Archive for March, 2007

What are the most popular sports to bet on?

Wednesday, March 21st, 2007

Like it or not, one of most popular gambling endeavors is sports betting. In the US, where sports are a very big thing, people tend to spend more money on sports betting than any other endeavor. In other countries, sports betting is starting to gather a huge following as well. What are some of the most popular sports to bet on?

There is no doubt about it, in the US, the most popular sport to bet on would be football. In particular, that would be the NFL (National Football League). Come Superbowl time, sportsbooks and bookies have the busiest time of their lives as people place bets left and right on their favorite teams. This is not to say that betting on football games during the season does not occur as well. As American simply love this game with a passion, so do they place bets on games throughout the whole season.

Perhaps the next most popular sport that Americans bet on is basketball. Both the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and the NBA (National Basketball Association) are top earners when it comes to sports betting. The popularity of this sport is not only because of the game itself but, especially in the case of the NCAA tournament each year, translated into a cultural phenomenon because of the bracket betting involved.

Racing does not fall far behind when it comes to sports betting. One of the biggest racing events in the US – if not THE biggest – is NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). Though the offices are located in Florida, the event’s effects are spread throughout the whole country. You can bet on a NASCAR event in two ways – Betting to Win or Matchup Betting. For the first option, you bet on a certain individual or team – whether or not they will come out on top. The latter option pits a driver against his fellow driver or group of drivers.

Another popular game to bet on would be boxing. The increasing popularity of this sport is one reason for more and more people to bet on the outcome of boxing events. Betting on boxing is quite a simple affair. In general, you merely have to wager who will win the fight. There are some proposition bets that can be had, though.

There are, of course, other sporting events that you can bet on. Those mentioned above are merely the most popular events that you can lay your money on and enjoy the games while you are at it.

Basic Sports Betting Vocabulary

Saturday, March 10th, 2007

Sports betting is not a new activity. Just as with most other endeavors, there is a certain jargon specific to sports betting. Here is a list of some of the basic terms that you have to know for sports betting.

Action – a bet

Air move - this happens when the line on a game is changed by a sportsbook due to another book’s changing their lines. This move is not a result of the bets they receive.

Angles - A method of predicting the result based on past game results.

ATS – against the spread. This means to make a bet that will be decided by adding points to one team or the other after the game is played.

Bad beat - a tough loss. This is usually not deserved.

Barroom bookie - the local bookie who takes in your bets. He usually offers limited options and does not offer deposit bonuses.

Beard - a person who makes bets in place of another person. He usually does this because the sportsbook does not want to accept bets from that person.

Bet - to place money on the result of a certain event.

Bet limit - the highest amount a sportsbook will accept for a bet.

Book - a person or a group of people (entity) who accepts bets.

Bookie - a person who takes bets. However, this usually refers to illegal entities.

BR – bankroll

Chalk - the team that is expected to win; also known as favorite

Cover - to win against the spread

Credit Betting - a form of betting wherein you do not have to place money upfront. Most commonly used with barroom bookies.

Dime - $1,000

Even money - betting a dollar to win a dollar without having to lay any juice

Fade - to place a bet against

Favorite - the team slated to win; also chalk

Flea - a person who bets small time and wants something for nothing

Futures - bets that are placed well before the sports event is set to happen

Handicap - a verb; to analyze a match and then to predict the results

Juice - what bookmakers charge for every bet made

Odds - the chances or likelihood of a result or outcome. Odds are stated in the form of a number.

Sportsbook - a person or a group who accepts bets

Underdog - the team that is expected to lose

Upset - when the underdog beats the favorite team

Wager - also known as bet