Those who win more than they lose while sports betting, usually possess some sort of advantage over the house. Advantage gambling is a term of art relating to any bettor who attempts to attain a legal edge or advantage before placing a wager. This practice is also known as advantage play, and a gambler who participates in this practice is known as an advantage player.
In something like Blackjack, card counting would be considered to be a practice that advantage players use. Winning Blackjack players would increase their bets when the math or count is in their favor giving them an expected edge over the house. Poker players will also use various types of strategies that can result in a the player having a better chance at winning. Most notably is simply the player being more skilled than his table opponents creating an expected edge.
There are a few methods that sports bettors can utilize to get to the point where they can engage in advantage gambling. The fact is that sports bettors can gain a distinct advantage by learning the ins-and-outs of the sport on which they are wagering. If a bettor becomes a daily student of the game they can gain an advantage to predict winners higher than the break even point of the sportsbooks posted odds. Ways to gain an advantage while sports betting include keeping up on injuries, trades, stats and off-field problems. These all give you a solid sports handicapping foundation on which to work with.
Purchasing a respectable winning sports handicapping service can give sports bettors a huge gambling advantage. A good sports pick service can make the difference between a gambler having a winning or losing season. The sporadic use of a handicapper is not recommended, since even the best handicappers have bad days. Wagering consistently throughout a sport’s season and incorporating a pick service in the mix can combine to give a sports bettor a true advantage.
Arbitrage wagering or scalping is also part of advantage gambling. With arbitrage sports betting, a gambler searches the Internet to find different moneylines on the same game. This can happen especially when two clubs are equally matched. The idea in arbitrage betting is to find two different sets of sports odds that allow you to bet on both teams and win no matter what happens. Here’s how it works.
Sportsbook A
Boston Celtics -115 & Los Angeles Lakers +105
Sportsbook B
Boston Celtics +105 & Los Angeles Lakers -115
In the above example, a bettor would be practicing arbitrage wagering if he/she put $100 on the Lakers with Sportsbook A and $100 on the Celtics with Sportsbook B. If the Lakers win, the bettor loses $100 to Sportsbook B but makes a $105 profit with Sportsbook A. Their net profit would be $5. If the Celtics win, then the gambler collects $105 from B and loses $100 to A for a profit of $5. If one can find disparate odds and bet them in this manner, there’s no way to lose. It is truly a win-win situation.
Two other ways in which a gambler can gain an advantage is through free picks through handicappers and via bonuses available from sportsbooks. Many premium pick services will offer daily free picks for bettors to use. Free picks allow the handicapper to gain a potential client’s trust, and it’s a good way for a gambler to get a bit of an edge. Sportsbooks will often give sign up bonuses for first deposits. These sportsbook bonuses may only be used for wagering and are available to the bettor only after a certain number of bets have been made or a specific amount of cash has been bet also known as a rollover requirement.
Advantage gambling allows bettors to get an edge on bookmakers and can greatly increase winnings. Getting the advantage in sports betting and other forms of gambling takes some effort but it is certainly an attainable goal that can payoff in the end.
