If you want to keep on betting for a very long time then you would certainly need to win most of your placed bets. Winning more money against each stake will also help you to stay engrossed while helping you place bets with larger stakes in the future. In order to keep winning consistently it is imperative that you work on how to turn sports lines and odds into winners.
Different countries display odds and lines in different styles. While European odds are displayed using decimal odds, i.e. for example 1.10, sports books in the United Kingdom prefer using fractional odds, i.e. for example 8/4 or 8/8, while bookies in the USA prefer using moneylines or Amercan odds, i.e. for example -250. Each bookie presents the odds and lines in what he thinks is a fair bet and these lines also include his commission, which is also known as “vig” or “juice”.
The odds could remain constant or could change intermittently depending on which betting method is chosen by you. Betting lines indicate all the required data including the favored team and the underdog, the spread, over-under, etc and this data can help you to place your bet after understanding and calculating your own chances of winning that bet.
If you are not confident on reading sports lines and odds correctly then you can simply visit reputed websites that offer free or premium picks and use them to place your bets. These picks are usually chosen by a pro handicapper that is an expert in studying the history related to the performance of each team along with keeping an eye on their injury and training status and their form. A search engine like Yahoo can lead you to many such sites but you should make sure that you choose only a reputed website for your picks.
Since different bookies offer different lines and odds, it makes for a good betting strategy to play with as many online sports books as possible to multiply winnings and reduce losses. You should read all lines carefully and decide on placing your bets only after understanding on how to beat the odds. You should start with sites that offer the highest odds and then move on to those that offer lower odds.
Pari-mutuel betting or variable betting is much more exciting and offers you a chance to win more money on a single bet although the stakes too are higher. You can request a mentor to explain the finer points of reading lines and odds so as to make fewer mistakes and rapidly place bets like a pro.
Although sports lines and odds are displayed in different styles in different countries and differ in sports such as baseball, basketball, football, horse racing, etc, the aim of these lines is to provide you with all relevant information about the bet. Once you learn on how to read and understand the consequences of these lines and odds then you will be able to make an educated bet that has a far greater chance at winning than a bet based on flipping a coin or merely on emotions.