Lazy Sports Betting Tactics

Everyone wants to score the easy money when it comes to sports betting. But is there actually such a thing as easy money when you're betting on sports?

You can follow some simple general rules to place bets, but basing any wager on these simple strategies will eventually see you on the losing end of the ledger and will keep you there.

Here are some of the classic examples of wagering tendencies made by lazy bettors and why they don't work. These tactics combined with more in depth research can turn your losing picks into winners.

Always Betting on Home Underdogs

This is one of the oldest lazy betting tactics of all. It used to be a good way to place wagers if you weren't willing to do any research work. But the sportsbooks woke up to this tactic and now adjust lines so you can't turn a long term profit by just wagering on home underdogs.

If you want to use the home underdog teams to start your research, here are a few other things you want to look at.

I always look at the home teams that are getting points because home teams tend to have an advantage in just about any sport. They don't have to travel, the players sleep at home the night before the game, the team knows its field or court better than anyone else and the mindset is usually better at home. These are some of the reasons it's called home field advantage.

Home teams that are underdogs are not favored for a reason. Usually the visiting team is far superior in order to get favored while playing on the road. What you need to look for are reasons the home team can play better than expected. Of course, you always check for injuries to key players, but what I mean is something that could make a huge difference.

Weather that is out of the ordinary is one thing that can change a game dramatically. Some football teams and players, particularly running backs and quarterbacks, play differently in different weather conditions. You need to know who these players are and what tendencies they have.

You can also watch for key players who have been playing through injuries. When they get healthy again they can often catch their opponents by surprise.

You also need good understanding of how well backups for key players who are out with injury can perform. If the number one running back is out, the line will almost always move against his team. But if you know that the offensive line is the main reason for the backs success and that the number two back is capable of filling in at the same level, you may have found a situation that you can exploit.

Betting the Money Line on Superior Teams

I don't remember exactly which NBA season it was, but the Heat were playing the Sixers early in the season. The Heat were a title contender and the Sixers were in full rebuild mode.

There was just no way the Sixers could win. Wrong!

The Sixers won the game, and the book won my money. This is a perfect example of why lazy betting methods don't work. I just looked at the two teams and made the bet.

Here's why I would have avoided wagering on the game if I had bothered doing any further research:

The game was in Philadelphia, and it was the second or third game on the road for the Heat. Plus the Heat decided to rest their second best player at the time, Dwyane Wade.

None of this added up to the Sixers winning, but it was more than enough information to avoid betting on the game.

Betting the money line on superior teams comes at a steep cost. You may have to lay 220, or much more, to win 100, so you can't afford to be wrong very often. The way to make sure you don't make the same mistakes that I did is to approach these games the same way you do every other game.

Consider the home team injuries, who is not playing for other reasons, how rested each team is, and every other indicator you can lay your hands on.

Blindly Following an Expert

Hundreds of so-called experts make predictions on every game. So you can probably find someone who is picking each side of every game or match. This is the first warning sign concerning experts.

While some of these experts are better than others, if they're so good why are they selling picks instead of making money beating the bookmakers?

The answer is clear, no matter what they may say. If you can pick winners against the spread 60% or more of the time like so many of these guys claim, you can make millions.

The other problem with just betting on the teams that an expert tells you to is that you never develop your own winning system. You need to not only pick your own games, but you need to know why you picked them and learn how to keep making better and better picks.

Take the experts picks, and then do your own research and see which games you agree on and which ones you don't. Track the results and you will probably find you are getting better at picking games than the "expert".

Conclusion

The key to being a winning sports bettor is not being lazy. If you aren't willing to work hard and do all of the required research to become a winning bettor, you might as well play roulette or a slot machine.

Learn from the mistakes of others and avoid the lazy sports betting tactics that doom so many bettors around the world.