Express Action Sports

Reading and Understanding Point Spreads

Emily loves sports – college football, NFL, and NBA. She knows a lot of people have a blast betting sports and wants to join the fun. But Emily is unsure of how to get started with sports gambling. In the newspapers and on the Internet she always sees “point spreads” (sometimes called “lines”) on the games but isn’t exactly sure what the numbers mean.

Understanding point spreads is a key first step to learning about sports betting. Emily’s not alone in needing the basics of point spreads explained, so let’s all learn how to read point spreads together. Then we’ll be on our way to enjoying the fun of sports betting.

What Is the Point Spread?

In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.

Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).

If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and offshore sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).

Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England . But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.

How to Read the Point Spread

New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)

In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:

Philly wins the actual game by any amount of points

OR

Philly loses the game by less than 7 points.

There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.

The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:

Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots

Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.

For Those Who Like to Consider Things Mathematically

Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:

Subtracting the point spread from the favorite’s score (thus the minus sign before the number) and then compare to the underdog’s score

OR

Adding the point spread to the underdog’s score (thus the plus sign before the number) and then compare to the favorite’s score

Who Really “Won” the Super Bowl?

Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21

The favorite, New England , won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.

Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.

Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).

Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.

And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.

Pregame.com provides sports betting rules, basics, advice, systems, and strategy, online for free, covering NFL Football, NCAA college basketball, NBA, pro MLB baseball wagering from gambling experts.

Johnny Detroit
http://www.articlesbase.com/online-gambling-articles/reading-and-understanding-point-spreads-217303.html

One of the oldest sports in America that has got everyone hooked is horse racing. There is no doubt in mind that a lot of people find joy and excitement just by watching the race. On the other hand, there are also those that found that they can really double their money just by choosing the best horse. But then, if you are one of those who have little money to spare, this is not something that you should venture into.

Like any other kinds of gamble, you can never be too sure if the horse racing result will be in your favor. Those who have been betting in this sport for long have realized that anything can happen especially if you do not consider some important factors related to horse racing.

If you are intent on winning your bet in horse racing, you have to educate yourself on how the entire sport works. Below are some of the things you need to consider about horse racing.

1. The chemistry behind the sport.

Betting on a certain horse is not only about choosing the one that you think is strongest or fastest. The first thing you have to do is to know the idea behind the race.

Have a basic understanding about the many rules and strategies of the game. Your first concern should be the horse you will put your bet on. If you do not have any idea about these horses, the best thing to do is find a horse racing magazines with the latest review on the horses that have already competed.

Through these magazines, you will read about which horses are among the favorites of those who are placing their bets. Most often than not, you will also see statistics that tallies the number of winnings of each horses.

From your reading, you will have an idea which horses are best to bet and which ones to avoid.

2. Survey the horses and the racetrack personally.

Aside from reading the reviews, it is also advisable to personally check out for yourself the horses that will be competing. You can do this by visiting the racetrack early on when it is already open to the public.

SEE if your favorite horse looks good and well conditioned on that particular day. Watch out all the horses’ movements and check if they are in high spirits and are capable of running a good race.

While there, you can also check out the racetrack itself. Do an analysis of the whole scenario. From your perception, you will be able to tell the initial result of the race just from looking at the place it will be held.

3. Money you can afford to lose.

Horse racing is a gamble. And just like any other gamble, money can be lost in an instant. Always bear in mind that in this game, there are always winners and losers. And you can become one of the losers.

Be sure that the money you gambled in horse racing is something that you can afford to lose. Even if you feel that you are on a winning streak, luck can change course any minute. As long as the race is not yet over, anything can happen and your money is still on the line.

Bear these considerations in mind. Once you have educated yourself well and is prepared to accept the consequences of your actions, then it is time for you to enjoy horse racing.

Warren Peters
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/are-you-ready-for-some-horse-racing-action-132312.html

In December 2007, I discovered a sports betting system that continues to blow my mind. I have to say that I was convinced from the start. It wasn’t the first betting system I had come across but it was by far the most professional and content rich of all I had previously looked at. Of course, it could be one of two things; a genuine offer presented by a genuine man or a devious scam presented by an evil genius. I know both types exist but again, I had a good feeling about this one. I think the testimonial videos finally swayed me as they struck me as genuine, decent people vouching for a no nonsense betting system that apparently really does work.

The good news is that this system really does work and to be honest, there is no bad news. It revolves around the NBA however, it requires no knowledge of sport OR betting. The instructional E-book is very easy to understand and apply. I missed a quarter of the 07/08 NBA season and also missed a fair few of the bets due to not having internet access. I still made around 30 bets and accumulated around $3000 although I have to say I disobeyed the rulebook slightly and betted out of my league a number of times. Out of these 30 bets I lost only 1 and amazingly, the record for the entire season was 80 winning bets, suffering only 1 loss. Records from previous seasons are of similar stature, with only 8 bets lost over a 4 year period.

2003-04 season: 68 wins – 2 Losses/ 2004-05 season: 71 wins – 3 Losses/ 2005-06 season: 66 wins – 2 Losses/ 2007-08 season: 80 wins – 1 Loss

285 wins and only 8 losses is pretty impressive, and verifiable once you know how the system works. Because of my success in the 07/08 season, I decided to create a blog to chronicle my betting activity as new seasons play out. I include screen captures of my accounts and wage slips in an attempt to show people that there really is a winning system out there. At the time of writing this, we are a quarter of the way through the 08/09 season with a 15 win – 0 loss record, with no signs of slowing down.

Over the last 2 years, I have tried to get into the whole internet marketing thing and even though I know for sure that a lot of money can be made, I struggle to motivate myself. This is primarily due to the fact that most of it is incredibly boring. I look at this betting system as a long term investment and a genuine way to make money online. It’s fun and exciting but more importantly, it is consistent and very powerful. With games to bet on all the time, the action never stops and the money keeps rolling in.

Follow me as we roll through the season, visit http://www.livesportsbettingtest.blogspot.com or find out directly about the system in question at http://www.moneymade2easy.com

Jay Renwick
http://www.articlesbase.com/online-gambling-articles/a-proven-sports-betting-system-670809.html

It is very common for sports fans to feel as if they want to be a more intrinsic part of the action than simply spectating. Although, for the vast majority of people, dreams of actually playing your sport of choice to a professional level are sadly unrealistic, this desire to ‘take part’ has been a major reason why sport betting has become so popular.

It is now possible to place bets on almost any sport imaginable. The process is very simple indeed; all a prospective gambler needs to do is contact a sports book (an individual or organisation who takes bets on sport) and see whether they are taking bets for your chosen event. If they are, they will tell you what odds they are offering for the bet that you want to make. For example, if you wanted to bet that Papua New Guinea were going to win the highest number of medals at the forthcoming Olympics, you would be given very good odds; that is, for each dollar or pound you bet, you would stand to make considerably more than one dollar or pound if your gamble paid off.

As sport betting has become more popular, the number of methods for gambling has increased. Online betting has been incredibly successful, with many billions of dollars being gambled every year. This is, in part, as a result of many sportsbooks’ exploitation of less stringent, foreign gambling laws. Online gambling has also been a bonus for bettors, as the comparative lack of restriction on foreign sports books often means that better odds are available on the internet than in your local betting shop. If you are considering online betting, though, you should ensure that you are using a reputable company, as scams are still a very real problem.

So what makes a good sportsbook? Sport betting had very humble beginnings. Bookmakers were often just individuals out to make some extra cash, particularly in the heady days before gambling regulation. Today, however, the number of sports books available is enormous and growing rapidly. One need only look around town to see the huge choice available to the prospective gambler, and it can often be difficult to differentiate between them.

Of course, one of the main considerations when choosing a sports book, once you have established that they are taking bets on your chosen event, is the odds that they are offering. Until the early 60s, there were only a very small number of bookmakers providing odds to the sportsbooks. This meant that odds and prices were fairly uniform, but the growth recent in the number of oddsmakers has meant that gamblers may now be presented with a fairly wide range of odds.

Another great area of growth is online betting. Odds online are often better, as companies can base themselves in countries where gambling restrictions are not so tight. When choosing an online sports book, there are more possible considerations. Often, it is possible to place far more eccentric, exotic bets online, simply due to the sheer scale of some of these operations. Another likely factor to consider is payment methods; most online sports books now take payments from, and pay winnings directly to, your credit card, ensuring ease of use. UK online betting companies are massive, with some of them employing over 15,000 people to run their operations.

Although online sport betting presents major benefits, it also poses some risks. You should always be careful when giving your bank details online; ensure that the web site is encrypted, and only ever use online sports books who have been accredited by a reputable online gambling consortium.

Sam Wolfe
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/the-history-of-online-sports-betting-and-sportsbooks-88455.html

You can find
sports betting odds almost in every offshore
sportsbook site. Sports betting odds are used for bettors to
analyze the chances on wagering for one team or for the other.
Though, sports betting odds doesn’t gives you the best deciding
factor but does gives you a basic watch on how a game is
expected to go between both teams.

There are two important ways of interpreting probability. One
has to be point spreads and the other money lines. Though
wagering is almost the same in both sports betting odds, because
you bet on who is going to win, point spreads differentiate because they establish a
number of points in which the winner needs to have over the
loosing team.

For example, the Giants are playing against the 49ers. You are
wagering for the 49ers that have a -6 on their points when the
Giants have +6 points as showed by the established sports
betting odds. Now the 49ers need to beat the Giants with more
than 6 points so you can win your bet. If the final score ends
up tie then there is no action and nothing is won or loose. If
the 49ers win by less than 6 points then you loose your bet.

Sports betting odds like Money Lines are even much simpler to understand. Teams
doesn’t need to win by a number of points, they just need to win
the game. For example, sports gambling odds show the Cowboys
with -110 against the Rams with +110. If you bet a $110 on the
Cowboys and they win you get $100. If you bet $100 on the Rams
and they win you get $110. So these sports betting odds are
basically balanced to persuade bettors to bet on the underdog
too and reach a level between both sides of bets.

Sports betting odds are made as simpler as possible so bettors
can analyze their chances quick. My suggestion is that you try
with point spreads in your next bet, you will notice how easy is
to understand while catching the instinct is a matter of
experience

Anthony Lemaire
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/sports-betting-odds-1251.html

As a basketball enthusiast, possibly you get pleasure from watching basketball games on a common basis. You have your preferred teams and your preferred players, and you cheer them on just about every time they play. No doubt, this is a highly enjoyable expertise. In spite of this, to boost this expertise, possibly you might possibly wish to think of producing some predictions.

Predicting outcomes make a considerably alot more enjoyable viewing expertise. Watching the games turn into alot more exciting considering that you now have some thing to hope for – you hope that your predictions will turn out perfect. That is comparable to winning a guessing game. You can compare your predictions with your pals and see who can come up with alot more accurate predictions. The loser has to invest in beer. Some might possibly even start out betting with pals to add alot more thrill to the games.

To take it 1 step further, some sports enthusiasts prefer to spot bets with legal betting web pages. Do note that numerous countries and states getting numerous laws concerning via the internet betting. For example, the legal gambling age for some countries is 18, but in most countries, the legal age is 21. So make confident that no law is broken. Immediately after all, the key aim of via the internet betting is to get alot more out of watching the basketball games.

When revenue is at stake, the games suddenly turn into considerably alot more exciting. That is considering that there is alot more to cheer for. In spite of this, it is not enjoyable if you preserve producing the wrong predictions. When you guess wrong, you shed your bets. And no 1 likes to shed all the time. So here are some techniques on how to make improved predictions.

Follow matches closely.

This shouldnt be too challenging to accomplish if you are a basketball enthusiast. When you follow matches closely, you are in tune with the teams that you are betting on. You know who the important players are, who is at present injured, and who is not playing properly this season, and so on.

The game of basketball is a fluid 1. There are most variables that have an effect on the outcome of the game. For this reason, to make improved predictions, getting in tune with the performance of the basketball teams is highly fundamental. Absolutely nothing beats watching the players in action when it comes to assessing performance.

Read the news.

For the similar reason, if you want your predictions to be alot more accurate, you will need to read the news. News reports will tell you alot more about what is happening to the teams in general. For instance, you might possibly find out about the plans that a manager has for the basketball team. It is then up to you to make a decision no matter if you agree with those plans or not. If you do not, then do not bet on the teams!

Lastly, dont forget a small betting for leisure and entertainment is perfectly acceptable. But never ever let the habit get out of manage. In other words, do not bet with revenue you do not have. If you shed some bets, take it as portion of your entertainment expenditures. The accurate joy remains in watching the basketball matches.