Since the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018, we have seen sports betting become quite popular throughout the country. Football betting is of course the most popular version, considering that it is the national sport. However, California isn’t one of the many states that have legalized the industry. But even with that, you can still place your bet using an international sportsbook and not break any law.
If you are looking to join in on the fun, we’ll help guide you through. We’ll look at the basics you need to know and help you get started.
Understand the Basics
There are lots of things you will have to learn before you can get comfortable with the art of sports betting. The trickiest part of it all is in the terminologies used, and you’ll need to get familiar with the basic ones as they represent the actual bet types.
- Moneyline: The basic part of football betting is predicting who will win a game, and this is what is referred to as moneyline. The team being regarded as the favorite will have a negative moneyline, while the underdog will have a positive one. The former shows you how much you need to place to win $100, while the latter indicates how much you will win if you wager $100.
- Point Spread: How many points do you think the favorite will win by? This is what point spread basically entails – the margin.
- Over/under (Totals): This type of bet doesn’t take into account who is the favorite to win the game. It is all about the total points that you think will be scored in it. There are various ranges that the sportsbook will provide, and you can pick the one you think is the most likely.
- Parlays: Feel like combining two or more bets into one? If you think a certain team will win a game, you can also add a point spread bet. This will significantly boost your odds, but all bets must win for you to collect.
- Prop Bets: With these types of bets, you can bet on a specific event within the game. For example, who will score the first touchdown?
Other types of bets you’ll come across are Teasers and Futures. There’s also live betting, where you can bet on a game when it’s being played.
Choose a Proper Sportsbook
Now that you have a working knowledge of the type of bets you can place, you can go ahead and select a sportsbook. If you are a in a region that is yet to legalize sports betting, feel free to go with an international sportsbook. However, there are hundreds of options, so you need to analyze the legitimacy of the sportsbook. Look at various reviews and recommendations from other users. You can then consider the bonuses and promotions, especially the welcome bonus.
Do Your Research and Analysis
While there’s a lot of luck involved in sports betting, what you need the most is proper research and analysis. Before you risk your money, ensure that there’s a bit of science behind it. As such, study the previous performances of the teams, especially when playing against the same or similar opposition in terms of style of play. You can then consider injuries to key players or the lineups in general. And if you want to place on bets such as totals, you can also consider whether there’s a possibility of harsh weather as it can lead to low scores.
Start Small
When it comes to betting, you learn as you go. As such, it’s advisable that you start with small bets and teams that you are most familiar with. You can then work your way from there as you gain more experience. Throughout the way, ensure you manage your bankroll and have realistic goals to avoid getting into a financial crisis.
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