The other day I was out and about and ran into an old friend. We spent a few minutes catching up and then the questions turned what we were doing for work these days. He was fascinated when I told him I was a professional gambler. Of course, he knew I liked to bet on sporting events, and that I was a decent poker player. However, like most people, this guy figured that there was no way anyone could beat the house on a regular basis over any extended period of time.
The point of this conversation is that most people think what us pros do is either impossible or some kind of magic. The truth is that we focus only on those games which are beatable. Then, we develop expertise in those particular areas. Of course this will take time to do, especially if you are just starting out. I have read darn near EVERY book in the areas that I focus on. I also must say that on some of these topics there really is not much info out there. Experience is also a great teacher!
My bread and butter is sports wagering. I LOVE sports. Now, please understand, I do not mean to say that I love sports as a fan. Certainly I can appreciate the level of skill, ability and athleticism inherent in the major college and professional sports today. However, this is my work. When I want to go somewhere and relax, or when I take a day off (or a vacation), I do NOT lie around and watch a ballgame. This is the same reason why many professional athletes do not watch any of their contests during their “off” time (unless they are doing heavy preparation for another big game). It is simply work to them. Did you know that most pro athletes cannot even stand to watch themselves play? It’s true.
Betting on sports is a very skilled profession. Probably only about 5% of everyone who has ever placed such a wager can claim to come out on top. But this is mainly because most people simply figure it’s luck of the draw anyway and do not approach it in a professional or businesslike manner.
This all leads to the question of which is the best sport to focus on. Said another way, what is the easiest sport to beat. I think that football is probably the single most difficult sport to bet professionally, so let’s put that aside for the moment. I think that baseball and basketball should be examined more closely. The beautiful thing about both of these sports is that the seasons are rather long. In basketball the NBA teams play 82 games, plus a rather drawn out playoff schedule. And baseball is even longer, with a 162 game schedule, plus three rounds of playoffs. This means that there will be a lot of wagering opportunities. You will have many more plays from either of these sports than you would with football (only a 16-game schedule). In fact, you should probably have about 10 times the amount of action with basketball, and around 15-20 times the action with baseball.
So, which is easier, basketball or baseball? Personally, I have had more success with baseball. I really love betting into an odds line versus a pointspread. For me, it just comes more naturally. Also, since I bet mainly underdogs, many years even a 50% win rate will put me solidly into the black. That is something that cannot be said for basketball (or football for that matter). Now, I realize that many of my readers will come from a background where a pointspread line feels more natural. That’s ok. In this case, I would recommend that you focus more on basketball, at least when starting out. If you do not think that betting into a odds line will be something that you would feel comfortable with, then start with basketball. On the other hand, if you are used to betting European sports or think that it would not be a problem for you, start with baseball.
Then again, there is no reason that you cannot do both. If you are thinking about this, I will give you fair warning. You will most likely enjoy one much more than the other. You will most likely be more successful at one than the other. Another surprising thing is that your more successful sport my be the opposite of the one you thought it would be. Personally, I started out betting only football on 안전놀이터. Then, I moved onto basketball and baseball (started basketball one year ahead of baseball). The funny thing was I personally enjoyed basketball, but soon found out I was much more successful at baseball. Funny how things work.
You can bet on a particular team to win or lose the match. The more uncertain your bet is, the higher odds you will obtain, and the better your profits will be. Most online betting is done through a secure website and the winnings are traced back to the card. Gambling is basic maths, even games have a chance of a 50-50%, the stronger your math and luck is, the greater your winning ratio will be.