Answers to Common Sports Betting Questions

[Qbins Missile Crisis]

Sports betting and online gambling is as big as ever. Bettors can wager on just about anything, not just sports. Internet betting gives bettors a buffet of betting options. We take a look at some common questions from the CappersMall sports handicapping forums.

Live betting, what is the best way to win?

It took me awhile to work out a method that works for me. But now I swear by it and since using it the past 3 years and have had solid success. The main way I use live betting is when I like a team/athlete to win SU, but for whatever reason, usually because the juice is too steep (I generally don't take higher than -130 on any bet) I'm not keen on backing them before the match starts. Sport is full of ebs and flows and that is exactly the principle my method is built on.

I'll cap the game as per usual see which side I like and to what extent and have in my mind that is the only side I'll consider taking. I'll wait for a moment in the contest where my side is down, often I'll wait until the opposing side scores or does something great for them. That is when I'll back my side and usually early or midway through the contest. Always getting better odds than what they started the game as. The reason why I bet just following a positive moment for the opposing side is I believe often bookmakers over react immediately following such an event.

The last live bet I placed was just tonight and it was a classic example of everything I have just talked about. It was an NRL rugby league match between Brisbane and Parramatta. I loved Brisbane but their price SU was around -220 before the match. So I waited, bingo Parramatta scored twice early and went up ten nil, ten minutes into the 80 minute game.

I then placed my first bet on Brisbane at +120. At halftime Parramatta lead by 2. Directly after halftime Parramatta scored a quick try to go up by eight. I had seen nothing in the game that said to me Brisbane weren't still well and truly alive and with still 38 minutes to go (which is an eternity in rugby) I had another go on Brisbane, again immediately following the Parramatta score this time at +150 which I thought was a joke.

There were many twists and turns left in the game, in the 70th minute Brisbane lead by 10 points and were around -5000 in the live betting. I hedged nothing and stuck with what I liked before the match with Brisbane. In the end they won by 4 points.

Need one final leg of a parlay to win, should I hedge?

This is one that is asked all the time. If I had $100 for every time someone asked it over the years I wouldn't be writing this, instead I'd be kicking back on my yacht in the Bahamas and ordering my next bourbon and cola.

To use an imaginary but typical example, say you have a 5 leg parlay (I'm not a fan of parlay's but that is another topic) and you are waiting on a Lakers win in the late game. You bet $100 and your return is $1500. Spurs the Lakers opponents are +250 on the ML. First thing you need to ask yourself is: By doing the calculations how much will I win by hedging? Then and most importantly how much do I need and/or want the guaranteed money that hedging will give me? by determining this you will go a long way to answer the question. Also what does your capping like? you can then hedge an amount in accordance with what you like.

How many books should I bet with?

It depends on the individual. If you are a casual bettor that bets mainly for the excitement and to make the game more interesting with any monetary gain just a bonus, then it's not important you have a number of books at your disposal.

On the other hand if you take your sports wagering seriously and rely on the income gained from betting, then in my opinion it is imperative that you have a number of books at your call.

I say this for a couple main reasons. Firstly by being able to shop around you can get the best price available and at the end of the day this can make a huge difference to your bottom line.

Secondly and often overlooked, by being able to shop around you can pick up on the various options only offered by certain books.

In the last 10 years this has increased in importance as more books offer exotic type markets that are limited to only a few books and sometimes less.

For me personally I have had some solid results on such markets. For example: the hotdog eating contest, golf players to shoot over or under a certain score, golf players to make or miss the cut, spelling bee, reverse teasers on NFL and NBA ex; an underdog -3.5 @ +200.


What % of my bankroll should be the max I bet on a game?

Bet up to 5% of your bank roll but never more, often you see written, 5% personally I think that is a touch high, 3% should be more the norm in my opinion. The 3%-5% rule is a common rule to stick by, however just like the previous question and answer, everyone is different and therefore this question again largely depends on the individual.

Factors that need to be considered are : what is your wage? how much money do you usually have left over each week after meeting all your expenses? How much money do you have saved?

What assets do you have? What is your long-term record (3 years or more) of betting on sports?

The 3% rule is suitable for someone who is near average in all of the above departments.
To give another example, take someone who is a winning player long-term, on a above average wage, usually has money left over each week, has significant assets and/or money saved, then in my opinion there is no reason why they shouldn't up the 3% figure. Getting above 10% though is dangerous grounds no matter what your financial situation.

Cappers Mall, FL
Jun 2, 2008