Try these beginner's betting strategies for your first bets

M Alzamora Published 07/04/2021

Placing your first bets doesn’t have to be a nerve-wracking experience if you make use of these simple beginner’s betting strategies.

As with most things, a little planning goes a long way when learning something new. That saying is doubly true when it comes to betting with real money on the line. But practicing a few simple betting strategies can help players to win more place their bets with confidence.

Betting on the favorite

Movies and television shows have taught people that betting on the favorite isn’t worth it because the underdog can win big. But that couldn’t be further from the truth when players are just starting out. Favorites are favorites for a reason. Betting on favorites is a great place to start, as players can build their knowledge of particular sports, place a few bets, and start to see how it all works without relying on a long shot to come through.

Don’t try to pick the winner, pick the loser instead

This strategy is more of a mental tip for punters, but it’s a strong strategy all the same. American football is a perfect example, but it’s a smart way to frame a match in any sport that features two competitors.

The idea comes from the thought that human beings are much better at analyzing weaknesses than they are strengths, and that allows bettors to make better decisions in the long term. Remember, “picking” the loser doesn’t always mean “betting” on that person or team to lose. Seeing a team or player’s problems can help players to identify who to wager on.

Play the smaller markets

There is a built in risk in betting, but risk isn’t always a bad thing. As players get more comfortable with placing simple bets on who they think will win, a whole range of options begin to open up. More specific types of bets, like wagering on whether game’s final score will be even or odd, are lighter markets that can win players can also win money in.

Esports is a great example of this. Over-under markets for the total number of rounds won in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive matches are a great example, especially with the huge amount of information available at players’ fingertips. Go back through each team’s recent matches and see how they’re doing. Are they consistently ending matches over a certain number of rounds regardless of opponent? They might be a good candidate for this type of bet.

Become an expert

As mentioned above, practice makes perfect. When players are first starting out, a helpful strategy is to pick a team or player and watch them closely for a couple of weeks. Start to wager in your head and see if you can predict their outcomes correctly. Players will be surprised at how quickly they start to notice smaller things that may affect a game’s outcome.

Becoming an expert on one team or player is an easy way to start betting, as more time spent gathering information almost always results in a better outcome.

M Alzamora

About M Alzamora

There are few things that writer M Alzamora loves more in life than Pokemon. And there are even fewer things that she loves more than her favorite Pokemon, Eevee. But M’s appreciation for gaming isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters. She’s interested in every type of game across every genre of gaming, and she has the credentials to prove it. M’s work has also been seen on Working Classicists and gaming sites.

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