6 Tips to Beat the Sportsbook Consistently

What’s better than cashing in a winning ticket at the sportsbook? Cashing in a winning ticket…consistently. I’m going to share with you some valuable tips that won’t just help you score a big win. They’ll help you score many big wins. Sports betting is a numbers game. You can’t always win, but the skilled bettors come out ahead in the long run…every time.

Don’t Buy Into Media/Public Hype

Have you ever watched an ESPN analyst breakdown a game and thought, “wow, this guy is clueless”? That’s because most of the analysts on ESPN are clueless…and biased. ESPN, and other major media outlets, have certain teams they hype up relentlessly. That doesn’t necessarily mean the team they’re hyping up is all that and a bag of chips. Don’t ride a team just because ESPN told you they’re unstoppable. Do your own unbiased research on a team before wagering.

Not Getting the Line You Want? Tease It

My favorite type of wager is the teaser bet. But I only place a teaser bet when there are a few games I’m not finding the line I desire. A 4-5 point teaser bet just might give you the line you’re looking for on those games. The payouts on a teaser bet aren’t as favorable as a parlay, but you’re more likely to win. Don’t fall too in love with teasers, however. In a sense, they are sucker bets. But if you place this type of wager appropriately, you’ll do fine.

Pay Attention to Spreads With ‘Key Numbers’ on Football Games

Football games commonly end with point differentials of 3 or 7 (i.e. 24-10, 17-14, 35-7, etc.). Because of this, you need to be cautious betting on teams that are –3.5, +6.5, etc. I’m not saying you should never bet on a team with a similar point spread. If you’re extremely confident in that team to cover, by all means, wager on them. But if, for example, you expect a close game, wagering on a team that is a 3.5 point favorite is probably not a smart bet.

If You’re Unbiased, Wager Heavily on Teams You’re Most Familiar With

We all have our favorite teams, and I strongly suggest NOT wagering on those teams, along with your hated rivals. But you have a big advantage when wagering on teams you’re most familiar with…if you can be objective. Most sports bettors don’t really know much about most of the teams. They only know about the teams in their area that they follow closely. So if there are teams you watch religiously but don’t really have a dislike or passion for, you can make some good money betting on or against them.

There’s No Such Thing as a ‘Lock’

A 15-seed can beat a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament. An unranked opponent can knock off the #1 team. David can beat Goliath. Sports aren’t always so predictable. I used to struggle betting on sports because I always assumed the team with superior talent would dominate the team with inferior talent. If I saw a line on a football game at –8.5 on a team that had all sorts of star players against a team without many stars, I would automatically jump on the favorite without digging deep into why the favorite was only an 8.5-point favorite. Chances are there is something you’re missing if you dig deep, which leads me to my final tip…

Factor in Potential Match-Up Disadvantages

The reason most sports bettors lose is because they do not factor in potential match-up disadvantages. Most don’t dig deep into the match-ups. They see Team A has x-amount of Pro Bowlers, Team B has x-amount of Pro Bowlers, and they assume the team with the most pure talent is going to dominate. It doesn’t always work that way. A team with lesser talent can win if there is an aspect of the game they can create a big mismatch.

JON, SBA

Want to get an email notifying you when articles at SBA are posted? Sign up here:

[subscribe2]