Sports betting is one of the most popular forms of gambling, and it’s a great way to get into the action without breaking the bank. But before you start placing your bets, it’s important to understand how the odds work and what types of bets are available.
Straight Bets
A straight bet is the most common type of sports bet. These wagers involve placing a single bet on a specific team or outcome, such as a winner, first goal scorer, or halftime result. They can also be placed as part of a parlay, which allows you to place multiple bets on the same ticket.
Spreads
In order to make uneven games more even, bookmakers offer spread bets. These are based on a handicap between the two sides, which forces the favorite to win by a certain number of points in order to cover the spread.
Betting odds can be confusing for newcomers, but understanding them will help you find better value and increase your overall winnings. These are the numbers that sportsbooks post on each game, and they can differ from book to book — a difference of half-point or more can make a big difference over the long run.
Props
The U.S. sportsbooks offer hundreds of prop bets on every game, and they can be a great way to make your bets more interesting and give you a better chance of winning. These bets are often priced higher than standard bets, because they have more potential for volatility.
Props can range from something as simple as the color of Gatorade that will douse the coach of the Super Bowl-winning team to the length of the national anthem to the first song that a halftime artist will perform. They can also be used to predict a game’s outcomes, such as the amount of time it will take for a touchdown to be scored or the number of field goals that a team will make.
Payouts
Sports betting payouts are based on the odds that sportsbooks have posted for a particular event, as well as your stake. The payouts are typically listed on your betting slip, which is attached to your bet ticket.
Over/Under
When betting on a total, you’re predicting the combined score of two teams. Overs are wins if the total exceeds 43 runs/goals/points, and unders are losses if the total is less than 42.
This is a great way to bet on a game that might have an obvious Over or Under, such as a tight NFL game with one of the teams’ defenses putting up impressive numbers and the other allowing lots of easy throws.
It’s also a great way to bet on ethereal or out-of-the-ordinary situations, such as when a player misses a field goal or gets tripped up in a crucial play. These bets are incredibly popular, but they’re a lot harder to predict than their over/under counterparts.
Bankroll Management
It’s vital to have a bankroll before betting on any sport. This is especially true when you’re starting out. You should set a goal of how much money you can afford to lose and plan out your bet sizes accordingly.
