Sports spread betting is an exciting and dynamic way to engage with your favorite sports, offering more opportunities to profit than traditional fixed-odds betting. Unlike conventional bets, where you simply predict the outcome of a match, spread betting allows you to wager on the margin of victory, making the stakes more thrilling. Whether you're following football, basketball, or other sports, understanding how to read and navigate the spread can significantly enhance your chances of success. In this article, Wintips will dive into some essential sports spread betting tips, providing you with strategies to improve your predictions and maximize your profits. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced bettor, these tips will help you stay ahead in the game.
What is sports spread betting?
Spread betting in sports is a form of betting based on the difference between two teams or two athletes. Instead of simply betting on which team will win or lose, spread betting allows you to bet on the difference in points or goals scored by the teams.
For example, in a football match, one team might be considered a “favorite” with a -1.5 goal difference, while the other team has a +1.5 goal difference. This means that the favorite team must win by at least 2 goals for you to win the bet. If the underdog loses by just 1 goal or draws, you win the bet if you bet on that team.
Is sports arbitrage betting risky?
The level of risk involved is entirely up to you and there are steps you can take to avoid taking on more risk than you are willing to take.
Use small bets: You can bet as little as 1 cent on your chosen markets. You may not win big with small stakes but you can be confident that the size of any potential losses will be small and your betting bank will go further, allowing you to try out more variations of our markets.
Choose the right market: The markets we offer vary in volatility. A market like Total Goals in a Football Match is unlikely to go too far against the spread. However, Total Minutes Scored can settle for very large spreads, in either direction. Read more about how football arbitrage betting works.
Cut your losses: If you have placed a bet that is clearly not going in your favour, the safe option may be to protect your balance and cash out of the position before the situation gets worse. Cut your losses early and protect your betting bank.
Sports spread betting guide for beginners
A 'spread' is essentially a prediction of what will happen in a particular market for a particular sporting event, expressed as a SELL-BUY range. For example, the 'spread' for Total Goals in a football match might be 2.8 - 3.0.
This means that if you think the market or outcome will end up higher than the said range, you would BUY. If you think it will end up lower than the said range, you would SELL.
With sports spread betting, the more you are right, the more likely you are to win multiples of your stake. But if you are wrong, the more likely you are to lose multiples of your stake.
Your stake is the amount you decide to bet, for each point movement, so a £10 bet on Total Goals could win or lose £10 for each goal scored. It is important to choose your stake to suit the different spread betting markets, which will be explained in more detail later.
Sports spread betting tips
As with many other types of bets, using proven betting systems and strategies can improve your chances of winning point spread bets. In general, even just taking the time to analyze the performance of teams and players can have a significant impact on your chances of winning. So you can imagine how much more effective a point spread betting strategy or some well-researched betting tips would be. Here, we list some useful point spread betting tips.
Don’t bet too early
The best way to increase your chances of making a profit in team games like football and rugby is to wait as long as possible to place your bet. This allows you to take advantage of things like late team news; for example, you might see that Manchester City are playing one of the teams at the bottom of the table and you think it’s a given that Manchester City will win this match, so you decide to buy into this match. Then the team news comes out and you see that Man City are resting key players for their midweek game. This is something to keep in mind as it happens more often than you might think.
Another aspect is that if the game is in progress, the market will be updated while it’s in progress, so you should watch the game for at least 5 minutes before placing your bet. During these 5 minutes, the spread won’t change much, giving you time to determine how the game will develop.
Consider selling instead of buying
In some cases, selling your spread can be more profitable than buying. Historically, there have been more buyers than sellers, and this has happened for the following reasons:
- People enjoy watching the action unfold in the game, so they tend to buy more
- People buy the team they support
- People support popular players, as opposed to less popular players
- There is an assumption that sellers are suffering more than buyers. But the stress can be seen on both sides
- Selling something can be quite difficult, especially in a market with many commodities, where a lot of things can go wrong.
Home advantage is important
You may have noticed that sometimes when you bet on the spread on games between the same team, the spread will change. For example, you may bet on the Dallas Cowboys (-2.5) vs Cleveland Browns (+2.5), but note that the opposite game, Cleveland Browns (-1.5) vs Dallas Cowboys (+1.5) has a different spread.
The reason for this is home advantage. Of course, there are other factors, such as form, injuries and suspensions. However, home advantage and support from loyal fans affect the performance of teams. Bookmakers know this, so they adjust the spread.
So the next time you think the favorite team will have no problem covering the spread, consider whether the team is playing at home or away. If it’s the second team, the bookmaker has already factored in the home advantage of the other team. In other words, the spread is quite realistic and not as big a bet as you might think. So don’t go broke backing the away favorite. You could be backing a losing bet.
Watch for changes in the pointspread
When the point spread changes, it indicates that the bookmaker knows something that you may not. Similar to a change in the odds, a change in the current point spread tells you that there may have been a last-minute injury to a key player or a locker room issue for one of the teams.
Whatever the reason, you should not ignore a change in the point spread. Instead, find out why the bookmaker updated the current point spread. If you cannot determine the reason for the change, adjust your bet size to reflect the new point spread or consider a different bet, such as a moneyline bet.
Use bonus bets to make riskier spread bets
Most sportsbooks, especially the best ones, have attractive betting offers and free bets. You can use these promotions to place bets not with your own money but with bonus credits that the bookmaker has provided you. In turn, this will allow you to eliminate the fear of losing and allow you to make riskier bets, which also come with higher odds and a better chance of winning.
For example, you may be tempted to bet on a team that hasn’t covered the spread yet, but you have a feeling that might change. One of the best and safest ways to do this is to use your free bet or some of your bonus money. If your bonus bet wins, you’ll be glad you followed your instincts and didn’t miss out on some great odds. If you lose, that’s okay. After all, it’s not your money that you’re betting with.
However, before claiming a bonus, make sure you know what it takes to activate it and then withdraw your winnings from the promotion. For example, some bonuses require you to enter a promo code, while others are only activated when you use pre-determined payment methods, such as credit or debit cards. More importantly, some promotions come with high wagering requirements, meaning you may find it difficult to withdraw your winnings from the bonus.
Conclusion
In conclusion, sports spread betting offers a unique and thrilling way to bet on sports, providing the potential for greater rewards but also requiring careful strategy and analysis. By understanding the dynamics of spreads and employing the sports spread betting tips shared in this article, you can make more informed decisions and improve your betting approach. Remember, success in spread betting comes from balancing risk with knowledge and staying updated on key factors that influence game outcomes. With practice, patience, and the right strategies, you can increase your chances of success and enjoy a more rewarding betting experience.
See more: Virtual darts betting: A thrilling trend in sports wagering
