Sports Betting Strategies : SportsMemo Betting 101
Sports betting can be an exciting and profitable hobby if people approach it with the right mindset and strategy.
For people who have not been around a sportsbook before, the intimidation factor can be high and somewhat confusing, and even for those who have been around a sportsbook before, there are always reminders and tips to be consumed that can make anyone a better bettor.
Remember! Sportsmemo offers predictions on all sorts of sports in our free picks and premium expert betting predictions sections all year long.
Sports Betting Crash Course
Sports betting involves placing a wager on the outcome of a sporting event. A customer can place bets on a variety of sports, including football, basketball, baseball, hockey, tennis, golf, and many others.
The most common type of bet is a straight bet, which is a bet on the outcome of a single game or event. However, there are many other types of bets, including parlays, teasers, and futures.
The odds for each bet are determined by the sportsbook, which is the company that takes bets on sporting events.
The odds are based on several factors, including the teams or players involved, the location of the game, the weather conditions, and many others.
One of the most important things to understand about sports betting is the concept of the point spread. The point spread is a way to even out the odds between two teams or players. The favorite in a game is given a negative point spread, while the underdog is given a positive point spread.
For example, if the New England Patriots are playing the Miami Dolphins, and the point spread is -7 for the Patriots, that means the Patriots need to win by more than 7 points for a bet on them to be a winner. Alternatively, if the point spread is +7 for the Dolphins, they can lose the game by up to 7 points and a bet on them would still win. If the final score landed exactly on 7 points, the customer would receive their wager back.

Beginner Sports Betting Strategies

Learn The Basics
For beginners, there is a lot to take in when staring at an odds board. What do the odds mean? What the payouts are for each wager? What is the difference between a spread wager, totals wager, money line wager and a prop wager? And so on and so forth.
Getting acclimated with the basics will allow customers to focus on the actual selection in comparison to being worried about everything else that is attached the sportsbook experience.
Learn Bankroll Management
When customers are betting on sports, they should always set limits for themselves. A bankroll for sports betting is disposable income a customer can afford to lose.
Being upset overs wins and losses is natural, but sports betting should never get to a point where the outcome of a result is affecting other decisions outside of sports betting. Customers never want to bet on sports with money they cannot afford to lose.
Bankroll Management Example
Set aside a certain amount that can be used for the week, the month, or the season. If the money set aside for the NFL season is $1,000, the bet size would be typically between $10-$50. A typical bet size should land somewhere between 1%-5% of total bankroll. This is important when sports bettors feel the need to chase a loss.
When dealing in sports betting, it is common to be down money and handle losses. There is no advised strategy to increase bet size after a loss to try and win back their losses. This takes a result, which may not even be a mistake (wrong result does not equal wrong process!) and turns into a mistake that can be truly problematic. Work within a bankroll and customers can adjust it over the length of the season.
Learn To Take Emotion Out Of It
Customers come from all facets on life, and all have different backgrounds and history with sports teams. Sports betting should not be a predicting game of what a customer wants to happen because of fandom, or any other reason. Stat-based decisions will always reign supreme over an emotional decision.
Shop Around For Sportsbooks!!!
Not all sportsbooks offer the same odds for every game. Customers should have multiple sportsbook accounts at different operators to view and compare lines, odds and even promotions. This leads to finding the best value when placing a bet.
There are also plenty of services that display odds and prices for a specific matchup across multiple sportsbooks. It may be only a few dollars here and there, but over the course of a sports betting season, customers can win an additive amount of money from shopping the lines.
Learn How to Follow Betting Trends
Following betting trend allows customers to see where other customers' money is going for a specific game or event. The number of dollars placed on a game and the percentage of bets wagered on one side or the other will cause the sportsbook to adjust the odds. Placing wagers before sportsbooks changes the line or odds is a key factor in long-term betting success.
Learn What To Do With Public Money
What most of the public thinks will happen will of course, not always happen. Customers must decide if they want to be with the public or against them. Since casinos and sportsbooks aren't built on people winning over a long period of time, the consensus is it is better off to fade, or go against, the public money. Often most of the public bets on the favorite. Being able to identify cases when the public is pushing a line gives smart bettors an edge because the line is moving relative to the money coming in rather than the likely final score of the game. Fading the public requires customers to pay close attention to line movements.
SportsMemo Offers Picks & Betting Education
Remember! Sportsmemo offers predictions on all sorts of sports in our free picks and premium expert betting predictions sections all year long.
Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?
- Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Live odds updated in real time, including whom the public is betting on.
- Last Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips to help you become a better sports bettor. We also recommend browsing through our sports betting tips video library.
- Want an expert opinion? Check out the latest Free Sports Picks and Best Bets from our team of expert sports handicappers.