Getting Started with Sports Betting, Part 3: What To Bet On

If you’ve been keeping up with my guide on Getting Started with Sports Betting, you have already read why online betting is better than offline betting, and what you should look for in the betting sites that you join (and also why you should join more than one).  If you missed it, re-read Getting Started with Sports Betting Part 2 to catch up.

In this article, I will discuss what types of sports you can wager on and what types of bets you can (and should) take.

First things first. The types of sports you can wager on are referred to by your UK betting site as “betting markets.”  Nowadays, many websites have dozens of these.  Here are some examples of sports which are popular to wager on:

• Football
• Cricket
• Horse racing
• Golf
• Handball
• Snooker
• Tennis
• Rugby
• NFL football
• Basketball
• Wrestling
• MMA
• Cycling
• Ice hockey.

The list goes on from there.  You can even bet on some pretty obscure sports.  Don’t overlook college sports either.

What sports should you bet on?  Which should you avoid?  Here are my recommendations:

• Stick with what you know to start with.  If you watch a lot of rugby, you probably are better positioned to profit off of it than you would be wagering on a sport you seldom follow.  If you don’t watch tennis, don’t start betting on it just because you know someone who does.

• Pick one or two sports to follow and wager on to begin with, no more than that.  Lots of beginners want to bet on everything.  All this does is spread your energies way too thin.

Bet Structures

Next you need to know that there are a number of common structures for bets.  Some examples include:

• Straight bets
• Teasers
• Pleasers
• Accumulators
• If-bets

Generally speaking, it is best to stick with simple straight bets.  This is true not only in the beginning, but even as you get better at wagering!  Many new gamblers want to “work up to” the “exciting” types of bets that they think are advanced just because they are complicated.  Parlays and teasers are complex, but that doesn’t mean that betting on them makes you smart.  Usually it just means you will lose money. 

Yes, you can win big if you do win complex bets, but the chances of you winning at all are very unlikely.  Stick with straight bets and work toward slow and steady gains.  Even if you do this, you will still have a tough time getting a win percentage that keeps you profitable.  Trying to do it with complicated bets is impossible. 

Types of Bets

Within each sport that you wager on, you will find numerous different types of bets.  I am not referring to structure here as I was above, but rather to what specifically you are betting will happen.

In football, for instance, there are tons of different wagers you can make.  Here are some examples:

• Win, Lose, Draw (WLD).
• Half Time Result (HTR).
• Draw No Bet (DNB).
• Accumulator.
• Over/Under.
• Correct Score (CS).
• First Goal Scorer (FGS).

This isn’t even an exhaustive list.  You can read a longer list as well as descriptions for all of these bet types here.

What types of bets you should choose depends on the situation—the specifics of the match you are wagering on, what is going on with the teams and the players, and what you know about it.  Remember, any of these bets can be structured in a number of ways.  Keep it simple and you’re more likely to be successful.

You now should have a better idea what you are looking at and what to do to get started wagering on your UK betting site.  Read Getting Started with Sports Betting Part 4 for more newbie tips!