1) Choose a service with at least five years of experience. If you haven’t seen them in newspapers and magazines or haven’t heard about them before, chances are they’re new to the industry and lack the experience needed to help you succeed.
2) Services that boast an 80% or over success rate should at least be approached with suspicion, if not completely avoided altogether. Such high claims are usually unfounded and can be regarded as ridiculous.
3) Don’t get reeled into a sports service offering low prices. A legitimate sports service usually operates with high expenses and that reflects in its price. The less sophisticated service will offer a low price to get a potential client on board quickly before he shops around and finds a better one.
4) Avoid services that only list an 800 number with no address. A sports service that’s not afraid to be located is one that can at least be given trust.
5) Be wary of a service that only lists 900 numbers and no other number by which to access someone live. A full-time staff should be available to help any callers who experience any problems with the 900 number.
6) “Free Games” are never free. The free game is only used by sports services to attract potential paying clients.
7) “Who does your handicapping?”, “How many scouts do you employ?”, Who is in charge?”, and “What are your methods for winning?”. These are the questions you should ask before committing to a sports service.
8) Ask whomever you talk to on the phone how much he knows about football. Him throwing out a few names of football players should not be enough. Determine if he is part of the handicapping process. If he is not a handicapper, he should at least know how the process works. If this person doesn’t seem knowledgeable, you should look elsewhere.
9) Ask them what time they release their plays. Some services play it real close to the vest, releasing the games 5 minutes before kickoff. That may not be enough time to get the plays and then call your betting establishment. Also make sure their schedule doesn’t conflict with yours.
10) When a service asks how much you bet on a game, watch out! The more money you bet on a game, the more the service will charge you. As soon as they ask you this question, the warning lights should be flashing.
11) Check out reliable sports monitors to see if your service documents their games. Usually but not always, a reliable service will offer their games to an independent sports monitor for validation to it’s clients.
12) Use this guide! It’s the most informative and objective way to find out more about the handicappers in the market today.
Tips On Becoming A Winner
Gambling in general requires a great deal of luck mixed with a little skill. Sports’ betting on the other hand requires a great deal of mixed with a little luck.
For sports bettors, the challenge is to get yours hands on as much information as you can with regard to a particular event. The idea is to use this information to compare each team or opponents probability of winning and then see how your conclusion weighs with experts that make the odds.
Yes, luck is a factor and many times will influence or even determine the outcome of a single game. When this happens it always seems to go against you, though over the long run it probably balances itself out. We tend to remember the bad luck bets rather than the good-luck ones.
Regardless, if you bet sports on a consistent basis, luck is not a major factor. Like everything else is life, it all boils down to whether you have made the necessary preparations to become knowledgeable enough about the event(s) you plan to bet on. This includes investing time and effort to learn the sport and all its nuances; weighing all the factors in an objective, non-biased manner, and doing it on a consistent basis. If you can, you will come out on the winning side more times than not.
Before getting into more some specific suggestions and strategies to help make you a winner in sports betting, remember this: It’s you against the odds maker, not the place or person you are placing the bets with. Think of the sportsbook simply as a middleman, who like all middlemen in history operate on a small profit.
All the bookmaker wants is for an equal number of people to bet on each side, i.e. half the bets on one side, the sports book will adjust the betting line in hopes of getting people to bet the other side.
But, in reality you are going up against the oddsmaker, as it is his views on each team’s chances, which determine the pointspread. With that said, a simple flip of the coins gives you a 50% chance of winning, but it’s not too scientific and you still end up losing the vig. To break even, i.e. to overcome the sports book profit, means you only have to win 52.4% of your bets.
That means achieving a modest winning percentage of 55% is very realistic with a little homework. By the same token, reaching a 65% winning rate is definitely achievable with some legwork and allows you to make a comfortable profit.
With that said, here are some tips to help make your sports betting experience enjoyable and hopefully profitable:
· Understand the sports you are betting: Being a sports fan is one thing, but
Actually “knowing” a sport is another. Investing time and research into a particular sport can reward you with great dividends. Remember, knowledge is power, especially when it comes to sports wagering.
The first place to start is with your daily newspaper. There you can find a wealth of information needed to make an informed decision-standings, records, box scores with detailed game summaries, injuries, transactions, individual statistics, etc. Next, pick up some of the many magazines, newspaper and journals dedicated to sports, Some cover the whole gamut, like The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated, while others are devoted to one particular sport, such as Football Weekly or The Hockey News. League and team web sites can also provide you with a wealth of specific information on the sport.
One thing to keep in mind when reading is not to become overburdened with statistics, as most are meaningless when it comes to betting. Rather, they make for good bar talk and water cooler arguments.
Instead, pay attention to the critical numbers and player information of the particular sport you are betting on. For example, in baseball it is the pitcher; in football, the quarterback.
Whereas reading the stats can help you learn about a sport, observation can take you the next level when it comes to learning. Therefore, watch as many games as you can. Thanks to cable and satellite TV, you can now watch just about every game in every sport. And in most cases, if is very inexpensive, especially if you take into account the rewards subscribing to such a service can bring.
While watching, keeps notes which you may not read about, such as an unlucky bounce, dropped ball or a bad cell. These are not mentioned in box scores and news stories, but can really help when trying to evaluate a particular match-up. These small yet key elements can be the difference between a winning bet and a losing one.
· Understand the teams or individuals you are betting: know their strengths and weaknesses. Look at them in a logical, objective manner, putting aside personal preferences—bet with your head, not your heart.
If you are betting over the long-term, don’t be too jumpy by judging a team on its last performance. Along the same lines, don’t be stubborn. If you made a mistake, admit it and move on. More people lose more than they have to by insisting their initial projections were right. If a team or player is underachieving, acknowledge and re-analyze your judgment.
Before betting, make sure you have a detailed understanding of each team involved. For example, note overall records, home and away records, how the team fares on artificial turf compared to natural grass, night games vs. day games, lefties against righties, etc. Compare the strengths and weaknesses of each teams line-up. In football, compare the offensive rushing and passing statistics against the defensive rushing and chances. For example, in football, defense more times than not ones. People, who do not bet often, usually bet the offense and lose. The same holds true in baseball, where a top-rated pitcher will more than often neutralize a power-hitting team.
In today s world of free agency, keep track of how teams change from season-to-season and for that matter, how they change after a trading deadline when a flurry of activity usually takes place. Through salary caps and expansion in the major sports, it is getting harder to keep a quality team together year-in and year-out.
Also, look for teams, which change—for the better and worse—during the course of the year as players gel or problems arise. If you can spot these trends before the odds-maker, you can have a good run—usually three to five games—before adjustments are made.
Be on the alert for value: Successful sports betting comes down to getting the most value on every bet. That means betting the side you feel has the least risk based on your assessment of the teams and the oddsmaker’s spread. For example, if you feel a team should get 4 points and the oddsmakers peg it at 7, then you are getting good value.
In most cases, good value falls to the underdog, they do not like to bet it. But bear in mind, betting the underdog means the team does not have to win, it just has to lose by less than the pointspread in order for you to win. This is usually the case when the spread is large, as most teams tend not to “run up” the score. Usually when they get a comfortable lead, they replace their starters and do what they can to get the game over with. The pointspread is the furthest thing from their mind. These types of bets can often be in college football.
If you do your homework, you will find during the course of a season games the oddsmakers “missed.” That is, they intended to overlook or misjudge the match-up for whatever reason. This tends to happen when a large number of games are being posted at the same time, such as during college football or college basketball. They may be the “experts,” but even they can lose track of a game in all the flurry of activity.
Finally, watch the numbers themselves, especially in the most popular betting sport—football. Minor change in the spread can have substantial implications. For example, the difference between 3 and 3- ½ can be the difference between a win or tie, as more football games are decided by 3 points than any other margin. Also, pay attention to the numbers with regard to a game’s scoring nuances. In football, teams can only score in certain ways, from 1- to 7- points in one shot.
Go against the majority: Some teams-Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bulls, Duke New York Yankees-have gathered a very strong following regardless of how they do against the spread. For whatever reason, each year certain teams capture the public’s attention.
When this happens, you can usually find a good value bet since the spread is more than likely adjusted in anticipation of the large amount of money the public may bet on this team. In these cases, the underdog is rewarded with a larger pointspread than it deserves.
Don’t overreact: While a team’s current condition and recent record is a major consideration when factoring in your bets, do not put too much emphasis on the most recent game. The score and / or result may not actually reflect a team’s actual form.
Remember, every team has a bad day for a variety of reasons: injuries, bad calls, weather, fatique, etc. Also keep in mind the “official” score and stats” For example, a team is trailing 14 – 10 late in the fourth quarter.
With time running down they punch it
· Go against the majority: some teams—Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bulls, Duke, New York Yankees—have gathered a very strong following regardless of how they do against the spread. For whatever reason, each year certain teams capture the public s attention.
When this happens, you can usually find a good value bet since the spread is more than likely adjusted in anticipation of the large amount of money the public may bet on this team. In these cases, the underdog is rewarded with a larger pointspread than it deserves.
· Don’t overreact: While a teams current condition and recent record is a major consideration when factoring in your bets, do not put too much emphasis on the most recent game. The score and/or result may not actually reflect a team’s actual form.
Remember, every team has a bad day calls, weather, fatigue, etc. Also keep in mind the “official score and stats” and the “true score and stats.” For example, a team is trailing 14-10 late in the fourth quarter.
With time running down they punch it across the goal line but the running back fumbles and its recovered and run back 101 yards for a touchdown. The box score will show a final of 21- 10, yet it should have been 17 – 14. Keeping detailed records will help you remember this the next time the teams play each other.
· Note where a team is playing: We’ve all heard of the home field advantage, but in betting we need to pay attention to whether a team is playing at home or on the road. While the advantage varies from sport-to-sport and team-to-team, it is always something to keep in mind. Some sports like basketball have heavy home field advantages. Also, teams, which may have had a poor road trip, will be re-energized coming home and do well.
Pay attention to good road teams. Some make a habit of performing well on the road. Also be on the lookout for teams coming off long trips, i.e., traveling across the country, playing back-to-back games, playing day/night games.
This is why it is a good idea to project ahead by looking at a team’s schedule.
Doing this may give you some advantages against those odds makers, which tend to simply favor the home team.
· Pay attention to injuries: Check the injury reports, but be careful to judge the importance of them. Is the injury to a key player and if is, is it bad enough to affect his play or take him out of the game? How to abort the back-up? Is he good enough, or does his playing put the team at a severe disadvantage?
This comes from knowing the team, because sometimes a bench player on one team is starter on another and therefore, just as qualified. Also, some bench player on one team is a starter on another and therefore, just as qualified. Also, some bench players will come out fired up, knowing this is there chance to make an impression.
Also, injuries are usually a good tame to get a good value bet, since the public generally overreacts to them and tends to tilt the scale.
· Understand the weather, field and stadium conditions: Knowing these are especially important when betting over / under.
· Knowing a team will tell you if it is a warm weather team which has trouble in freezing conditions
Knowing a team will tell you if it is a warm weather team, which has trouble in freezing conditions. Similarly, rain can lower the score of a football game since it usually forces teams to run the ball.
Also, pay attention to the stadium. Many arenas have their own wind and noise conditions, as well as other factors. For example, in baseball, it is a rare game when the score is low in Colorado.
· Watch for motivated teams: During the course of a season, different games have more meaning than others for different teams. For example, if a team has clinched a playoff spot and is going up against the worst team, it its all.
Likewise, a team may be in spot to knock a team out of the playoff. Or, it may want to revenge a bad loss earlier in the season. Rivalries also push many of the statistics out the window. In the more heated ones, it makes no difference how good or bad one team may be compared to the other, as the games are usually close.
· Be objective and selective: As we said earlier, bet with your head not your heart.
Use the knowledge you gained to make your bet, not emotional considerations. You may have grown up liking a team but that does not mean you have to bet it to win every time. The same holds true for your alma mater. Just because you went to the school doesn’t mean you have to bet its teams.
By the same token, be selective in your bets. You are better off concentrating your efforts on a few games instead of the whole board. For example, betting every football game each week will pretty much guarantee you lose money.
· Don’t chance losers: Don’t throw good money at bad money. This is the biggest
Mistake unsuccessful bettors make. Even the most knowledgeable sports bettors hit losing streaks, and an all too-common mistakes is to double your next bet in order is to recoup your losses.
Instead, stop, sit down and check your records. Re-evaluate your approach. And while you are in a funk, lower the amount you bet until the winnings start coming together.
Then when you do hit a winning streak, increase your stake since you will have extra money to play with. But make sure not to become overly confident and bet the house. Keep your head and senses, because like loosing streaks, winning steaks also come to an end. That is why they are called steaks.
· Be patient: Learning how to successfully bet on sports is the same as learning
any new skill. It takes time. Yes, it may look easy when an experienced person does it, but bear in mind they have been doing it for years. It takes time to learn and understand all the numbers and other nuances before you can feel confident.
When starting out, place small wagers, increasing as you become better and as value bets pop up. In today’s world there are sporting events to bet on everyday, so don’t feel compelled to bet for the sake of betting or because everyone else is doing it. Remember, there is nothing wrong with not betting a particular event, even the Super Bowl.
· Manage your money: Managing your equally as important as evaluating the bet.
Increase your bets only when you are showing a profit, and decrease it when you are losing.
Set limits and budgets and stay within them. Then fix a percentage of your betting capital for your bets. The pros will tell you to risk no more than 5% on any single bet, no matter how confident you feel.
· Keep good records: This is essential if you want to win. How else can you
follow trends, both on the field and with your bets. For example, if you are on a losing streak you can tell if maybe you unconsciously changed your betting pattern. It will also tell you know teams fare against the spread. For some teams, their actual record compared to their actual record against the spread is a stark contrast, so it is important to keep track of these things.
You can Find Honesty in this
business if you look.
By Kirk Halladay, Pickagame Sports.
One of the first questions that everyone asks me is how can anyone in the field of gambling be honest? Very simple I reply, you just prove your trustworthiness when given the chance. Credibility is the one aspect of this business in which you get one shot. EVERYONE gets just one shot and no more. Casinos, sportsbooks, agents, bookies, handicappers, touts, gambling markerters, and so forth–Everyone is on equal terms with credibility. When word gets out you are fake, you are done!
I revel in the fact that the only chance Pickagame and I will ever need is that first one, because I believe in the power of pure honesty. In fact I have had people at the sportsbooks and casinos I work with say that “people don’t want to hear all that stuff you say when you are in a down streak”. I disagree. That is EXACTLY when you want to find out what kind of service we REALLY are. It is easy to promote winning. How do you combat the down times? How do you shake that losing bug? Anyway, here are a few tips to think about when you are dealing with internet gambling sites.
First, is your internet handicapper/establishement accessable? Can you get a hold of them through the web in a timely manner? Is there an emergency phone number to contact them in case something happens? Do they respond quickly?
Second, Do the promotions that are promised actually take place? Does the provider GIVE everything that is promised? Do they back up their word? Or are they better at mincing words?
Third, will they take money in multiple forms of payment, or are they restricted?
Fourth, Does the establishment promote their message daily with up-to-date statistics that are easy to follow and verifiable? Is someone always minding the store, or does the site look poor and rarely updated/cared for?
Fifth, Does the establishment have an archive in which you can check on each and every pick they have ever made in every sport, that is available at all times of the day and that is independantly verified by a company NOT involved with the gaming industry in any way?
Sixth, Are they members of credible organizations like the Off Shore Gaming Association? Dedicated to honest businesses that care about you the customer? Can you find them in gambling registers and search engines?
Seventh, Does the establishement have a strong pay-out or refund strategy if there is a problem? Are payouts quick and timely? Can you talk to a “boss” if there is a problem?
Eighth, Have you ever been asked to do anything questionable in terms of judgement or Money by someone associated with the site? Have you ever been told you will have to wait for something?
Ninth, Do you know anyone else that has ever used or been associated with the site, and are they satisfied? Did they recommend you or others to go there? Will you?
Tenth, Use common sense. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Not everyone is going to be happy all the time, but you can try your best to accomodate as many folks as you can. These are some quick common sense things to look for when you are visiting or trying out new sites. Competition for your entertainment dollar are fierce. You want to get the most for you buck that you can, but you need to be able to trust the people that are handling your cash.
Keep your head up and eyes open, and there are honest folks out there!
Kirk Halladay, Pickagame Sports
www.pickagame.com
TOP 5 HANDICAPPERS
TOM POWERS
www.tompowersports.com
Tom Power shows you how to win with sports wagering for free. He is a handicapper who gives his picks out everday, absolutely free. With a winning 60.3% record he doesn’t need your money, he makes his own. His betting philosophy is simple and easy to understand. Straight bets, money management and discipline are all you need to start winning like Tom Power.
Tom Power’s philosophy is simple. We are all in this together. Those of us who know how to win have a duty to those who don’t. He sends his picks out free by e-mail to anyone who wants them. He plays NFL, NCAAF, NBA, NCAAB, NHL and MLB. Daily along with the picks, he will show you how to manage your bankroll, control your loses and maximize your winning. So what are you waiting for,.. it’s free. Sign-up today.
PICK A GAME
www.pickagame.com
Pickagame Sports Selection Service is dedicated to client satisfaction first. How you ask? Very simple actually, by not only giving our clients the best service on the web, but making sure they are taken care of in every way possible. Pickagame prides itself on being the most honest service around and has many features at the Pickagame site which prove to the client that this is the case. The Free email list that gives the customer a daily active communication with Kirk Halladay the lead handicapper, a Pick Archive that collects every pick ever made by Pickagame and ranks them according to Date, Sport, and Rating. This archive can pull each selection up and give percentage of victories by any number of categories. The Pickagame site is also generated to give the client a “One Stop Shopping” experience by also offering contests of $10,000, Free access to Live lines, direct links to the Top Sportsbook and Casino on the web, and give answers to many gaming questions that a cybergambler may have.
A great concept that Pickagame was founded upon was that a person wanting to bet a game could contact Kirk or Mike at anytime and get their “feel” for a game even if it was not a Top selection. So if there was a game a Client wanted information on for betting purposes, you could get it, along with the other games that Kirk was recommending as his top picks of the day or week. This directly contrasts the so called “Vegas” guys that solicit you over the phone and give you those cold phone message-recordings on games that you are supposed to bet. Very Cold and very unreliable. Kirk likes to give Detailed explanations of his games, especially when he ranks them PLATINUM, his top pick. His top picks are 21-7-2 since January 1, 2000. Pickagame puts the term SERVICE back into handicapping for the client and when people try him, they generally don’t leave!
PREGAME PICKS
www.pregamepicks.com
KING OF THE HILL SPORTS
Dennis Hill of King Of The Hill Sports has been in business
for 17 years. In 1983, Dennis won $75,000 cash in the
old Castaways NFL Football Contest. Can your current
Sports Service make the same claim.
Dennis has seen thousands of Sports Services come and go over his 17 years in business. He has remains in business, because of his loyalty to his customers. He always tells them the straight truth about his winning and losing. You can check out his season records daily on his Web Site, @pregamepicks.com.
Or call Dennis direct at 1-800-524-5464. He employs no salespeople, and you will talk with him personally about your service needs.
You also can get “FREE PICKS” daily on recorded tape at 1-800-530-5383.
That’s the King’s Hotline.
WHO COVERS
www.whocovers.com
Learn to pick winners consistently! Whocovers.com provides honest, relevant sportsbetting analysis, professional handicapping tools and information, free picks, power ratings, team notes, betting articles and essays, bettors spreadsheets, valuable links, message boards, funny Vegas stories and much more. Many free areas!!! Our goal is to educate, amuse and help you profit from your sportsbetting investment. Learn from a professional bettor, without the BS of traditional sports services. Visit http://www.whocovers.com today!!
OW TO WIN AT BETTING THE NHL BY FRANK MATHEWS
Of the four major sports, hockey gets the least attention from the sports player, and sports books. For 13 of my 15 years as a professional sports gambler I ignored the NHL then it came to my attention that betting on the NHL can be very profitable.
I had won betting on the NBA for nine consecutive seasons, and then came the strike that delayed the 98 NBA season. That strike ended up paying off big! With no NBA I all of sudden had extra time, and used that time to start poking around the NHL. I wondered if the techniques that I use to bet on other sports would work on hockey. In mid-November of 1998 I started following each NHL team closely looking for patterns from each team’s performance, patterns that I could bet on. Since I had never bet on hockey before I started betting small, but after winning at about a 60% rate for a few weeks I started to pick up my wagering. By the end of the season I finished 32 games over .500 & I finished up over 48.6 units to the good.
After one season I wondered if it was a fluke. No doubt no matter how beatable the NHL is, repeating a season like I had in 98-99 would be tough to match. At least that’s what I thought, but after a slow start in the 99-00 NHL season I started in get hot in mid-December, in January I ripped off a 23 game undefeated streak on my NHL picks going 20-0-3 over a 16 day period! From December 30th of 1999 to February 14th of 2000 I went 45-18-8 on my NHL plays. For the season I finished 107-59-22 & I was up 62.2 units! Over two years of NHL wagering has garnered me a profit of 110.8 units. A one or two dollar better would have made $11,080 over that two year period in the NHL on my selections.
My handicapping theory is two fold I look for teams that are far better or far worse than they’re current power rating, and I look for patterns that will tell me when a team is likely to be at they’re best, and when they will be at their worst.
Well in two short years I’ve found out that playing at the top of your game, and at the bottom of your game means more in hockey than in any other sport. Emotion is a key element in a hockey game, much like a football game. Both sports are similar in the fact that they’re both fast, physical, but instead of a 11 or 16 game schedule that football plays in hockey they play 82. While football teams have a week to recover from a tiring win or a tough loss NHL teams are playing three & four times a week. No NHL team can be expected to give a full effort in every game of the season, but when you can isolate on when a team will likely put out a full effort you can start making a lot of money on that team.
The same can be done finding times when a team is likely to have a letdown. So far this season I’m 7-5-1 on my first 13 NHL Picks since I started making plays in November. The teams have now played a month, and a few have already developed trends that I’m going to be using to my benefit, and profit over the next few weeks.
Carolina Hurricane- The Hurricane don’t have much of a home ice advantage due to a lack of interest in hockey in North Carolina, and they have real chemistry problems to boot. After any game in which the Hurricane pick up point or two they feel relived and they follow with a weak effort in their next game. Currently the Hurricanes are 1-5-1 in their last seven games following a win or a tie. I’m currently looking to play against Carolina when they play off a win or a tie especially if they’re going against a motivated opponent.
Detroit Red Wings- I just won a play on the Wings on 11/20 as they beat Nashville 6-3 at minus 1 ½ goals +120. The Wings had just lost at Nashville two night’s ago, so I knew the Red Wings would put out a full effort on Monday night, and they simply out hustled the Predators for an easy win. With that win on Monday night Detroit ran they’re record to 7-1 in their last eight games playing off a loss, and they ran their record to 2-0 when playing off consecutive losses this season. Until something changes I’m going to continue to play on Detroit when it looks like they have a good chance to come out, and give a top effort.
Florida Panthers- Until the Panthers make some changes they’re a go against team especially at home where you can get a decent price against them. Florida is 1-6-2 at home this season, and 2-5 when playing off a win. I won’t miss many chances to play against the Panthers at home when they’re playing off a win, or when they face a determined foe this season.
LA Kings- For right now the LA Kings are playing better than they’re power ranking. That means you can get value in the odds when playing on LA at this time. The Kings are 6-0-2 in their first eight games this month, and for the entire season the Kings are 6-3-1 when playing off a loss. Right now I’m looking to play on the Kings almost any time they’re coming off a poor performance.
Minnesota Wild- Watching the expansion Wild is not a lot of fun on most nights as they have limited scoring ability, but if they play extremely hard, and stick to their demanding system they’re tough to beat. After losing a couple of games this season Minnesota has tightened their chin straps, and have given their all for three periods. Of course they can’t give 100% every night, but so far when they’ve played off consecutive losses the Wild have come to play. In their first season ever the Wild are a very profitable 4-1-1 when playing off consecutive losses, but they’ve yet to win consecutive games. Believe me I’m going to be taking a long look at the Wild when they’re playing off consecutive losses until they prove different.
Nashville Predators- The Predators seem poised to make a run at the post-season if they can keep up the level of play they’ve established so far this season. Nashville is a money making 4-4-1 in their first nine games on the road, and they’re 4-1-2 when playing off a loss this year. The Predators are playing better than their current power ranking, and when motivated they’ve been a great team to have a wager on.
