On October 15., Major League Baseball will be commencing the league championship series, two weeks ahead of the World Series. The NFL will be on its sixth week while the NBA will be completing preseason games.
In Florida, sports fans will have the freedom to bet on their favorite games stress-free. Some seasoned punters will make money out of betting. But if you’re a beginner, learn the following tips before you place your first bet:
#1: Learn the Basics
Learning the basics of sports betting Florida serves an important purpose. It helps you avoid the pitfalls that befall many amateur punters. For example, most beginners bet on impulse. They do little research to discover the best odds or the best bet type.
Important, learning the fundamentals of betting will help you navigate through different betting products easily. You’ll know how to read odds, what different bet types mean and how different sports work.
#2: Specialize
Baseball, football, hockey, soccer, basketball, boxing—there are plenty of sports to predict for real money. And everyone will have an opportunity to wager on these sports in Florida beginning October 15.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to bet successfully on multiple sports, at least in the long-term. You need in-depth information about a sport, league and its teams to have an edge over sportsbooks.
Specialization increases your chances of winning. You know top scorers, most defensive teams and which teams to avoid.
#3: Learn about Value Bets
Many punters bet through emotions. A punter might love Tom Brady. And so, he backs Tampa Bay to win every football game. Or he hates the Cowboys, so he places a bet against the Cowboys every time.
Betting through emotions doesn’t work. But guess what does? Hunting for value bets/odds. A value bet involves a team or player with better odds of winning that a bookmaker believes. Let’s say the US Women soccer team is pitted against Canada in a World Cup qualifying game.
The bookies have odds +300 for the game to end under 2.5 goals. After doing research, you discover matches between the two teams have finished with fewer than three goals four out of five times. This is a value bet because the chances of winning are decent yet the odds are great.
#4: Choose a Reliable Bookie
Whether you want to bet for fun or turn it into a career, you need to choose a trustworthy bookmaker. Choose a reliable online sportsbook for added convenience. You’ll not have a reason to leave your house to bet.
What’s more, you can benefit from competitive odds, a wider variety of betting markets and live betting. Some betting apps also stream sports. All you need is to bet regularly.
The main reason you need a reliable betting site, though, is to have a smooth betting experience. You deserve quick deposits and withdrawals. You deserve a betting app that doesn’t crash and helpful feedback from customer service.
#5: Set a Budget and Stick to it
Like most projects in life, you need a budget for your betting project. It helps organize your finances. That’s because you can differentiate money for your bills from your sports betting budget.
Additionally, you can create a staking plan to run you an entire week or month without overspending. Let’s say you have $400 to spend on betting every month. You can decide to spend $100 per week—five games, each $20.
Based on that staking plan, you won’t have a reason to spend $40 on a game or spend beyond your $400 monthly budget. And in doing so, you’ll avoid ruining your finances.
#6: Set SMART Goals
You’ve probably heard this one. You need SMART goals to attain success in anything. Letter S stands for specific, M for measurable, A for attainable, R for realistic and T for time. In sports betting, a specific goal might mean winning three out of five bets every week.
The goal is measurable—three out of five. It’s attainable, realistic and time bound: every week. Next, is to figure out how to achieve your goals. For example, you can focus on money line wagers because they’re fairly easy to predict.
Or you can focus on predicting 60% of your monthly bets correctly. The bottom line: determine what you want to achieve and work to achieve these goals.
#7: Use Bonuses Carefully
Florida sports punter’s who’ve been to a tribal casino or racetrack have an experience with freebies. You qualify for a free bet for betting a certain amount of money at a casino regularly. Patrons also earn points they can redeem for various services.
In the mobile betting space, you don’t need to be a high roller to claim a bonus. Everyone has a chance to claim a free bet. Some bookies award you a bonus for doing little more than signing up for a free account. Others require you to make a deposit to earn your freebie.
Bonuses are exciting to use because they are like free money. However, many of them have terms and conditions. Depending on the terms, a bonus can give you value for your money. Or it might lead you to spend more money with little value in return.
Look for terms regarding playthrough, withdrawal limits, validity time and betting odds to know whether a bonus has value. If the terms look good, then you can claim it. If the conditions are strict and look unattainable, look for a better bonus.
Your Turn
Sports betting in Florida will officially become legal on October 15. This is thanks to a deal between the State government and the Seminole Tribe, allowing to latter to provide legal sports betting in the sunshine state for 30 years.
If you’re a sports fan and want to bet successfully, follow the tips shared above. Bet online on a reliable bookie site. You can grab bonuses. But read the terms to ensure they’re fair. That said, pick a sport and specialize in it. Learn all the fundamentals of betting, choose value odds and stick to your budget.