How to Find Betting Tips That Actually Work?
Making your first steps into sports betting can be exhilarating. But the venture can also quickly turn into a frustrating and time-consuming money sink. What often compounds the issue is that much of the sports betting tips and advice found online is way too basic, broad, or outright pointless.
So, how can you find betting tips that actually work, what do those even look like, and is the whole experience worthwhile?
Where Can You Find the Best Sports Betting Tips?
The more popular sports betting gets, the easier it is to find “betting tips” online. Virtually all casino or betting sites and blogs have some kind of “tips” section, but few of them are worthwhile. Instead of just browsing aimlessly, here is what we suggest:
Look for Good Sports Betting Books
The era of blogs and podcasts has got us used to ignoring books, but they are still one of the best ways to learn the ins and outs of a trade. Sports betting is no exception. Whereas a random blog post on a site (let alone a Reddit or Quora comment) can be quickly drafted by an anonymous ghostwriter, commenter, or even an AI algorithm, a published book that takes much more research, effort, and expertise to make. That’s also why books normally include many more details, insights, and tips than a standard blog post.
This isn’t to say that all books contain priceless nuggets of wisdom. There certainly are many that don’t need to ever be opened. However, judging the legitimacy and trustworthiness of a book is typically much safer and easier than a blog or a podcast. Sports betting is a prime example of that, as quite a few great books on sports betting have been written over the past few decades. Reading some of those before placing your first bet is one of the best things you can do for your future as a successful sports bettor.
Look for the Right Places Online
If you’re going to scour the internet for betting tips, you should at least look in the right places. This can be tricky, as some sites are worth looking into while others should be avoided at all costs. Discerning the former from the latter can be time-consuming, but it’s usually worth it.
As a rule of thumb, sites, blogs, and podcasts by former successful bettors are good places to explore first. The blogs of online casinos and betting sites can often be a bit surface-level, but some are also worth looking into.
All this research can take some time, but that’s usually time well spent. So, even if you’re eager to start placing bets, it’s better to do some extra research first.
Best Sports Betting Tips to Always Keep in Mind
We have compiled a quick list of the most common tips and betting strategies to help get you started. Note that this isn’t meant as an all-encompassing list. Each of the points below could be expanded into a whole book of its own (and most already have been). Instead, treat this more as a list of pointers than anything else:
- Learn the basics of betting first – many betting strategies are considered must-knows if you want to be successful. These include concepts such as bankroll management, bet-hedging, Dutching, fade the public, value betting, the Kelly Criterion, and cash-out betting.
- Avoid parlay bets – these are very popular because they offer huge payouts for small stakes. However, parlay bets are designed to have a low return on investment in the long run, so it’s best to avoid them if you’re looking for more consistent wins.
- Start small – this means both limiting yourself to small bets and working only in a small area at first. Both points are crucial, as they’ll minimize your losses in the beginning and give you time to figure out how everything works.
- Find the right places to bet – this doesn’t mean just looking for the best betting lines (although that’s crucial too), but also finding the right bookies that consistently offer good value betting lines, have the right UI and setup for you, and so on. There are many sports betting sites and online casinos to choose from, so this is also something you’d do well to research ahead of time.
- Bet on a sport you know – different sports have different specifics you’ll need to know to make the most efficient bets possible. Many bettors make the mistake of spreading their bets across too many sports they don’t know well. This can make the betting process feel “more professional” and “safer,” but it actually means that you’re missing details in some areas because you don’t know enough about that particular sport. For example, home team bias works differently in different sports, weather matters more in some sports than others, and so on.
- Customize your betting strategy and habits to the particular sport – Some betting strategies are more effective in certain sports than others. For example, Dutching is ideal for tennis, while futures and cash-out strategies work best in golf. This is another reason why it is best to focus on sports you know well.
- Treat sports betting as a source of income, not as gambling or a hobby – gambling is typically seen as a risky endeavor, while hobbies are done for fun. If you want to be a successful bettor, however, you need to treat this as a profession. This means lots of work, research, and consistency.
Hopefully, the above advice will help get your foot in the door of the sports betting world. If there is anything you take away from this post, let it be that you need to be ready to do a lot of research. This applies both to finding the best resources and tips and to the sports betting itself.
Remember that in this realm, as well as in gambling in general, sportsbooks and casinos always come on top, and only a small fraction of all bettors win consistently. This means you’re not really playing against the bookies or “against the odds.” Instead, you’re playing against the other bettors. So, make sure you’re smarter and more prepared than everyone else.
