A Closer look at the First Preseason game.

      Today I thought we would talk a little more about the American Football Preseason game coming up this Sunday. The Line has moved over night, today's Line is Arizona Cardinals +3 -110 and New Orleans Saints -3 -110 and the Over/Under 35 -110. Yesterdays Line was Arizona Cardinals +3 -115 and New Orleans Saints -3 -105 and the Over/Under 35 -110 a small move but a move nonetheless.

      This is from the same Sports Book and also why I always tell you that you should check the Line regularly as it can move at anytime and also why I tell you that when you see a Line you really like you should bet it right then. Now as to why the line moved, well it could be any number of reasons, but the most likely reason is that the Sports Book had more money on one side than the other and had moved the Line to even things out and it worked and so the Line changed.

      Now as to the game itself the Arizona Cardinals and the New Orleans Saints have played each other 3 times since 2008 and New Orleans has won 2 out of 3 times. But the last time they met was October 10^th, 2010 and Arizona won. So Head to Head depending on how you look at it, it could go either way.

      In the League rankings it is Arizona Cardinals 1^st and New Orleans Saints 4^th in Offense, in Defense it is Arizona Cardinals 28^th and New Orleans Saints 25^th, in Passing it is Arizona Cardinals 1^st and New Orleans Saints 4^th, and in Rushing it is Arizona Cardinals 20^th and New Orleans Saints 9^th. As you can see they are fairly well matched with a slight edge going to New Orleans.

      Nether team is ranked very well in Defense and both have good scores in Offense and Passing, but New Orleans has a clear edge in Rushing. So most people think that New Orleans will win but that the score will be very close.

      Myself I also think that New Orleans will win, partially because they are playing at home and New Orleans, to me seams to play better when they have the home field advantage, or at least I think they do. So if I bet on this game I will take New Orleans to win buy at least 3 points or more.

      As I have said before I don't bet much on the preseason as the coaches are trying out new players and the players are just getting back to playing after the off season, so if you bet don't over do it. Well good luck with your preseason bets and I hope you are doing well betting on the Olympics.

How we are doing in the Olympics?

      Well the Olympics are well underway and the Medal count for the top three are:

                China   8 Gold   4 Silver   2 Bronze    Total 14

                USA    3 Gold   5 Silver   5 Bronze    Total 13

                 Italy    2 Gold   4 Silver   2 Bronze    Total 8

     It is still very early and we will check back with the count later in the week.

      So far China has taken Gold in Diving, Shooting, Swimming, and Weightlifting. The USA has taken Gold in Shooting and Swimming and Italy has taken Gold in Archery and Fencing. This count can change quickly so check out the Olympic website for the up to date count.

      There have been some interesting moments such as the British Women's Double Scull team setting a new Olympic best time as they qualified. I hope you have been enjoying watching the Olympics and have won some money betting on them.

      The Sports Books have been offering some great lines for the Olympics and are offering new ones everyday, like in Men's Basketball China +16½ 115 against Russia -16½ 115 and the Over/Under, Over 154½ -120 and the Under 154½ -110. Or the unbelievable Line in the USA vs. Tunisia Men's Basketball game of Tunisia +55½ -115 and USA -55½ -115 and the Over/Under 165 -115, that is one of the highest point spreads I have seen in Basketball.

      Well we still have several big events coming up and a lot of Olympics left to watch, so grab a seat and watch some great sports. Check your Sports Book and place a bet or two and get ready for the American Football preseason starting Sunday August 5^th with the Hall of Fame Game. The current Lines for the preseason opener are Arizona Cardinals +3 -115 and New Orleans Saints -3 -105

and the Over/Under 35 -110, check your Sports Book for their Line today.

Today is the Start of the Olympics

      Well a very old tradition starts today, the modern Olympics started back in 1896 over a hundred years ago but the games have a much longer history. The Olympics are more than just a world wide sporting event, they signify an effort for peaceful coexistence. The games give the countries of the world a non-violent way of competing with each other.

      The first written recorded record of an Olympic game was back in 776 BC and it is believed that they had been around for years before that, they went on every four years until 393 AD, almost 1200 years. The original event was running and the length was around 210 yards, and the first recorded Olympic Champion was Coroebus.

      Now we have a multitude of events and are still adding more. The Olympic games have and are still evolving into a great show of peace and unity for the human species.

      Today is the Opening Ceremonies and there is only one event in Archery held today but starting tomorrow the games really get under way with around 16 events starting and Soccer and Archery continuing.

      Most Sports Books are offering Lines on most of the events, so check your Sports Book every day to see what is available and make a few bets to make watching the events even more exciting. The tradition of betting on the Olympics is just as old as the Olympics themselves, so carry on the tradition betting on your country and make a few bets today.

      Watch the Olympics with your National Pride, but bet on them with your head and not your heart. Hope everyone out there enjoys the spirit of the Olympics and I also hope that all the players have a safe time competing. Good luck with your betting and I hope your bankroll wins some gold as well as your country.

Some more Terms

      I thought that today we might talk some more about some of the common terms in sports wagering. There are a lot of terms you will hear when talking about sports wagering with experienced gamblers that can confuse you.

      Lets start with a very common term, when you hear gamblers talking about wagering you might hear someone say “I've got “Action” on this game” or asking “do you have “Action” on the game”. “Action” in wagering simply means that you have a bet on that event. You can also use it to tell people that you are willing to take a bet on the game or looking to place a bet on the game.

      You might also hear someone say that their team did not “Cover” the Line, or ask did the team “Cover” the spread. What “Cover” means in sports betting is that the team won the bet by more than the “Point Spread”. So if they say that their team did not “Cover” the Line, what they mean is that the team did not win the game by more than the “Point Spread”.

      We also talk a lot about the “Odds” on the game this is either the “Money Line' or “Point Spread” on the game, these are also called the “Lines”.

      In wagering there are a lot of terms and the “Lingo” can get you confused, just remember if you are talking to your Sports Book and they say something you do not understand then you should ask them what they mean. Never place a bet if you don't understand what exactly is going on or what exactly is going to happen.

      A good example of this is in Baseball, when you place a bet in Baseball the book will ask you if you want to “List the Pitchers”. Now what this means is if you “List” the pitcher, that the pitcher you “listed” must start the game or your bet is canceled and your “Risk Money” is returned to you, but if you did not “List the Pitchers” and there is a pitching change, your bet is still on.

      So if there are some terms you are not sure about, please feel free to leave them in the comments section and I will try to explain them for you.

More about the Olympics.

      Now that the Olympics have started you should look to see what bets are available at your book, remember that the odds on events like Soccer will be listed with the other Soccer odds. Today was the Ladies starting events and tomorrow are the Men starting events.

      While I was writing this story I checked some of the scores and Great Britain had won over New Zealand 1-0, Japan beat Canada 2-1 and the USA beat France 4-2. Now there are still 3 more games today and the Men's games are tomorrow and there are some interesting match ups.

      Some of the match ups are South Korea +225 and Mexico -105, Japan +725 and Spain -300, and there are 6 other match ups. So check out what games your book is offering and place your bets now.

      In the Olympics, like in most Soccer Cups, each of the countries teams are put into groups, you can find a list of the groups on the internet and also find the bracket showing you what the match ups are.

     There are a lot of events coming up in the next 19 days, so be sure that you check your book every day to see what Lines they are offering.

      Now that these are regular Lines and not “Props” you can parlay them as well, unless your book has the games “Circled”. So check out the lines that your book is offering and put some more excitement in watching the Olympic games today.

The Start of the Olympics.

      The start of the first event in the Olympics is tomorrow with the first game in Women's Football and then first game of Men's Football on Thursday. The actual Opening Ceremonies are Friday July 27, 2012.

      The Olympics have a lot of different games and medal events for you to watch, so there is something for everyone. You can find a schedule of the events online and find out from your local TV provider when and what events are televised in your area.

      Every Sports Book will offer many different bets for the Olympics, so you should check the “Prop” section of your book, every day to see what is available. Just Remember that when betting on the Olympics don't go overboard, just bet enough to make the events even more fun to watch.

      The Olympics are very interesting to watch, and see the amazing abilities of the people who dedicate their whole life to sports, and the heights that they can reach when they go for the Gold. Myself I like the Archery, Fencing, Shooting, and Equestrian events. These are the sports that you don't see very often, but the Bobsled events are a lot of fun as well.

      Sadly the Olympics are only every 4 years and the Closing Ceremonies are on Sunday August 12, 2012. We only get about 19 days of events so don't miss your favorites and be sure to place a few bets to make it even more interesting to watch.

Some Terms You Might Hear

      Hello, today I though we might talk about some of the Terms you hear a lot in Sports Betting. First Thing you hear a lot is “On The Board” or “Off The Board”.

      The “Board” is the list of Games the book is taking bets on right now, this name comes from the chalk boards that the betting odds use to be written on in the casinos. So if something is “On The Board” it is available to bet on right now, and if it is “Off The Board” it is no longer available to bet on it.

      Most books take the games “Off The Board” about 2 to 5 minuets after the game starts. If you try to bet on a game after a it goes “Off The Board” you are trying to “Past Post”, this is more of a problem in Horse Racing, where the whole thing is over in less than 2 minutes, than in most sports.

     You will also hear some people asking for a “Rundown of the Lines” or just a “Rundown”, what they are asking for is a list of all the games the book is offering right now. This happens a lot during Football season as people call up early to ask for a rundown of the lines, then call back in a few minuets with the games they want to bet on.

      Another term that might affect your betting is if a game is “Circled”, what this means is a game has lower betting limits than normal. This can be because of several different reasons, from poor weather to player injuries or player suspension. It is also important to note that any “Circled” game can only have “Straight Bets” placed on it as a rule, no Parlays or other “Exotic” bets allowed, unless otherwise noted.

     Their are a lot of terms in sports wagering and we will talk about them from time to time, if you hear a term that you don't understand, please feel free to leave a comment and I will be gladly answer your questions.

  

More about “Prop” Bets

      We have been talking about Sports Betting on the Olympics, last time we talked about the odds on the Men’s Archery Team. This time I thought we might give the Ladies a shot.

           Olympics Women Basketball

           USA -1250

           Australia +450

           Russia +800

       And at the bottom of the list is:

           Great Britain +10500

           Angola +12500

      As with all your bets on the Olympics you should remember that the players are not professionals, they are the most talented amateurs and the future of their sports. They should be some really great games to watch.

      Check your Sports Books “Props” section to see what bets they are offering you on the Olympics, and while your there see what the “Futures” on your favorite team to win the Superbowl next year. Remember “Props” are fun but don't bet to much on them, because with any bet that is so speculative you have to be very careful

  

Action Points, What are they?

      There is a type of bet offered by some Sports Books that we have not talked about yet, it is called Action Points. Action Points can be very profitable, but as with all bets the bigger the profit the bigger the risk. Action Points are for the persons who thinks really that they can predict the number of points that his team will win the game by.

      How it works is that you will bet not only that your team will beat the “Point Spread”, but by how many points they will beat it by. You will be risking money on each of the points beyond the “Point Spread”. You must pick a “Cap”, which is the number of points that you are going to risk money on.

      This “Cap” tells the book your max risk amount, you must have this amount in your account. So if you set a cap of 5 points in a football game you must have $550 in your account if you risked $100 per point. Since Action points are only available in Football or Basketball and the odds with “Point Spread” bets are usually $110 to win $100. Most of the books allow you to set your “Cap” between 1 and 10 points.

      Remember the number points you bet on tells you both the max amount you can win or lose.

      Now this is how it works if you bet on the Buffalo Bills +5, with a cap of 10 points, and bet $100 a point. Your max Risk is $1,100 and the most you can win is $1,000, but you can lose up to the full $1,100 you risked. The bet will be graded on the number of points above the Line that your team wins by, or the number of points below the Line that they lose by.

       So if the Bills win the game by 10 points and the line was -5 you won your bet by 5 points and you would win $500. If the Bills win by 15 points you would win $1,000 because the “Cap” was 10 points. If the Bills win by 3 you lose $220, because they did not cover the Line of -5 and you risked $110 a point. And if they lose by 15 you would lose the max risk of $1,100 because your “Cap” stopped your losses at 10 points.

     So as you can see this can be a really great bet for growing your Bankroll but it can also really cost you if your team loses, as always in betting the greater the reward the bigger the risk. So if you use “Action Points” be very careful and don't go overboard with your bets.

      Remember they say the journey to anywhere starts with but a single step, well in Wagering your new Lifestyle starts with but a single bet, so get started today on the road to the lifestyle you want.

Part 2, Picking you a Sports Book

      Finally you should check out what bonuses they are offering. Remember don't just check on how much you are getting but what restrictions they are placing on you after you receive the bonus. All books require some type of “Rollover” on bonus money. What they mean by this is that before you can withdraw your winnings, that you must “Risk” your entire deposit a certain number of times.

      So if a Sports Book offers you a 10% bonus, and you deposit $100, you would get $110 dollars into your account for you to bet with. However you might not be eligible for a withdrawal until you have “Rolled Over” your money 3 times. What this means is you would have to make bets, with the risk totaling $330. So if your first bet is for $110 to win $100, and you win, you would now have $210 in you account, but could not get a payout because you have only risked $110. You would need to risk another $220 before you can have a payout.

      This is to give the Sports Book a fair chance to get your money. Now the reason you want to know the number of “Rollovers” is because most books are offering a lot more than 10% and this means that the “Rollovers” can be really big.

      For example I recently saw several Sports Books offering 100% bonuses on your deposit. When I checked out 3 of them and there was a big difference in the “Rollovers” that they each required, we will call them Book 1, 2 and 3.

      Book 1 was offering the 100% bonus but required you to “Roll it Over” 35 times, this means on a $100 deposit you would end up with $200 in your account but would have to risk $7,000 before you could get your first payout.

      Book 2 was offering the same 100% but only required a 25 times “Rollover”, meaning that you would only have to risk $5,000 before you could get your first payout. And Book 3 was only asking for a 20 times “Rollover”, so with them you only had to risk $4,000 before you could get your first payout.

      So as you see in this example because I shopped around I saved up to $3,000 in fees. So as with your betting, when choosing a Sports Book, DO YOUR RESEARCH. Take a little time and be sure to get the Knowledge you need, to really enjoy your sports betting experience, and win the lifestyle you have always wanted.

Picking you a Sports Book, part1

     If you don't already have a Sports Book, lets think about what you should look for in a Book. One of the most important things about betting on Sports is the book you use. First off you should not chose a Sports Book just on the bonuses they are offering.

      The first thing you should do is search the name of the Sports Book on your search engine, and see what other people are saying about them. Read a few reviews and check out what people are saying about how good the Sports Book is at payouts. How they are at Customer Service and if they get jammed up in the last few minutes before a game.

      The next thing you should look at are the Sports Books Rules and Regulations. Especially the Parlay and Teaser payout tables and compare a few different books just to see if there are any big differences. Also check out the rules on when your money will be available to you after a bet is over.

      Next check out the ways that they offer for you to send money to your account and which currency they allow, and what fees are involved. Then be sure to check out what ways that you can get your payout and which currency they allow, and also what fees are involved. These two things should be checked out very carefully as being able to get your money to the book quickly can be important if you are short on funds and want to bet on a game. And getting your payout is always important to me, because when I win, I want to be able to get my money quickly and with a minimum of fees and restrictions.

      Tomorrow we will talk about one of the final things you should look at when choosing a Sports Book.

American Football Preseason

     Well the first Preseason game is less than a month away, week 1 is starting on Thursday, August 9^th . I know there is one other game before that, but that is the Hall of Fame Weekend Game on Sunday, August 5^th and is not part of the regular Preseason schedule.

      Now as I have said before I don't bet on the Preseason very much, for the simple reason that the coaches are trying out their new players. They are also trying out old players in different positions and new strategy’s as well. All of this together makes it very hard to consistently pick the winners of the games.

     So if you bet on the Preseason games be careful and don't bet very much money. Now this does not mean that the Preseason games are not very important to you the gambler, this is your first chance to see how the new players perform with the team. How the old players are doing after the summer off and get a feel for your teams.

     So, be sure to watch the games and don't worry so much about who wins, but watch how they play. This is part of the research that is so necessary for a gambler to win consistently. I have told you before Knowledge is your most valuable tool and this is one of the ways for you to get it.

     So if you really want to bet on Preseason, go ahead, but remember to keep it small, as the games are very unpredictable. Be sure to keep a eye on the players that were injured last year to see how they have recovered and if they are really back in the game.

     So while Preseason is a lot of fun to watch, be sure to keep track of the stats as they will be worth a lot to you for the rest of the season.

American Football “Props”

      While we are talking “Props” and “Futures” I was looking at my Sports Books “Futures” on American football.And I was shocked to see that my favorite team was not the favorite to win the Superbowl next year.

      The teams with the best odds to win are Green Bay Packers at +400 and New England Patriots +415 and the 4 teams with the worst odds are Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, and Cleveland Browns all at +9000.

      So as we have said before all bets are based on a $100 bet, but of course you can bet as much or as little as you like, on each bet. So if you think that the Colts could win the Superbowl, you could bet just $100 to win $9,000.

      Remember though there is a good reason why the Books are willing to give you odds that big. The bigger the Risk the bigger the Reward. The books have done their research, have you done yours? If you have taken sometime to research and think that the Colts can win, great. But if you want to bet on the Colts just because they are you favorite team, and you have not done your research, that’s is bad. As with all bets you need to bet with your head not just your heart. When you are making any bet take the time to think it through completely.

      So check out your Sports Books “Prop” section and see what “Props” and “Futures” that your book offers.

About the up coming Olympics and “Prop Bets”

      Well now that we are talking about “Prop Bets”, lets talk about some of the options for betting on the Olympics. Betting on the Olympics is almost totally “Prop Bets”, and there are a lot of choices, from the simple one like we talked about yesterday of which country will win. To match ups between the country's on which country will win more gold medal’s.

      For example will the USA win more gold medals than China, the line on that is USA -155 and China +115. Then there is the match up between Russia -180 and Great Britain +140.

      In the Totals it is USA to win over and under 38½, over +105 and under -145. China over and under 36½, over -155 and under +115. This is just from one Sports Book, you should check your Sports Book and see what lines the are offering.

      Most Sports Books are already offering some good “Futures” on most events, here are a few from one Sports Book.

           Olympics to win Archery Team Men:

                South Korea      +105

                Great Britain      +140

                USA                 +180

                Brazil               +2250

      They are more of course, and for the Country's not on their list, most Sports Books even have a line for every Team not listed, for example:

                 Field – Any Country not listed      +140

      So give your Sports Books “Prop” section a look over and see what they are offering on the Olympics and get a head start on making some money for football season today.

Closing thoughts about betting on “Exotic Bets”

      So we have talked about the different bets you can use, besides just “Straight Bets”. Just remember the “Straight Bet” should always be your go to bet, but the careful use of “Exotics” can really grow your bankroll.

      When using the “Exotics” that we have just talked about, always think them through completely. Making sure that the Risk is Worth the Reward, and that you don't put too Many Teams into your “Exotic” bet.

      There are some other types of specialty betting that we should talk about, like “Futures” and “Proposition or Prop Bets”, these are not really “Exotic” Bets, because most Sports Book won’t allow you to bet “Futures” or “Props” except in “Straight Bets”. These are just not the kind of things you would normally bet on.

      “Futures” are simply bets on the “Future” outcome of a Tournament or Season in a sport, which you place before the Tournament or Season starts. Like will the Dallas Cowboys win the Superbowl next year? Or will the USA get the most Gold Medals at the Olympics. “Futures” are usually in the “Proposition Bet” section of your Sports Book

      

     Where “Prop Bets” can be just about anything that the sports book thinks you would bet on. They can be as simple as whether the coin toss in the Superbowl will be heads or tails. Or they can be as specific as will a certain player score a point, or will a team score a certain number of points. “Prop Bets” can be a lot of fun, but like any other bet use them carefully and think them through completely.

      Right now there are some great “Prop Bets” up for the 2012 London Summer Olympics. For example I was looking at one Sports Book and they had the the USA to win in the Women Soccer +180, but for South Africa it is +7000. So if you bet $100 on the USA lady’s soccer team you could win $180 if they win the Gold Medal. But if you bet $100 on the South African lady's you could win $7,000 if they win the Gold Medal.

      There are a lot of “Props” on the boards for the Olympics, you should check out your Sports Book and see what they offer. Tomorrow we will talk some more about the up coming Olympics and “Prop Bets”

Round Robins, Why and When you should think about using them, some basics

      OK, yesterday we talked about Reverses, and how they allowed you to place multiple “If Bets” easily, well another type of bet that allows you to place multiple bets quickly, is the Round Robin. Unlike the Reverse that creates “If Bet” combinations, a Round Robin creates Parlay combinations.

      Most books allow 2 different ways of using the Round Robin, first and probably the most used is the “set size” or “# way”, in which you tell the Sports Book what size of Parlays to create in your Round Robin, for example if we had a $100, 3 team, “2 way”, Round Robin, then it would create 3, 2 team Parlays. So if we bet on Team A, Team B, and Team C, it would turn into 3, 2 team Parlays:

1. Team A and Team B
2. Team A and Team C
3. Team B and Team C

      Remember just like in the Reverse, in a Round Robin we have to multiply our risk money times the number of Parlays it creates. So in our $100, 3 team, “2 way”, Round Robin example, we would be risking $300 to win up to a $1,080, depending on your Sports Books Parlay payout table.

      The other option for using a Round Robin, is call the “most possible” or the “all ways”. The difference is that if you had a $100, 3 team, “All Ways”, Round Robin it would turn into 1, 3 team Parlay and 3, 2 team Parlays, and you would end up risking $400 to win around $1,389, again depending on your Sports Books Parlay payout table.

      As you can see, Round Robins, can make a lot of money, when they win, since each Parlay is graded separately, if you have 1 loser you still win some of your parlays and have a chance to break even or even come out ahead. Round Robins have their uses, but should not be used unless you have thought it through completely, as with any bet you make, be sure that the Risk is Worth the Reward.

      Now if you want a more detailed explanation of betting, and a step by step break downs of the Round Robin and other bets, then you can grab a copy of my e-book “The Wagering Man's Guide to Sports Betting” at our website www.thewageringman.com, and get all the help you need in understanding how your bets work, check it out today

Why and When you should think about using a “Reverse” bet, some basics, Part 5

     Yesterday we talked about “If Bets”, and the importance of choosing the order of your teams in your “If Bet”. Today we are going to talk about Reverses, which are an interesting way of placing multiple “If Bets” quickly.

      Now a Reverse, takes your teams, and turns them into every 2 team “If Bet” combination possible, and then reverses them as well. So if you bet a 2 team Reverse, it becomes 2 “If Bets”, so if you bet on Team A, and Team B, your “If Bets” would be:

1. Team A “If Win” then Team B
2. Team B “If Win” then Team A

      So if you asked for a $100, 2 team, Reverse you would be risking $110 twice, for a total Risk of $220, in a Point Spread Reverse, because you would end up, with two “If Bets” of $110 each to win $200 each, for a total risk of $220 to win $400. And if you bet a 3 team Reverse then you would have 6 “If Bets”, and you would have to wager 6 times the risk amount. Now as you can see using a Reverse can be expensive, but if your teams win, you can win a lot of money. I rarely use more than a 3 team Reverse, but a 2 or 3 team well thought out Reverse can make you some good money.

      So if you have 2 or 3 teams that you are really confident about, and want to bet on them as much as you can, a Reverse is one of the ways to put up multiple bets quickly and easily. Also since a Reverse becomes multiple “If Bets” if one of your teams does lose, you can still win some of your money back Most Reverses are double action, but check your Sports Books rules and regulations, to see if you have the choice between single and double action, in my Reverses I always use double action.

      Tomorrow we will talk about when and why to use a Round Robin, and for more detailed explanations you can grab a copy of my e-book “The Wagering Man's Guide to Sports Betting” at our website www.thewageringman.com, check it out today

Why and When you should think about “If Bet” betting, some basics, Part 4.

     Yesterday we were talking about when and why to use an “If Bet”, we had just talked about the fact that an “If Bet” Stops on a loser. In an “If Bet” you can lose one bet and still break even or sometimes come out ahead, depending on what order you placed the teams in. The reason being that since the bets are graded individually, if you have wining bets before the loser, then you get the winnings from those bets, and that can help to offset the loss of your risk money.

      This is why it is so important, what order you place the teams into the “If Bet”, they do not have to be in the order their played in, but they will be graded in the order you put them into the “If Bet”, so if for example in American Football you placed the Monday night game first in your “If Bet”, and 2 other games that play on Sunday, and then the 2 games on Sunday win, your “If Bet” will not be graded a winner until the Monday night game is played, and if it is a loser, the whole bet is over, and it does not matter one bit, if the later teams in your “If Bet” were winners, because the bet stops with the loser.

      You can also put games in an “If Bet” that are playing at the same time, they will be graded in the order that you placed them in the “If Bet”, not the order in which they finish. The main thing about an “If Bet” is that you have to place the whole bet, before the earliest game in the “If Bet” starts, it does not matter if it is the first team in the “If Bet” or not, but you cannot place any bet after a game is off the board.

      Tomorrow we talk about when and why to use a Reverse, and for more detailed explanations you can grab a copy of my e-book “The Wagering Man's Guide to Sports Betting” at our website www.thewageringman.com, check it out today.

Part 3, Why and When you should think about “Exotic” betting, some basics

      Yesterday we were talking about Teasers vs Parlays, and the payout differences between them, and why sometimes it is better to take a lower payout, with a better chance to win, over a larger payout and more Risk.. The object of your wagering is to win money, and not just once in awhile, but to do it consistently, and not just all in one huge bet. So learn when and where to use the different betting options that are available to you, and you can really start to grow your Bankroll into something really BIG.

      So sometimes when you have 2 or 3 teams that you really want to bet on, and you don't want to take a chance on a Parlay or Teaser, but also don't want to risk to much money on them with 2 or 3 Straight Bets, you can always put them into an “If Bet”. Which is safer than a Parlay or a Teaser but not as profitable, you will always find that the riskier the bet is, the more profitable it is. Now with an “If Bet” you can bet on all 3 teams with the same risk money, but since each bet on each team is graded separately, the previous bet has to win for the next bet to have “Action”, so now the order you put them into the “If Bet” is also very important. Now of course if all the teams win it does not matter which order you put them in the bet, you win, but if just 1 team loses then it matters which order they were in, because the “If Bet” stops on the loser.

      Tomorrow we continue on when and why to use “If Bets”, and for more detailed explanations you can grab a copy of my e-book “The Wagering Man's Guide to Sports Betting” at our website www.thewageringman.com, check it out today.

 

Why and When you should think about “Exotic” betting, some basics, Part 2

      Yesterday we started our talk about when to use “Exotic” bets, we were talking about Parlays and how they can make your Bank Roll grow. If you have 2 teams that you are very sure about, and you place 2 straight bets on them to win $50, again we are talking Point Spreads here, you will bet $55 to win $50 twice, or $110 total risk to win $100, but if you put both teams in a $50 Parlay you would be risking just $50 to win $130. The big difference is that in the Parlay both teams must win or you lose all of your risk money, but in the 2 Straight Bets, one can win and one can lose, and you only lose your money on the loser.

      So if your not a 100% sure about the 2 teams then maybe you should Tease them instead, now Teasers don't payout as much as Parlays, but you can move the lines in your favor, giving you a better chance to win. An 3 team 6 point Teaser only pays around 8/5 odds or $80 for every $50 you bet, so a $100, 3 team, 6 point Teaser, is going to pay you around $160 where a $100, 3 team Parlay will pay you around $600, this is a big difference. But sometimes you are better off, taking a lower payout with a better chance of winning, remembering that $600 is great but if your teams don't win you get nothing, so if your not really confident about the Teams Lines, but want to bet them, Tease them, and at least you have a better chance of winning something, and $160 is better than losing all of your risk money.

      Tomorrow we will get start on when and why to use “If Bets”, and for more detailed explanations you can grab a copy of my e-book “The Wagering Man's Guide to Sports Betting” at our website www.thewageringman.com, check it out today.

Why and When you should think about “Exotic” betting, some basics, Part 1

      Why you should think about “Exotic” betting. Straight Bets should always be at the heart of your betting strategy, but that does not mean you should ignore other types of bets. With Parlays, Teasers, “If Bets”, Reverses, and Round Robins you just have to think a little more about your bets, but they can make your Bank Roll grow in leaps and bounds.

      Yesterday we started talking about the Parlay. Now Parlays are a lot of fun to win, and the payouts can be large, but remember that every team you add to a Parlay is another chance to lose the whole Parlay. So don't try to win a fortune with each Parlay you play, by betting on 10 teams or more, Sports Books love people that always put 8, 10, or more teams in a Parlay, because statistically the Book wins. But a well thought out 3 or 4 team Parlay can make the Books cringe, the payout on a $100, 3 team Parlay can be as much as 6/1 or better, meaning you can get $600 for that $100 you bet and for a 4 team Parlay it can be 12/1 or more, depending on the Sports Book your using, meaning that the same $100 will bring you $1200 in a 4 team Parlay.

      So as you can see you can win good money, if you use Parlays wisely, even a small 2 team Parlay can give you a boost in the size of your Bank Roll at 13/5 or $130 for every $50 you bet, so that's $100 to get you $260, all these examples so far have been about Point Spreads, with Money Line Parlays the odds are different.

      Tomorrow we will talk some more about How to use Parlay's and when you should think about a Teaser instead, and for more detailed explanations you can grab a copy of my e-book “The Wagering Man's Guide to Sports Betting” at our website www.thewageringman.com, check it out today.

Betting on American Football, part 3

      Today I wanted to move our talk about the basics of betting on American Football to the types of bets you should use in your betting strategy, now yesterday we were talking about doing your research and being careful about when you bet. Now that is some of the most important things you can do, taking the time to do good research has helped more people win more games, than all the betting strategy's combined. OK, we have talked about how our betting strategy changes during the season, now we are going to talk about the different types of bets and when to use them.

      The main bet used by all gamblers, is the Straight Bet, and it should be the type of bet you use the most often, but that does not mean you should not use other types of exotic bets. Now when using a Straight Bet on a game, the thing you need to give a lot of consideration to, is how much money to risk. All Lines are read out around a $100 dollar bet, but this is just to make the math easier for you to think about how much you want to risk. So when a line is +6 and in American Football Point Spread, you will usually have to risk $110 to win a $100, or $11 to win $10, but you can bet any amount you want, and the book will tell you the exact risk amount. Now when picking a risk amount there are three very important things to think about, first is how confident are you that the team is going to win, and second how much of your bankroll do you want to risk, and third is the Risk Worth the Reward. When you think these three things through completely, you will make wiser betting decisions.

      Now when you have 2 or 3 teams that you really like, and they have good lines, it might be time to use a Parlay, when using Parlays you can grow your bankroll quickly, without risking too much of your money at one time. In a 2 team Parlay instead of risking $110 to win $100, depending on your books Parlay payout table, you would risk around $100 to win $260, and in a 3 team Parlay it is more like $100 to win $600. Now do not bet on a Parlay just because you can, you still need to think it through and it needs to make sense from a risk and reward stand point, the reward is great but do you have the confidence in the 2 or 3 teams to win. Remember the Books give you better payouts with exotic bets for a reason, because it is riskier for you to pick 2 or 3 teams where all of the teams must win, for you to win your bet, than it is to have 2 or 3 Straight Bets, where if 1 of them loses you can still win the others, as always Bigger Payout, Equals Greater Risk.

      Tomorrow we will talk more about why and when you should think about using Exotic bets.

Betting American Football, part 2

Today I thought we would continue our talk about betting on American Football, yesterday we talked about how the early games were settling down games, and are very difficult to predict with any certainty. Now once the season gets underway and things have settled down, you should be able to make some much better choices for your betting. When doing your research you should be sure to start by simply taking a look on Tuesday or Wednesday at the opening lines, this is so you can see what the early lines look like, and this gives you several days to research the games you want to bet on this week. Then you want to take a look at how the teams are ranked for the current season, and what the outcomes of the previous meetings between the two teams have been. Sometimes if the two teams have a little bit of a rivalry, this is more important than the current seasons rankings. Then you want to take a look at the health of each team your betting on, and their opponents health as well. If a team has a lot of injury’s, and this can be a big factor late in the season, you should take that into consideration when deciding to bet on them, especially watch the secondary as the star players can't do their jobs if they don't have the protection. You also want to look at the style of play, are they a big passing team, and if they are, is their opponent better against the pass or the run, defensively? Also take a look at the two teams ranks in both defense and offense and how they compare with each other. Remember in each bet, one of the 2 teams that are playing are going to win, and sometimes it is not, the strongest team but the team that wants it the most. This is very true later in the season, because once a team has made the playoffs, sometimes they slack off a little to protect their star players, while other teams that are on the verge of making the playoffs play a little harder and little better. We will continue this conversation tomorrow.

When to bet American Football

Hope everyone had a safe and happy Fourth of July. Today I thought we could start talking about the games you should bet on in American Football. First off I, myself don't usually bet on preseason games because the teams are not set yet, and the coaches are trying out different players, so I strongly recommend that you stay away from betting on preseason games. Next the first 1 or 2 games are also usually settling down games so be careful betting on them, from about the 3^rd game on things get more regular for betting. Now when picking the games you want to bet on, you should look at several things. First is the teams history against each other and where their playing. Second how are the teams doing this year and how healthy are the players on both teams. Third what are the odds, the lines are very important in making your decision. Now there are a lot of other things you can look at, and as always your research is important, any info you can get, can make the difference between winning and losing, so check out the game completely. When looking at the lines if they are too high, then you might want to think about using a Teaser or even buying a point, but if they are too high in the point spread it might be wiser either to bet on the over or under, or not to bet on that game at all. Remember if you want to make money at betting on sports, you have to use you mind, not your emotions when placing your bets.

Happy Fourth of July!!!!

Happy Independence Day America. God Bless us all.

A Pitching Change “Oh My”

An interesting thing happened over night in the Baseball lines, there was a Pitching change in the Detroit and Minnesota game. Now this is important to you the bettor because it changes the Lines(Price) on the game, and if you did not make your bet with “Listed” Pitchers, then the difference in the new Price is taken from your account. It is important when betting on Baseball for you to check who the starting Pitcher is, and how well he has done against the other team, how he's doing for the year, and other important statistics on him. So a Pitching change can be a very big deal for your bet, and if you did not say while making the bet “List the Pitchers” or “Listed Pitchers” then your bet is still active, with the new pitcher, and you have to pay the difference in the new price, but if you said “Listed Pitchers” when you made your bet, then your bet becomes “No Action” and your money is returned to your account. So if you want to bet on the team, no matter who is Pitching, the do not “List” the pitchers, but be aware of the possibility that you could have to pay more money if the pitchers change. So by “Listing” the pitchers then you know exactly how much money your going to pay for your bet, but if that pitcher does not make the first pitch then your bet is “No Action”. Most of the time this is not a issue, but when it does happens, it can be very important to the outcome of your bet, also most of the time there is plenty of time, for you to make a new bet, after the pitching change is announced, if you still like the new lines on the game. So it is always a good ideal to “List” your pitchers, this way you know exactly how much of your money, is going to be at risk, in your bet.

Knowledge is Power

Well the UEFA EURO 2012 is over and Spain wins big against Italy 4-0, looks like Italy just ran out of steam in the Final. Hope you had your money on the right team. The EURO 2012 had some surprises, like Italy beating Germany in the first place, or England losing to Italy. Like I was saying to you, you have to do your research to give yourself a good chance at winning your bets, but no matter how good your research is or how “Favored” a team is the “Underdog” can still have a great day and win. But if you have taken the time and effort to do just a little research then you will not lose as often as the person who just looks at the board and says I think I’ll bet on that one. Knowledge is Power and if you use the Power wisely then you can change your lifestyle and live the one you deserve. Betting with knowledge and foresight is how all the Wiseguys in Vegas live life so LARGE, they never bet on a game that they have not studied well, and that is their true secret.

What about the "Props"

UEFA EURO 2012 Finals between Spain and Italy are in a few hours, and the current Lines are Spain +109 and Italy +260 and the draw +220. This is a good time to place your bets, and as there are some interesting Prop Bets available to you through most Sports Books, be sure to check your Sports Book and see what Props they offer. Props are a fun way, to make watching the game so much more exciting to watch. For example the line at one Sports Book, on which team will score first is Spain -165 and Italy +125, who do you think it will be? Or if you really think your a sports guru how about which player will score first or what the exact score will be? Maybe the number of goals scored? If you do place a few Prop Bets, don't go overboard and put to much of your money on them, Props are just to add some fun and excitement to watching the game, not as your primary money makers. Put your real money on your Straight Bets, now check out your Sports Books Props and put a little more excitement into watching the Game.