How to read sports betting lines and start winning
Betting on sports can be invigorating, while allowing you to earn or lose a ton of money. However, if you enter the betting arena armed with an in-depth knowledge of the right betting strategy you'll then win money no matter what the fate of the match. One important move which should be implemented is on how to read sports betting lines since this can help you to get the most out of your bet and also keep you from losing more money than you should, in case the other team wins.
While betting on sports isn't legal in most states in the USA, you possibly can still bet if you go online. You'll be able to practically bet on any sports like as football, basketball, baseball and even on car races and horse racing, whether it's college sports or simply professional sports including those hosted by pros for example the NFL, NBA, and NHL. While sports betting lines differ according to the sports, most have common features that mention names of the teams including the favored along with the underdog, the odds, the over, under and on points and the spread, if any for the outcome of the match. Even as it seems complicated, a case in point will help in simplifying the issue easily. For instance, a Dallas against Pittsburgh football match could display the following sports betting lines.
Dallas -11.5-130 -180
Pittsburgh +11.5-130 +220
38.5 ov-130
Firstly, the - sign beside Dallas signifies that this is the favored team to win whereas the + sign next to Pittsburgh indicates that they are the underdog. The subsequent figure i.e. 11.5 on both lines indicates that the favored team has to win and that too at least by the figure or points mentioned on the spread. The subsequent number i.e. 130 that may be mentioned on both lines indicates the amount you will have to bet in order to win $100 on that bet.
The last numbers on both the lines indicate the money line. If you'd like to bet on any team winning the match outright, then you need to bet on the money line. Should you bet on the underdog then your risk is higher and you win more money for a lower stake whereas when you bet on the favored team you'll win a lesser prize even as you'll need to put a higher stake. Hence should you bet on Pittsburg, i.e. the underdogs then your $100 stake will give you an additional $220 should they win the match but when Dallas win and you have betted with them then this stake of $180 will get you an additional $100.
The last line indicates the over-under, i.e. 38.5. Hence, irrespective of which team wins, if the game finishes having a score of 12-10 and if you might have bet under, then 12+10=22, hence you win since it is lower then 38.5. The number 130 next to the ov indicates how much you will need to bet to win $100 on such a bet.
You can start by gambling only on outright outcomes of each game or match before venturing to gambling on spreads and over-under. The aforementioned sample is only an example that can make your entry into sports betting a lot easier. Once you learn on how to read sports betting lines then you can fine-tune your tactic to win huge amounts of money.