USA Today Sports Betting

MY GRANDMOTHER IS THE GREATEST sports gambler I’ve ever met. For the last 20 years or so, we’ve placed a wager on the outcome of the Super Bowl. (To any federal authorities reading this, concerned that I’ve just confessed to a crime: The loser has to take the winner to lunch. Please don’t arrest my grandma.) She’s probably won 17 of those bets, and her secret is not that she’s an incredible NFL mind or a deeply connected insider. No, her tactic is much simpler. She decides the point spread and which side of the bet she wants to take. To use Super Bowl LVII as an example, most sportsbooks had the Philadelphia Eagles as 1.5 point favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs. To win a bet with them, you’d need…

Sports come with myriad sets of rules and lingo, and betting on sports is no different. Any bettor should have a real understanding of the language and concepts. These pages break down the essential terminology and also provide more advanced guidance on topics ranging from key numbers to hedging bets to analyzing line movement. There’s also some valuable wisdom imparted by established Las Vegas veterans, who provide their 10 commandments for new sports bettors. The last of those commandments (though it could also be the first) is to have fun. That’s also the underlying goal of these pages. If gambling’s causing you more stress than enjoyment, it’s not worth it.…

ANYONE WHO STARTS SPORTS betting comes in thinking it will be easy. It’s not. Most gamblers are viewed as very successful if they win more than 60% of their bets. Betting newbies tend to stumble out of the gate. What follows are the most common mistakes to avoid. 1. Don’t play parlays The parlay bet mixes three or more bets into one. New gamblers like the big odds that parlays give, but there is a reason the odds are so high—you rarely win. A four-team parlay typically pays out 13:1 odds, meaning you make $1,300 if you hit all four bets on $100. But you have to hit them all to win. Sportsbooks love parlay gamblers, especially newbies, because the vast majority just give away their money. 2. Don’t bet…

AS WITH MOST THINGS IN LIFE, THE world of wagering has terms and slang that signify specific aspects of the sports betting universe. Knowing the lingo will help you understand what people are talking about and make you feel like you can talk the talk before you walk the walk. BOOK Also known as a bookmaker, oddsmaker, sportsbook or (usually in less legal circumstances) a bookie, this is the term for a person or organization that accepts bets on sports contests and may set the odds for those bets as well. CHALK Chalk refers to a generally strong favorite in a competition. Someone who bets chalk is typically betting on the heavy favorite, which usually has a steep price. This favorite can be a team, a player/individual, a statistical outcome or…

How to Analyze Line Movement “LINE MOVEMENT” IS WHEN THE ODDS and/or lines change from the opening numbers set by the oddsmakers to the closing line at the start of any given game. Here we’ll give an example of line movement and look at how sports bettors can use it to their advantage when placing wagers. Finding line movement is a lot easier than answering the question “What caused the line to move?” Discovering the reason(s) for said line movement is one of the many things that separate a professional sports bettor, or sharp, from the average Joe. Let’s look at an example of line movement, what intel can be gained once it is apparent, and sources to use to spot line movement. An NFL Example Since the NFL is king…

“HEDGING” AND “MIDDLING” ARE TWO of the most popular sports betting strategies you’ll hear mentioned by recreational and professional gamblers. Below, we’ll discuss what these approaches mean and how to use them. A hedge is a strategy in which a bettor will bet the opposite side of a pending wager in order to reduce their risk and/or guarantee a profit. Hedging is popular with future bets because of its high payouts and multi-way action. Middling is a method that has elements of hedging but is also used to score bigger payouts. A middle is when a bettor takes both sides of a game at different lines in hopes of scooping both bets. Some sort of line move is needed to employ this strategy, whether it be within in-game betting or betting…