Archive for the ‘Sports’ Category

How to Get Professional Sports Betting Advice

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

The day sports betting entered the realm of the Internet is about the same time it opened up a multi-billion dollar industry that has created opportunities for enterprising individuals to make a substantial, full-time living from sports gambling. By taking advantage of the power that online gambling has bestowed, many foster their sports betting knowledge and analytical skills to develop simple ways to gain powerful insights on the likelihood for predicting winning outcomes of games and sporting events - and this is exactly how the sports handicapping industry was started. Sports handicapping services offer a number of benefits for sports fans who want to get in on the action of winning easy money after watching the big game.

The three most prominent advantages being: The handicapper provides valuable inside information, they will send the Sports picks directly to your email, and the best are professionals who will be in it for the long-run; that is, they have the ability to be consistently successful over a number of years. You can find the best handicapping services by doing some simple research outlined in this article, but first you must be aware that there are plenty of wanna-be cappers out there that claim they can make you rich yet only deliver empty promises.

A sports handicapper that offers a service for a monthly or annual fee must provide his clients with the essential elements you should always get when you pay a consultant for professional advice. More specifically, you must require they have a good reputation or track record of success, they need to give you access to a wealth of information that is readily available around the clock, and they should definitely tell you how they make their predictions - or at least give you something that makes sense.

A proven track record is important because you can measure their past performance over a period of a few years, and then you can determine if they have been profiting with enough substantial margins for you to want to listen to what they have to say. Reputation is the cornerstone of success when it comes to giving sports betting advice, so handicappers must guard their reputations with their lives. In addition, giving customers access to valuable resources on sports betting knowledge or supplying them with a database of statistics is also an important element of a good handicapping service because then you can actually see what types of information they’re using when they make their assumptions. Furthermore, handicappers should also demonstrate with clear examples on what information they use to make their predictions. They need not to explain it in great detail, because it might be too complicated or they may not want to give everything away, but they should at least be straight-forward with you and not be too vague about their reasoning. Thus are the requirements you should seek if you want to truly benefit from the inside information a handicapping services has to offer.

The primary feature of these services is that they make it incredibly easy for you to receive the alleged winning sports handicapping picks by sending them directly to your email. It appears to be a simple process, but the reason why some memberships may seem a expensive is because of all the hard work they must do in order to send you that pick. By becoming a member on the handicapping website, they proclaim they will earn your trust through the countless hours of extensive research they promise to put into their service in order to deliver you the best possible sports betting advice. With that, this should be a comforting factor to their customers because it is always important for handicappers to make sure they are providing you with the most up-to-date information on the games to ensure that they will deliver you with better-than-expected results.

The winning handicapping picks should be a combined result from the hard-working, savvy sports enthusiast who claims to be the best because of his intelligence with numbers and his ability to maintain well-connected relationships with the inner circles of the sports betting world. A handicapping service must always assume that their customers depend on them for their prosperity, so they must realize this duty to their customers through their tireless efforts.

The best sports handicapping services are the ones that have a number of individuals on their staff who all contribute to the overall effort of the business in order for it to guarantee that the best and most professional service is available. The logic behind this is because the online sports betting market is steadily increasing in popularity and the industry is becoming more competitive each and every year. In fact, it is now considered to be more popular online than offline. Therefore, in order for online handicapping services to establish themselves as an authority and leader in the sports gambling world, they must be able to draw upon as many different resources available to them as possible so they ultimately gain the competitive advantage.

That is why most authority sites often offer a free newsletter or free sports picks service as an option for visitors who may be interested in their service, but are not sure if they’re willing to commit to them just yet. They are literally overflowing with valuable sports betting knowledge they can give some away for free! Because of this, the best services grant you access to information you simply cannot get anywhere else. Not every handicapper has this ability, though, especially the self-proclaimed “gurus”. That is why you should always be cautious before choosing a handicapping service, because there is a great number of scammers and untrustworthy websites on the Internet that display incorrect records and outright ridiculous claims of their successes.

What is outlined here is just a tiny glimpse into the power behind the true leaders amongst the few great handicapping services. The elements of a trustworthy service are not upheld by all handicappers out there, so one must always be aware of exactly what they say they can do for you, and try to avoid the ones that smell like a scam or have too much hype. Finding the most valuable service available takes some research on the part of the sports bettor, and once found they can give you an edge over others who have not taken the time to do so. But do understand this: Sports betting is inherently an amoral behavior, and for which success is ultimately decided by humans who are playing a game between two different sides - so one will always win, and one will always lose. Certainly sports betting can be risky business to begin with, so don’t ever believe that any one strategy is unbeatable. However, the advantages of investing in handicapping services can far outweigh the minimal amount of loses you may endure along the way, and over a long period of time it can amount to a very large sum of money. In the end, by utilizing the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of sports handicapping services, you will expend less effort to further your own cause of greater sports betting profits.

Heli-Skiing - A Challenging Sport

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Heli-skiing is one of the most challenging sports that tickle that risk-taking explorer in you. This sport involves the risk part of high altitude skiing so if you have enough courage to fight all odds in the high altitude, enjoy Heli-Skiing. The helicopter will drop you at the peak of a snow capped mountain and you can criss-cross the unknown routes and ridges to come down. This thrilling sport is done in a group. Before you start this game make sure the exact height from where you would start skiing, which is the height of the peak from the ground at the starting point. Make sure you are well equipped with the most essential equipments for these extreme sports.

Heli-Skiing expeditions through the glacial regions are very risky due to the presence of avalanche so you should all safety measures to get rid of any potential dangers. Contact the regional information centre or sports associations to get the right weather report. As we all know skiing constancy varies in every mountain range and even in slopes. Always hire a guide or ski instructor, with good knowledge about that skiing area decisions of such guides’ are vital and must be respected. Heli-skiing professional pilots have good knowledge of flying conditions during winters in the mountains. Their experience and knowledge about the weather changes make them alert. So they work in close company with certified skiing guide to make your skiing experience safe.

You should always pre-plan your helicopter skiing trip as the snowy regions accident prone. Always take precautions to get that ultimate heli-skiing experience. Ensure that you have hired certified guides, experienced helicopter pilots, have all the essential medical facilities and all forms of arrangements for emergency backup when you plan for heli-skiing. You will get numerous Heli-Ski Guides that will present you with world class standards and select the vast terrain for you skiers and snowboarders. Opt from the 7 day heli-ski packages and 3 day heli-ski package and enjoy the munificent welcome of the customary mountain lodge professional skiing guides and best team of pilots’ to get world class heliskiing experience.

They have very good communication facility, detailed information of weather forecast and safety equipment to meet all your requirements. Helicopters used in heli-skiing are equipped with a GPS, VHF radio and satellite phone for all time contact with the lodge and ski guides. Other essential equipments here are first aid, oxygen, avalanche survival equipment. The heli-skiing pilots are awfully taught and knowledgeable professionals flying thousands of hours in the regional mountains. Pilots are quite capable to control landing zones at elevated altitude with expertise.

Countries having popular heli-skiing and catskiing spots are Iceland, Canada, USA, Greenland, Alaska, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, Argentina, Norway, Finland, Indian Himalayas, Nepal, Georgia, Chile, and Switzerland. But Canada is the most popular area for heli-skiing. You will have innovation experience in ski mountaineering in the mountain region if you go for providers having a good number of years experience.

Choose the Best Sports Handicapping Service

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

One thing that you will want to look for is whether or not sports handicapping services have their picks listed by a sports monitoring service. This is a pretty good indication about how different sports handicapping services feel about their own picks. If you have difficulty finding them, then they might not be worth the risk. You will be spending some money for the information that they provide you and you want to make sure that it is well spent.

You might want to look for some kind of a guarantee. Many of these services will include a guarantee that you can have your fees refunded to you if your free sports picks and up being particularly bad. This might be an indicator of a reputable sports handicapping service and it is great to get your money refunded to you but remember that you will not get your lost bets back so it is better to be careful right at the outset.

One of the red flags that you should look for when it comes to sports handicapping services is the percentage that they advertise. It is reasonable to expect that a good service should have a success rate of somewhere around 55 to 60%, particularly when it comes to something like football. If they are telling you that they can get somewhere between 70 and 80% of their sports picks correct then you should be rather suspect. Even the best sports analysts that have played the game and have talked to the players and coaches do not have a success rate like that so if they tell you they can win that much you should probably proceed with caution.

Try to look for sports handicapping services that have a proven record over more than one season. There are always seasons in which the favored team almost always wins and the underdogs never score an upset. In these types of seasons all sports handicapping services are going to look outstanding in their winning percentages. It is important to consider the overall correct predictions across several seasons. Some of the really well-run, well-connected and highly-researched types of services can offer a very competitive winning percentage, which is really incredible when you think about it.

Websites and online sports handicapping services are great for easy access to information. These sites are, of course, up and running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, allowing you to stay up to date with injury reports, weather conditions, statistics on players and teams and even what the Vegas betting trends are. Not only can this information be helpful to you, but it also shows that the information that the service is using is as timely as it can possibly be. Websites are also ideal since they can be accessed from anywhere that you have an Internet connection. With new wireless cell phone options, online access has never been easier, no matter where you may be stuck in traffic. Getting information when you are on the go can give you that extra edge when you are ready to place your wager.

Look for sports handicapping services that provide information on their websites. A few top of the line services offer free newsletters and perhaps even the option of a free pick to help you determine if you want to sign up for regular picks. Typically packages that may include weekly, monthly or season picks are part of the handicapping service, and individual game picks are also typically offered. Trying out a few of the day picks can allow you to become familiar with the site and the services before committing to a full season. Season packages are usually discounted over each individual game pick price, actually saving you money over the season.

If you find one of the few really great online sports handicapping services, you will also be privy to information that simply cannot be found anywhere else. This may include information on coaching styles or even issues between players that may affect the team. This type of info not only will help you in placing your bet, but it also allows you to have the edge over others who simply don’t have the resources to do this type of research.

Heliskiing in Canada - The Best Choice

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

In the quest for ever-higher peaks, and endless vertical fields of fresh powder, extreme skiers don’t ride a chair lift or a gondola, they ride a helicopter. With heliskiing operations now available all over the world in many countries, advanced skiers have the possibility to access isolated terrain in every continent. However, Canadian heli skiing has the longest history of helicopter skiing operations, and arguably the best conditions you can find anywhere in the world. It is home to the majority of heliskiing and heli boarding operations on Earth. This is probably because British Columbia, Canada, has the perfect combination of terrain, climate, and precipitation that it’s needed for this kind of operations.

For those of you with Canadian heliskiing in their plans, the season in BC typically runs from January to early April. Whistler may offer some days in December, and other operators have been known to offer the Christmas and New Year’s weeks due to the high demand. Primetime is February, but January and March are also typically very good for heliskiing. Be aware that the late season can include so-called ‘corn snow’ in addition to, or instead of, fresh powder.

When planning a heliskiing trip, the size of the group and the number of groups per helicopter is also an important consideration you should keep in mind. Some of the bigger Canadian heliskiing operators use big helicopters that can accommodate 11 guest. Almost all of the boutique, smaller operators use the more maneuverable and more intimate ‘A-Star’ helicopters which hold 4-5 guests each. Small groups can access tighter terrain than cannot handle 13 sets of ski or snowboard tracks. Similarly, the number of groups carried by each helicopter can impact the quality of your experience. Larger helicopters servicing multiple groups typically experience wait time as groups move at different speeds. This can impact your ability to achieve the agreed upon vertical feet that the tour operator offers to provide you with over the course of the day.

Total travel time is another element of a heliskiing or catskiing trip that is often overlooked by people. Some of the most established operators out there require bus rides of 8-12 hours on both ends of the trip. This in an ironic contrast to the fast and convenient service offered by heliskiing. This doesn’t always sit well with the kinds of clients who can typically afford a heliskiing experience because nobody likes a 12 hours trip in a bus. But the thrill it’s worth the time.

And what is the cost of the ideal Canadian heliskiing experience? Most packages run anywhere from $800 to $1,100 per person per day, but it is a cost that is well worth it. This includes food, lodging, helicopter lifts, and apr?s ski hors d’ouevres. Alcohol is always an additional cost. Most packages include a guaranteed minimum vertical. Additional vertical feet are usually billed at $25-$40 per thousand feet.

A Few Tips on Baseball Wagering

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Sports’ betting has always been popular, and has shot up in popularity with the spread of the Internet. It’s now much easier for individuals to find the information that is needed to place an informed bet on the outcome of a game. Those who like baseball wagering know that baseball is one of those sports where more is needed to place a bet then just looking at the records of a team.

In baseball wagering you’re often dealing with a situation where any team can beat any other team. To make an informed bet you need to look at all of the possible factors that might influence the outcome of the game. These include any injuries to key players, the records of starting pitchers, whether key hitters are in a batting slump, and many other factors. This information used to be primarily available to baseball insiders, but now experts are willing to share the information with anyone that’s into baseball wagering.

There’s no doubt an expert can help. A good baseball sport wagering expert can provide you with the hottest betting trends and keep you up on the latest line so you know who to bet on and how and where to bet. In other words, your odds are greatly increased when you do your baseball wagering with the help of the odds makers themselves. Sports’ betting is fun and exciting and with the right knowledge at your finger tips it can be lucrative. You won’t win all of the time, but by using expert advice you can greatly improve your chances.

If you enjoy football scores sports Wagering you probably know that baseball Wagering is truly an art. You can’t just decide that you like the Yankees and bet on them to win every game. In baseball no team wins all of its games and to engage in informed baseball Wagering there is a lot of research to be done. For example, what do the odds makers say about the line on a game? Is a team favored to win and by how much?

Of course, just knowing the odds may not even be enough. The odds makers involved in baseball Wagering may differ so you’ll want to look deeper for information. For example, what is the team’s overall record and specifically what is its record against the team it’s playing next? Are there injuries to key players on either team and how have the starting pitchers been doing lately? You may even want to dig into information about any batting slumps by key hitters. lottery

You probably won’t find this information in the morning newspaper so if you’re serious about baseball Wagering you may want to consult with an expert. A good expert does all of the work for you and provides you with the information you need to place bets that have a good chance of being successful. You already know that baseball Wagering can be fun and you want to make it profitable, so make sure the odds are in your favor. Get all of the information that used to be only available to baseball insiders by checking with an expert.

NBA Basketball Betting

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Professional basketball gets more exciting to watch every year. Of course, the excitement is even greater if you’re into nba basketball betting. If you like nba basketball betting football scores you know there is much more to successful betting than just putting money on your favorite team to win every game. You also know that sometimes the information you need may be hard to find. This is where getting the recommendations of a good expert can come in handy.

These are the people who know everything there is to know about nba basketball betting. They don’t just give you the odds and betting lines, they tell you how they were arrived at. Then you can base your nba basketball betting on more than just a hunch. For example the experts will know if there has been an injury to a key player and will be able to determine how that may affect the player’s performance in the next game or series of games. If the injury will cause the player to miss some games then the expert can determine how his loss will affect the team as a whole.

As you can see team records are just one of the factors to be considered when doing nba basketball betting. The team may be having internal problems or individual off court problems. So clearly, he more you know the better your chances of making a winning bet and with the right help the odds can quickly shift in your favor. So get the information you need to know and start winning your basketball bets.

Millions of people bet on sporting events every year and some of the most exciting action can come from nba betting. The large number of professional basketball games allows you to do a lot of nba betting and potentially win a lot of money. However, you need to know how to make the best bets. A lot more is involved in successful betting than just looking at the betting lines and odds and then laying your money down; lottery. There are numerous factors that can affect the outcome of a pro basketball game, and just knowing team records don’t always tell you everything you need to know.

For example an injury to a key player might dramatically affect a team’s ability to win the next game against their arch rivals. Therefore it could also affect which team you bet on and how much you want to bet. For example, is the injury serious enough to keep the player out of the game, or will just limit his playing time? If he can play, how might the injury affect his performance? If the player normally scores over 30 points a game and will likely only score half of that due to the injury this is information critical to your nba sport betting decision.

A NBA betting decision may also be impacted by such factors as friction between team members or between a player and a coach. Something like that can cause team members to lose focus and affect their play. So to do the best at your nba betting be sure and do your research and listen to the recommendations of the experts. Then place your bets and collect your winnings.

The NBA Final Picks

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Do you have a favorite team that you are rooting for? Or maybe you just have a player that you like. Does your team have a shot at the next NBA Finals? Usually if the team was pretty good in the previous year they will have approximately the same performance unless major players are hurt, were traded or retired. New players are too green to have an effect as it will take them a while to get trained and acclimated to professional basketball.

Number 24 Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers have the greatest odds to win. They are the returning champions and have won numerous titles, so they are really the team to watch. In a poll recently posed to fans 51 percent felt that the Lakers would win again in 2010. Unless Kobe gets hurt or something unforeseen happens they should be one of the two teams vying for the title.

One of the other two contending teams that might have a shot is the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James leads this team. He is the franchise player that skipped college basketball because of the beauty of his playing abilities. Though many say that LeBron is still young and hasn’t fully matured enough to win even though he is a phenomenal player. Although Shaquille O’Neal is an experienced player with four championship wins Cleveland doesn’t have enough supporting players on the team to help them win. Even as extraordinary as LeBron may be he cannot win the playoffs by himself.

Sports picks and sports handicapping articles brought to you by Johnny Detroit’s The Sports Gambler, quickly becoming one of the best free sports handicapping and professional sports betting picks service online, backed by one of the most expert sports handicapping teams in the world, featuring paid and free sports picks on hundreds of pro and college sports betting events.

The other team that is on the watch list is the Boston Celtics. They have won a championship game in the past decade so they would need to have a few key players to step up to the plate to get to the playoffs. Boston used to be a powerhouse in the eighties and they may rise up yet again with the right people in place. Many people felt that Boston has a 24.3 percent chance to win it all in 2010.

Most of the teams that are in contention have franchise players and are at the salary cap so they will not have an opportunity to draft any really good players. They can only do a trade to try and lower their salary budget to bring in fresh blood. Many feel that the salary caps should be raised so that other teams can compete. Yet still others feel that the top league players should take a salary cut to gain additional players if they are truly serious about winning. The other time that happened was with the Chicago Bulls as Michael Jordan wanted to win so badly that he was willing to sacrifice his NBA salary since he was making more money in advertising endorsements. Unless LeBron James is willing to go this route the Cavaliers may never win.

As it is still early yet anything could still happen. Nothing is set in stone. No one yet knows who is going to win and the NBA picks are still too early to decide. The favored team could have a really bad year. Your underdog team could possibly get that NBA ring.

Bet on Final Four

Friday, February 12th, 2010

It is called March Madness for a reason; there are few sporting events in the world like the NCAA college basketball tournament and particularly the excitement of the final four teams. This is why many sports betting enthusiasts enjoy placing a bet on final four action. At this point in the tournament the teams are generally evenly matched and it can become a real challenge to choose the teams that will make the championship game and the team that will ultimately win it all. Therefore in order to bet on final four action you need to look carefully at anything that might have an impact on a game.

This information can include such factors as any injuries to key players that might affect their performance and how individual players on the teams appear to match up against each other. If you have this type of information you can bet on final four action with more confidence. Another factor to be considered is the betting odds and betting lines on the games. You want the best odds when you bet on final four games and you can usually get them from a good online Sportsbook. The sportsbook will also have experts who analyze every aspect of the games and make solid recommendations for you to consider.

These experts can give you such information as a team’s against the spread (ATS) record. With this information you’ll know if a team that usually wins its games also usually beats the spread. If it doesn’t, then you’ll probably want to bet on final four teams that have a better ATS. The key is, the more you know, the better your chances of cashing in on the final four.

One of the most exciting times in sports is the NCAA basketball tournament, otherwise known as March Madness free sports scores. This can also be an interesting and exciting time if you’re into sports betting. The NCAA tournament offers many opportunities for you to make some significant money on your basketball bets. This is particularly true if you bet final four teams because these teams tend to be evenly matched and the betting lines can offer only minimal insight. This is when you want to have as much information as possible in order to bet final four teams.

Unlike some other team sports there aren’t as many factors that affect basketball games. For example you don’t have to worry about weather conditions, but you still want to know about injuries, even minor ones, that might affect your bet final four decisions. Another thing to consider when you bet final four teams is where the games are being played. Although the final four is usually played in a ?neutral? site there may often be at least a slight home court advantage.

If the final four is in San Antonio, Texas for example, and Texas is one of the teams it will certainly have the largest group of fans present, particularly if the other teams are all from the Midwest or East Coast. If Texas has played better at home all year and beaten the point spread more often at home, then you may want to consider Texas when you bet final four. A good sportsbook can give you the information you need about the final four teams so don’t hesitate to consult with the experts when you place your bets.

Helicopter Snowboard

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Do you love winter, snow and cold? Are you a skilled snowboarder or skier? Are you sick of packed ski centers with hard snow, endless waiting hours and boring slopes? Are you an adventure and adrenaline junkie? Are you one to test your limits continually? Are you a wild sports’ fan? Ever heard about helicopter snowboard? You might have. It is the supreme snowboarding activity, so if you replied yes to the previous questions, you are the right candidate for a ride like no other, and here’s an idea for you!.

Read this carefully, the Chilean Patagonia is the supreme place for helicopter snowboard. Its gorgeous array of ferine peaks where the fine-grained snow produces unique gliding possibilities is on the far side of comparison. You can snowboard the precipitous falls of some of the largest mounts in the world, that are really astounding and difficult, in a manner that will make your adrenaline explode and makes bungee jumping look like a child’s play. Thus, if you are the escapade-buff and risk-taking kind of individual, then you will absolutely love helicopter snowboard in Patagonia. The Island Lake Group offers some of the world’s most exciting private heli ski tours and untouched powder snowcat skiing, Cat Ski, Catskiing in Canada. Visit Island Lake Lodge today for a perfect hiking & mountain spa getaway!

There are several undiscovered mountains and valleys which are perfect for helicopter snowboard all around the globe, but none as whole and varied as Patagonia. What pulls in tourists from all parts of the planet to this location is the extensive assortment of sceneries, beautiful landscapes, the exceptional abundance of its wildlife and the cordiality of its people.

The incomparable factor about taking on helicopter snowboard is -apart from practicing a true wild sport- the relaxing state it offer. Think about it, packed ski centers are for beginners; you merit some time with your loved ones, doing what you are passionate about and passing an overrefined time with them as you delight on an amazing adventure. All this, encircled in a peaceful area, blue skies, new, pure snow and heaps of entertainment.

There is no question about it! Helicopter snowboard is fun, but yet a wild sport that asks for several considerations, like being disposed and completely equipped so that the trip is wholly risk-free. For instance, when weather is inclement or snow slides are imminent, it is advisable to ski or snowboard employing a different snow cat rather than the chopper. In the meantime, appropriate gear is fundamental. You require the indispensable equipment you would use for conventional skiing or snowboarding for undertaking helicopter snowboard: goggles, wrist and knee pads, helmets and layered coating, that have evidenced to be the most efficient manner of facing cold climate and guaranteeing you savor the sport comfortably and protected.

Helicopter snowboard is synonym of adventure in the open. It is directed towards chance-attracting, audacious people that wish to experience life on an edge. When you wish to attempt something different, or already practiced helicopter snowboard in several spots, you will surely need to practice it in Patagonia, where you will uncover unique views, incredible wildlife and the distinctive warmth of South American persons.

Sports Betting Rules

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Betting is done through Sportsbooks (US) or Bookmakers (UK) entities that accept bets. You can bet on the outcome of several sporting events, such as; Baseball betting, Basketball betting, Football betting, Tennis betting, Hockey betting, Snooker and Soccer betting games.

To place a sport bet, you go to a sportsbook, physical or online. You could also bet over the phone with many sportsbooks. Note that a sports book or sportsbook is not the same as an oddsmaker. The sportsbook simply accepts sports bets. An oddsmaker is a person who sets the sports betting odds.

You need to state what you are betting on by making a selection, the type of bet and the amount you are wagering. Your selection will obviously depend on the odds offered, so you will want to examine the range of odds available before you make a decision.

There are many types of bets you can place. Some sportsbooks may offer more betting varieties and combinations than others. Below is a list of the more common types of bets.

Straight bet or Single.

This is the simplest and most common bet. You bet on a winner at given odds.

Point Spread.

This bet lets you bet on a winner from two selections who have been made equal by allocating appropriate points to the underdog team. The Point Spread is the number of points allocated and is shown with a + sign for the favorite and a - sign for the underdog. The favorite has to win by more than the Point Spread for you to win; otherwise you lose your bet even if the team wins. Inversely, if you bet for the underdog, that team has to lose by less than the Point Spread for you to win. If the favorite wins by the exact Point Spread, then it is a push or a tie. You get your bet back. To eliminate a tie result, the oddsmakers sometimes include a half point spread. Since scores use full numbers only, one team has to win outright.

Buy Points.

Also, to buy Key Points. Move the Point Spread favorably at a price.

The Money line.

This establishes the odds for each team but inversely proportional to what would have been a Point Spread, and is indicated by a + for the underdog and a - sign for the favorite. Say team A is favorite and quoted at -180 and B is the underdog at + 120. The bets offered would be 10:18 odds-on for the favorite, and 12:10 for the underdog. For every $180 you bet on A you would win $100 or lose $180, but for every $100 you bet on B you would win $120 or lose $100.

Total.

A bet for the number of points scored in the game by both teams combined, including points scored in overtime.

Over/Under.

A bet that the combined number of points free sports scores by the two teams in the game will be Over or Under the total set by the oddsmaker.

Parlay or Accumulator.

A multiple bet. A kind of ‘let-it-ride’ bet. Making simultaneous selections on two or more games with the intent of pressing the winnings of the first win on the bet of the following game selected, and so on. All the selections made must win for you to win the parlay. If a game is a tie, postponed or cancelled, your parlay is automatically reduced by one selection; a double parlay becomes a straight bet, a triple parlay becomes a double. A parlay bet can yield huge dividends if won.

Teaser.

It is like a parlay, but with the option to add or subtract points (called ‘moving the line’) from one or more Spread bets. When betting a teaser additional points are either added to the underdog or subtracted from the favorite. The odds vary according to the number of points the spread is moved and the number of teams combined to form the teaser. As in the parlay, all selections must win for the teaser to win. Teasers odds are usually worse than the parlays.

If-wager.

A bet that allows the bettor to make a second wager, up to an equal amount, pending a win on the first selection.

Open Wager.

Open wagers allow the bettor to play teasers or parlays making a selection at different times and even different days.

Future.

A bet on a future event. At the start of each season, the sportsbooks give out odds for teams to win a certain championship. The odds change as the game date approaches and in most cases get shorter, but if you win you get paid at the original odds that you took. This is possibly one of the most profitable bets if you have considerable knowledge of the sport that you are betting on including the players, and a good sense of judgment.

Exotic Bets.

Betting on unusual events. Some sportsbooks post odds and take bets on a wide variety of other sports related events and activities. A few others will take bets on just about anything you can think of.
Proposition Bet or Prop Bet.

An offer of bets at odds and conditions chosen by the sports book, usually on ‘Exotic’ bets.