Football Betting
The most popular sport in the United States is Football, ranging from High School, College, and Professional Football; Pro football is simply the NFL. With such a big following, and such a high level of competition, there will always be ways to bet on football. What many sports fans and bettors, which have little or no experience when it comes to betting on football, need are helpful strategies that will help them improve. There is a vast amount of information out there, whether they get it through personal contacts or online, bettors will always have the help they need and want. Some of the most useful betting strategies are Handicapping, and Bankroll Management. Getting to know these should help any bettor wanting to place wagers during the NFL season.
Handicapping
Handicapping has been said to be an art form when it comes to football betting, but other simply state that it is an excellent, scientific approach to betting. Get to know what handicapping is, and decide for yourself what this strategy is.
What is Handicapping
Handicapping, as it relates to sports betting, is a term used when a bettor figures out ways of balancing out the sports matches. There will always be a favorite and an underdog, and what handicapping does is close the gap between them to even the playing field, even if it just by a little. Handicapping is used in all types of sports, but it usually only pertains to those sports that involve a point system to figure out a winner. As for football and the NFL, handicapping has to do with exploiting general and specific weaknesses that the system for determining odds has. There are various methods of handicapping, but the most common and widely used is the Statistical Handicapping.
Statistical Handicapping
This type of handicapping is just what the title suggests; it relies mainly on the sports statistics to make any kind of betting decision. Within this type of betting strategy, the overall football statistics are divided into two distinct groups; team and individual player stats. Usually, when bettors are just starting with the handicapping system, they will stick to the general stats, which are known as the team stats. Team stats will tell the bettor different aspects of how the whole team performs on average. It is much simpler to read and understand these stats, and they do have some pull when it comes to predicting a winner. However, as these stats are general, they cannot determine how well the parts of a team, the players, will perform. This is why it is important to combine the team stats with the player stats.
A good example is if the Patriots are going to play against the Texans. The Patriots are known for their good offensive passing, but lack a good running team. The Texans are very strong when it comes to defense, and are able to effectively stop running and passing plays. During this matchup it can be said that the Patriots offense will be stopped by the Texans defense. In this situation, it would all depend on the individual player matchups on both teams, and how well they perform in certain situations. This is what statistical handicapping is, looking at all the variables in a mathematical way and determining which side has better chances of winning.
To get a more in-depth understanding of handicapping, read Successful Handicapping*.
Bankroll Management
This is a simple strategy when placing bets during the football season. The trick is being disciplined enough to stick to the plan and not deviate. A bettors bankroll is their lifeline, and it must be used wisely or else the bettor will be left without a dime. There are two categories that bettors fall into; it is related to the size of their bankroll.
Large Bankroll
A large bankroll is usually $10,000 and above. These types of bettors will obviously have different rules than the rest, as they can afford to place higher amounts per bet. There is a general rule of thumb when it comes to placing bets with this kind of bankroll. The rule states that a bettor should only wager 2% to 4% of their bankroll on each bet they make. The reason bettors need to be disciplined is because they might believe they have a sure bet, and will want to bet a large amount of their money. One thing every bettor needs to know is, there is no such thing as a sure thing. In all probability, they will lose that money and have an even smaller bankroll. By keeping the amount low, the payout may be lower, but they can spread out their bets even more. This will reduce the risk, and increase the odds of achieving a winning ratio.
Medium and Small Bankrolls
These types of bankrolls are from $10,000 and below. Since these bettor do not have such a large amount to start with, it would be ridiculous for them to only bet 2%, as they wouldn’t win much. For these kinds of bettors, a riskier approach is necessary in order to win more. This is why for them, they would wager 7% – 9% of their bankroll. This will obviously limit how many bets they can make, and that is why there is more risk.
Learn more about bankroll management by reading Money Management Basics*.
Importance of Betting Strategies
Bettor may be skeptical when it comes to using these strategies, but what they need to realize is that the most successful bettors use these strategies. There are some that rely on instinct alone to place bets, but instinct is accurate 10% of the time, at best. Using these strategies, a bettor will be able to predict with more certainty what the outcome of a match will be, as well as be able to manage their money is a positive way. They may not be the lucky few that win a big payout, but they will certainly win a decent amount; some bettors even do this as a second job. In the end, the decision is yours if you want to use them or not, but it is always a good thing to know what your options are.
