How to Read a Sports Betting Line
Betting on sports can be extremely thrilling, especially if you are prudent and follow sports. Betting lines in sports are referred to as the predictions of an oddsmaker about the outcome of a game. These lines also include the expected course of action among the bettors. Betting lines are set up in an effort to make sure that an approximately equal amount of money is put on both sides of every game and the book or the casino does not have to pay the winners from their pockets.
Instructions
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1
Find betting lines
There are a number of newspapers which publish betting lines, helping their readers choose teams and players. However, a more convenient way of going through sports betting lines is subscribing to betting websites and visiting them regularly. These betting sites hire professionals who write articles or blogs about an upcoming match. These tips can be extremely useful for beginners. -
2
Pick your game
Pick a game on which you wish to bet. Do not just select a game randomly however, bet on what you know and have experience with. -
3
Favourites & underdogs
Once you have selected the game to bet, you need to read the betting lines carefully. See who is considered to be the favourite and who the underdog is. At times, some of the teams or players are just labelled favourites by the oddsmaker, so that more and more money is put down on them.
However, if you have enough knowledge about the sport and you know the technicalities, you will understand when a team/player is being planted as the favourite. Therefore, you must follow the sport regularly and have the records of different teams and players on your fingertips, so that you don't have to rely on betting lines all the time.
You can tell about the chances of a team by the odds offered on it. If it is showing a minus sign like -3 or -115, it means the team/player is considered to be the favourite. Underdogs have a plus sign next to their odds, such as +135.