How to Bet on Sports for Beginners

Sports betting in India has gradually emerged from the shadows into the mainstream in the past few years. Indians are no longer afraid of the embargo the country’s laws and regulations place on sports betting. Plus, thanks to popular Bollywood movies, the anti-gambling stigma on sports prediction that has been there for a while is fading. So now the door is opened for a huge and massively profitable legal sports betting industry in India to emerge.

As a beginner in sports prediction, you’ve got a lot to learn, including but not limited to how to learn. So to help you get a bit more familiar with placing bets on sports, let’s take you through the nitty-gritty of sports prediction.

Bankroll

Bankroll in sports betting means your funds, the “real money” you’re using to bet; you need to manage it. Managing your bankroll is essential to keep you from predicting more than you can afford and eventually getting addicted. You will be a smart, potentially expert sports bettor when you’re in control of your predictions rather than your emotions.

The ability to manage a bankroll is still something only a few bettors, engaged in online cricket betting India, have acquired; you can be among them. While many try to deny it, predicting can be addictive, whether you’re a winner or loser. The best way to manage or curb this is to have a budget and design a system that makes you stick to it.

Understanding the Favorites and Underdogs

Bookmakers choose their favorites and underdogs when they release a betting line on any sport. They choose from the teams playing which one should be the favorite and which should be the underdog. The favorite team has the minus (-) sign next to its odds and is expected to win the game. Conversely, the underdog gets the (+) sign next to its odds and is expected to lose the game.

When you understand what favorites and underdogs are, you will know how to structure your bets. You will also know how to make future predictions which are always more profitable than immediate predictions.

What “Spreads” Mean

Spreads are the two main ways to bet on a team, whether favorite or underdog. First, there’s the point spread where you bet on the margin of victory and are available for all sports. However, spreads are mostly used when wagering on higher-scoring sports like basketball and football.

You’re either predicting for or against it, and some instances allow you to do both. For example, you can either bet on the home or away team winning a football match. It is also possible for you to bet on the home team winning or drawing, and when the team either wins or draws, you win.

Understanding Totals

After choosing the favorite and underdog teams, a bookmaker will also set a total number of points scored by both teams combined. This number is referred to as the over/under or total, and bettors can wager on whether a game will go Over or Under the total or not.

For instance, an IPL tournament against the Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians may have 100. You can either bet the Under 100 or the Over 100; if you bet the latter and the score is higher, you win, and vice versa.

Flat-Betting

While there’s profit in sports betting, it’s not a get-rich-quick scheme, so you’ll likely be disappointed if that’s what you’re after. There are risks in sports predictions, lots of risks; the wise thing to do is to bet only what you can risk losing. Sports prediction is a marathon with good and bad days; we often recommend the flat-betting approach to bettors.

In flat-betting, you guard yourself against losing your entire bankroll on bad days and set yourself up for a positive ROI on good days. Considering that there is no certainty how a game will go, it is best to consider this gaming option, especially for beginners.

Track Your Progress

Sports betting is not monopoly money; there is a need to track your progress to see if you’re making profits. This way, you can identify your strengths and weaknesses as you start betting. For example, you may be great at predicting cricket but find it difficult to predict tennis correctly.

Tracking your progress and knowing your strengths and witnesses help you maximize your winnings wisely. It also gives you an idea of whether considering a professional gaming career is worth your time and resources. For example, if you record more wins after a while of playing than losses, that might indicate that you’re getting things right.

Conclusion

Sports betting can be unclear and difficult when going into it for the first time. However, understand that every great bettor today was once a beginner; they got to where they got to by working hard. If you must replicate their feat, you must pay attention to their strengths and weaknesses. So with these tips, coupled with dedication and learning the best betting strategies, you can go from being a novice to being a pro.