Any time people gather to make sports bets, it seems that there is a bookmaker ready to take advantage. The bookmaker, or “bookie” as they are often called, has a long term interest in mind when they are meeting with gamblers, associates and members of various sports betting forums. Any time a bookmaker makes a selection, a gambling forum may arise to discuss the move. Eventually, the bookmaker may be approved by a majority of the members, and their business began.
Such betting forums are often banter filled territory, but a bookmaker with an interest in the desired outcome of a game is sure to have a few fans. Such fans could be identified by the membership fees purchased, and the amount of information gleaned from the website itself.
Money lines are often used in sports betting, and are clearly outlined. The favorite football team will be identified with a + sign, and the underdog with a – sign. This can be often confusing to the bettors grateful for the presence of money lines, but if you’re a novice, you’ll soon understand the concept. The first thing you have to do is to understand the + and – signs and their uses.
The + sign is used to express the odds. If the favorite team wins, the bettor wins the bet put on them, and their return is say $100. If the team that is less favored wins, the bettor loses the amount of the bet plus $110, but they get their original wager back. If the game is a tie, the bettor wins $100 and his bet is brought back to the table for a new look.
The – sign is used to express the reverse odds. If the team is the favorite, the bettor will have to pay the amount stated in the – sign. If the team is the underdog, the bettor will get their original wager back plus the amount of the bet plus $110. If the tie is a push, the bettor wins $100 and his or her bet remains.
The money lines are not always fixed. The lines can be adjusted for a number of reasons. These may be due to betting on a “DewaGG team”, although most people would agree that this is a silly thing to do. Perhaps the most unimaginable is when a huge amount of money is placed on a favorite team, and the majority of the bets placed on them are said to be “against” them!
When betting against the spread, or betting that a team will not win, the bettor will usually get a lower return. This is because the sports books want the betting on both sides to be equal.
Of course, there are always the bettors that insist on playing their hometown teams, no matter how bad they are. These are the people that the books love, because they play a sportsmart and bet based on principles and not on favoritism.
If you begin to understand how the game is played and you begin to make more informed bets, then you will be taking a major step towards making money when you bet sports.
