We all known NBA is big for betting at the online sports books, and one of the more interesting leagues to bet on because of the straight mathematics of the system.
Basketball has a lot of rules in place to make sure that parity is ensured, which is why there are few “systems” that work besides pure, unfiltered statistical analysis. Heck, just ask world-renowned basketball bettor Bob Voulgaris.
But because of this (and all the lost bets by the wayside), a number of crazy ideas about betting on the NBA that sound mythical are actually real!
#1. Betting on NBA Preseason
Preseason betting in basketball is more risky than almost any other season. While this seems difficult to swallow, believe it. Rules are designed to ensure parity between teams will make it more likely that the preseason will be unpredictable. Why? The NBA is very tightly controlled to ensure that no one team or club can establish a dynasty very successfully – of course there is Jordans Chicago Bulls. But while teams may have a good run for a few years, there’s little chance of a 20 or 30 year dynasty in the NBA.
Teams that are unsuccessful are given a huge advantage through the draft for the next year. In short, it is almost impossible to predict how the most successful and least successful teams will perform this year based on next year. Even the most expert NBA handicappers understand this context, and will constantly refine their basketball betting systems to take into account how draft picks and their performance could give the edge to the underdogs.
That is something that would be determined, ultimately, within the first few weeks of the season– meaning that the bets you place during the early season need to be extremely conservative – and why we advise sports investors to monitor any Experts basketball picks performance between pre-season, and few weeks after into regular season, very closely. Why? The appropriate mix of data points are considered in NBA betting systems and are essentially stress tested in these games. Therefore any Expert handicappers NBA betting system should showcase a shining performance – or at least more profitable than the average, if the right mix of statistical data points have been considered and tested.
#2. Ignore Offence and Defence
Your basketball picks should not be determined based simply on what key players are starting on offence or defence. Why? Offence and defence don’t matter because you have to deal with relative team strength.
Novice bettors place all their stock on offence or defense and usually rank teams based on that overall. However, neither of those two attributes can work on their own. In fact, they’re almost inseparable, meaning that your defenders can be just as valuable to a team line-up as your attackers. So selecting your basketball picks and betting on those picks based on a strong offence or defence can be a mistake, particularly if the opposing teams are well suited to apply or handle pressure overall.
#3. Favor the Low Ranks
Statistical analysis shows that betting against teams that are lower ranked at the end of the season deliver profitable advantages. It is not surprising to see teams on the lower end of the table “giving it their all” and their all ends up not looking like much. You might see some occasional heroics, but most of what you will see will be baseline play to avoid the charge of throwing the game– something that led to a league scandal a few years ago.
So if you are dealing with teams that are on the lower end, look at their win/loss percentages of recent games and make a determination as to whether a team is going to phone it in. You can also look at how these 5 tips for betting on the NBA playoffs can also augment your basketball betting strategy. But simply put, betting against teams in these situations is a much smarter strategy.
How to Bet on the Super Bowl this season
/0 Comments/in /by Kael MansfieldThis seasons NFL Super Bowl looks to be the biggest Super Bowl in terms of betting yet, with more money being bet on this year than any Super Bowl in history.
Looking past the storylines, looking past the numbers, looking past the major NFL pundits Super Bowl predictions, there are Superbowl strategies to use that will make all the difference between profiting from the big game or walking away a loser. Read more
Top 5 regrets of a retired NFL sharp
/0 Comments/in /by Kael MansfieldIt’s safe to say that only the most famous sharps get interviewed long enough to talk about their wins and victories, so it’s rare to see one talk about regrets in sports investing. Stuck in an airport on my way to an industry conference, I hit the lounge to kill some time and ran into one […]
3 destructive football betting syndromes no Sharp or Tipster can tolerate
/0 Comments/in /by Kael MansfieldAs we get into the final weeks of the NFL season, it’s a good idea to take a brief moment to remember where stupid money flows and bet against it. Remember there are a lot of ways to screw up at sports betting. The three destructive areas I’ll cover momentarily, are basically the worst– the sort of mentalities […]
5 of the worst mistakes NFL football bettors make
/0 Comments/in /by Kael MansfieldThere’s a reason that NFL betting is a billion-dollar industry: it’s profitable for oddsmakers, and most people (especially Americans) betting on the NFL treat it as a personal emotional game, especially their own free NFL picks.
That’s a money-losing proposition for most football gamblers and novice sports investors, so in this post I’ll highlight some of the worst mistakes we’ve seen NFL bettors make.
These football betting tips is a combination of what bookmakers have told us they see with some of their worst football betting players, and common themes from industry conversation. The aim with this post is that it helps you avoid potential traps in NFL betting, improve your winning NFL picks selections, and avoid some of the most often misunderstood rookie mistakes.
These football betting tips won’t make you rich, but they might keep your bankroll from going empty too early and help you improve your seasonal bankroll and sports investments.
Picking favorites
The key to every single NFL betting strategy starts exactly the same. Do you have a favorite team? Not anymore you don’t! Why? Because when you let feelings and personal preferences cloud judgment that is ultimately mathematical, you lose. Even if you win a game or two, overall you will begin a losing pattern that you can’t escape. Some sports investors find the value in 3rd parties, such as an Expert NFL handicapper who spends the time to perform the necessary research, analysis and spends the time crunching the numbers and data to find patterns, trends and other data-driven statistical insights — an unbiased approach to picking your NFL favourite pick. Read more
How Mark Cuban’s sports betting hedge fund took flight
/0 Comments/in /by Kael MansfieldBack in 2004, Mark Cuban wrote a blog post that shocked a lot of people in the business world: he announced (but only somewhat seriously) his interest in Mark Cuban starting a hedge fund based on sports betting. The logic was ironclad, and still is…. there is a better rate of return for smart money in sports
gamblinginvesting than in the stock market.Cuban’s idea had a lot of sound logic behind it: the return at a casino is roughly the same as in certain funds for breakeven purposes (but less expensive), and sports betting is different in that there is an expectation of loss, whereas in traditional investing there is an expectation of profit. This changes the way the money is handled, and smart bettors can expect better returns by having more information. And in this, Cuban argued, sports work out far better than the market: most people have much, much more information about their sports teams than the companies in their hedge funds.
Still, traditional investors scoffed (probably more out of personal offense than actual analysis): could a group of successful sports bettors actually have a better rate of return than market hedge funds? Two groups have tried, and one group has survived, and even moved to the UK to expand. Both are instructive in that they can show us exactly how sports bettors succeed and fail. Read more
The three worst mistakes football (soccer) punters make
/0 Comments/in /by Kael MansfieldWhile there are a lot of ways things can go wrong betting on football, smart punters know how to face the odds and still produce a marginal overall return. The intelligent bettor doesn’t make the mistake of falling for one or two trends, and using all the information at hand, preferably as close to game day as possible, will make for smarter punting overall.
Treating derby games differently than season games
Applying non-overwhelming historical trends to current football seasons is always a mistake. Unfortunately, it’s a mistake that is all too common with punters. Why? Because the lure of a narrative is almost always irresistible. And that is a very big problem, especially when you begin seeing things in terms of fan bases as opposed to teams. Read more
Matched Betting: How to beat the bookies at their own game for free
/0 Comments/in /by Kael MansfieldA number of years ago when I was on the Client Care phone lines having daily conversations with our members, I always remember the conversation I had with one of our members who was a financial specialist in the banking industry and somewhat new to investing in the sports markets.
We talked on numerous topics during that hour, among which was the latest sport tips and matched betting. When I gave him the 30K foot view of matched betting, he at first was a little suspicious. I mean who wouldn’t….using free money to beat the bookies on the World Cup. As he bluntly said, “It sounded way too good to be true, especially with the claim it was risk-free”.
For those new to the matched betting…
Matched betting (also known as back or lay bet matching, or double betting) is a betting technique used by individuals to profit from the free bets and incentives offered by bookmakers.
I too am not much of a believer in schemes that purport to be risk free, so I approached the idea from both the good and the bad, and acknowledged is skepticism was typical.
But, to his shock, the introductory bet offers I showed him from the online sports books were plenty and impressive! Having taken about 25 myself, I’ve in fact made about a few hundred pounds. And the added bonus, is that it was made tax-free, and without risk. In the end, it isn’t about gambling. It’s taking advantage of offers to give you an edge over the rest, or a ‘try before you buy’ model to experience the service. Somewhat like free football tips that expert tipsters offer…but unique in its own way. Read more
10 tips football punters need to know when betting on Euro football
/0 Comments/in /by Kael MansfieldThere are a few key tips punters should never forget when it comes to betting on the Premier League and the Champions League.
European and international football is a huge game to bet on and among the most popular with football tipsters and their football tips, and there are a lot of profit-making opportunities that abound if you know how to look for them. Besides studying the statistics, players, and coaches a great deal, here are some of the important football tips to consider whenever you’re looking to profit on the football markets.
3 insane NBA betting myths that are actually true!
/0 Comments/in /by Kael MansfieldWe all known NBA is big for betting at the online sports books, and one of the more interesting leagues to bet on because of the straight mathematics of the system.
Basketball has a lot of rules in place to make sure that parity is ensured, which is why there are few “systems” that work besides pure, unfiltered statistical analysis. Heck, just ask world-renowned basketball bettor Bob Voulgaris.
But because of this (and all the lost bets by the wayside), a number of crazy ideas about betting on the NBA that sound mythical are actually real!
#1. Betting on NBA Preseason
Preseason betting in basketball is more risky than almost any other season. While this seems difficult to swallow, believe it. Rules are designed to ensure parity between teams will make it more likely that the preseason will be unpredictable. Why? The NBA is very tightly controlled to ensure that no one team or club can establish a dynasty very successfully – of course there is Jordans Chicago Bulls. But while teams may have a good run for a few years, there’s little chance of a 20 or 30 year dynasty in the NBA.
Teams that are unsuccessful are given a huge advantage through the draft for the next year. In short, it is almost impossible to predict how the most successful and least successful teams will perform this year based on next year. Even the most expert NBA handicappers understand this context, and will constantly refine their basketball betting systems to take into account how draft picks and their performance could give the edge to the underdogs.
That is something that would be determined, ultimately, within the first few weeks of the season– meaning that the bets you place during the early season need to be extremely conservative – and why we advise sports investors to monitor any Experts basketball picks performance between pre-season, and few weeks after into regular season, very closely. Why? The appropriate mix of data points are considered in NBA betting systems and are essentially stress tested in these games. Therefore any Expert handicappers NBA betting system should showcase a shining performance – or at least more profitable than the average, if the right mix of statistical data points have been considered and tested.
#2. Ignore Offence and Defence
Your basketball picks should not be determined based simply on what key players are starting on offence or defence. Why? Offence and defence don’t matter because you have to deal with relative team strength.
Novice bettors place all their stock on offence or defense and usually rank teams based on that overall. However, neither of those two attributes can work on their own. In fact, they’re almost inseparable, meaning that your defenders can be just as valuable to a team line-up as your attackers. So selecting your basketball picks and betting on those picks based on a strong offence or defence can be a mistake, particularly if the opposing teams are well suited to apply or handle pressure overall.
#3. Favor the Low Ranks
Statistical analysis shows that betting against teams that are lower ranked at the end of the season deliver profitable advantages. It is not surprising to see teams on the lower end of the table “giving it their all” and their all ends up not looking like much. You might see some occasional heroics, but most of what you will see will be baseline play to avoid the charge of throwing the game– something that led to a league scandal a few years ago.
So if you are dealing with teams that are on the lower end, look at their win/loss percentages of recent games and make a determination as to whether a team is going to phone it in. You can also look at how these 5 tips for betting on the NBA playoffs can also augment your basketball betting strategy. But simply put, betting against teams in these situations is a much smarter strategy.
2 tips Sharp NHL bettors don’t want you to know
/0 Comments/in /by Kael MansfieldThere are a number of different NHL betting strategies that can be of value to the novice hockey bettor if they maintain focus and keep a healthy bankroll management strategy.
Unlike other major American leagues, I found it insightful to hear from our top sports investor members who perform well in the NHL betting market that NHL is still somewhat niche for most recreational and semi-professional sports bettors.
And because of this lack of investment enthusiasm betting on hockey, there is a lot more emotion involved with sports bettors who wager on the NHL — and knowing that is your greatest weapon when beginning with a NHL betting strategy and selecting your NHL picks from a top hockey handicapper.
The professional hockey bettors and Sharps we spoke with shared a number of insightful tips that we’ll post in future articles, and to kick this off we’ll start with the following 2 tips that Sharp NHL bettors unveiled that most hockey bettors don’t know or realize (or simply ignore). Read more