Sportsbooks vs. Online
Online Sportsbetting Guide

Traditional sportsbooks can be found at Vegas casinos, via local bookies and/or offline betting establishments around the world. In comparison, however, there are several advantages to online Sports Betting. The biggest difference is that there is no face-to-face transaction. This means that betting sites can manage thousands of bets simultaneously while a sportsbook is restricted to only dozens at the same time.

This lowers the cost dramatically to a point where online betting sites can offer deposit bonuses and even betting options that may be less profitable than what the sportsbooks can offer.

Offline sportsbooks don't comp very much as there is a lower profit margin. The inconvenience and time taken to reach the sportsbooks versus the ease and access of taking the sports online route that quite possibly includes added cash or bonuses-well there is no contest.

Additionally, online sportsbetting sites grant punters greater accessibility to some very informative resources, betting opportunities that do not depend upon location plus with mobile devices at the ready, there is no waiting. Internet savvy gamblers can use the web to research teams, find the best odds, register at the sportsbook of their choice and place a wager, all in the fraction of the time.

Sportsbooks Features

Sports bettors have their own impressions about the features that make up a good online sportsbook. For some it is the number of sports that are covered while others prefer generous comps. There are others who prefer a site that has a built in casino or poker room. There is no one feature that makes up a good sportsbook.

While there is certainly a variety of personal preferences involved in selecting a site that fits you best, there are also some key elements that are universal to a quality sportsbook.

Features to Look For

  1. The site should provide a wide range of events and betting opportunities. Most premium sportsbooks frequently cover a large selection of events and betting opportunities. Some examples of popular betting options include: mobile betting, live/24 hour action, futures, propositions, straight wagers, parlays, teasers, and if-bets.
  2. They should offer competitive odds that will vary by site. Make sure you get the best possible price for each bet. Use an odds comparison service to find the best price.
  3. Good player incentives are important. These incentives can take many forms that include not only sign up bonuses, but also VIP reward points, 5% juice and re-load bonuses among other things. Additionally, there should be a variety of periodic promotions offered as well.
  4. Look for special options that may not be widely available at all online sports betting sites like live betting, ongoing 24 hour action, betting trends, alternate betting action besides sports events and/or skill games such as chess or billiards.
  5. Quality customer service is essential. You will want to verify that the online sports betting site provides customer service agents who are knowledgeable and are able to deal with all questions in an efficient and polite manner 24/7/365.
  6. Betting resources. You will want to seek out sites that provide informative resources to the players. Online sports betting involves a great deal of research and the very best sites will want to assist their customers in all areas. Watch for newsletter offers, links to sports-related portals, free picks and other services.
  7. You will want multiple banking options. Good sports betting sites will offer a number of different and convenient banking options.

Online Sportsbetting Tip

The best sports betting sites tend to offer some combination of these features. Always keep these criteria in mind whenever you are considering gambling at a site.

Tips, Strategy & Handicapping

It is know that most sports books place numbers on a game in order to equalize betting on both sides, thus making your job of selecting or handicapping the winning team more difficult.

The term-sports betting handicapping refers to the method of assigning advantage through scoring compensation or other advantage given to different players or teams in order to make the chances of winning fair.

Additionally, the term can refer to the different methods used to analyze and calculate in order for bettors to predict the outcome of the sporting event.

While most casual handicappers consider online sports betting a hobby; if, however, your goal is to be a successful handicapper or sports bettor, then these strategies and tips can assist in generating profit from your wins.

  • A notable strategy for sports bettors is to bet with your head and not your heart. In other words, it is not always wise to bet your favorite or home team.
  • Secondly, do not bet into bad numbers. Shop around, examine and analyze which direction the line is heading.
  • Although the parlays provide a quick score, a season that is largely consisting of steady 2-1 type days will be even more profitable than the big hits that the parlays offer. This is true even in a good overall season. So when considering sports betting make more straight bets and wager fewer parlays.
  • Chasing Losses is one of the common mistakes and the costliest with handicapping. Rather than raising the stakes when you are losing, it is best to lower it. Consider your bankroll while waiting for things to turn around.

The Sports Betting Line

In every sports betting event, line value plays a very significant part. The bettors primarily bet on a particular sport based on sports betting lines, therefore knowing what the best lines are is very important in sports betting.

Usually, the line lets you know instantly who is favored and by how much along with the odds of winning for every team, the over and under on point totals, and how much you have to bet in order for you to obtain a specific payoff.

However, it is important to note that not all sports betting lines are the same because the sportsbook action may be different from the other books while at the same time, they are trying to balance the action evenly.

If you are a baseball or football fan and you want to bet on either of these sports-note that both lines will appear different. Usually, the majority of people who bet on football are concerned only with beating the point spread, therefore they place a straight bet and if their pick outpaces the spread, they know what they are getting in return. On the other hand, most of the sports book services offer a dime betting line on baseball games. Shopping for betting lines online is an easy task today and it is a wise strategy to track at least three lines.

Sports Betting Odds

For every sports game, checking out the betting odds is critical because betting odds is the most common form of betting in the world involving the prediction of an outcome of a specific sporting event. Therefore, the punter must determine the odds that relate directly to the percentage probability that the predicted outcome will happen. Of course, the lower the odds, the more likely that the outcome will occur-thus the favorite status.

Enter the odds makers who take into account every possible factor that may affect the outcome of a particular event or game. The factors, to name a few are the quality of the teams or participants, the injuries, edge to win, weather and condition of the field, place of the event or match-up history.

When all factors and details are considered, the odds maker determines a number that will be acceptable and attract attention to both sides of the bet. Should the odds number not reach that acceptable level, it is the job of the sportsbook to make adjustments up or down to provide the encouragement to punters to bet on the other side. The online sports betting odds can change from day to day extending over the season.

Also, the basic digits are calculated and analyzed before season of the game starts. It is the task of the odds makers to look at the season numbers of the previous events, including the off-season moves and transactions, health of the players plus coaching changes. These factors are then calculated to become the power rankings. The power ranking is usually changed or adjusted based on its overall performance and the resulting number is utilized to help determine the spread.

In conclusion, doing your research of sportsbooks odds can result in some nice paydays.