Sports betting is a fun way to spice up your spectating experience when watching sporting events. Watching games you might normally not care about, become exciting affairs when you have a little money on the game. This phenomenon is now legal in 13 states and current legislation is pending in 6 others across the country. It can be very easy to lose money making bad bets however, there are a few strategies we use to help turn bets into dollars. Going with your gut can be a dangerous game. That is why taking a look at a few factors can win you some serious money. Our team at SportBets1 (Instagram @sportbets1) has been utilizing a system based on some of these factors we are about to share with you now.
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Home Advantage
Home advantage may not seem like a big deal to some betters. It is the same court or field so why should it even matter? The impact the atmosphere has on games certainly plays a factor when you consider that across all 4 major sports, the home team wins by a margin 54% or higher (NFL 57.1%, NBA 59.9%, MLB 54%, NHL 55.1%). Home field is a big deal and in playoff games, the winning percentage is even higher (NFL 64.7% at home, NBA 64.5% at home). When making picks do not discount the fact that away teams have to travel. It can contribute to fatigue which ultimately can show in that team’s performance. What team sounds more ready to play? The Miami Heat flying 4 and a half hours for an away game or the Milwaukie Bucks who slept in their own city and took a leisurely drive to the stadium? Put in those terms it’s an easier decision.
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Back to Back Scenarios
Another factor to consider is teams playing in a back to back scenario. Teams will often play in back to back games because of how the schedule falls. They may also play against teams that had a day or 2 off between games. Athletes need time to recover between events and a well-rested team is more often than not a dangerous team to bet against. On average over the past 5 and a half seasons, NBA teams playing on 1 or more days rest win 51.8% of their games while a team playing in a back-to-back scenario only has won 43.6% of the time. That is an 8.2% difference and it is not limited to basketball alone. This is definitely something to keep in mind when making your picks.
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Injury Reports
Something else to keep in mind is to take a look at injury reports before games. Teams that see a lot of success with their superstars on the field might not see the same level of success without them. Athletes get injured. It is just the nature of sports and unfortunately players that are incredibly talented do sometimes need to sit out to recover from injuries sustained In games or practices. Is Juventus the same team without Ronaldo? Is Barcelona the same team without Messi? Of course not. These are extreme examples but even missing a few role-players can hurt a team that looks unstoppable. The record of a team can be deceiving for a great team without its star player. Keep that in mind moving forward.
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Be Careful Looking at a Team’s Most Recent Game
Some say that a team is only as good as their last game. This is a dangerous approach to sports betting because 1 blowout win against a team the game prior does not always translate to the following game. Different teams play with different strengths and weaknesses. How a team matches up with another is what is truly important to consider. If you only take the last game they played into consideration, in a lopsided victory the contest before, then it can make you feel more confident in a pick than you should be. For example, the 49ers in the NFC title game, before this year’s Super Bowl, beat up the Packers by a score of 37-20. A 17 point victory against a strong Packers team may have led a sports bettor to take the 49ers in the Super Bowl and ultimately lose. If you take a look at the matchup between the Packers and the 49ers in week 12 the Packers lost 37-8. San Francisco’s offense matched up well with Green Bay’s defense which contributed towards decisive wins in the playoffs and regular season. The Chiefs are a more dynamic team on offense than the Packers and that along with other factors contributed to their ultimate victory. Be careful when asking “what have you done for me lately?”
If you enjoyed this article please follow our Instagram page @SportBets1. We consider these factors when making picks as well as numerous others to provide clients with quality picks based in sound research and analytics. Thanks for reading.
