Units Scale

The ATS Unit scale is a management system based on a player's
seasonal bankroll. The units are incremental values determined by the
stength of each play selection.

The flat unit scale is used at
ATS to calculate unit totals for the ATS Experts. The flat unit scale
is based on 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% of a players bankroll for each
recommended play:

Flat System (conservative):

1 UNIT Play- 2% of bankroll
2 UNIT Play-3% of bankroll
3 UNIT Play-4% of bankroll
4 UNIT Play-5% of bankroll

Example: A player with a bankroll of $5,000 would wager $100 on a 1 UNIT Play.

A
more aggressive money management system is the incremental wagering
scale. The incremental wagering scale is based on increments of 2%, 4%,
6% and 8% of a players bankroll for each recommended play:

Incremental System (aggressive):

1 UNIT Play- 2% of bankroll
2 UNIT Play-4% of bankroll
3 UNIT Play-6% of bankroll
4 UNIT Play-8% of bankroll

Example: A player with a bankroll of $5,000 would wager $300 on a 3 UNIT Play.

College Football - Must Watch Bowl Games this Season

With 28 remaining College Football Bowl games this season there are
5 that the Documented Handicappers label as must watch football. The
excitement for bowl games to college football fans is parallel to the
excitement for March Madness. While there was limited controversy this
year as to which teams will compete for the national championship only
one team will finish the season #1. We understand how busy the holiday
season is for everyone so we have narrowed down the bowl schedule to
five games that you must watch and that’s only if you can’t find the
time to watch all 34.

Capital One (1.1.09) - Georgia (9-3) vs. Michigan State (9-3)

A nice Big 10, SEC match up in the Capital One bowl. Georgia was ranked
preseason #1 while Michigan State had what some would call a surprise
season led by Javon Ringer. Michigan State really doesn’t pose a
passing threat but will hand the ball off to Ringer in attempt to work
Georgia’s run defense which has had trouble this season. This could
turn into a running game considering State was run over in all three
losses and Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno is one talented back.

Poinsettia Bowl (12.23.08) - TCU (10-2) vs. Boise State (11-0)

This is probably the best non-BCS bowl game this year. Boise State went
undefeated in the regular season and they take on the TCU Horned Frogs.
TCU’s defense was ranked #2 in the nation and the question will remain
if Boise State’s offense is better than TCU’s defense? Boise State
posts an unblemished record and was once again left out of the national
championship talk. Will they get another big bowl win under their belt
to once again prove that this program is on the rise?

Holiday Bowl (12.30.08) - Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. Oregon (9-3)

The one reason to watch this game, Offesnse! Oklahoma State was ranked
#7 in total offense and Oregon is ranked #8. Who doesn’t like to watch
a high scoring football game?

Sugar Bowl (1.1.09) - Alabama (12-1) vs. Utah (12-0)

Well if Utah wanted a chance to prove themselves against a BCS school
powerhouse they have that opportunity when they meet up with Alabama in
the Sugar Bowl. Alabama will be coming off their SEC Championship loss
to Florida and we are all wondering if they will show any signs of a
hangover? Utah really has a lot to prove and look to show the country
why they went undefeated.

BCS National Championship Game (1.8.09) - Oklahoma (12-1) vs. Florida (12-1)

This is the #1 must watch this season simply because this is the
National title game. Two powerhouse schools will meet with very high
expectations coming in. This years Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford
of Oklahoma will go up against last years winner Tim Tebow of Florida.
We couldn’t have written a better script for a national championship.
We can’t wait for this game and look forward to seeing how everything
unfolds.

Race Book Betting Tips For Online Horse Wagering In Our Top Racebook Race Book Betting

Exotic Wagers

Exacta: This is a bet involving two horses. If the two horses you pick (for example, 3,4) run in the order picked - the 3 would have to win and the 4 would have to run in second place - you win the bet.

Exacta Box: This wager is actually two exacta bets on one ticket using the same 2 horses. For example, 3,4 - 4,3. Your horses can run first and second in either order for your bet to be a winner.

Exacta Wheel: If you are sure of the first or second place finisher but unsure of the other spot you can "key" one horse, for example the 4 and bet "with all" to finish in the other position.

Exacta Partial Wheel: Like above only instead of "with all" you can key your horse and bet with a selection of others to finish in the other position.

Quinella: Like the exacta box but only one bet instead of two. The payout is usually not quite as high as an exacta bet. Not offered for every race at every track.

Daily Double: Like a parlay bet involving two consecutive races, usually the first two races on a card and the last two races on a card. Some tracks offer a rolling Daily Double for all races. You must pick the winner of the first race and the winner of the next race. Bets must be placed before post time of the first race. If one of the legs of the double is a loss the entire wager will be deemed a loss.

Daily Double Wheel: Like the exacta wheel, if you are sure of the winner of one of the two races, you can key that horse and bet 'with all' on the other race of the bet.

Daily Double Partial Wheel: Same as above but rather than betting 'with all' you can select various others of your choice.

Trifecta: This wager involves the picking first three finishers in a race in exact order (similar to an exacta but with three horses instead of two). The payout is usually much higher than that of the exacta.

Trifecta Box: Like the exacta box, this would actually be 6 bets on one ticket. You are betting all possible combinations of a three-horse wager. For example, 3,4,5 - 3,5,4 - 4,3,5 - 4,5,3 - 5,3,4 - 5,4,3.

Trifecta Wheel: Same as the exacta wheel where one horse is keyed in one of the positions (first, second or third) and all other horses are placed in the other two positions.

Trifecta Partial Wheel: Same as the trifecta wheel but instead of betting with all, selected combinations are placed in the other two positions.

Pick 3: This wager includes picking the first place finishers of three consecutive races. The wager must be placed before post of the first race. If one leg of the pick 3 is a loss the entire wager will be deemed a loss.

Superfecta: This wager involves picking the first four finishers in a race in exact order. The payout for this wager can be very high because the chances of winning the bet are pretty low. Not available for all races especially races with fewer than 8 runners. Superfecta box, superfecta wheel and superfecta partial wheel also available.

• Pick 4: The first place finishers of four consecutive races must be picked in order to win this wager. The wager must be placed before post time of the first race. If one leg of the pick 4 is a loss the entire wager will be deemed a loss.

Drunk and unruly fans are a huge problem in NFL

Drunk and unruly fans are a huge problem in NFL stadiums. Between the drinking, the cursing, the fights, the cursing, the stumbling and the cursing, NFL games provide as much of a kid-friendly atmosphere as a night out with Plaxico Burress. But now, NFL teams think they have developed a technique to curb boorish, abusive behavior at games: tattling.

At 29 of the NFL's 32 stadiums, fans can now send a text message to report disorderly conduct of nearby fans. The texts are received by stadium security, who address the situation and determine if the offending fan should receive a warning or ejection.

It's an interesting idea, albeit one with a number of flaws and questionable ethical application. There's no doubt something needs to be done about drunken behavior at games, lest older fans (who tend to have the most disposable income and buy the best seats) decide that they'd rather not spend $10,000 a year on tickets just to end up listening to a hammered college student screaming expletive-laden compound adjectives at opposing players. But text-narcing isn't the answer to this problem.

Putting up a text-message number on the Jumbotron is an invitation for people to abuse the system with pranks, jokes and reports about patrons who are being only mildly annoying. Plus, stadium personnel can only be in so many places at once. By the time one situation has been resolved, there could likely be five more that have developed.

The text-narcing seems to be less about controlling fan behavior and more about mollifying fans who complain about fan behavior. Teams can point to the system and say "hey, we're trying!" instead of taking actual preventative steps like hiring more security (which would cost more money) or curbing alcohol sales (which would cut revenues at both the concession stand and through advertising dollars from beer companies).

Each team has a different hotline number, some with clever mnemonic devices like "ASSIST" (Ravens) or "INDY" (Colts). The best narc number, however, belongs to Cincinnati. To report unruly behavior, Bengals fans should text 513-381-JERK.

Sports Betting Terms

Action
Action means bets. Having action means having a bet.
Action
has a special meaning for baseball bets: Its means the bet counts even
if there is a change in starting pitchers. If there is a pitcher change
accompanied by an odds change, the action bettor will receive the new
odds. The default is that the listed pitchers must start; to have
action no matter who pitches, you must specify action when you make
your bet.

Advantage Player
An advantage player is a bettor who is willing to make a bet only if the bet is perceived as yielding a positive EV.

Against the Spread
There
are two common ways of betting sides: the moneyline and against the
spread. To bet against the spread is to make a wager that will be
decided by adding points to one team or the other after the game is
played.

Air Move
When a sportsbook changes
the line on a game in response to other books’ changing the line, that
line change is described as an air move. The opposite of an air move is
changing the line in response to bets received.

Angle
An
angle is a decision rule for making bets, unfortunately, most published
angles are the result of data mining, and fail to predict results of
future games.

Arbitrage
To arbitrage is to
make a combination of bets such that if one bet loses another wins.
There is an implication of having an edge, at no or low risk. Arbitrage
can also be used as a noun. Hedge has a similar meaning, but does not
carry the implication of having an edge.

ATS
ATS is the acronym for against the spread.

Bar
To be barred from betting at a sportsbook is to be told that no more bets will be accepted from you.

Bases
Bases means baseball. An alternative to saying you are betting on baseball games is to say you are betting bases.

Baskets
Baskets
means basketball. An alternative to saying you are betting on
basketball games is to say you are betting baskets. An alternate
expression is hoops.
Beard
A beard is a person who makes sports bets for someone else; that someone else is usually a skillful handicapper.

Betting Exchange
A
betting exchange is a form of betting available on the internet. You
and another person can bet on anything you wish at whatever odds you
agree upon. The winner will pay a commission to the internet sportsbook.

Bettor
A bettor is an individual who makes bets. This text assumes that bettors will be making a sports bet against a book.

Board
A
board is the list of bets available in a sportsbook. In the old days,
all books had actual boards on which clerks would write the latest
odds. Nowadays most suck boards have been replaced by electronic
displays that are updated by computer, but they are still called
“boards.”

Bonus Hustler
To offshore
sportsbooks, a bonus hustler is someone who has opened an account for
the express purpose of obtaining bonuses, and who does no intend to
gamble.

Book, Bookmaker
A book or bookmaker is a person or company that accepts bets against the lines created by lines makers.

Bookie
The
dictionary says bookie is the same thing as bookmaker, but Nevada’s
legal sportsbooks don’t call themselves bookies. Bookies carry the
implication of illegality.

Buck
To a sports
bettor, a buck is a bet size. For a bet on a dog, a buck is $100 for a
bet on a favorite, a buck is whatever amount of money must be risked to
win $100.

Chalk
To bet chalk is to bet the favorite

Cherrypick
To cherrypick is to bet only those games on which you think you have an edge.

Circled
When
a game is circled, the maximum bet on that game is lower than normal.
The circling generally is due to uncertainty of some sort, perhaps the
weather or an injury to a key player.

Correlated, Correlation
Correlation
is the degree to which the results of two bets are related. Zero
correlation means the results are not related at all. Correlated is the
adjective form, and correlation is a noun. An example of two bets that
are correlated is the Giants to lead at the half and the Giants to win
the game. Sportsbooks do not like to write correlated parlays.

Cover
To
cover is to beat the spread. For example, if Detroit is favored by 7
and wins the game by more than 7, Detroit is said to have “covered.” If
Detroit lost that game or wins by less than 7, it failed to cover.  If
the underdog wins, or loses the game but by less than the spread, the
dog is said to have covered.

CTR
CTR is the
acronym for Currency Transaction Report. This is a form the US
government requires be filled out whenever a financial institution
(which includes casinos and sportsbooks) has a transaction (or series
of transactions with one individual within a 24-hour period of time)
involving over $10,000 in cash.

Data Mining
Data
mining is derogatory. It means sorting through a huge volume of data,
extracting decision rules that seem to favor one team over another, but
without regard to whether or not there is any cause-and-effect
relationship. Data mining is the sports-betting equivalent of sitting a
huge number of monkeys down at keyboards, and then reporting on the
monkeys who happened to type actual words.

Dime
A dime is a bet to win $1000.

Dog
Dog
is short for “underdog.” If the better team wins the game, the dog is
the team that loses. The opposite of the dog is the favorite.

Dollar
A dollar is a bet to win $100.

Early line
The early line is the first line posted for a game.

Edge
Having
an edge means having the best of it. If you make only bets on which you
have an edge, you will win and you will lose but in the long haul your
winnings will overwhelm your losses.

Even money
Even
money means you risk a dollar to win a dollar. Even money is also
expressed as EV or as PK. It could be, but is not, expressed as -100 or
+100.

Exotic
Exotic bets are the same thing as prop bets.

Fade
To fade a bet is to accept it, as in the sportsbook fades your action.

Fan
A fan is somebody who bets on a team because he likes the team. To a fan, the spread is an unimportant detail.

Favorite
The
favorite is the team that is more likely to win. If there are a large
number of contestants, suck as in a golf tournament, the top few
contestants can all be referred to as favorites. The opposite of the
favorite is dog.

Field
Betting on golf
tournaments and other sports events that have a large number of
entrants often allows for a bet on the field. The field is the group of
all the entrants not listed with their own odds. The field can contain
a large number of entrants, but typically each entrant has only a tiny
chance of actually winning the event. If an entrant had a good chance
of winning, he or she would not be lumped into the field.

Final Margin
The
final margin is the final score of the favorite and the final score of
the dog. If the dog won, the final margin is negative. The final margin
can be compared to the line to see which team won for betting purposes.

Final Score
The final score of the game is the actual results as determined on the field, court, diamond, etc.

Final Total
The final total is the sum of the two final scores in a game. If San Francisco wins 35-14, then the final total is 49.

Foots
Foots means football. An alternative to saying you are betting on football games is to say you are betting foots.

Front running
Front
running is watching betting lines via computer, and betting in the
direction of line moves at a sportsbook that shows the old number

Futures
Futures
are bets that will be decided by multiple contests, or by a contest
that is more than about a week away. An example of a futures bet is a
wager on whether the Yankees will win more than 92 games in the
upcoming season.

Good Bet
To an advantage player, a good bet is a bet threat offers a positive EV.

Handicap
To
handicap is to assign a probability to the likelihood of winning a
contest or series of contests. A person who handicaps is a handicapper.

Handle
Handle
is a word used by bookmakers to describe the total amount of money
wagered. Handle usually refers to total bets over multiple games,
whereas action usually refers to total bets on one game.

Hang
When managers of sportsbooks speak of hanging a line, they mean posting it for all to see and bet into.

Hedge
To
hedge is to make a combination of bets such that if one bet loses
another wins. Hedging is usually done fore defensive purposes, such as
betting to lock in a profit after winning the first eleven games on a
twelve-team parlay. Hedge can be used as a noun or a verb. Hedge does
not carry the implication of having and edge.

Hook
When a line on a football or basketball game includes a half point, the half point is called a hook.

Hoops
Hoops
means basketball. An alternative to saying you are betting on
basketball games is to say you are betting hoops. An alternate
expression is baskets.

House Edge
The house edge is another name for the vig.

Juice
Juice is another word for vig.

Laying
You're
said to be laying odds if the amount of money you are risking is more
than what you will win if the game goes your way. You are said to be
laying points if the spread takes points away from your team. If you
are laying points or laying odds, you are betting the favorite. The
opposite of laying is taking.

Leach
A leach
is someone who watches a computer for line moves, and when he sees one
he quickly bets the appropriate team at an offshore sportsbook that has
not yet moved the line. That activity is called front running.

Line
The line is the spread and terms of a bet. If the terms are standard, e.g. -110, then the line is the spread.

Linesmaker
A linesmaker is a person who creates lines and totals for bookmakers.

Maverick line
When
a sportsbook creates its own line on a game and that line is different
from the line carried by other sportsbooks, that independent line is
called a maverick line.

Middle
To have a
middle is to have bets on competing teams and for there to be at least
one possible outcome that results in winning both bets, Middle applies
to bets on totals as well bets on sides.

Money line
When
you bet the money line, the winner of the game is the winner of the
bet. Betting the money line is one of two common ways of betting on a
side to win; the other common method of betting a side is against the
spread.

Nickel
A nickel is a bet to win $500. A big nickel is a bet to win $5000.

Off
If
a game if off, the sportsbook is no longer writing bets on it. Perhaps
the game has already started, or perhaps there is major uncertainty as
to the weather conditions or an injury to a key player.

Off the board
To
make parlay or teaser bets on games listed on the board is called
betting off the board. Sometimes you have two ways to bet the same
combination of teams: off the board and on parlay cards. Before betting
one of them, check to see if the other offers better odds or a better
spread.

Opening line
The opening line is the earliest line posted for a given sports event.

Originator
When
a syndicate bets so much money on one game that the line moves, the
originator is the first person to bet that game for that syndicate.

Over
To bet over is to bet that the final total will exceed the total posted for betting purposes.

Parlay
A
parlay is a bet involving two or more events. You can also use the word
as a verb; to parlay is to use the proceeds from one bet as the wager
on another bet. You can parlay sides and totals. You can mix sports in
a single parlay. All you teams must win for your parlay to win. One
loser and the parlay is lost. A push on one game generally causes your
parlay to convert to a parlay with one fewer game; for example a
three-team parlay with two wins and a push would be paid as a two-team
parlay.

Parlay card
A parlay card is a set of
sides, totals, and prop bets printed on a special card. The numbers on
the parlay card apply only to bets on the card, and might be different
from bets listed on the board. Typically you must select at least three
items if you want to make a bet on a parlay card.

Pick
A pick is a bet recommended by a handicapper.

Pick ‘em
Pick
‘em can mean two things. It can mean the same thing as even money. It
also can mean the spread is zero, as in “Giants is pick ‘em against the
Ravens this weekend.”

PK
PK is an abbreviation for pick ‘em.

Player
If
an employee of a sportsbooks calls you a player, the implication is
that you are a big bettor. Being called a player is not a compliment,
but it's not as derogatory as being called a sucker.

Points, point spread
Points and point spread are alternate terms for spread.

Power ratings
Power
ratings are numbers that handicappers assign to teams to estimate how
likely one team is to beat the other or by how many points.

Prop bet
When
a major sporting events come along, some linesmakers let their
imaginations run wild as they offer an interesting menu of bets, such
as which player will score first.

Public
A
public means unsophisticated bettors. Their bets are call public money.
The public includes fans and squares and people who make a bet just to
make a game more exciting.

Puck line
The ice
hockey version of betting against the spread is the puck line. On games
in which one team is a big favorite, the puck line typically adds 1.5
goals to one or subtracts 1.5 goals from the other team.

Punter
A
punter is a bettor, specifically a bettor who takes on sportsbooks or
racebooks. The term can be but is rarely used to refer to participants
in casino games.

Push
A push is a tie against the spread. Generally you get your money back on pushes.

Reverse teaser
A reverse teaser is a parlay in which each team gives up points compared to the normal spread.

ROI
ROI is the acronym for return on investment.

Run line
The
baseball version of betting against the spread is the run line. On
games in which one team is a big favorite, the run line typically adds
1.5 runs to one team or subtracts 1.5 runs from the other team.

Scalp
This
word has several meanings. One use is to bet both sides on the money
line in such a way as to guarantee profit. For example, if New York is
playing Chicago and you bet New York -140 and Chicago +155, you have a
15 cent scalp. Another use of scalp is to describe what a bookie might
do if he thinks a line is going to move. Suppose a bookie takes a bet
on Dallas -6 from a sharp, and predicts that other bookie soon will be
calling to also place bets on Dallas. If the bookie immediately bets
Dallas -6 with other bookies and simultaneously changes the line at
which he accepts bets to Dallas -7, he is said to be scalping.

Sharp, sharpie
A
sharp is what sportsbooks call an advantage player. Sharp can also be
used as an adjective. If someone calls you a sharp bettor, smile; you
have received a compliment.

Side
To bet a
side is to bet on one team against the spread. Another meaning of side
is to have bets on both opposing teams such that there is at least one
score that will give you a win on one bet and a push on the other.

Smart money
Smart money is money wagered by shaprs.

Soft
When
a line is called soft, the implication is that not many sharp bettors
have looked at it. Sharp bettors making big bets tend to move lines to
the point where it is difficult for other bettors to make a bet with an
advantage.

Sportsbook
Sportsbook is another word for book.

Spread
A
spread is a number set by a sportsbook to allow betting at 10:11 on
each of two teams. The spread is also called the line or the points.

Square
A
square is a sucker who has read the sports section of the local
newspaper. The implication is of being informed, but using the same
information in the same way as everybody else does.

Straight up
Since
bets against the spread are common; you need two ways to describe which
team won a game. You need to distinguish between which team actually
won the game and which team won against the spread. Sometimes they are
the same team and sometimes they are not. Winning straight up means
winning without regards to the spread.

Sucker
A sucker is a bettor who will make bad-EV bets without realizing how bad the bets are.

Syndicate
A syndicate is a group of people making a joint effort to win money betting sports.

Total
The
total is a number set by a sportsbook for total points to be scored by
both teams during a game. You can bet that the final total will exceed
the total 9called the “over”) or that the final total will be less than
the total (called the “under”). Betting over's or under's is referred
to as betting totals.

Tout
A tout is someone
who sells picks. The connotation is of someone who has no ability to
pick winners but sells that ability anyway.

Under
To bet the under is to bet that the final total will fall short of the total.

Vig or vigorish
Sportsbook
generally don’t give suckers a positive expectation bet, or even a
break-even bet. The vig or vigorish is the sportsbook built-in edge
over bettors. The vig is what you must overcome if you are going to win
money betting on sports.

Wiseguy
A wiseguy is a successful and well established sports bettor.

Sports Betting-The Art of the Gamble

The Sports Handicappers Guide To Profitability The world of sports investing is not for everyone. It takes a certain type of individual with a certain type of personality to enter this precarious industry. We’re not talking about the casual gambler who lays 50 bucks on the Superbowl with his buddy. We are talking about the serious and dedicated Sports Investor who makes a big part of his livelihood through betting on sports. This individual must possess patience, discipline and most of all, the ability to deal with the stress that is inherently associated with Sports Betting. Sports betting and Sports investing are really two completely different animals. The word investing suggests long term commitment, similar to most other investments. Therefore, you must realize that this type of profession is not a get rich quick scheme but a profession that requires patience and dedication. It also implies that the investor have a great deal of knowledge of the industry, or at the very least, he relies on a professional who does, much like a Stockbroker or Realtor or Financial Adviser. Should the Sports Investor decide to use a Professional Sports Handicapping Service, it is of the utmost importance that the individual perform the necessary due diligence on each service he is interested in. There are thousands of Sports Services on the Internet today, all claiming to be the best. Some charging as much as $500 per selection. It is important to remember that the amount you pay for a Handicapper’s pick is NOT directly related to the quality of that pick. When researching a Sports Handicapping Service it is critical to ensure that the service is monitored by a third party. This is an indication that the service is honest and has integrity. Any Service can claim a 70% win percentage over the course of a year on their own web site but finding a service that has a 70% win rate that is documented by a third party would be a daunting task. Don’t let yourself become the victim of an unscrupulous Handicapper. Before purchasing their services, make sure they have legitimate and documented records. One of, if not the most, important factors when investing in sports gambling, is the use of money management skills. There have been many, many articles dedicated to this subject alone. It simply cannot be stressed enough. The serious Sports Investor must employ strict and disciplined money management techniques. Simply stated, your risk amount for each wager should be between 2-3 percent of your entire bankroll. Consistency is the key. As your bankroll increases so will the risk amount of your bet. Conversely, should your bankroll decrease your risk amount for each wager will decrease proportionately. To clarify further, a bankroll of $10,000 would garner a risk wager amount of between $200 and $300 per bet. A bankroll of $1000 would garner a risk wager amount of between $20 and $30 per bet. The size of your bankroll is irrelevant. Employing a stringent money management system is essential. A final thought to consider when investing in sports and not to be overshadowed, is the opportunity that exists with various Sportsbooks. A wise Sports Investor will have accounts with several different Sportsbooks. This gives him the ability to shop for the best lines. Not only is it possible to find lines from ½ a point or more in your favor but different books charge different vig. An Investor who maintains a 55% win percentage is great but this also means that this investor is losing 45% of his wagers. This is a substantial amount and it should not be overlooked. Let’s say you place two bets a day of $250. Over a 30 day period you would have gambled $15000. Using the above win rate of 55/45 you would have won a gross amount of $8250 and lost a gross amount of $6750. Now suppose your book charges you 10% of your losses. This represents a total vig charge of $675. Now, suppose your buddy’s book charges him only 7% of all losses. This represents a total vig charge of only $472.50. A difference of $202.50. Multiply that by twelve months in a year and your buddy saves over $2400 in vig charges alone. That’s almost 10 extra plays per year simply through carefully selecting Sportsbooks. Betting on sports is a great source of entertainment for the casual or recreational gambler. However, for those of us that make sports betting a larger part of our lives, it is absolutely critical to follow these philosophies in order to become successful in the world of sports betting.

Betting on Weather

Large amounts of money are lost each season by sports bettors who do
not fully understand how to account for weather in their sports
handicapping. Extreme weather presents the player with two types of
profitable opportunities:

1) to play ON a condition that will have MORE effect than the public realizes;

2) to play OPPOSITE a condition that will have LESS effect than the public realizes.

Whenever we judge any effect on a game we must determine to what
degree the effect has already been accounted for in the point spread.
An obvious example would be if a team’s starting quarterback is out
due to injury. Such a fact would most certainly be built into the point
spread, so blindly betting against a team playing a backup QB offers no
edge. This same obviousness would apply to playing the under on a
football game when a bad weather is expected. In these cases, as
always, a sports handicapper must compare his assessment of the effect
with the way it is accounted for in the point spread. Only when there
is a discrepancy in assessment can there be a true edge.

The most over-considered weather condition is snow. Being easy to
see on TV and easy to understand (we’ve all walked on slippery
sidewalks) makes snow hard to ignore. Such conditions are typically
associated with lower scoring. But in reality snow has little effect on
game-play a vast majority of the time. Constantly improving grass/turf
fields, footballs made of advanced synthetics, and the perpetual
rotation & sideline maintenance (keeping them dry and warm) of
those same balls has significantly diminished in recent years the
effect of snow on game-play.

In fact, often the effect that does exist is to the advantage of the
offense! Why? Because on a slightly slick field the offense knows where
it is running to while the defense is force to react abruptly. If a
receiver slips the offense may lose one play; if a defender slips the
offense can easily score a touchdown. Since defenses want to attack
rather than react on a slick field they become more aggressive, causing
(and, in turn, giving up) more big plays. Snow presents the sports
handicapper with game conditions the public believes will lead to low
scoring when in reality the opposite is true.

Extreme snow, though, is another matter to consider. A few games per
year are affected by snow to such an extent that normal game-play is
impossible. The simple act of dropping back to pass is too dangerous to
attempt. Kicking a 30 yard field goal is an iffy proposition. In these
rare cases the under is often the play simply because the point spread
cannot be adjusted downward enough (Imagine a total of 17.5 on a NFL
game). Also keep in mind in any low scoring game a big underdog gains
value.

The most under-considered weather condition is wind. You can’t see
it on TV, but it can affect game-play in extreme ways. Today’s 21st
century passing games are based upon timing, and when the wind is
blowing hard timing can’t help but be thrown off. The following is a
little known fact: wind that blows ACROSS THE FIELD affects play much
more than wind that blows from end zone to end zone. This is because on
passes and especially field goals wind is harder to compensate for when
blowing side-to-side. (And even lesser known fact is that over 90% of
football fields are set up with the end zones directed north to south;
so, though it would be best to learn about each field individually, you
will be correct most the time if you assume north/south wind will be
blowing from end zone to end zone while east/west will be cross-field).
Note that windy conditions affect all teams, but even more so teams
that rely on the passing game. Wind, then, presents the sports
handicapper with conditions that will tend toward low scoring, tend
toward the underdog, and tend against passing teams while most likely
not being properly accounted for in the point spread.

Extreme temperatures must also be considered. Cold weather football
teams playing in high heat occurs most often early in the season; the
effect is typically one of fatigue. A wise (and creative) play for the
sports handicapper would be to consider playing against the cold
weather football team in the second half.

Warm weather football teams playing in the cold seem to have even
more trouble. Ultimately it comes down to what a football team’s
players are used to. The effect of cold weather on warm weather
football teams is well documented; one only needs consider the stats on
the Packers at home or Tampa Bay in the cold. These well-known
situations rarely offer value. The sports handicapper MUST ALWAYS
assess the effect while considering how the line is accounting for it.

The most valuable information (and the type many players dream
about) is knowing something most people don’t. Finding out before the
lines maker that there will be 3 feet of snow in Buffalo next Sunday
would make winning easy. Realistically, though, in today’s Internet
age such a scoop in nearly impossible to come by. What is not
impossible, and what can be equally as profitable, is the ability to
find weather situations the point spread has overcompensated for to
play against while finding others the point spread has under
compensated for to play on.

Bases Best Bet

To this day it amazes me just how many sports bettors pass on baseball for football and basketball to place their wagering dollars on. I say shame on you for doing so, but ll take the money anyway, the rest of you wait till football rolls around again! There is no doubt in my mind that over the years I have made 5 fold the money betting baseball than any other sport, and that is 14 years of experience talking, and from a guy who went a documented 67% in College Football, and 69% in the NFL in 2003. Let’s break this down and see if we can’t get some guys on the bandwagon to make some easy money, because in no uncertain terms, baseball is the easiest sport of all to win money at. Ask any bookmaker in Las Vegas or the guys at Bo Dog Sportsbook or any other offshore operation, they hate baseball! Sharp players beat them up every single year in bases, yet the public continues to shy away from this moneymaking sport with numerous options to enhance a bankroll.

Most novice bettors are totally confused by the money lines, because you are not “laying points”. Folks if a team is laying –140, that means you are wagering $140 to win $100. Money management 101 for those living under a rock. Then comes the dime line or the 20-cent line, what does that mean? Simply put, when you lay $110 to win $100 in football or basketball, a dime line is the same 11 to 10 odds, but a 20-cent line is 12 to 10 odds, or you are laying $120 to win a $100. For the most part over and under’s in baseball are the same as 11 to 10 odds as in football or basketball with a book that posts a dime line, otherwise some books even with a 20-cent line may in fact post dime lines on totals plays. It takes one trip to a website that reviews sportsbooks to find out what books offer what lines. If you are serious about winning, it is imperative you research the books and their lines. Some offshore sportsbooks offer 10 cent lines (dime lines) up to a certain number, say –150, then they go to a 15 cent or 20 cent line from there. I have seen the competition heat up in the marketing by offshore books, and some of them now are offering an 8-cent line! A little homework can make you allot of extra cash, instead of leaving it on the table! I laid over -150 seventeen times last year and never once did I lay more than -170. Stretching yourself on "sure bets" of -220 or higher, and then lose that game, cuts into a bankroll big time, so honing in on games of value and knowing how to play the moneyline is absolutly crucial! Remember in baseball and moneyline bets, less is more at the end of the day.

The reason numerous sportsbooks post a 20-cent line is they KNOW that sharp players will take them for their money in baseball, and it minimizes the profits of those players, and maximizes the losses for the books when they come in. Usually you will find almost all books will make you pay a 20-cent line on a play of over –200, since there is a high chance that team can win, but that’s why it is called gambling. Once again proving that baseball is easy to win at if you know what to look for.

In baseball, the team ONLY has to win to cash tickets. It comes down to some real simple items to look at to get started, mainly pitching and hitting, that is the bottom line in the simplest of terms. I also look at slugging percentage and on base percentage and then a few intangibles. But wait a minute the novice says, I will not lay –320 with Randy Johnson, and –280 with Pedro Martinez, what if they lose? Granted it is possible, even playing a weak sister, that one of these studs may have an off day, but the beauty is you can lower the odds in baseball. Let’s say you have 2 teams, with 2 strong pitchers both laying –200 or more against a team they should clearly mop the floor with, but you don’t want to expose yourself to a heavy chalk line. I suggest a 2-team parley, for half of your normal wager. The payout with those odds is bet $100 to win $125 for a two teamer. Worth a shot isn’t it? Remember also you can lay it on a run line too, it lowers the odds, but Team A has to beat Team B by 1.5 runs, or basically win by 2 runs in order to cash a ticket at much lower odds, once again providing you an option to make money in baseball on a side play.

It is not so much wins and losses in baseball from a win percentage that counts, but it is units won based on a money line. There is money to be made baseball without question, and if you manage your money and use discipline and have a good sports service, you can build quite a bankroll over the summer and then have plenty of cash to get ready for football in the fall. Pick the best bet on the board everyday, and bet it. Less is more, and in baseball it can be much more.