The betting system is getting more and more complex with passage of time, so proper understanding is must before making a bet.In today’s betting world, it is rare to encounter any bets against odds. While years ago, if you liked a favorite in a game, you could give 2-to-1 odds (risking two dollars for every dollar you hoped to earn), today bets are generally made against point spreads, with noticeable exceptions to this standard being horseracing and golf. The point spread is a handicap given to the favorite in terms of points. The favorite is followed by (-points), and the underdog is followed by (+points). For instance, if a betting line reads New England Patriots -9.5 vs. San Diego Chargers +9.5, this means that the oddsmakers felt that in the eyes of the betting public, the Patriots are 9.5 points better than the Chargers. If in this situation you bet on the Patriots, they must win the game by more than 9.5 points (ie, at least 10) in order for you to collect. If the Patriots either win by less than 9.5 points or lose outright, this means a loss for a Patriots point spread bettor. On the other hand, if you bet the underdog Chargers, you essentially spot the Chargers 9.5 points. If the Chargers end up winning the game or losing by less than 9.5 points (nine points or less), you win your bet. Lines of half-points are given in part so the game cannot land exactly on the point spread, resulting in a â€push†or tie, where neither the bettor nor the bookmaker would win. It is important to note that the line is not designed to show which team is favored and how much they should win by. The line is meant to make each team equally attractive to the betting public. No matter how great the mismatch, the point spread at least in theory makes both teams equally â€bettableâ€; that is, when factoring in the handicap, equal numbers of people will want to put their money on each team. It should be emphasized that the first line released by the Las Vegas Sports Consultants is by no means the only line or the final line on a game. Lines fluc tuate depending on how much betting takes place on either team. If, in the example above, the Patriots opened at -9.5 over the Chargers, and a large majority of bets came in on the Chargers, the line might drop to Patriots -9.0 or even Patriots -8.5. If the betting was still lopsided, it could drop further, or if people decided that the Patriots were a good deal at -8.5 and the majority shifted to the Patriots side, the line might creep back up to -9.0, for instance. If individual bookmakers disagree with the Vegas line, they may offer their own lines. These discrepancies can be exploited by the smart bettor. This will be examined in a subsequent section. For now, suffice to say that the ultimate goal is to have even betting for both teams. Why? If exactly 50% of bettors wager on each team, the bookmakers win. How? It’s important to remember that with almost every wager you place against a line, you give 11-to-10 odds to the bookmaker, meaning that if you want to win $100 on a game, you must risk $110. The bettor faces odds of 4.55% against him. Perhaps an example will make this clearer. Imagine in the situation above that one person picked the Chargers and one person picked the Patriots. If each one wants to win $100 on the game, he must risk $110, the extra $10 being a fee or commission for the sports book, called the â€vigorish†or â€vigâ€. Thus, the total amount risked in this situation is $220. After the game, one bettor will lose the $110 he risked while the other will get it back plus his $100 win. So, of the total $220 risked, $10 goes to the bookie. Ten dollars of $220 is 1/22, or 4.55%. While this system gives an edge to bookies, it also allows for the possibility for good bets and bad bets. The chance at a huge payoff doesn’t do you any good if your team loses, but even if your team is an underdog and loses there is a chance that they will have covered the spread. Your goal is to find the good bets and exploit them. To obtain more information on sports handicapping and how to make the best picks visit http://www.sportshandicappingonline.com/ and they will provide you with a 1 week free trial if you contact Peter Hammermill.
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