5 Expert Sports Betting Tips – Improve Your Results Today
Check out our expert sports betting tips and learn how to find the best betting opportunities out there.
Last updated: May 22, 2023
Becoming a winner in mobile sports betting is not easy, as only ~ 3% of players have a proven record of being profitable long-term. Skill and strategy are vital if you plan to become one of the sharps.
However, we’re here to help. In this article, we’ll provide you with some tips and strategic suggestions that both beginners and more experienced bettors can benefit from.
These recommendations can apply to all sports, just make sure to have a basic understanding of the betting lines and set up a betting bankroll.
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Line Shopping — Always Look for The Best Odds
Even though most sports bettors rarely pay attention to this or are too lazy to do it, finding the best price (also known as line shopping) for a specific match is of huge importance for long-term sports betting.
Let’s say you are placing ten bets per day with average odds of +100 using your standard sportsbook. Checking out the market and finding that some other provider has a +110 line on the same match is a 10% boost for your potential profits. Even if the bump is smaller (+105), it is still worth the effort.
Almost 40 online sportsbooks operate legally in the United States nowadays, meaning multiple lines, markets, and betting options are easily accessible. You do not have to physically visit betting shops like before to see which operator offers the highest odds and to actually place the bet.
This said, we highly recommend everyone have at least four or five sports betting accounts with different providers and then use online websites with line comparison calculators. A majority of these are free to use and could be a massive advantage to help you beat the bookies long-term.
Check out our list of the best online sportsbooks in the US, sign up for your favorites, and start line shopping to get the best odds!
Stay Away from Parlays
Attempting to land massive parlays is one of sports bettors’ most common mistakes. Even though it might be entertaining to chase a big payout, expert players know well that the odds are not in your favor, no matter the outcome of this type of betting.
There are public reports available, and parlays have generated a ridiculous amount of money for all US online sportsbooks.
Talking about the numbers, every time you add more than two bets into a parlay, the total value of your bets is shrinking. Let’s use an example of this to get a better picture of why parlays are the bread and butter of online sportsbooks.
It is Sunday, and the NFL season is blooming. We have two -110 spread picks ready for 4 PM and 8 PM games. A $100 wager on this two-leg parlay would have potential returns of $360. However, here is what would have happened if you went with two separate bets in this example:
- A $100 bet on 1 PM game would return $191
- A $191 bet on a 4 PM game would return $364.43
Even for a double bet like this, you would make $4.43 more just by staying away from parlays and wagering the lines in separate bets. The real problem is that this number and percentages get exponentially worse for players with every bet they add to a bet slip. Our suggestion here is to stick with single bets as much as possible.
But, if you really want to parlay, we recommend you first read our guide to the best strategies for parlay betting to help give you a strategic edge.
Take Advantage of the Opening Lines
Bookmakers make wrong judgments and miscalculations more frequently than you think, which is why we always encourage expert bettors to place their bets early.
Speaking of the early betting lines for NFL specifically, if you are very knowledgeable about the teams, players, stats, and current form, there is a lot of room to pick up early value bets.
Usually, sportsbooks publish the lines for the upcoming NFL round on Tuesday morning when more experienced sports bettors are fishing for action. The key is to take advantage of the lines before they become influenced by other people’s choices and wagers.
As mentioned in our article on understanding sports betting lines, odds are shifting all the time, so the ideal scenario is to grab them while they are at their peak.
In most cases, the odds of the Kansas City Chiefs beating an underdog opponent are going to be higher on Tuesday than during the weekend. The only downside here is a potential injury update during the mid-week, which may lower the team’s chances of winning. If you keep this practice throughout the entire season, the higher odds will beat the injury factor.
Bankroll Management Is the Key
Good bankroll management in sports betting can be just as important as choosing winning bets and is arguably the biggest way to beat the bookmakers long term.
Professional bettors have no room for reckless decisions to randomly double the stakes just because they hit a couple of winners or are emotional after a cold streak and chasing a big comeback win.
Consistency and discipline are huge virtues in the world of sports betting, so we suggest sticking to the flat betting approach – never risk more than 3% to 5% of your bankroll per bet.
It does not matter how confident you are about Celtics beating their fierce rivals Sixers, or if some odds are of fantastic value. Sticking to the plan and never going ham is essential.
Some would call the standard method a bit dull, but it definitely increases the chances of winning, so the real question here is if you want entertainment or to walk away with a profit.
Grab All the Help You Can Get via Bonuses, Promotions & Enhanced Odds
The sports betting scene is blooming right now in the US, which means all of the online operators are trying to attract as many customers as possible with generous welcome packages and promotions.
Even though there is a rollover requirement behind these, having insured bets, first deposit bonuses, free bets issued through loyalty programs, and daily enhanced odds are always handy.
To simplify things, we’ve compiled all the top US sportsbook deposit bonuses so you can see which operator currently has the best welcome offer. Take advantage of these deals and get more sportsbooks in your pocket to line shop at — it’s a win-win.
There are also sport-specific promotions when a big event is around the corner, like the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, or Stanley Cup Finals. Always take advantage of these promotional offers, even on sports you do not normally bet on.
With some strategy and a bit of luck, it is possible to use some of these offers to build your betting bankroll from scratch!