7 Super Creative Betting Tactics that Will Transform Your Results
It doesn't matter if you're a casual sports bettor or a pro; the odds are you're always looking for ways to improve your results.
I've put together 7 super creative betting tactics that will transform your results below.
You don't have to feel like you need to use all seven of them, but if you can find one or two you can add to your tactics it can put your betting results over the top.
1 – Small Conference College Football
The first two recommendations are related in the fact that they both involve college sports, small conferences, and specializing.
If you're able to specialize in any area of sports betting you have a chance to know more than other bettors and / or the sports books.
Once you know more it's easier to see lines that offer value.
Sports books in Las Vegas and online have been offering betting lines on almost all of the NCAA football games for quite a few years. With all of the games every week on top of the NFL games, it means some lines aren't as good as others.
The small conference games don't receive as much attention as the NFL and larger conferences so you have an opportunity to become an expert.
Make the commitment to learn more about a small NCAA football conference than the sports books.
It's much easier today than it was 10 years ago because most newspapers have online sections and the Internet is filled with scores, statistics, and news about football teams of all sizes.
You can even try to cultivate people who can provide inside information on small college football teams. Small towns offer more access to coaches, players, parents, trainers, and college personnel than you can find in large college towns. Don't do anything illegal, but don't hesitate to build relationships wherever you can, and don't hesitate to use information gathered this way to win more sports bets.
2 – Small Conference College Basketball
Everything I mentioned about small conference college football is also the case for small conference college basketball.
The nice thing is if you build a network of contacts for football, many of the same contacts will be valuable for the basketball season for the same conference.
Imagine knowing before the sports books that a team's star basketball player will miss the game tonight. Do you think this kind of inside information would be useful? Do you think you could make money with it?
3 – Teasers
Teasers have traditionally been considered sucker bets so they're ignored by most professional sports bettors.
A teaser is when you bet on two or more games and receive extra points to adjust the line on each game.
One trait of winning sports bettors is they're always looking for an edge and willing to put their money at risk when they find one.
The sports books keep getting better at setting accurate lines on the games they offer. As the lines become more efficient it has started opening the possibility of teasers becoming profitable to smart bettors.
You still can't randomly choose games and win money long term using teaser bets, but it's getting easier to handicap games that look like they’ll finish close to the line. If you can pick two or three games every week that finish within a few points of the spread you can win with teaser bets.
4 – Baseball Money Lines
In order to be a consistent winner using money lines in baseball you really have to work hard and become a student of the game. It's not easy to bet on baseball successfully, but it offers so many games that if you can get a system down you can profit every summer.
Most sports bettors focus on football season and may place some bets on March Madness or the NBA finals. But many bettors try baseball a few times and give up because it's too difficult or doesn't hold their interest.
It's fairly easy to follow a few teams closely so you know about injuries, pitching match ups, and hot and cold hitters. Start by following two or three teams and once you're comfortable tracking them add a few more.
5 – Weather Related Over / Under Wagers
The old joke was if you predicted the weather would be exactly the same as yesterday every day for a year you'd be better at predicting the weather than the professional forecasters.
This simply isn't the case anymore.
As predictions for weather forecasts have become more accurate it's easier to predict how the weather conditions will change the points scored in an upcoming game.
When the game gets closer the line can change to reflect the weather, but if you pay close attention you may be able to place bets early in the week based on the forecast before the lines correct.
If a snow storm is expected it can create a situation where the under is likely to win.
Always watch the weather for upcoming games. You'll find profitable opportunities that many miss.
6 – Home Underdog Money Lines
The underdogs on the money line pay more than even money when they win.
When you combine the advantage home teams hold in most sports with the extra winnings you can get on the money line when home teams are underdogs you can have the perfect formula for profit.
You can't bet them blindly, but you can specialize in these games.
Start tracking every game that has a home underdog, handicap the match ups, and record all the results. You should be able to start seeing profitable opportunities in a short time.
Once you start seeing the home teams that have the best chance to win you can start betting on them with the points also to give yourself another way to win.
Here's an example:
The Dolphins are playing at Buffalo and Miami is favored by 3 ½ points. The money line is + 165 on the Bills. This means you bet 100 to win 165 if the Bills win and you can bet 110 to win 100 and get the Bills and 3 ½ points.
If you handicap the game and determine the Bills will win enough times to make + 165 a good price on the money line, it's often a good value to take them with the points too.
It can also offer a sort of hedge if the underdog plays well but falls short of the win.
When you bet 110 to win 100 and take the points and place 100 to win 165 on the money line, you have three possible outcomes.
- The Bills can lose by more than 3 ½ and you lose 220.
- The Bills can lose the game by 3 or less, and you break even. You win 100 on the spread but lose 100 on the money line.
- The Bills can win the game, and you win 265.
The difference between the 265 win and the 220 loss can create a sweet spot that lets smart bettors profit in the long run.
But it all boils down to being able to recognize value in home underdogs.
7 – Start a Handicappers Club
This may seem like a strange one, but if you want to grow as a sports bettor one of the best ways to do it is spending time with other handicappers. It doesn't have to be a big club, but if you share some tips and tricks with other sports bettors you can all improve your handicapping ability.
Don't think this is too advanced for you if you're a casual bettor. As a matter of fact it might work even better for casual gamblers than it will for professional handicappers.
Once you have proven winning systems and methods you won't share them with many people. But as you're learning the ropes and still working on your first systems you can pick up a little bit here and a little bit there to help.
Ask two to five of your friends who enjoy betting on sports if they want to meet every other week or once a month to start a handicappers club. Make sure no one feels pressured to share more than they want, but encourage open discussion of trends and upcoming games.
Try to handicap a few games as a group to see how each person approaches the game evaluation.
A handicappers club not only helps you by seeing how other bettors think, it also keeps you at the top of your game because you don't want to embarrass yourself in front of your friends. It's always a good idea to be held accountable and by sharing results and ideas with others helps your overall results.
Conclusion
Use as many of the creative betting tactics listed above as you can to transform your handicapping results.
The most valuable tip may be the last one. Just a couple hours a month around other bettors could be the difference between a career of losing and a winning long term hobby.
