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US Online Gambling Sites » Betting Guide » Sports Betting Explained – What is Sports Betting?

Sports Betting Explained – What is Sports Betting?

Publish Date: 04/12/2022
Fact checked by: Mark Lewis

A Beginner’s Guide to Sports Betting

This article will demystify sports betting, and give you the information you need to gain the most enjoyment out of this activity. Most importantly, what is the best way to have sports betting explained to you?

So let’s get into the details of sports betting, explained to you in the best way possible. Sports betting, meaning gambling on various outcomes across a wide variety of sports, is not as difficult as you may think.

Key takeaways

To the novice, sports betting can seem like a complicated process and you really need sports betting explained. Or, even more dangerously, like an easy way to make money. Once sports betting is explained to you, you’ll realize it’s neither.

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As we demystify the wagering process, we will look at sports betting, its meaning, the No.1 bookies to bet with and areas with which you need to acquire yourself. Sports betting will be explained while touching on the following:

  • Different parts of a bet and how they affect you
  • Different types of bet and how they differ
  • Different personality types, and how they affect betting
  • What to look for in a sports book

Sports Betting Explained: Parts of a Bet

Every bet, irrespective of which kind it is, consists of three parts. These parts are the odds, the selection, and the stakes.

Stakes

In the beginning, the stakes will be the part of the bet that concerns you the most and is one of the most crucial parts of having sports betting explained to you. A stake is an amount that you are betting.

A high stake is when you bet a large amount of money, and a low stake is when you bet small amounts. On the bright side, your stakes should never result in a brawny Korean chasing you. Keep your stakes low until you get the hang of it, bankers can be scary too, yikes!

Selection

Your selection is essentially the game or event you choose to bet on, and the specific outcome you’re expecting to happen. This part of sports betting is explained in more detail later.

Odds

Having sports betting explained means nothing without a nod to the odds. The odds are the most important component of a bet. And, for most people, also the hardest to understand. However, if you want to learn how to beat the bookies , understanding this aspect of betting is your first port of call.

The odds represent the likelihood of something happening. For example, if you were to drop a small rock, there is a 1 in 1 chance that it will fall – it will fall every time.

If you drop a small rock right beneath the nozzle of an industrial vacuum machine, the odds shift. The odds could then be, for example, 1 in 3 – meaning that the rock will fall once out of every three times that you drop it.

There are three kinds of odds in sports betting that need to be explained: Fractional, Decimal, and American.

Let’s turn our statistical example into a betting example.

Fractional odds

Fractional odds are expressed in the ratio format x / y. With X being the amount that you stand to win, and Y being the amount that you have to put down to win that amount. If you have 3/1 odds, you have the chance of winning three dollars for every one that you put in. If you have 3/2 odds, then you need to put in twice as much to win the same amount.

Longer odds, such as our 3/1 example are less likely to win, while shorter odds, as in our 3/2 example, are more likely to happen.

Decimal odds

Decimal odds include both your stake and your potential earnings, as a single number. Let’s use our 3/1 odds as an example. In decimal format, it is represented as 4.00, meaning that if you bet $ 1, and win $ 3, you will get back $ 4.

One can easily convert fractional odds into decimal by dividing X by Y and adding 1. For example, 3/1 would be represented as 3 ÷ 1 + 1. 3 ÷ 1 = 3. 3 + 1 = 4. Hence, the decimal odds are represented as 4.00.

American odds

American odds, also known as moneylines, operate in a somewhat different way. They are expressed in terms of a $ 100 bet. If the number is positive, then it represents how much profit you stand to make if you bet $ 100. If the number is negative, it tells you how much you need to bet to make $ 100.

For example, if the odds are -130, you have to stake $ 130 to win $ 100. If the odds are +130, then you stand to gain $ 130 on a $ 100 stake. You can convert American odds to decimal odds if you desire to do so.

In the case of a negative number, divide 100 by the odds and add one. In the case of a positive number, divide the odds by 100 and add 1.

So -130: 100 ÷ 130 = 0.177 + 1 = 1.177 in decimal odds; and +130: 130 ÷ 100 = 1.3 + 1 = 2.3 in decimal odds.

Even if you have a handle on the subject of betting odds, working out probabilities and profits can be a complicated task. Thankfully, there are multiple free tools available for you at Wetten to help you with the different bet types. You can access a standard odds calculator, moneyline converter, and an over/under calculator tool to name only a few.

Now that you’ve had the odds of sports betting explained, we’re ready to learn about the types of bets.

Sports Betting Explained: Types of Bet

When you’re new to the betting game, the different varieties can seem a bit overwhelming. There are straight bets, money line bets, and parlay bets, to name a few.

Enough talk, you say, teach us what they are.

Straight bets

Straight bets are the most common, and the most popular, type of bet. It can be as simple as the $ 2 bet that you make with a friend at a football game.

If your team wins, you earn $ 2, and they lose $ 2. It’s a straight bet. More or less the same thing happens in commercial operations, except on a larger scale.

Head-to-head bets

In a head-to-head bet, bettors bet on the outcome between two competitors. Whichever one of the two has a higher position at the end of the tournament wins. Head-to-head bets are an easy way to bet on a particular sports person or team.

Money line bets

When you make a money line bet, you are betting directly on whether or not a team will win or lose. The odds are based on which team is the favorite, and which team is least popular (the underdog).

Total line bets

In the case of a total line bet, a number is set to represent the combined final score of both teams. Bettors bet on the actual combined final score being above or below the predicted score.

Parlay bets

When making a parlay bet, you are grouping multiple picks into one bet. The odds are then added together and can be very high depending on how many picks are involved in your bet.

Teaser bets

A subcategory of the parlay is the teaser. You still get to group picks into one bet, but a teaser allows you to tweak the points spread in your favor. For example, if a sportsbook offers a 5 point teaser, then a 2.5 underdog would get 7.5 points.

However, this advantage is offset by a disadvantage. The odds are lower on a teaser, meaning you earn as little as an eighth of what you would earn on a traditional parlay. This is a crucial part of betting types you need to know when sports betting is explained to you.

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Sports Betting Explained: Personality Types

A surprisingly important aspect of sports betting is your personality type. If you’re going to make wagers, you must know your advantages and disadvantages.

If you know that you are the kind of person that heedlessly pursues a prize, live betting may not be for you. In the thrill of it all, you may find yourself adding more and more bets until you have placed your last dime on the table.

Your personality type also affects if you want to bet on more than one sport. If you have a very detail-oriented personality type, then you may wish to focus on one or two specific sports. Doing so allows you to take in the details of particular teams or sportspeople, and make informed bets.

In short, use your personality to give you an edge, but not to cut yourself with.

Sports Betting Explained: Choosing a Sportsbook

In your quest for a sports book, always check that it is licensed. When it comes to an online sportsbook, check to see that its license is on the webpage. If you don’t spot it quickly, read the Terms and Conditions.

The next thing you want to do is check the available reviews for any given sportsbook. If it receives more negative reviews than positive, you probably want to avoid it.

After checking that the sportsbook is legal and legitimate, start making comparisons.

Look at the payout times for the various sports books. If it takes months to pay out your winnings, then it may not be worth your while.

Next, compare the different odds. You are looking for a sportsbook that will give you the best odds possible on your chosen sport or team.

Sportsbooks adjust the margins of bets, so they make profits no matter what the result of the game. This added margin is known as the juice. And, to a certain degree, the juice also affects how much you earn on any given wager.

You are looking for a sportsbook that offers good odds, pays out efficiently, and gives you the most for your bet.

If you’ll be using an online sportsbook, you want to look at their mobile application. Do they have one, and is it user friendly? Mobile apps can be beneficial when you want to place a bet away from the home or office.

Conclusion

Only bet once you’ve had sports betting explained if you have a firm understanding of the mechanics, risks and rewards of your bets.

Be sure to understand the odds, and your potential losses, before you make a bet. Remember that not every loss is recoverable, so if you’re in doubt, or it threatens your financial stability, don’t do it!

Know your strengths and weaknesses, and use them to your advantage. Don’t let your drive to win push you to stake more than you can afford to lose. But, on the other hand, don’t analyze to the degree that you never take a risk. Betting is all risk, all of the time.

If you’re detail-oriented, focus on the details. If you’re an action-driven person, then you may be more suited to betting across a wide variety of sports. Go with what works for you.

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