Over the past few years, sports betting has become mainstream in the United States. It is now legal in many states. If you’re a beginner at sports betting, you may not know how to place a bet or what type of bets you can make. Here is some information that will help you.
Choose a reputable casino
You need to make sure you choose a licensed casino. This will ensure that betting will be fair and you won’t risk not getting paid out if you win. At a licensed sports betting casino, you can bet on a wide range of sports including basketball, baseball, football, hockey, and tennis.
Decide how much you want to bet
One of the mistakes to avoid when sports betting is to risk what you can’t afford to lose. You should only risk from about 1% to 5% of your bankroll per play. If you start with a bankroll of $100, you should risk no more than $5 a game.
Place a bet
Once you register on a site and make a deposit, you can navigate to a game and bet. Clicking on the “bet cell” will populate your bet in the bet slip. You will enter the bet amount and submit your bet.
Know the most popular bet types
Oddsmakers will decide whether a team is a favorite or an underdog. The favorite team is the one that is more likely to win and will get a minus sign next to its odds. The underdog is expected to lose and gets a plus sign next to its odds.
A straight bet on the outcome of a single event is the best place to start. Other popular bet types are:
Moneyline: A moneyline bet requires you to pick the winner of the game. If you bet on a -100 favorite, you need to risk $100 to win $100. If you bet on a +100 underdog, you will win $200 if you wager $100. Lower-scoring sports such as baseball and hockey are the most popular sports for moneyline bets.
Spreads: A point spread is a bet on the margin of victory or defeat. Spreads are common in higher-scoring sports like football and basketball.
Totals (over/under): Oddsmakers set a total number of points scored in a game by both teams. You need to bet on whether or not a game will go over or under the total.
