New to Sports Betting? 3 Things You Should Know
Take a moment, and close your eyes. Think back to a simpler time in your life. You’re nine years old. It’s a hotter than usual morning in mid-May, and your dad has snuck you out of school to go see your favorite team play. You remember how excited you were when your dad told you the plan this morning. You remember how eagerly you sat in your morning math class. Waiting for your name to be announced over the intercom. To you, it was like winning the lottery. And when your name finally did get called up. You were so happy you could’ve just won the lottery! Now we flash forward. You’re at the stadium. It’s sticky outside from the humidity, but that just gets you more excited. It’s almost summer after all. You file into the stadium. Your seats are incredible. Overlooking right between home and first, you can hear the players grunt as they play as hard as they can. You watch inning after inning. The team has gone back and forth. In the red, sometimes trailing far behind. When all of a sudden it was late in the eighth, and your boys have loaded the bases. The tension in the air is so thick you could cut it. Everyone is holding their breath in anticipation. The pitch flies…and…It’s a hit! Your new favorite player just hit a triple, giving your team a jolt into its momentum that they capitalize on with a distinct lead for the rest of the game. For the next and final inning, you watch as your favorite players ostensibly take a victory lap over their opponents. Playing in a way that not only betrays their love of the support, but the vision etches itself across your memory like a carving on a stone tablet. It’s the perfect day, and nothing can ever tarnish that golden memory.
Now fast forward 20 years. You never miss a game, but sometimes you feel like something is missing. There’s some intangible thrill that has been absent lately, and you just can’t quite put your finger on it. Don’t worry that’s normal. You’re just at a point now where you want that little extra kick to keep things spicy. So when you’re getting those feelings and you feel like you need to stoke the fire in your belly. One thing I always suggest is adding a little wager to the game. Creating a small bet with your friends or at the office can be an excellent way to add a little excitement to the night’s proceedings, while also allowing you to show how much you love the team you are betting on! Now you might ask yourself. “Well that sounds like fun, but I just don’t know how to get started.” No problem my friends, as I have created this incredible guide of three things that you have to consider so that you can make the best bets possible!
Know Your Team!
One of the most important aspects of any franchise is its team’s history. A coach’s decision-making is not just informed by his gut! There is a long line of context and variables that create the conditions for which a play can be made viable. To be able to anticipate this, one must have a vast knowledge of that franchise’s core philosophy and their play history when facing their opponent. No two teams are the same. Though they may have similar play styles, anyone who’s in the know; is aware that each franchise has its distinctive history, and those who are successful tend to prioritize that history!
Knowing Your Opponent’s Defense
Now, this next entry goes hand in hand with our last, but it is an important enough discussion that it bears its own entry. What I’m talking about of course is having a complete understanding of your opponent’s playbook but most importantly their defense. If you can stay a step ahead of the opposing team then you have a significantly increased chance of anticipating their moves, and creating a betting strategy that will promptly benefit you!
My Name is Momentum
Now for our final entry into this list, I’d like to forget about the facts and the figures for just a moment and focus on some of the superstitious and “softer” sciences regarding the world of sports. When a team has heat it’s undeniable. Something about winning in sports just begets more winning, and it’s important to recognize that. The human element is there, and sometimes the simplest answer is to just ride the wave!
When you’re making your first bets on games, it can be pretty daunting. The fear of failure is ever-present and there’s a lot of risk to what you’re doing. My advice is to stick to your guns, remember your fundamentals, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. It’s only through trial and error that you can get a feel for your betting style, now it is just a matter of putting in the time and finding it!