Oh, to live in a world of machines. If we lived in a world of machines playing against other machines, then sports betting would really be a piece of cake. Yet we are betting on sporting events played by humans. This means that you really can’t just assume all conditions will be perfect. Since humans have so many different factors they carry around, it’s only natural that this would affect their actual playing abilities. Every team is going to have moments where they’re not going to be at their best.
The handicapper isn’t fazed by the fact that the game is played by humans. The handicapper, with a little bit of skill and knowledge, can spin this to their favor. It’s all about making sure that you look for signs that point to a team that can have above average performance, or signs that point to a team that will deliver a lackluster performance. Either way, there’s profit to be made.
Getting deep into handicapping can definitely raise the chances of making money from all of your wagers. This means that you can’t give in to emotion. Betting with your gut or betting on what other people think is popular is a sure way to end up losing your bankroll for the season. If you’ve given yourself a set limit every season, then it goes without saying that you really do need to make it work as much as possible.
What you have to start with when it comes to figuring out a team is their emotional state. If you’re going to handicap a game, you need to figure out what type of situation the team is in. There are essentially four situations that are agreed upon for teams across the board, regardless of sport: redemption, revenge, letdown, and look-ahead.
The Redemption Situation
The redemption situation is when a team has really done poorly in the previous game. They come to the field fresh, looking to prove themselves worthy in the next game. This can be incredibly profitable, but you have to make sure that you work out whether or not it’s worth pursuing.
The Revenge Situation
This one is our favorite, as the revenge games are the ones where a team has lost against another *equal* team lost the last time the two teams met. In order for this to be profitable, the team has to looking for revenge for the loss, as well as have the power to beat the other team. If you’re looking at a weaker team that can’t fight back, then it’s really not a revenge situation worth betting on.
You want to tread carefully on this one, because revenge games attract a lot of media attention and thus speculation. This can eat into your profitability in terms of odds.
The Letdown Situation
The letdown situation is when a team is coming off a big game. If they are coming from a tough loss against a better opponent, then they aren’t in great spirits. They feel bummed. On the other hand, if they tackled a bigger opponent and won, then they’re elated and they might perform a little better than what you expected.
The Look-Ahead Situation
A look-ahead situation occurs when a team has a big contest the game after its upcoming game. So if you have two top teams going head to head after playing a weaker team, then you know that you might want to get into the action.
Looking at these factors will help you pick better teams and take advantage of situations that you might not have thought about previously. Good luck!