Sports betting is also a way for a fan to get in on the action of the game, with something more than self-respect at stake. All gambling is mathematics, even games of chance. If you understand the math behind the game, you understand the game and can give yourself an advantage. Click on any of the buttons in the betting module to select the bet you want to get started. Moneyline The odds of selecting a team to win the event based on the strength of the matchup. Dish has reached a 'strategic agreement' that brings DraftKings' sports betting and daily fantasy features to Hopper devices. So long as it's legal where you live, you can make bets on NBA, NCAA.

If you’re new to sports betting, then you’ve come to the right place to get
all of the best tips on how to do it. We’ve built this guide so that you can
learn about these pieces of advice to help you advance your gambling skills.
Even if you never placed a single sports bet in your life, these tips will help
you learn some of the most important things from the get-go.

On this page, we’re going to showcase our top tips for beginning sports
bettors. By reviewing these recommendations, you’ll have a solid idea on how you
can jumpstart your sports betting adventures in an informed manner. In turn,
that will help you make better betting decisions as you get things started. Many
of us on staff here wish that we had read something like this before we got
started. Luckily for you, you’re here, and you’ll benefit significantly from the
knowledge contained below.

For those of you that are brand new, we’d urge you to read this page in its
entirety so that you get the full benefit. However, if you’re pressed for time,
and you’d like to see a particular tip, we’ve included links below where you can
jump to a specific section. Simply click on the one you’re interested in, and
you’ll skip right to that section below.

Tip #1: Start Slowly

Our number-one tip for beginning sports bettors is to make sure that you
start slowly. Understandably, you may be chomping at the bit with excitement to
get things started. Trust us; we’ve been there before, too. However, it’s
important that you pump the brakes a bit to make sure that you don’t dive in too
quickly.

Instead of diving in head-first and making a ton of bets without much
knowledge or experience, you’ll want to dip a toe in. By taking a step back, you
can increase your chances of winning by learning the basics of sports betting,
which is our next tip below.

Tip #2: Learn the Basics

As with many things, it’s essential that you walk before you run. This is
especially true with sports betting. For those of you that are new to it, it’s a
good idea to take the time to learn the basics before you get too deep into it.
By understanding the basics, you’ll make better-informed betting decisions.

Lucky for you, we’ve developed several guides geared towards beginning sports
bettors. Below, you’ll find links to our top three that are perfect for you if
you’re new. Up first, you’ll have access to our beginner’s guide to sports
betting. It’s here that we’ll help you understand the basic building blocks of
betting on sports. After that, you should head on over to our getting started
page. In this guide, we’ll help you apply the basics that you learned and how to
use them to begin betting on sports. Lastly, you can visit the sports betting
essentials link below to learn some more advanced strategies once you’ve got a
handle on the basics from the first two pieces.

While research takes time, it’s well worth it in our opinion. With just a
small investment of your time, you’ll be making betting choices with a solid
base of knowledge instead of betting as an uninformed beginner.

Tip #3: Have Realistic Expectations

If you’re already planning your exit from your day job because you think that
you’re going to make it big with sports betting, you should put a kibosh on
that. We hate to break it to you, but the chances are low that you’re going to
be able to make a living off of betting on sports. That’s not to say that you
can’t make money, but you’ll be hard pressed to make enough that you’ll be able
to live off of your betting earnings.

There are professional sports bettors out there that do make their living off
of gambling. However, there’s not a ton of them, and even they still lose quite
often. Even the best sports bettors still lose their bets 40%-45% of the time.

For you, it’s essential to have the right expectations from the start.
Betting on sports can be fun, and it can be profitable. However, for you to make
money, you’ll need to become a knowledgeable and disciplined sports bettor.
You’re off to a good start by checking out this list of top tips, but this is
just the beginning. You’ll have to remember to keep your expectations realistic
for the life of your sports betting adventures.

Tip #4: Bet with a Clear Mind

Our next tip for you is to make sure that you’re only betting on sports with
real money when you have a clear mind. What we mean by this is that you should
never bet when you’re under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Since you’ll be
wagering your hard-earned dollars, you only want to do that when your mind is in
tip-top shape.

Many folks end up betting on sports when they’ve been drinking. After all,
having a drink and watching your favorite sporting events tend to go hand in
hand for many individuals. However, we’d suggest that you get your wagers done
before you start drinking so that you’re less likely to make poor betting
decisions. Since alcohol and drugs impair your decision-making ability, it’s
best not to bet on sports when you’re under the influence of anything. If you
are under the influence, simply enjoy the sporting event and wait to gamble at a
later time when your mind is in a clear state.

Tip #5: Develop a Bankroll Management Plan

Our next tip is an excellent one to use from day 1 of your sports betting
career. Unfortunately, many folks don’t use a plan ever, or if they do, it’s
much later than it should have been. The reason that a bankroll management plan
is vital is that it helps you calculate exactly how much money you should bet
for any given wager.

This idea might be an odd one if you’re brand new to betting on sports. Many
of us on staff here began betting on sports without having one of these plans.
Back then, we’d pick a figure from our head and make a bet. In many cases,
individuals bet their entire bankroll in one single wager, which isn’t the best
idea because if you lose the bet, then your entire bankroll is wiped out in one
swoop.

While bankroll management plans can differ from one another, the general idea
is the same for all of them. The goal of the plan is to help you extend your
bankroll as long as possible by calculating the percentage of your bankroll used
on a wager. Instead of risking it all at once, you’ll only risk a portion of
your bankroll on each bet.

We’ve built out a page that’s dedicated to bankroll management plans. On this
page, you can learn more about them and see how to develop a plan of your own.
Just click below to visit this page.

Tip #6: Bet on Sports That You Know Well

When you’re new to sports betting, it’s always a good idea to stick to
betting on sports that you know well. By doing this, you’ll have a higher
likelihood of making good betting decisions as opposed to betting on sports that
you know little or nothing about. Better choices, in turn, should help you win
more of your wagers.

It can be attractive to want to bet on tons of different sports when you’re
brand new. When logging into an online sportsbook, seeing all of the potential
betting action can really amp you up to want to place a lot of wagers. However,
until you’ve got a good grip of sports betting on the sports that you know well,
we’d advise you to hold off on betting on other sports until a later date.

Tip #7: Remain Disciplined

One of the hardest struggles when betting on sports is to remain disciplined.
When it comes to sports, it’s very easy to allow your emotions to take over.
This can be true for new sports bettors, but even experienced ones sometimes
have trouble keeping their feelings in check.

In some instances, you’ll want to bet on your home team even when you
shouldn’t. Many of us on staff have been there at one point or another. It’s
tough to imagine not betting for your team, even when the numbers clearly state
that your team is the underdog. However, it’s vital to keep in mind that the
folks coming up with the odds are brilliant individuals who are making their
decisions without any emotions attached. You too should do the same.

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Conversely, some folks love to bet against their team’s arch-rival. While
this can be a good idea when the team is an underdog, it’s not a good idea when
the team is a strong favorite. It’s nice to see teams that you don’t care about
lose. However, if you’re going to wager real money on it, make sure that it’s a
sound bet that makes sense from a statistical standpoint. Otherwise, you’re just
throwing away money.

If you find yourself struggling to keep your emotions in check, then try
taking a step back from betting for a bit. By doing this, you’ll remove the
possibility of placing wagers that you otherwise would not have made.

Tip #8: Keep Records

Another excellent idea for new sports bettors is to go ahead and establish a
method for keeping records of your bets. If you can put this into practice from
the outset of your betting career, you’ll be in much better shape than many
sports bettors out there.

By keeping records, you’ll benefit from a couple of different things. First,
it will allow you to track your bankroll. Let’s say that you start with $100,
and then you have some success and win a few wagers. Without keeping clean
records, you might not have an idea that your betting bankroll has increased. If
you’ve implemented a bankroll management plan as suggested in tip #5, then
keeping records will be vital to the success of your plan.

Along with helping you keep track of your bankroll, using records can also
allow you to view your betting record over time. This is excellent, especially
if you’ve been trying different betting strategies. Using your recorded data,
you can analyze what’s worked in the past for you and what hasn’t. This type of
data can then help you improve your betting in the future.

To keep records, there are two main ways to go about it. The best way is to
use a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel. This is the go-to way that many
of us on staff here track our betting records. If Excel isn’t for you, then
consider using a notepad to record your data. No matter which one you decide to
use, make sure that you remain consistent with it so that your data is always
accurate and up to date.

Tip #9: Find a Trusted Betting Site

As you begin to look into things, you’ll find that there is no shortage of
online betting sites out there ready to accept your wagers. However, it’s
crucial that you find a trusted one to work with so that you don’t end up
risking your money or your private data on a less than trustworthy site. The
good news is that with just a little bit of research, you can locate a trusted
place to do all of your sports betting.

Here, we’ve assembled two main pages to help you in your quest to find a
trusted online sportsbook. Below, you’ll see a link to our top picks for online
betting sites. We’ve combed the internet with the goal of finding only the best
of the best in the industry. Each of the sites listed on this page is top-notch
and is a secure place for you to do your betting.

You’ll also see a link below to our page comprised of our blacklisted
websites. This page contains all of the sites that we don’t trust in the
industry. Each of these online sportsbooks should be avoided so that you can
protect yourself and your hard-earned dollars. If you’re planning to do your own
research to find your sports betting home, make sure to account for these
blacklisted websites.

Tip #10: Don’t Pay for Picks

Our final tip for you is to not pay for any sports betting picks. With life
being so busy between work and family, we understand the urge for folks that
want to buy picks and tips from others. In an ideal world, it would be nice to
do this and save time so that you can tend to the other things pulling at you in
life. However, the issue is that many people selling picks and tips are
fraudsters or just no good at what they do. Therefore, you may end up wasting
cash on worthless recommendations.

Don’t get us wrong; there are some excellent tipsters and services out there.
That being said, they are few and far between. As a beginner, you should focus
on learning how to bet yourself instead of relying on others to help you do it
for you. As you become more advanced at sports betting, then you might research
the possibility of buying picks at a later date. For now, save yourself the cash
and avoid the potential of getting ripped off.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you now feel like you’re better equipped to begin your sports
betting adventures thanks to our list of top picks. If this is your first time
visiting our website, take a few moments to check out some of the other
excellent resources that we have to provide. We’ve built this website with the
goal of helping gamblers of all levels get the most out of their betting. Using
the menu above, you can access sportsbook reviews, detailed betting guides, and
much more. Thanks for stopping by, and good luck in your future bets!

Frequently Asked Questions

In this section, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most frequently asked
questions that we get from beginning sports bettors. If you’re still missing
some information after checking out the details above, we hope that we’ll be
able to help you answer things in this section. By clicking on any of the
questions below, you’ll be able to view the answer.

Do I need to use more than one online sportsbook?

If you’re brand new to betting on sports, then we’d suggest that you wait a
bit before using more than one online betting site. Instead, you should focus on
making sure that you understand all of the basics of sports betting before you
get into a more advanced strategy.

Once you’re a bit more experienced, you might consider using more than one
site. Many sports bettors use this strategy so that they can shop their betting
lines. Through the use of this method, bettors can find themselves the best line
on wagers they want to make. In turn, this will yield them higher profits on the
bets that they can pick correctly.

Is it legal for me to bet on sports?

The answer to this question depends on many different factors. Notable
factors include your age and geographic location. To help you decipher what is
legal for you, we’ve built out a dedicated page about the legalities of sports
betting. Using this page, you’ll be able to get a better understanding of what
is or isn’t allowed for you and your situation.

Do I need to be an expert on a sport to bet on it?

No, you don’t need to be an expert to bet on a sport. That being said, we do
urge you to bet on sports that you know the most about. As you bet on sports
with more knowledge on them, you’ll have a higher chance of picking winning
bets. If you’d like to bet on a sport that you don’t know much about, consider
doing some research on the sport, the rules behind it, and what bets are
available.

If the FAQs above didn’t get you the answers that you need, then head over to
our full sports betting FAQ page. Here, you’ll find a much more extensive
collection of questions and answers. To view this page, click the link below.

In the world of sports betting, a money line bet is simply betting on which team you expect to win. It doesn’t have anything to do with a spread. You may also see a money line bet listed as “Money Line” or “ML” in different spaces.

Money lines are represented in negative and positive values.

Negative money line: -145, -220, or anything similar

When you see a minus (-) sign in front of a price, it shows you that team is the favorite to win the game.

That number also indicates how much money you need to bet/spend in order to win $100.

For example, a -220 money line means you need to bet $220 in order to win $100 provided the team you bet on actually does win.

Heavy favorites are known in sports betting as a “chalk” pick. A heavy favorite usually has a number pushing +300 or more. Here, you’re wagering a lot on the favorite to win a little. Don’t assume that a heavy favorite, or chalk pick, is a guaranteed winner…

Positive money line: +145, +220, or anything similar

When you see a plus (+) sign in front of a price, it shows you that team is the underdog. Higher numbers like +400, +500, +5000, etc. represent how much of an underdog the team is in the game. The higher the number the more likely the team is expected to lose in the eyes of the oddsmakers.

The number also indicates how much money would win in comparison to every $100 you wager.

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For example, a +150 money line means you would win $150 for each $100 wager you place should that team win the game.

Money line examples:

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Lets use an NFL example here:

New England Patriots -240

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Miami Dolphins +220

To bet the New England Patriots to win on the money line, you would need to spend $240 on the bet for a chance to win $100 if the Patriots beat the Dolphins. Your return would be $340 – the original $240 stake (bet) and the $100 bet profit.

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To bet the Miami Dolphins to win on the money line, you would spend $100 on the bet for a chance to win $220 if the Dolphins, as the underdog, beat the Patriots. Your return would be $320 – the original $100 stake (bet) and the $220 profit.

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In both situations, it doesn’t matter if the team you bet on wins by one point or 100 points. You’re purely betting on the team you believe will win the game. As Al Davis said, “Just win, baby.” That’s exactly what you’d be looking for out of your selection. It doesn’t have to be pretty, it just has to happen or your original stake is lost.