Being an expert in a sport will certainly give you an edge when betting on it. However, you can still bet and win even if you don’t know anything about the sport, by simply finding one of the best online betting sites and following just a few simple tricks.
Bet on the favourite
This is the most straightforward, common-sense way to bet if you are not familiar with the sport. You can determine who the favourite is by looking at the odds. Odds can be expressed in fractions or in decimals. They determine how much money you will get if you predict the outcome of a bet correctly. If odds are expressed in fractions, the denominator (below the line) expresses how much money you bet and the numerator (above the line) expresses how much you will get in return if you win.
For example, if you bet 10$ on Chelsea to win at odds 4/1, it means you can win 4$ for every dollar you bet, which amounts to $40. To this is added your original 10$ for a total sum of 50$.
A favourite is a team or a player with odds that are closest to 1/1.
Expressed in decimals, the above odds will look like this: 6.0. The winnings are calculated by multiplying the odds with the stake and then subtracting the stake. Thus: (6.0*10$)-10$ = 50$.
Bookmakers are striving to make the odds work in their favour and that’s why it’s always safer to place bets that yield lower winnings.
Rely on Experts
Knowledge and information is the key to success. However, even if you don’t know that much about the sport, there are plenty of punters out there who are willing to offer excellent free advice. You can find a wealth of information online to gain knowledge about a sport you are new to. Your ultimate goal when betting is to be more knowledgeable than a casino. Reading just a few articles prior to betting will already significantly help you to make more accurate predictions. Moreover, you are initiating a learning process as you discover more about the sport.
Use Sports Prediction Sites
There is plenty of websites where you can bet for fun, with play money. Here, you can test your skills and learn how the system works in safe surroundings of a simulator before risking any real money. It is a great way to check if a particular sport is really for you.
Welcome bonuses
Finally, when first registering at a betting website, make use of the welcome bonuses designed to boost your chances of winning. These are great for beginners and will definitely come in handy if you don’t know that much about the sport you want to bet on.