No sense messing around. You want to earn money betting on the National Football League, so here are eight great strategies for you to use to help you to be a winner off the field.
Leave Your Heart at the Door
So, you love the Dallas Cowboys or the Pittsburgh Steelers. Maybe you are a huge fan of Drew Brees. That is great when you are rooting for your team on Sunday, but your loyalty to your hometown team means nothing when you are placing a wager. In fact, your personal biases are more likely to cause you harm than good.
Cheer on your favorite team from your couch, but don’t do so with your cash. Avoid bets where your heart can influence your decision, so don’t bet on your favorite team, or bet on your favorite player. Conversely, don’t bet against a team just because you hate them. Keep your heart out of the equation.
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Look for Accumulator Offers
One of the bets that draws in gamblers is the accumulators. Those bets where you can select a number of games, earning larger amounts of money when you get all four, five, or more bets correct.
The thing to realize is that in these kinds of wagers the odds are against you. Bookmakers have already tried to stack the deck against you for one game. Just imagine what the odds are in winning four or five.
If this is a kind of wager you enjoy, then look for accumulator offers. Sometimes you will find sites that will allow you to get one of the wagers wrong, yet you still win. This reduces your risk and increases your odds of winning.
Create a Bankroll
Before the season even gets underway, set aside a certain amount of money that you are able to lose should everything go against you. Bankroll yourself.
What this may mean is that you set aside 5% of your salary every pay period or that you put into your wagering account $3000 or more before the season even begins. This becomes your cap. If the maximum amount of money you can afford to lose and still stay in the game.
This not only helps you to avoid losing your shirt but also helps to keep you from blowing your wad the very first week. If you know you are setting aside a certain amount of money, it acts as a form of discipline, helping you to divvy up the amount you can spend as the season goes along.
In fact, to help in this process, it pays to look ahead at the entire schedule. Look for games you know you will want to wager on later in the year, expecting to make a killing. By doing this you help to establish an amount you will spend each week, so you can enjoy those wagers later on in the year.
In addition, your winnings then become additional money you can spend. If you find after three or four weeks that you have made a few thousand dollars, you have just increased your bankroll. This is a nice reward, but don’t spend all of it either. Make sure that for every bet you win that you remove at least 25% from your account. Treat yourself to something special for being so smart.
Find the Weekly Edges
As you are going through the weekly schedule, look for the edges that can help you to be a big winner. Don’t plan on wagering on every contest. Choose three or four games each weekend that look like smart options. Pick one that looks like the best chance of you winning, and place a larger amount of money on that contest. In doing this, you ensure that you have the maximum potential to win and that you don’t force yourself to make bets on contests that are likely to be losers.
Do Some Shopping
Before you decide to place any wager, check the different sites to see what the lines are across-the-board. What you may find is that one site is offering the Bears by 4.5 points, but another has them at 5.0. Look for the site that is offering you the best advantage to win.
What this also means is that you want to choose three or four different sportsbooks as sites where you will place wagers. Don’t get locked into one site. Shop around, even if that means placing four different bets with four different sites on any given weekend.
Watch the Line During the Week
Another thing to pay attention to in relation to the line is how it changes during the week. What you may find is that a spread increases from 2.5 to 3.5 by Friday. This usually occurs because teams that are popular have fan bases that are likely to start betting with their hearts as the week goes along. This increases the line as sportsbooks are trying to ensure that they improve their odds. Maybe a bet that was smart on Tuesday isn’t as smart on Thursday or Friday.
Know More Than Just Trends
Too many pay attention to how a team has performed against the spread or what their record is following a bye week. Those are nice numbers to know, but those should not be the only factors in helping you to determine what’s a smart wager. Look at the overall performance of both teams apart from the spread.
Also, don’t get caught up in the team’s performance from the previous week. Just because the Detroit Lions were held to three points by the Los Angeles Rams the previous week doesn’t mean their offense is slumping. They could have an off week, the Rams could have an exceptional defense, or the team that Detroit is playing that week may be terrible.
Look at player performances against that team. Look at their stats against similar types of defenses or offenses. In other words, do some homework.
Be Sober
This really should not have to be said, but far too often it is a factor in why people lose. You should never be placing wagers when you are intoxicated or impaired in any way. Alcohol and drugs are not helping you to be smarter with your wagers.
If you have bid drinking before you open up the website to place your wager, it’s time to close it up. Consider that this is your money. You want to be smart with it, and betting while impaired is just downright stupid.
Nothing is a sure bet when it comes to gambling, but these 8 strategies should help you to be a whole lot smarter when placing your wagers.