Online sports betting provides an experience that you can have while sitting at your computer in the comfort of your own home. In order to do this, you must first choose a sportsbook that is suitable for your use. Since there are quite a few of them, including some scams or unreliable sites, take some time to decide. Here’s what to consider when making your final decision:
1. The reputation of the sports book. Check online reviews and read various websites because you have to take everything with a grain of salt. It is not uncommon for sportsbooks to have review sites that naturally give them glowing reviews. If the site has a reputation for past issues or late payments, it’s not the site for you.
2. The bets you can place. Make sure the site offers the types of bets you want to place. Also, check that the minimum and maximum limits of the bets suit you.
3. The ease of use. The website you choose should be user friendly and easy to navigate so that you can place your bets with a minimum of effort and fuss. This also reduces the chances of making a mistake.
4. Bonuses. Different sportsbooks offer different bonuses and incentives. Most of these involve deposits, so make sure the deposit rules don’t make it difficult for you to earn your bonuses.
Online sports betting: Below are some of the most common bets you can place through online sportsbooks.
Spread bets: Odds makers often create the point advantage in favor of the underdog to even the position. This is common in high scoring games like basketball or soccer. If you bet on the underdog and the spread is five points, you win if the underdog wins or loses by less than five points.
Totals: The oddsmakers post a “total” which they believe to be the combined total of both teams’ scores. If you think the score will be higher, you bet on Over and if you think the score will be lower, you bet on Under.
money line: This is a straightforward bet that does not require much calculation and simply requires you to pick the winning team. This type of bet can be placed on team sports as well as individual sports such as boxing and martial arts. Usually the number next to the favorite has a minus sign in front of it and indicates how much you have to bet to win $100. For example, -110 means that you must bet $110. Similarly, the underdog will have a plus sign next to the number that shows how much he will win on a $100 bet. For example, +110 means you will win $110.
Parlays: Instead of betting on each game, you can bet on the results of multiple games with a single bet and this is called a parlay. You can earn a lot of money if you call all the results correctly. Naturally, this is a high risk bet where the house has a substantial edge.
teasers: Some sportsbooks also offer teaser bets where the spread is reduced as well as the payout. For example, if you teaser loser and the spread is reduced from 12 to five points, you will win if your team loses by less than five points, but you will also get lower odds.