Sports betting has a long history around the world, and the development of the Internet has pushed it to another high peak. Lots of online sports betting websites and apps came out, offering punters everywhere at any time. Almost every popular sport has its own market, attracting various players and bettors to put their money in.
There are lots of sports options to choose from, and even virtual sports and esports betting are included. On the way to sports betting, there are several things you might need.
Table of Contents
◎Sports betting Options/Markets
The very first thing of course is you have to select a sport to bet on. We always suggest people choose the sports that they are familiar with, if you are able to play the sports or watch the games for years, this is even better. However, if you don’t, still there’s no need to worry about it. There are lots of guides and tips for beginners, and all you have to do is place your first bet to experience the joy!
What are Betting Options/Markets?
The meaning of betting options can be either wide or narrow. Generally, it refers to the selections you can choose to bet on. Each sport has its own popular series or tournaments, for example, cricket would be T20 World Cup or IPL in India, while football would be FIFA World Cup or UEFA in Europe. You can choose the sports events you like.
Also, there’s another explanation of betting options or betting markets, or some might call it “type of bets.” Here are several common types of bets below.
1. Win Bet/Moneyline Bet/Match Result
There’s nothing easier than a winning bet, which is an option for you to choose if one team will win or not. The name “Moneyline bet” is often used in the US. A win bet is the most popular option in the world since it’s the easiest one to make. All you have to do is to choose a team that you think it might win, and wager on it. The winnings will depend on the odds.
2. Point Spreads
This option is very popular and common, especially for American football and basketball in the US. In this type of bet, you will see there are extra numbers that come with 【+/-】. You’re actually betting on the expectations of a team’s performance. Therefore, you don’t need to stick to predicting the winning team, but simply expect the team performs as usual.
3. Handicap Betting
This type of bet is so popular that it’s used worldwide. Handicap betting is a little bit different from point spread. Handicap betting effectively provides you with the opportunity to enhance your chances of winning, lower the odds or boost the probabilities, but reduce your opportunities of winning.
4. Totals /Over-Unders
The idea below is that a bookie sets a line for the overall number of factors, goals, or runs to be scored in a match. After that provide you with betting options on whether the real total will be more or less than the line they’ve set. Betting on higher is referred to as backing the over while betting on lower is referred to as backing the under.
5. Prop Bets
The complete name of this is called proposition bet, which might be the most interesting and unpredictable one. Most results of prop bets depend on luck and fortune. This type of bet may not have lots of signs to predict or do research, however, it might provide chances of winning a big fortune in a match.
Here are some common prop bets that people usually play the most–
- The first player to score a point/goal.
- Time of first point/goal.
- Time of the first touchdown.
- Time of the first corner.
- Which team will win the coin toss?
- Will there be a penalty awarded?
- Will any player score a hat trick?
- Will {Player} score a touchdown?
- Will the team that scored first win the game?
- Will {Player A} or {Player B} score more points?
6. Outrights/Futures
This is as simple as the win bet, and the only different place is that outright is for predicting the winner of a specific league or tournament even before the series starts.
◎Sports Betting Tips
Most of the tips are simply a general direction for your reference, and you will always still need to build your own strategy for your bets. Here are some simple tips that can be used in the main types of sports.
1. Do Your Own Research
Without a doubt, doing research is a crucial thing to do if you want to play seriously in sports betting. Factors like players, teams, weather, pitch, or even global political situations affect the game result. The more details you check before wagering, the higher probability you might win the bet.
2. Check the H2H Records
Among all of the records and data, we consider that the H2H record is the most valuable. H2H means head-to-head, which refers to the exact two teams as the following set against each other. Lots of sports info sites provide delicate charts so that you don’t have to build a brand-new one with lots of time taken.
3. Claim the Bonus or Promotions
Almost every bookmaker provides a welcome bonus to new players. You might get some bonus from your first deposit, or you can just claim the promo code whenever you want. In some sports like cricket or football, the bookmakers even offer free bets! Don’t forget to check if there’s a new promo from time to time.
4. Read the Highlight Before the Match
More and more sports info sites make the highlight before a tournament or season starts. You should always take them into consideration, especially if it’s about the latest update of players or teams. The points we mention below are the things we hope you to notice.
- Players injury
- Teams Recent Performance
- Star Players
- Local weather and pitch conditions
◎Sports Betting Sites & Apps
A sports betting site or app is usually run by a bookmaker. A bookmaker is one who offers the betting odds for you to bet on. Normally, you need to sign-up for a new account, put money in as your bankroll of betting, and then select the betting options.
If you are a heavy user of mobile phones, remember to choose a site that also supports excellent an app which is user-friendly and swift to use. Of course, there are some key factors in selecting a betting site, and we will mention them below for your reference.
1. Reputation & License
Choosing a betting site is like choosing a business partner. You have to be careful and serious when browsing the relative info about a bookmaker. Check if it has a licence verified by authority, or see the reviews by real users to check its reputation.
2. Banking Methods
When it comes to real money, it is necessary to be as careful as possible you can. Also, the convenience and the availability of the method should be taken into your consideration. Generally, the classic ways like bank transfer and a credit card are still available, but more bettors prefer to use other services like e-wallets, 3rd party payments or even cryptocurrencies. The biggest benefit of 3rd party service is that you don’t have to fill the banking details again if you want to switch the betting site. Also, if you use an e-wallet, it’s easier to manage the bankroll and budget with it.
3. Focusing Sport & Events
Each betting site has its own focusing sport or event, for example, 10 Cric focuses on cricket, while bet365 or BetUS tend to do football promotions more often.
Normally, using a betting site which puts emphasis on the sports you like have a higher possibility of better odds. The odds, of course, are connected tightly with your winnings after all.
4. Bonus & Promotions
The market of betting is extremely competitive, so almost every betting site offers a welcome bonus to its new users. If you’ve got plenty of time, it’s better to sign-up in at least 2 betting sites, so that you are able to compare the bonus and promotions between them.
There’s one thing to remember–the bonus & promo might come in different forms. Cashback, refund, and free bets are some of the types.
5. Customer Service
Despite that lots of betting sites have this same problem—many platforms lack the instant reply of customer service, you should still try to find a “not that bad” one. Some sites provide service through the only text like e-mail or massage, while some support phone calls or voice services.
Make sure you know the way of customer service before you deposit into a betting site so that you can find someone to help when you’re in trouble.
◎Sports Betting Odds
Odds reveal the winning probability of a team, and it is also related to your winnings directly. The sports betting odds consist of various elements, so even if it’s on the same match, the odds might still be slightly different on different betting sites.
Just like the way you compare the bonus and promo, we also suggest you use at least 2 betting sites to compare the odds. At least you won’t use the worst one between these two.
◎Online Casinos/Gambling Games
Besides the main items of sports betting, there is another interesting thing that always comes along with it–the real cash games, aka online casino games. When the sports season finishes, you can still have some fun on the betting sites, with the gaming lobby inside.