Did you know that I used to work as a Deputy Manager at a high street bookmaker some five years ago? I suppose not, but I did and although it was not a career choice for me I certainly learned a lot about how Horse Racing works and how the mind of the average punter works. My job entailed taking and accounting for the money, paying out the money to customers (which was less than what we took of course) and cashing up at the end of the day bundling all of the money into the safe. I also had to help customers if they wanted to learn how to bet on horses and keep them smiling by being funny and interesting. This cunning strategy of being their friends usually led to them staying in the shop and continuing to bet. Now you know why betting shop managers are so friendly.

I accept that I am being a little controversial here. There was one golden rule that the company drilled into every new starter in that we were not allowed to discourage nor encourage anyone to gamble. If the punters asked for a betting tip or what horse a punter on a hot streak had bet on unfortunately I could not say. Having a punter turn around and say “I bet on it because he (being me) told me to” was more than my job was worth, which was not much as it happened.

Despite us not encouraging betting, when punters are in a betting shop then they are surrounded by various opportunities and are in a betting environment when the number one topic of conversation is anecdotes by punters on that last bet that went so well for them. How rude it would be for me to point out the brand new interior, new TV screens and all manner of betting slips, pens and even my uniform was paid out of bets that did not go so well.

After being in the shop for so long and seeing the various subliminal tricks used to get people to bet made me realise that the online sportsbooks like bwin.com offer a more ethical service in my view because they do not use any tricks, they simply offer a user-friendly interface to have a bet should the punter have already made the decision to do so. There is no influencing of this decision no matter how indirect. I like that bwin relies on simply giving punters the odds in a pleasant way and allows them to play using easy betting methods. Everything is made easy for the customer not to encourage them to bet, but to facilitate them having a bet if they have decided to do that.

Ultimately I moved on to bigger and better things in my career but I did notice one strange phenomenon. In each and every Horse race there is one horse that when punters read the form they invariably bet on. This is the “gamble” horse that odds shoot in for no apparent reason. This horse does not always win, but there is usually a reliable tip or good information from a trainer that gets around and causes this action. Whilst I would never say that this can be a profitable way to bet, being able to spot this horse in the field does suggest that you are reading the form card in the right way.

What I like about betting online is you can have useful sites like Oddschecker or sporting life on your computer to get up to the minute information. This sort of information is all but stifled in the betting shop environment. Given the choice, I choose bwin because I am in control, not the betting shop.

By Malcolm Clarke

The US Open, much like many highly anticipated sporting events around the world, has a lot of news coverage surrounding it and the players participating that can help you decide who to place your money on and make profitable for you should you be looking to get involved in the betting scene. If you’re looking at maximizing your potential returns, consider these tips when deciding where to place your money:

1 – Analyze the statistics. In individual competitions, such as the US Open, where a single player is the only person to determine a win or loss, carefully examining their play statistics is the first and sometimes the only stop you may need to take in determining where the greatest likelihood for earning solid returns can be determined. Golf is a highly technical sport with very detailed records kept after each match and stored both online and offline for review, so be sure to examine these carefully to know the current standings of every player taking place in the competition beforehand in order to anticipate the most likely outcome. While it’s true that individual positions may change from time to time, the top players rarely rotate from the spotlight, so look at these carefully and see both recent as well as historic trends for plays in order to get a good idea of what to expect during the Open before you get to the bookkeeper.

2 – Watch out for up and coming players. Do you remember a time when nobody knew the name Tiger Woods and thought, “how could such a young guy possibly ever be a major contender”? A little over a decade ago even the world’s top player was a nobody, and the thought of such a young man taking on the major golf players at the time was fairly inconceivable, yet it still happened again and again, game after game. While it’s true that such players are uncommon and an upset such as Tiger Woods’ rise to stardom may not come about regularly it can still happen, so be sure to watch out for any new young and upcoming stars as ignoring these contenders may be the last mistake you may ever want to make as it could easily cost you a fortune again and again.

3 – Compare rates and go for the best deal possible. Different bookkeepers will generally offer slightly different rates on players. While most generally agree on a game favorite, this doesn’t mean that they’ll value the person at the same level, so if you feel particularly confident about a particular golfer search out a book keeper that will allow you the best possible return on your investment in order to minimize your overall long-term risk and try to see the strongest returns over time. While it’s true that this strategy in a single game may cost you some money statistically, wagers along these lines can actually end up keeping you in the black and coming back for more, so be sure to take this into consideration – particularly if you anticipate a major upset is about to occur and you feel that you can cash in on the outcome.

Sports betting is reliant upon a number of different factors at play at any given time, whether you are wagering on an individual and some other team match ups.  Since sports betting is entirely dependent upon the human factor in the game rather than a purely statistical or mathematical probability gathering as much information behind the individuals at play (or animals, as the case may be) should always be your primary objective before placing any money on the line.

In team-based games, this can include researching both the teams at play as well as individual players within the team in determining who the most important players are and what effect it might have upon the team.  This information is particularly important in games with high physical contact such as football where an individual can easily be injured during the game and thus adversely affect the overall outcome of what the game may be.  It is also important in determining what teams may actually have differences in their overall playability should an individual be knocked out of play before game in order for whatever reason so you can adjust your bets accordingly.

Individuals also regularly play differently depending on the conditions in which the game is played.  Both team and individual match ups can have significantly different outcomes depending on the environmental conditions they play in and even the altitude at which the game is played.  Since athletes typically have highly trained bodies that are adjusted to specific environments in different conditions any slight difference in the environmental factors at work can have a major impact upon their ability to perform at the expected level when they are placed into the game and have a large amount of stress placed upon them, both physically and mentally.  It is not uncommon that one player who can perform admirably in one area me not be able to do the same in another simply because of rain, fatigue from travel, barometric pressure changes  and even altitude changes affecting the level of oxygen that is normally present in the air.

You can also gain a wealth of information upon the subtle trends for different teams or individuals and how they have performed in the past by doing some research into them and seeing the likelihood of either improving their chances of success or decreasing the chances of success in successive match ups  A series of regular defeats could have a demoralizing effect upon many different individuals, just as a series of wins can have the effect of making a team more complacent with their skills and therefore perhaps not perform as competitively as they normally would.  Researching into previous trends can also identify up-and-coming stars that may easily take the place of current leaders in the field. 

In sports such as golf and tennis that are highly structured in terms of an individual’s playing, skill the information you can gain from research can generally paint a very clear picture of what to expect when a game actually occurs and can help you place your money accordingly based upon who is playing who and what current skill developments are having effect as well as what personal influences outside of sports if any might be negatively or positively affecting the player.

Goal line betting many times functions in the same way as a point spread, where the total number of goals for the favorite as well as the underdog are given a handicap in order to encourage additional betting on the team least likely to win. This is often accompanied with a money line adjustment as well wherein the total amount wagered on a game favorite must be greater than that wagered on an underdog in order to realize the same total return (for example, a wager placed on a money line of -110 means that you would need to wager $110 to realize a $100 profit, while a wager placed on a +120 money line means you would only need to wager $100 to see a $120 profit).

The combination of both a goal line handicap as well as the money line to encourage gamblers to wager more on both teams has been a valuable asset found in many sports betting establishments for a number of years and, if played properly, can mean a considerable profit for any individual who places their money appropriately. When looking at your own wager on a goal line bet the first thing that you should do is compare the actual expected goals to be scored by each team in the game and compare this to the overall average of each team as well as the median score each team has successfully gotten in previous matches. This will tell you three things:

1 – The overall game score to be expected,
2 – The team’s overall average compared to the game score, and
3 – Whether or not the team’s average is over- or under-rated compared to their median score

Generally speaking, teams that have an overall average that is higher than the median, or middle, score for all previous games are teams that have an over-rated average score and therefore are less likely to actually hit that average in the match. Similarly, the opposite is also true and any team that is under-rated for their overall average score is quite likely to actually surpass that average in the game. These numbers can then be compared to the overall score to be expected by each team during the match and determine whether or not a wager placed on one of the teams with the goal line handicap will be beneficial overall.

Once you have determined this information your next step is to determine the actual probable return on investment for the game depending on your wager and the money line (if any) that may adjust that score. This can be done by comparing the actual likelihood of a wager on one particular team being successful to the total payout offered for placing money on that team and determining which has a better ratio. For example, a wager placed on a team that has only a 33% chance of winning but pays out at 4:1 would be a VERY attractive bet, whereas a team that has only a 60% chance of winning and pays out 1:2 would not. Use this system to your advantage in order to help ensure sustainable long-term income rather than a quick one-off that may cost you everything.

With a wide range of sports and leagues taking place around the world at any given time it can sometimes be quite confusing to decide how to place your bets and which area to focus on. As the internet allows more and more international wagering to take place this means that previously unavailable markets are opening up more each year, yet at the same time this offers new perils for many gamblers if they are venturing into new venues where they may not be comfortable. Before putting your money on the line, consider a few key points to remember at all times:

Stick to What You Know

This may seem like the simplest and most obvious advice to give, but at the same time, it is the most difficult for many avid sports gamblers to adhere to. This is especially true for those who are interested in a particular sport that is played globally such as soccer (internationally referred to as “football”), baseball in both the US and Japan and even cricket. Quite often gamblers see new areas open up where a familiar sport is being played and they decide to get in on the action without fully understanding the difference between them. Baseball in Japan, for example, focuses more on finesse on the field rather than big-hitting plays like the American version does. Soccer also has a much higher competitive level in some areas than others, with players being idolized in some countries and being practically unknown in others. With this in mind, be sure that you only stick to what you know in order to minimize your chances of losing large sums of money from time to time on long-shot bets that you would never do otherwise if you actually knew the current situation of each area.

Do Your Homework

Before getting down and committing to a wager be sure that you are comfortable with what you are doing and fully understand what is going on in the particular match you are wagering on. This means carefully researching each participant – be it a team or an individual – and knowing the ins and outs of what is at stake. While this may seem painstakingly tedious at times, the investment you make of an hour or so a day could save you weeks or years worth of remorse later on and is well worth your while.

Stick to the Bets You Know

If you are familiar with an over/under bet then great, go for it. If instead you are good at reading the point spreads of a particular sport then stick with those. Just because a new betting option is available to you doesn’t mean you should take it – in fact, more often than not you should avoid it at all costs in order to protect your hard-earned cash. Venturing into a new gambling area with little to no experience in how to read and interpret the offerings in relation to the match in question is a recipe for disaster and one you should try to avoid until you know more about the system at play and can comfortably use it to your advantage.