What’s More Important: Who You Bet On or How You Bet?

How do you decide which player or team you are going to wager on when you place a sports bet online?  Every bettor has a different answer to this question.  Some common answers include:

• “I bet against the public.”
• “I shop the lines and make a decision based on that.”
• “I bet on my favorite team/player.”
• “I bet on the team/player that has been doing well lately.”
• “I bet based on my research into recent and historical performance.”

All of these answers represent strategies which may be more or less effectively depending on when and how you apply them, and what level of depth and complexity goes into each.  Some are overly simplistic on their own, but may work great in conjunction with others.  Others may be able to stand on their own—like in-depth research.

New bettors, especially avid sports fans, may assume that the third strategy is a good one.  The third strategy on the list however is actually one of the least effective ones, because it is highly subjective, and ultimately has nothing to do with performance.  It can be tempting to bet emotionally, putting your money behind your preferred team or player.  After all, you want them to win, and wouldn’t it be great if you won money when they did?  They are probably your favorite team or player for a good reason, including great performance.

The reality though is that all teams and players have good days and bad, and your favorite team or player can and will make mistakes.  If you want to consistently win, you have to learn how to set aside your emotions.  Playing your favorites does not work as a strategy on its own, but the comprehensive knowledge you have of your favorite teams and players can certainly help you to make smart betting choices.

Technically, when you bet on a player, you are not betting on the person—you are betting on the person’s performance on this particular occasion.  That is why how you bet is ultimately more important than who you bet on.  By all means, start with your favorites if you want to; you do know a lot about them after all.  Objectively assess their historical performance against the other team, their current standings, and other factors that could cause them to win or lose the game.  Consider how the lines are shaded and who the public is favoring.  Put together a system that allows you to combine these considerations and draw a smart conclusion.

Hone that strategy over time with what you learn, and you will place smarter bets.  Are you going to find that some teams or players come out on top more often than others?  Of course; that is how it is with any competitive sport where players and teams compete to prove they are the best.  But there are so many changes from season to season and even from game to game.  Your job is not to back one team and hope they carry you to the top—it is to bet smart and get there regardless of how they perform. Sign up with one of the best betting sites or see which online bookies offer live streaming so you can watch an event live and place your bets from the same website.