It’s easy to forget just how difficult it is to be a professional athlete – when you’re sitting at home watching the game or betting online at Paddy Power, you may not be fully appreciating the countless hours of training that goes into preparation for a major event. In fact, some of the sports we take for granted are extraordinarily physically challenging, requiring muscles and abilities that we all possess but rarely hone to the required level of excellence. But which is the most challenging? Which sport demands the absolute most from its players and forces them to push through their limits in order to compete. Honestly, pretty much every sport could make a claim for the title, the one thing that’s uniform is the need for strength, stamina and a will to succeed, but there are a few that stand apart from the others as demanding intense focus and outstanding performance which earned them a place on this list. [Read more…]
Understanding Betting Odds on Football
Betting on football in the United States is a favorite pastime for most bettors. It is actually the most popular sports for someone to place a bet on.
Before your start placing your football bets, however, you should understand what the football betting odds are and how they are made. I would also recommend that you read betting strategy articles and advice guides that will hopefully improve your chances to increase your bankroll when betting on football.
What Football Betting Odds Are Not
Before diving into explaining football betting odds, let me explain to you what they aren’t.
- Football betting odds aren’t the sportsbooks’ opinion on who will win the game. They are set with the hope that 50% of the money are equally distributed on each outcome of the game.
- Football betting odds are not always representative of the “better” or “stronger” team
- Football betting odds aren’t always sensible.
Choosing A Sportsbook
Choosing a sportsbook that fits with your wagering style and limits is paramount. There are a plethora of sportsbooks online – Each of them competing for your business.
Just as every bettor is different, sportsbooks set themselves apart from each other. From the high roller to the recreational bettor, it is important to find the right sportsbooks for your wagering style and wagering amount.
To see all of the available sports bookmakers in one place we’d recommend taking a look at The Winners Enclosure. They have a page dedicated to bringing you the latest bookmaker offers for horse racing so that you can choose the one that’s right for you.
Sign-up & Reload Bonuses
Since each sportbook is competing for your business, they all offer special promotions. Though these promotions might change from time to time in amounts and percentages, you can usually obtain free money for betting with you first sign up. Other sportsbooks also offer bonuses called reload bonuses when you reload your account after your initial deposit.
There a few stipulation that you will want to look at when review and comparing sign-up bonuses and reload bonuses.
Sign-up bonuses
Of course you want to look at the amount of the bonus offer. Typically a sign up bonus is a percentage of your initial deposit, usually around 20-50%. Some sportsbooks offer special 100% bonuses from time to time. But all these bonuses have stipulations called rollovers. A rollover is the amount you have to play before being allowed to withdraw the bonus from your account.
A rollover is usually so many times the bonus. For example, netbet.co.uk is offering a 50% deposit bonus when you open a new account. The rollover for this bonus is 6x the deposit and bonus amount. If you deposit £100, you will need to place £900 in wagers (6 x £150 (£100 your deposit + £50 bonus)= £900), win or lose, before you can request to withdraw the bonus. [Read more…]
38 Cheltenham Gold Cup 2018 Entries Announced
The top national hunt trainers across the UK and Ireland have declared 38 horses for the Cheltenham Gold Cup on 16th March. If you are not familiar with the system, this is a potential list of runners only, with the field for the race averaging around a dozen over the last ten years.
Still, with most bookmakers offering non-runner/no bet markets (your stake is returned if your horse does not compete in the race), there is some value to be found in this inflated field.
Before looking at some of the contenders, it should be pointed out that there are two notable absences from the list – Yorkhill and Thistlecrack. While both have been out of form recently, they would have figured prominently in the betting.
Below is a guide to some of the entries creating a stir with pundits and tipsters. If you agree with any of the selections, check out how you can claim a free bet from major bookies to bet on Cheltenham before you part with any cash. [Read more…]
Guide to Betting on Football
There are many reasons why betting on football is more popular now than it`s ever been in the past but much of its success is tied in with the growth of the internet and the subsequent increase in online gambling. It`s taken some of the stigma out of betting which in turn has shed, what was viewed as a somewhat `seedy image` and it has underlined the fact that betting in moderation is fun.
If you`ve never placed a bet online before then the first task is to open an account. Maybe you`ve used a bookmaker`s shop in the past and if you`re familiar with a particular brand then you can of course continue to use them.
However, it`s worth looking at the many incentives that all outlets offer when you open an account. These will tend to fall into two categories and they will either be in the shape of free bets or matched deposits. You can rest assured that there really is no catch with these because each bookmaker just wants to entice you in and secure you as a long term client so take your time in finding the best deal around. [Read more…]
Sports bet tips to help You be a Winner
These are common techniques used by sports handicappers. Handicapping sport games means just what it implies. Trying to find which team has an advantage for any reason whatsoever. The teams who are at the highest advantages are the ones you bet on.
Injuries
Key injuries to key players is very significant. Obviously if a star player on any team goes down it’s going to hurt the team. However, some teams have many star players and even though it still affects them, they can still win. On the other hand some teams look for that lone player to win them games.
An injury to key positions is probably the most important kind of injuries. In most sports there’s always that one position that can make or break a game for you. For Football it’s your quarterback, for Hockey it’s your goaltending and for Baseball it’s your pitcher. Injuries to these positions are important. Let’s say that an NHL goalie gets hurt which is a reasonable assumption. The team resorts to putting a rookie playing his first ever game in net. They are playing the highest scoring team in the league next. This is a horrible situation for the team and the goalie. The end result would be a very lopsided game. The same can be said about a 2nd string quarterback who must face a very tough defense. These are major disadvantages that should be taken advantage of.
Traveling
You want an easy winner for the night? Any teams traveling schedule can be extremely helpful. There are long 5, 6 or even 7 game road trips all the time in every sport by every team. You have to catch teams when they are most vulnerable.
If you look at the stats, you will find that home teams are a much more reliable bet. Few years ago, in the NBA, 65% of games won were by the home team, and only one team had more wins on the road then at home. In the NHL 60% of all games won were on home ice with only 2 teams in the entire league with a more road wins then home wins. The MLB produced 59% of all wins at home, with 2 teams having more road wins. In the shorter NFL season 57% of all wins were at home and 8 teams had better road records. The numbers don’t lie.
So they are on the road and tired. Does that mean they are going to lose every game? No, not necessarily. What if they are playing back to back road games, game 4 and 5 of a 7 game trip? I will bet them to lose game 5. They have already played 4 road games, been in 4 different cities and just played the night before. They have a lot of things going against them. You could also check there opponents schedule. What if the home team hasn’t played in 3 days? They have been at home in their comfortable beds just waiting for this tired battered team to enter their building. And believe me the home team knows the other team is tired and want to capitalize on it. That is one of the reasons that teams home record is usually much better then their road record.
There are a few long road trips and tired teams every week, so you must be on the lookout. You must be careful about a few things when looking at a teams traveling situation. Gambling trends usually indicate a team will usually win in its first game of a long road trip. The reason for this is they know the trip will be tough and they are going to run into some disadvantages along the road. So they try to get that first win so that they can get at least something from the road trip and the first one is their best chance.
Finding a really tired team on a long road trip is only half the battle. Make sure you check out what the opponent has been up to. A lot of times you see a team playing their 3rd game in 4 nights and you make the bets. Then you find out the team you bet on has also played 3 games in 4 nights and now there are no advantages.
You don’t have to always look for the tired road team. Home teams get tired too. Playing a lot of games in a lot of nights, even if at home can be tough. Especially against a team that has been off a couple of days. Another gambling trend is that home teams usually lose their first game back home after a long road trip. It makes sense. You are away from your wife for a couple of weeks; you waste all your energy on taking care of her rather then the game. [Read more…]
Top factors to look for on a race card; deciphering the race card and what to look for before placing a bet
When heading to the horse racing the first thing many people will do is to get a race card on entry. This covers the form and horses involved in the races on the day. However what are the top factors to look for on these race cards and what are the most important stats to take from them before placing a bet.
Race Details and Conditions
The first part on a race card will show the list of races and the times that they are scheduled to start. A usual race day will have a start time of around 2pm. The code of the race will be displayed on the race card such as a flat race, chase, hurdle or a bumper. It will also show the distance of the race and the level of class of the race such as a group race or a handicap for example. One of the key things to look for on a race card that also may change on the day is the ground conditions. This can have a major impact on the result of the race with many race horses only able to handle certain conditions and will therefore run below their best.
Handicaps
A large proportion of races in the UK are handicaps. These races consist of giving all horses an equal chance due to the weight they are carrying based on their ratings. This is where the aim of the game for connections is to get a horse well in and therefore have a good chance to win a race of the weight they have to carry. Different factors to take in to account could be top weights and low weights in races. Claiming jockeys taking weights of horses for example and penalties that horses will have for running well or winning previously. [Read more…]