One of the problems with sports betting is the knowledge gap between very experienced bettors and beginners. Beginners are often afraid to ask questions of experienced gamblers, and there isn’t much trusted information that they can draw on to help them learn. Therefore it’s easy to make a bad bet, lose, and never want to bet again. Use this information as a guide to help avoid that and get started the right way.
1. You of course first have to decide which kinds of sports you want to bet on. You should bet on the sports you are the most familiar with, which will help you make smarter decisions. Your choice of sports may also affect the type of sportsbook you end up signing up with, as some niche sports from various countries or regions may only be covered in sportsbooks from that place.
2. You must consider if you’re delving into sports betting as a part-time hobby or as a full-time endeavor. The more casual, relaxed sportsbooks have lower limits for bets and will have slightly worse odds. The advantage to them is their deals, promotions, convenience and so forth. Professional sportsbooks will have higher limits and better odds, but will not usually offer much in the way of promotions. You also want to make sure you choose sportsbooks which have good reputations and a long history.
3. Considering the laws and regulations with the US government and online betting, your choices of sportsbooks may be smaller than for other people. You have to make sure you pick one in which the depositing and withdrawal options are legitimate and are as easy as possible, so you don’t get stuck in a situation where you can’t withdraw your winnings or anything like that.
4. Be sure that you understand all of the different kinds of bets that you will make. The easiest place to start are straight up bets and money lines. From there you can dive into point spreads, prop bets, futures, parlays and much more. Never make a kind of bet that you don’t completely understand. Additionally, pay attention to your odds. American books, European decimal and UK fraction odds can all be converted between each other, so make sure you understand what they m