Thread: sports betting... Am i missing something?

I was looking at sports betting for the first time with the pacman fight coming up. The line is like -700 or something like that. For people that don't know what this means, to my knowledge you have to bet $700, and if he wins you get $100....

Now my question is, how is this profitable at all? Unless you drop like 10 dimes on this fight, you wont really win much unless you bet on the underdog. Is betting of the underdog really the only way to win money? I thought sports betting was geared completely different, but this seems like unless you have an assload of money to bet, youll never really win a whole lot.

I'm not sure about boxing because I don't bet on boxing.

If it were legal to gamble I would choose football Here is a quick breakdown as to how I view it and I generally make out ok in a year, if it was legal!!!

Patriots vs Cincinnati Bengals in Cincy line is Pats -6 meaning the Pats have to win by 7 to win the bet and if they win by 6 then its a push and no one wins. If the Bengals can lose by 5 or less or win then the people who took taht team win. Over/Under is 42 meaning that total points scored is 42 points. Money line is +400 Pats so it breaks down into a percentage and a ratio of 4/1 to win

In this matchup the pats are the favorite however they have to win by a touchdown basically for you to see any money. Lets say weather forcast calls for rain and winds, people will start taking the underdog Bengals to cover line moves to Pats -5.5 which is big because 6 points wins it since there is obviously no half points in football. Later down the week forecast changes to clear and line is back to -6 as the betting moves back to the Pats.

This is on Thursday so I'm confident weather will remain consistent and the injury report is out so I know who is and is not playing so I put 100 bucks on Pats -6, Pats money line, and the over....also for fun I do a parlay with all 3 as well

Total I have invested 400 bucks into this bet so far.

Kickoff comes around thats how I stand, game is going well at halftime its Patriots 38-10.....halftime lines offer me a teaser for Bengals +21 and for O/U 60 and I put 200 on both now that I know the original O/U was covered along with my Pats -6 and my money line and my parlay. Depending on how your site you use or your bookie does parlays lets say 3 game parlay is 3x1 so right now I've already got 700 if things hold out correctly, so I can be a bit riskier so I've got another 400 on the table. Final score is 48-28 so I won another 400 off the 2 bets since I took Bengals +21 and the new over. I just made a pretty decent take home after fees/commission betting on the favorite.

Sometimes depending on how a game is going and the lines are moving in a week you can win on both sides. Lets say same game is -3.5 Pats to start, I put 100 on the Pats, during the week its reported Chad Ochocinco isn't playing so line is Bengals +6....since I made the bet early in the week at 3 points I have that one in my pocket, I now put money on Bengals +6.....game ends on a game winning field goal and I win both bets by betting on both teams! POW!

There are lots of scenarios you learn over time. Generally speaking college sports are the most bet on but IMO pro football is the most profitable because there is less of the mental factor in it. College sports you never know who has a big test coming up or who is having trouble making rent. Pro sports are more predictable because its their job. yeah crazy ish happens all the time thats why its gambling but if you know what you're doing you can profit from gambling on pro football. Back in 2005 when the Pats won the SB against the Eagles I rode them through the playoffs, they covered every single spread the entire playoffs, I was up about 5,000 total on the playoffs. Super Bowl line was Pats -7 and they'd been stomping all over people so I went 4000 in on the -7......anyways, Pats were up by 3 on the Eagles final drive and I'm feeling kinda nervous as most all hope is lost at this point because Eagles score and win I lose, if they turn it over on downs Pats will run out the clock and I lose and I need a miracle. Rodney Harrison intercepts Donovan McNabb at the 25ish yard line of the Eagles and has clear sailing into the end zone I jump up and cheer like crazy......then he takes a knee and I'm like 'NOOOOOOOO' and Cris Collinsworth goes "Rodney Harrison with the smart play but u know gamblers everywhere are going crazy" sort of like an extra kick in the nuts.........

Biggest parlay I've ever done myself was a 6 team parlay on all O/U haha too bad I didn't bet more because I ended up only putting down 10 bucks on each team so in the end I only won like 300 or something off that.

You can even do a 16 game parlay and in Vegas it pays out redonkulous......a 1,000 bet will win you right around 600k!!!! Its hard to do cuz only like 3 people have ever done it before Last time was 2003 or something like that dude made over a million. Every week I always do a 1.00 16 game parlay

Anyways thats kind of a quick and dirty breakdown of how to make money on both sides if gambling was legal

God just thinking of that super bowl pisses me off! It was the 2 greatest swings in a gamblers life. The highest of high and lowest of low!

There are sites that give all sorts of good statistics like how teams do against a certain team in certain scenarios.........like it breaks it down to even small stuff like How such and such team does against such and such team with a 3 game win streak outside against that same team in that same month haha

Ok i might have a problem........

i never bet on something that is -700. it just doesnt suit my needs as a degenerate gambler. i want to win money while risking as little as possible. but that is just me.

People that are really into sports betting dont mind doing something -700 as long as they are part of a 3 or 4 game or fight parlay. but like i said, thats risking way too much money win so little in my mind.

i was a big arturo gatti fan, so i used to be on him a lot and he was from the ac, but ac doesnt have legal sports betting, so its still a little sketchy

sports betting is legal? At least in NV

It is in Vegas. I don't bet. I know a friend who makes living off of betting.. which he claims is a lot of numbers and science.

I use bodog.com for my sport betting.

Originally Posted by 94Deville

I use bodog.com for my sport betting.

Bodog is ok, but I hate their fees

its not legal in atlantic city but is in deleware now

Originally Posted by LIGHTWEIGHT

I was looking at sports betting for the first time with the pacman fight coming up. The line is like -700 or something like that. For people that don't know what this means, to my knowledge you have to bet $700, and if he wins you get $100....

Now my question is, how is this profitable at all? Unless you drop like 10 dimes on this fight, you wont really win much unless you bet on the underdog. Is betting of the underdog really the only way to win money? I thought sports betting was geared completely different, but this seems like unless you have an assload of money to bet, youll never really win a whole lot.

You gotta bet big to win big.

Odds are all about the house generating enough people on both sides of the bet which is why you see the spreads moving. They're trying to get people to bet on the other side.