread, and I won another bet later that night.
Another occasion I bet against the Boston Celtics at 7 on the layover. The Celtics had a pretty good game, easily dispatching the Pistons. For some reason, I thought it was pretty funny that the Celtics offered a 10th seed to the underdog Pistons. iron sharpens iron, and the underdog Pistons covered the spread. I won that bet, too!
There are a lot of different strategies to betting, and more than a few that make money. If you have a different take, be sure to do a little research before jumping into the deeper waters of advice. Just like in anything in life, you will win some and lose some. Since I have many friends in the sports betting world, I am in frequent contact with people that make good and some lose.
It is from these losses that I have learned my current sports betting strategy. The most important thing to keep in mind is to bet objectively. Since the point spread is in the NFL, there are many point spread situations you can bet on. Unlike in baseball and basketball, there are many more outcomes from home wins to take place.
In the NFL, home underdogs to the visiting favorite are the most common betting situation. Consider this situation: The Jets are home underdogs to the Patriots. The Patriots are a popular betting angle in this scenario. Most people agree the Jets will beat the Pats, so the line should be-drops a point in either direction. What this means is if you bet the Jets, you are betting against the setting point spread. If you bet the Patriots, you are betting for the moneyline–they need to win the game to cover the spread.
Jets +7 -110 Patriots -7 -110
The best way to profit from betting the point spread is to bet underdogs against the favorite. Not all betting lines are the same–this is an example of an angle you will have to research and decide whether or not it is worth it for you to bet there. If you toss a coin in the stock market, there is a 50% chance you will either buy or sell, but there is a 50% chance you will buy or sell at a higher price than you did before. In the NFL, most underdogs to start the game will be favored. If you researched the situation through the juice, you might be able to buy at a lower price or sell at a higher price. This situation is the basis for my sports betting strategy.