Understanding sports betting odds before you make a killing

In case you have entered the betting arena without having a clear strategy in mind then you might emerge out as a very disappointed bettor, plus you could also lose a ton of money at the same time. Just like a doctor would require the right skills before operating over a patient, you also will have to work hard to understand sports betting odds before you make a killing inside the betting arena.

Each exciting sport such as boxing, tennis, golf, baseball, football, basketball, horse racing, car racing, and many such more are eligible for betting. Even if the sport is college football handled by way of the ncaa or pro football handled by way of the nfl, bets can be placed, although the odds will certainly differ in every sport and every game too. Odds are also displayed differently in different countries. By way of example, USA displays odds as American odds, i.e. -100, -230, etc, while Canada, Australia and European countries display odds as Decimal odds, i.e. 2.50, 1.30, etc, and also the UK displays odds as Fractional odds, i.e. 8/8, 8/4, etc.

Sports betting odds also display the underdog team along with the top-dog, the over-under and the spread by which you must win if you choose to bet for or against the spread. A simple example will explain betting odds easily. For example in an nfl match involving the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants, the odds may be displayed as under

Buffalo Bills -11.2 -120 -160
New York Giants +11.2 -120 +270

The first sign near the teams name indicates the underdog and the top-dog. Therefore, Buffalo Bills would be the top-dog because of the “-” sign while the Giants would be the underdogs due to the “+” sign next to it. The figure 11.2 indicates the spread and the favored team has to win by the points mentioned on the spread. The figure 120 implies that you will need to bet $120 to win $100 on that spread. The last figure of 160 next to the Bills signifies that you have to stake $160 to win $100 together with your stake on that bet since the Bills are the favored team to win. Alternatively, you only have to bet $100 to win $270 if you bet on the Giants since it is the underdog team.

The above mentined was an example of betting odds from the American odds format. Each bookie will display odds in numerous formats however, you could quickly convert it in your format by using the odds converter available in most websites. The world wide web has today definitely made betting easier although you will definitely need to work on understanding and calculating the betting odds before you place your bet.

You might definitely be able to bet efficiently and convert most of your placed bets into huge wins in case you read and understand sports betting odds. Each sports book will display odds and you will have to choose sites which have the most effective odds for you to bet on. Understanding sports betting odds is vital if you want to beat the odds and the bookies and make a killing by winning the maximum number of bets.