For you to have the best chances of succeeding as a gambler, you have to have at least surface knowledge of how wagering markets work. As sports gambling continues to garner worldwide popularity, it is imperative that punters, both novice and experienced, be on the lookout for markets that offer the best odds. Whether you are betting on the Premier League or exploring niche options, finding a platform with the best odds can make or break your gambling experience. Spin City is one such favorable platform that will offer competitive sports wagering options, with its wide range of markets and favorable odds. First things first, though, let’s explore what sports betting markets entail and what ideal options you should go for.
How Sports Betting Markets Work
Wagering markets, otherwise referred to as bet types, are specific outcomes of an event that a bettor may wager on. You see, wagering isn’t merely about betting which side will win or lose. It goes beyond that. Every sporting event out there can be broken into several different bet types. These specific markets will involve a different aspect of the sport or the event. These wagering options all cover different sides of the game or event and will have different odds pegged to them. Your average sportsbook will offer loads of betting markets per match. At times, this figure may even crack north of 1500 categories for you to choose from.
Regardless of the number of wagering choices you’ll be presented with, it will ultimately be your responsibility to do adequate research on the choices you make to ensure that those choices place you in the best possible position to win. Each selection is fitted with odds that vary depending on the likelihood of the event occurring. As usual, the rule of thumb is that less risky events will have less odds compared to the riskier ones.
The Most Popular Wagering Markets
As we mentioned before, punters are presented with loads of choices that they can leverage across many sports. That said, we can’t cover all of them, as you can imagine the sheer number of sports and choices out there. That said, some popular ones would be a good starting place, especially for novice gamblers. They are as follows:
- Point Spread: This simply projects by how much one team is expected to win. In basketball and football, the spread may vary. That said, in sports like hockey and basketball, the spread is usually set at 1.5. As a punter, you also have the option to wager on the favorite side to win by more than the spread or the team is less likely to win to stay within the spread.
- Moneyline: This is essentially the simplest category you’ll find out of all the ones that we’ll look at. It is also the reason why it is the most popular, as it involves simply choosing the winner of the game. It is as simple as choosing the Lakers to win, for example, and wagering on that choice.
- Over/Under: Also referred to as the Total, this option represents the total points goals or runs (depending on the context of the game you’re wagering on) that are expected from both teams combined. You can wager on over if you think that both the teams will score more. You can wager on under if you think they’ll score less. As we mentioned, with the context of the games played, you can expect the totals of a sport like football to be considerably lower than that of basketball.
- Futures: These are long-term bets. This may be picking a team to win a championship at the beginning of a season or picking a specific player to carry home the MVP title.
- Game Props: These are specific bets within the game that do not necessarily tie to the outcome of the game. This may be which team leads a quarter or a half, how many throw-ins a team has in the game of football, or how many free throws a team gets.
- Player Props: This features the same concept as game props but features a specific focus on individual players. This may entail betting on how many goals a player will score or if an NFL player will score a touchdown.
Choose the Right Betting Options
To make the most of your selections, you’ll need to have a watertight strategy. For starters, look for the edge in every option you consider. Shop for the best odds by comparing different sportsbooks and finding a choice that suits you. Another tip you can use is avoiding the moneyline betting option for heavy underdogs. This is a trap that many punters fall into. A wiser move would be to wager the points spread on the heavy underdog. Finally, as with all other aspects of gambling, carry out extensive research to know which choices suit you best. You’ll be in the best position to leverage your bets for wins.
All in all, betting markets are a core part of your gambling experience, and cracking their intricacies brings you closer to success. It’s up to you to find what suits you best. That said, at the end of the day, remember it is just a game, and you should always practice responsible gambling.