If you have entered the betting arena without a clear strategy in mind then you might emerge out as a very unhappy bettor, plus you could also lose a lot of money at the same time. Just like a doctor would require the right skills before operating on a patient, you also will have to work tirelessly in understanding sports betting odds before you make a killing inside the betting arena.
Each exciting sport including boxing, tennis, golf, baseball, football, basketball, horse racing, car racing, and many such more qualify for betting. Even if the sport is college football handled by the ncaa or pro football handled by the nfl, bets can be placed, even though the odds will certainly differ in every sport and every game too. Odds are also displayed differently in various countries. For example, USA displays odds as American odds, i.e. -100, -230, etc, while Canada, Australia and Countries in Europe display odds as Decimal odds, i.e. 2.50, 1.30, etc, and also the UK displays odds as Fractional odds, i.e. 8/8, 8/4, etc.
Sports betting odds also display the underdog team along with the top-dog, the over-under and the spread by which you need to win if you decide to bet for or against the spread. A simple example will explain betting odds easily. For instance in an nfl match between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants, the odds could be displayed as under
Buffalo Bills -11.2 -120 -160
New York Giants +11.2 -120 +270
The very first sign next to the teams name signifies the underdog and the top-dog. Therefore, Buffalo Bills is the top-dog due to the “-” sign whereas the Giants are the underdogs because of the “+” sign next to it. The figure 11.2 indicates the spread plus the favored team has got to win with the points mentioned on the spread. The figure 120 implies that you will have to bet $120 to win $100 on that spread. The final figure of 160 near the Bills indicates that you have to stake $160 to win $100 together with your stake on that bet because the Bills are classified as the favored team to win. On the other hand, you only have to bet $100 to win $270 if you bet on the Giants since it is the underdog team.
The above was an example of betting odds in the American odds format. Each bookie will display odds in different formats however, you could quickly convert it in your format by using the odds converter obtainable in most websites. The world wide web has today definitely made betting easier although you will certainly need to work on understanding and calculating the betting odds prior to placing your bet.
You might certainly be able to bet efficiently and convert most of your placed bets into huge wins in case you read and understand sports betting odds. Each sports book will display odds and you will have to select sites that have the best odds that you can bet on. Understanding sports betting odds is vital if you want to beat the odds and the bookies and make a killing by winning the highest number of bets.