7 – Understand the Sports Betting Profit Model. In order to make the best decisions when you bet on sports you need to understand how the sportsbooks make money. Once you understand how they make a profit, you can use this information to help you in your quest for profit. How To Choose The Best Sportsbooks For Beginners. There’s no shortage of sports betting sites. Even if you live in the U.S., where placing wagers online involves jumping through hoops, plenty of books want your business. Of course, that doesn’t mean every site is trustworthy or runs a quality operation. Frankly, some are downright shady. Sports Betting Explained: The Basics. Benefits of Sports Betting. Sports betting is one of the more. A beginner’s guide to betting on football. F ootball is the most popular sport for betting in the UK, with more than 40% of the money spent by bettors wagered on the beautiful game, so it’s. Thus, the best online betting sites pride themselves on providing a wide range of banking methods including cards, e-wallets, prepaid cards and bank transfers. Enabling all customers to withdraw and deposit in a convenient and timely manner is fundamental for the smooth running of any betting site.
- Best Sports Betting Sites For Beginners
- List Of Sports Betting Sites
- Best Sports Betting Prediction Sites
- 10 Top Sports Betting Sites
When you’re just getting into sports betting, it can seem daunting. In fact, before I wrote gambling blogs for a living, I knew almost nothing about betting on sports. I’d just never been a sports fan before.
Of course, I’ve been gambling for a long time now. So, I’ve learned some things about sports betting along the way, and these days, I bet on sports regularly. I even play in a couple of fantasy football leagues.
Now that I have the experience to back my claims, here are the most important things I’ve learned that I think you should understand before getting started on a serious sports betting hobby.
1 – The Basic Bets Are Straightforward
Most of my audience is probably going to start by betting on football, which is great because it’s one of the easiest sports to understand betting on.
Point Spread
The first concept you should understand in football betting is the point spread. Not all football teams are the same. Some teams are far better than others. (Point spread betting is usually reserved for high-scoring games like football.)
The difference in their odds of winning is represented by the point spread. Football bettors like to make even money bets. They bet $100 on a game, and they win or lose $100.
To keep the action even and the odds of winning about 50%, the bookmaker—the company or person taking the bet—uses a point spread to represent the relative strength of one team over another.
The favorite is the team likelier to win, and the underdog is the team that’s more likely to lose. The favorite is listed with a negative number next to it. You subtract that number of points from their final score when determining who won the bet.
The underdog is listed with a positive number next to it. You add that number of points to their final score when adjudicating the winner.
For ExampleLet’s say the Cowboys are a favorite to beat the Browns, and the point spread is -7.
You bet on the Cowboys, and they win 21-17. You subtract 7 from their final score, though, and you get 14, which is less than 17. Your bet loses because the Browns “covered the spread.”
Totals Bet or Over/Under
Another popular bet is a total bet. This is also called the over/under. It’s a bet on the final total score of the game. You get that total by adding the number of points for each team together.
In the previous example, with the Cowboys beating the Browns 21 to 17, the total score was 38. You bet that the game will either go over the over/under or under. It’s an even-money bet (again).
If the over/under for the earlier game were 45, you’d win the totals bet if you took the under, but you’d lose it if you took the over.
Moneyline
The moneyline is simple, too. It’s a bet that doesn’t use a point spread, and you win or lose if your team wins or loses. The only trick with a moneyline bet is understanding the payouts. They’re not that hard, though.
The favorite is still the team with the minus (-) sign next to their name, and the dog still has a plus (+) sign next to it. But in this case, the number indicates how much you’ll lose or win, respectively, based on a $100 bet.
If you bet on the favorite, you must risk the amount after the minus sign to win $100.
If you bet on the dog, you risk $100, and if you win, you get the amount after the plus sign.
Here’s an example: The Buccaneers are listed at +163, and the Packers are listed at -185. If you bet $163 on the Buccaneers, you win $100. If you bet on the Packers, you must risk $185 to win $100.
Moneyline bets are available in football, but they’re ubiquitous when betting on lower-scoring sports like baseball or hockey.
2 – The House Has a 4.5% Advantage in Sports Betting
If you’ve read much about sports betting, or if you’ve ever seen a movie like Silver Linings Playbook, you’ve heard of something called “the vig.” That’s short for “vigorish,” and that’s where the sportsbook makes its profits.
I know when I explained point spread bets that I talked about even money bets, but in reality, you won’t place even money bets with a sportsbook. You’ll actually be asked to risk slightly more than you’re expected to win.
The ratio is usually 110 to 100. You must risk $110 to win $100, but that doesn’t mean your minimum bet is $110. You could bet $55 to win $50, for example or $22 to win $20. It’s the ratio that matters.
Recommended Reading:When you talk about casino games, you talk about the house edge. When betting on sports, the house also has an edge, and it’s caused by the vig.
The vig also has implications related to your winning percentage.
3 – You Must Win 52.4.% of Your Bets to Break Even
Let’s suppose you make 100 bets of $100 each and win half of them. You’re actually having to risk $110, so you’ll lose $110 X 50, or $5500, and you’ll win $5000. That’s a difference of $500, which is the net amount you’ve lost over the 100 bets.
Now, let’s assume you win 53 of those bets and lose just 47 of them. You’ve won $5,300 (53 x $100), and you’ve lost $5,170 (47 x $110). You showed a tiny profit with a 53% win rate—$130 over 100 bets.
You’d think that your breakeven point would be 50% but, because of the vig, you must win more than half your bets just to break even.
4 – Sports Bets Provide More Entertainment Value Than Casino Gambling
I say that sports bets provide more entertainment value per hour than casino gambling, but that assumes you’re making reasonable bets in relation to your bankroll.
If you bet $100 on three football games a week and each game lasts three hours, you’re getting nine hours of entertainment on your $300. Even if you lose all three bets, you’re only out $33.33 per hour.
Of course, you’re probably going to win one or two of those bets, which means your actual loss will be closer to $11 or $22. And sometimes, you’ll win all three bets.
Compare that with the cost of playing a slot machine with a 93% payback percentage. If you’re playing a dollar slot machine at $3 per spin, you’re putting $1,500 per hour into action. You won’t lose all that, but with a 7% house edge, you’ll average $105 in losses per hour.
Would you rather watch a football game with your buddies with some money on it? Or would you rather watch spinning reels mindlessly in a casino? I know which way I’m leaning.
5 – You Have a Lot of Work to Do If You Want to Be Serious About Sports Betting
Of course, when I say “serious,” I mean a sports bettor who wants to achieve profitability—or at least break even. Winning 52.4% of the time might sound easy to achieve, but it’s harder than you think.
The handicappers who set the point spreads and the moneylines are REALLY good at what they do. They have access to expensive software and the experience to know what to do with it. The probability that you’ll do a better job of handicapping the games and finding their mistakes is low.
To succeed, you’ll need to spend a tremendous amount of time analyzing sports data. If you hate math and numbers, you probably won’t make it as a serious sports bettor.
You’ll also want to follow sports gossip more closely than the average sports fan. Those rumors can result in opportunities to get an edge—opportunities you’ll need if you’re serious.
If you were the type of person who were going to be a serious professional sports bettor, you’d be watching a game instead of reading this post.
6 – Avoid Tout Services
Try your best to stay away from tout services.
You may be wondering, “What’s a tout service?” It’s a company (or individual) who sells picks for you to bet on. They’re theoretically really good at picking winning bets, but they’re probably not as good at it as you’d like to think.
I had a buddy who worked in a call center for one of the biggest tout services in the world. He told me that they’d divide the call center into two teams, and half of the operators would pick one side of a match. The other half would pick the other side of the match.
This way, half their customers were winners without any effort at handicapping on their part.
I don’t remember if they went back to the losing bettors to offer them a free pick, but that would be an easy way to get that customer back. Offer them a free pick, and you have a 50% probability of getting that one right regardless of which side you picked.
Note:This wouldn’t be a problem except for one thing: You’re giving them money.
This effectively makes the vig higher, which means you need to win an even higher percentage of bets just to break even.
7 – Sports Betting Can Be Fun Recreationally
It’s a hard job if you want to be a professional. I’ve already explained what’s involved in just getting serious enough to break even at it.
Becoming addicted to sports betting can be one of the most miserable experiences of your life. It’s like any other addiction, only it might be more expensive than many others.
If you think you have a gambling problem, don’t be hesitant to seek professional help. Most gambling sites have disclaimers about gambling addiction and provide resources for problem gambling.
Conclusion
If you’re thinking about getting more serious about betting on sports online, reading more about it and practicing different tactics is a great way to get involved in the hobby. I personally prefer it to casino games and like it at least as well as I enjoy playing poker.
Now that you’ve read this post, you have what you need to know to get started with online sports betting.
When it comes to poker, you have to start somewhere. Whether this is your first time playing the game altogether or just your first time playing poker online, it can be a lot to process. What are the best online poker sites for beginners? How do I make an account? Am I going to be able to win? All of these are viable questions that you probably are and should be asking! In this guide, we’re going to answer these questions and more.
Rank | Bonus | Get Started | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 888poker | 100% up to $400 | Go to Site |
Why These Are the Best Online Poker Sites for Beginners
- Simple Sign-Up Process
- Free Play Options Available
- Low Stakes Offered
- Not “Shark-Infested”
- Juicy Online Poker Bonuses
- Low Playthrough Requirements
- Trusted and Secure Platform
- Fast Cashouts
Trusted and Secure Platform
Whether it’s your first time playing online poker or you’re a seasoned veteran of the game, you want an online poker site you can trust. All of the best poker sites for first time players we’ve recommended have passed our rigorous tests for safety, security, encryption, and industry reputation.
Fast Cashouts
We have faith that you’re going to get online and crush the tables and win big! When you do, you’re going to want access to the spoils of your victories quickly. All of the best sites to learn online poker offer fast payouts through multiple cashout methods. In other words, you’ll be able to get your winnings in your hands fast!
Currently, the average withdrawal time from an online poker site falls between a few hours and about a week. The differences in the range depend on the cashout method you choose, the amount you’re withdrawing, and if you’ve filled out any necessary withdrawal paperwork.
The fastest poker cashouts are by cryptocurrency, and the slowest within this range are usually wire transfers. Checks by courier (sent to your house) is an outlier that may take upwards of two weeks to get to you. If that’s too long, just choose a different withdrawal method.
Simple to Understand Sign-Up Process
Since this is your first time playing online poker for real money, it’s important you choose the least obstructed path to get started. Many of the best online poker sites for beginners work hard to build a sign-up process that’s easy to understand, efficiently set up, and doesn’t require a computer science degree to complete.
Not “Shark-Infested”
If you’ve ever heard the poker term “shark” before, it refers to players that are very good and hunt newer and more inexperienced players. When you select the best poker site to start your career on, you want to stay as far away as possible from sharks. Certain poker rooms attract more professionals. While you may battle the best in the world one day, there’s no reason to get in over your head on day one.
Free Play Options Available
Even if you’re planning on playing poker online for real money, you’re going to want a poker site that offers free play or play money tables. Why? Several reasons.
- Free play tables allow you to learn how the game controls work, which can make you more comfortable at the real money tables and prevent mistakes and misclicks.
- It’s an effective way to make sure online poker is a good fit for you before you put money into it. Yes, people are going to play much wilder with play money, but you can at least get a general feel for what the experience will be like.
Juicy Online Poker Bonuses
As you’re brand new to playing online poker, you may not be aware of the lucrative bonuses available. Online poker rooms compete with other rooms through two predominant methods, offering a superior product and giving out bonuses. Poker sites for newbies will give you free money, free tournament entries, free swag, and more just for giving the site a try.
Additionally, the best poker sites for first time players will offer you continued bonuses as a reward for your loyalty. When you’re selecting the best online poker site for you, make sure you’re getting a good bonus. Good news! All of the online casinos we’ve recommended are overloaded with incredibly juicy and lucrative bonuses for playing poker online!
Low Playthrough Requirements
Online poker bonuses are not designed for players that are going to sign up, play for a few hours, then cash out all of their money. The idea behind the bonus is to get you to continue playing at the site. If poker sites allowed people to immediately cash out bonuses, people would take advantage of the situation, and the bonuses would do the site no good.
To combat this, poker sites do require a certain level of play to “clear” a bonus known as the playthrough requirement. In other words, you may not get all the bonus funds right upfront, but you’ll get them as you earn them. This is 100% the standard across the industry.
What’s not standard, though, is how much play you have to complete to clear your bonus. When we’re selecting the best online poker sites for beginners, we look for poker rooms that have the lowest playthrough requirements. You’re new, and chances are you aren’t planning on opening up 20 tables day one and playing for 12 hours straight. If you are, good on you, but we want to make sure the bonuses we recommend are attainable by everyone.
Low Stakes Offered
A good online poker site for beginners will have the lowest of stakes available. Most likely, your goal is eventually to play higher stakes, but you probably want to start smaller. Poker sites that offer a variety of lower-stakes give beginners a good platform to dip their toes in the water of real money before swimming over to deeper waters.
Tips for New Poker Players to Help Pick out the Right Poker Site
Hopefully, by now, you’ve picked out a poker site and are halfway through the sign-up process! If not, we’re here to help. Here’s a thorough list of the best tips for new poker players to remember when choosing a poker site.
Don’t Be Fooled by Flashy Images and Animations
There is absolutely nothing wrong with using an online poker site that has great graphics, smooth animations, and an overall “cool” feel. Make sure, though, that’s not the only reason you’re choosing a site.
Some of the shady websites in the industry (thankfully only a few of them) will do this to trick newer players into a false sense of security. We can tell you confidently that none of these shady sites make it within 100 miles of our recommended list of the best online poker sites for beginners.
Best Sports Betting Sites For Beginners
A Bonus From an Untrusted Poker Site Is Worthless
What if we told you there was a poker site giving away $20,000 to each new player that signed up? Your next question better be, “Is it a safe and trusted site?” Newer players have a bad tendency of getting tricked into joining a less-than-great online poker site because of wild bonus promises.
However, the phrase “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” actually does not work as a safety net in online poker. Many of the best real money online poker sites offer incredible and outrageous bonuses.
So, how do you know which bonuses to trust? The easiest way is to trust the expertise of our team to steer you in the right direction. If you’re dead-set on going it alone, though, make sure you look at more than just the number of zeros in the bonus offer when making a selection.
Follow the Best Practices for Security When Creating Your Account
While this does not pertain directly to choosing the right online poker site, it seems like a fitting spot for it.
- Use a strong password that you don’t use anywhere else.
- Don’t create your account on a shared or public computer.
- Don’t store your password on your computer.
- Only provide your personal information through the correct secure channels.
If You Don’t Like the First Site You Choose, Choose Another One.
You aren’t signing any contracts when you join an online poker site. If you pick out an option and find out after a few days, weeks, or months that it’s not the right fit, switch sites.
While you should put time and effort into picking out where to play online poker, it’s not the end of the world if you change your mind later. If it’s not a great fit, cash out your money and deposit it somewhere else. It’s that simple.
You Are Allowed to Play at Multiple Online Poker Sites
What happens if you can’t decide between two great real money online poker sites? Or, what happens if you want to play two different types of games, and you can only find one at one site and one at another? Join multiple poker sites for newbies! It doesn’t cost you anything to open an online poker account.
In fact, most of the professional online poker players have five or more online poker accounts! Don’t overwhelm yourself, but don’t limit yourself either.
Take the Time to Look at the Available Cashout Methods Before Depositing
Most high-quality online poker rooms have so many great cashout options that you’ll be fine. However, there’s no reason to take a chance of a future headache. Before you make your deposit at one of these sites for online poker for beginners, look at the different withdrawal options offered. Make sure you find one that works for you. You don’t need more than one, but you do need to know you can get paid quickly and in a manner you’re comfortable with.
Past Player’s Feedback May Be Jaded
You may be tempted to look at reviews and feedback from past players when selecting a site for online poker for beginners. Unfortunately, this may be counterproductive. Most reviews you’ll find online are from disgruntled players who lost fair and square at the tables. Instead of admitting they need to improve their games, they blame the sites for wildly absurd things.
Safety and Security Should Be the #1 Deciding Factor
Above all else, make sure you choose a poker room you feel safe at. Make sure the room has the right levels of encryption, regularly audits security processes, has quality bank integrations, and cares about the customer experience. How do you check all this? You can do it manually, or take a look at the poker sites we recommend. We’ve already done the heavy lifting of checking these out.
How to Open an Online Poker Account for Real Money
1. Select One of the Best Beginner’s Poker Sites
This guide has hopefully shown you exactly what you need in a site with online poker for newbies. Take a few minutes and shop through some of the options we’ve presented to find the right one for you.
2. Open a Free Account
Once you’ve decided on where to play online poker, it’s time to create your free account. This should take just a few minutes. You’ll need to input your state and country of residence, your name, and an active email address.
3. Try out the Free Tables (At Least for a Few Minutes)
List Of Sports Betting Sites
Even if you’re confident you can figure things out, at least play a few hands at the play money tables. Why? Each of the best sites to learn online poker have slightly different controls that you use to make your bets. When you’re not comfortable with the controls, you run the risk of misclicking. At least take a few minutes to know how to bet, fold, raise, and change dollar amounts before moving over to real money.
4. Make Your First Real Money Deposit
The next step is to make your first real money deposit. If you’ve used one of the links we’ve provided, you’re already all set up to receive a deposit bonus! Just head over to the cashier’s page and select the deposit method you want to use. Input your information, select an amount, and submit the request. You should have access to your poker bankroll funds instantly!
Best Sports Betting Prediction Sites
5. Start Slow
The last step of the process is to get into the action. We highly recommend starting slow, especially if you’re brand new to the game altogether. All of these top real money online poker sites for beginners have the lowest of stakes available. These low stakes tables are a great place to get your feet wet before moving up to higher stakes.
Get Started Playing Online Poker Now!
10 Top Sports Betting Sites
Online poker is an incredibly convenient way to play your favorite game from anywhere in the world. While you can’t see your opponents, the game is still the same, and the potential to make serious money might even be bigger. If you’re ready to give it a shot, head back to the top of the page and pick out the site that best fits your needs and get started playing online poker. You can always start with play money if you’re not quite ready to pull the trigger on real money play.