Whether it’s Kobe dominating the whole game, Serena holding another trophy, or Antonio Brown making catch after impossible catch that creates a phenomenal win, there are many game changing players that might encourage you to make a bet on an upcoming game, match, or tournament. How can you decide, though, which sports deserve your bet and which ones are better off with you leaving your money in your wallet? With recent changes in the legalities of betting on a variety of sports and lots of online sports betting opportunities, you may be ready to lay down a bet on an upcoming game, but where should you really put your money? This quick guide can help you decide.
Decide On Your Goals
First, you want to think about what your goals might be. There are two major reasons people decide to bet on sports. The first one is that they’d like to make a little extra money. The second is that they truly love the game they’re betting on, and they’d like to make it more exciting. While neither goal is more important than the other, you want to think carefully about what you actually care about before you start placing bets.
Think About What You Know
No matter what your final goal may be, you have to choose a sport you know both inside and out. Winning in the world of sports betting is about choosing the right side, and you’re not going to make that happen if you don’t understand what’s going on down on the field or court or pitch. If you don’t understand the sport, you’re not going to know much more than what the headlines can tell you, and because winning means operating within some very tight margins, you may not get there without a bit of knowledge. For example, if you’re going to place a bet on cricket, but you’ve never even seen the game played, you may have a tough time determining even what you should bet on, much less what’s going on. Even if you’ve been passively following a particular sport for years, it may not be enough. You need to be an expert, and you need to understand some of the teams and players involved.
Remember to Factor in Popularity
If you have more than one sport you’re absolutely passionate about, you may still be a bit unsure about where to place your bets. Let’s say you love both U.S. football and basketball. Maybe you’ve been following Aaron Donald since he played at Pittsburg and watching every basket Steph Curry sinks is your life. How do you decide what bets to make then? Often factoring in popularity can help. Wondering why? The more popular a sport is, the more money is involved, and that could mean better bets. More than that, though, more money means more available research so you can do your homework on every single bet. Information availability is key when you’re looking to place your bets, and selecting a sport that’s fairly popular means you’re tapping into a space where a lot of very smart people are putting their thoughts on paper and developing systems to help you make the most informed bets possible.
Not sure what is actually popular? The most followed sports are soccer, U.S. football, basketball, tennis, cricket, golf, Formula 1 racing, and boxing. There are other sports out there, too, but those tend to be the most watched sports in the world today, and the bettors are out there.
You can certainly place your bets on a less popular sport and do just as well, but you may find less information available, and you may have to do some additional digging.
Where to Bet
No matter where you decide to put your money, make sure you find a good book site to help. Choose one that’s highly rated, one that offers a variety of different sports to choose from, and one that offers strong technologies to stand behind every bet.