I'm writing an article on sports gambling. A very general article.
I understand the over under and the spread concept, but what are some other things to know about the "game"?

Strategies?
Web sites?
Risks?
Payout?
Losses?

Thanks.

I used sportsbook.com for a while. The online betting is huge, but an interesting twist is that it's harder and harder to transfer money as the govt puts pressure on US based banks to not deal with known gambling money site like firepay.com.

You might want to look up parlays and how they work. Higher risk but pay out very well when you win.

is it true that people can make a (very good) living doing this?

There's professional poker/blackjack/etc players and such out there so no doubt there'd be pro sports gamblers. *cough* Pete Rose *cough*

didn't will say he made something like $4000 in a month?

I think so... he might have said he once made $4000 in one month. I doubt he's got a steady income of $4k from sports betting though.

All the research you need is to watch "Two for the Money"

Matthew McConaughey at his finest....

that movie sucks worse than the lion king

Oh god

Tell me exactly what you need to know and I'll tell it. Otherwise I'll ramble for hours

I kinda screwed up my credit this summer so I've been using gambling to be able to afford a house on foreclosure. Along with the stock market and other investments. So far I've made like $58k. Not bad, considering that essentially doubled my yearly salary in three months of work

tell me everything you know.
i'll read it all

I was drinking beer last night and didn't get around to responding. Sorry

Here goes.

Ok first off to everyone, do not fucking play holier than thou moralist with me. Gambling on sports (or, as I like to call it, investing in teams who cover the spread) is really no different than the stock market, buying and selling collectibles, etc. The only reason it's illegal in this country is because the government is too stupid to figure out how to regulate the industry and tax it to death

Strategies

Do your homework. You can't just read the lines in the Sunday paper and call your bookie and expect to win. That would be as dumb as picking out a completely random stock on NYSE, calling up your broker, and dropping 5 grand and expect it to double in value. My day pretty much consists of working 8-5, lifting and running from 5-8, hanging out with my girlfriend from 8-11, and coming home and doing 2-3 hours of "homework." I talk a big game about gambling, but it takes a ton of research to be successful, much like anything else in life.

Trends. Some trends are worth following and wagering on, some aren't. For example, I wager on Tech in a lot of bowl games. The reason being is because other conferences haven't faced an offense like TTU's in a game, and it's hard to stop it if they only have one game to play em. If you see a team like the Packers are 12-1 in the playoffs at Lambeau, and they're playing a team like Tampa Bay in the second round, I'd drop a ton on GB. They're 12-1 for a reason - they have a distinct cold weather advantage over a warm weather team. If you've ever played winter league baseball, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Trying to fully concentrate when it's 24 degrees outside with a windchill factor of -9 is tough as hell. There are certain "iffy" trends. Something like Ohio State is 0-8 in bowl games against SEC teams. Good trend, but there are a lot of variables. OSU losing to Georgia in the Peach Bowl in 1973 has absolutely nothing to do with OSU's current team. And some trends are just fucking ridiculous. The Dodgers are 9-2 on Wednesday night road games when the temperature is 80 or higher? Who gives a fuck. That isn't a trend, that's a statistical anomaly that has absolutely no bearing on anything at all. There are certain other things to consider. I usually take teams who have something to prove, and bet against teams with nothing to play for. BYU and UCLA is a perfect example. UCLA had high hopes this season, finished with a lackluster 6-6 record, and just fired their coach. BYU on the other hand is 10-2, ranked in the Top 25, and they come from a non BCS conference. Trust me, they're blowing the Bruins out.

Homefield advantage. Very important in college, important in the NFL, unimportant in baseball. Anyone who has been to Jones at night against a ranked opponent knows exactly what I'm talking about. College football has the truest fans outside of soccer. They're at the game because they love their team. The NFL has a bunch of diehard fans, but also a bunch of CEO's who are at the game and sitting in luxury boxes for cosmetic reasons. Baseball has a bunch of fans that come there to get bombed and check out the chick in Row C with the huge rack. Seriously, in the 2001 World Series, the jumbotron had to tell people when to start cheering.
Of course this is a blanket statement. I wouldn't bet against Boston at Fenway in an elimination game. Not on my life. Then again, I wouldn't bet on UTEP against Tech at home, because most of their fans are probably there to avoid the INS and not really paying attention to the game.

I could go in to the intricacies of how to bet on specific teams due to how they match up with other teams, but I don't think Lance has enough bandwidth. There's a reason the Titans (an average football team with piss poor talent) play the Colts (perennial Super Bowl contenders) well every game. To understand why I'd have to get into offensive and defensive schemes, which I don't have time nor motivation for.

Basically, check the lines and go with your gut instinct. Do some research, and if your data matches your guy instinct, ride it. Analyze, but do not overanalyze. I made that mistake with the LSU/Kentucky game. I was going back and forth and finally dropped $500 on Kentucky. Someone said something insignificant about how Kentucky matched up with LSU so I called my bookie and dropped $500 on LSU to save my ass.

By the way, that was a two point game that went in to 3 overtimes.

Oh, one other key piece of advice. ALWAYS bet against crappy quarterbacks on the road in the first round of the playoffs. Thank you, Tarvaris Jackson. Daddy needs a new 52" widescreen.



Web Sites

I don't know. Ask someone else.

I never bet with Bodog because I was paranoid. They're an offshore betting agency with no real jurisdiction from our government. If they close up shop, your money is gone and you have no legal recourse. I bet with a bookie who has been a family friend for years. We have a mutual trust. I can drop $2k with him even if I don't have it, and he knows I'm good for it. Yes, there are bookies with mob ties. Yes, if you bet with them and don't pay up you will end up kneecapped. And yes, I've seen it happen.


Risks

Just like any other investment, there are risks. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. The key is research. Much like the stock market, buying and selling old comic books, whatever. I don't see sports wagering as gambling, I see it as investing. I sit there, look at trends, study, read magazines and online articles, listen to the experts, study more, look at history, look how the company is run (the team and the coaching, and finally pick something I think will make me money. Sounds a bit like the stock market, eh? The only difference is when I'm done I call my bookie, whereas a stock trader calls his broker.

I like to strive for a 75% success rate and a 150% return. I spread my money out on different games, bet heavily on what I see as "sure things," and bet lightly on the "iffys." I try to pick 3 out of every four games correctly. And I try to diversify my "portfolio" so if I fuck up, or if Tony Romo decides to spend the entire game staring at Jessica Simpson's tits, I don't lose too heavily. If you're starting out in gambling, pick a specific success ratio and a specific return ratio as a "goal." Just something concrete to work with. Then try numerous different pairings and scenarios to try to reach that goal. I don't bet on every game every weekend. Sometimes I'll bet on 12 different games, sometimes I'll bet on one. If I see the Patriots are giving only 14 to the Dolphins at home, I'm dropping 4 g's on that game and nothing else.

Yeah, you lose sometimes. Sometimes you lose big. Sometimes you do hours worth of research, find what you think is easy money, and 4 hours later you feel like Andy Dufresne after the Sistas had their way with him. I admit, I lost five grand on last week's Pats-Jets game. EVERYTHING was screaming blowout. The Jets starting the Cameragate fiasco, pissing off a genius head coach, humiliating arguably the best collection of talent ever, and subsequently leading to the Pats' Cobra Kai, take no prisoners, arrogant as fuck assault on the rest of the NFL. It was a payback game and the guy and team getting retribution is probably the greatest ever and can roll up 50 points easily. The Jets suck and were going nowhere. The game was in Foxboro. The Patriots were protecting a perfect record. And Belicheck and the team were foaming at the mouth. This was the ultimate "FUCK YOU" blowout asspounding game.....and it was the anniversary of the fucking Boston Tea Party. How do you not take NE even with a 24 point spread? And of course, they won 20-10, Brady had his worst game of the season, and they didn't cover. Nothing is certain when wagering and investing. If you don't believe me, go ask a few ex-Enron employees.

I'll finish later. I have to go finish Christmas shopping.

perfect. awesome.

so. pats or fins?
miami always plays ne tough.

This post has been edited by cmac: Dec 21 2007, 02:54 PM

you're kidding right?

It would be the greatest day EVER if Miami beat NE.

Man, I'll chug a 6 pack of Milwaukee's Best if they do.