Sports BEtting Guide

Trying to break into the world of sports betting for the first time can prove difficult, especially if you lack a sports betting guide. This is exactly what we decided to create, all so we can inform players on how to bet on sports without much difficulty. If you have trouble understanding bet types, how odds work, or even where to find sports betting and how you can get in on the games, then you have come to the right place. By breaking down the entire industry of sports betting, we have managed to create a guide that should clear any confusion you might have. We cannot actually place the wagers for you, but you should have a general understanding of how things work in a sportsbook, either online or off when you finish with out sports betting guide.

Understanding online sports betting can initially seem confusion, but the fact of the matter is that it is one form of gambling that can be easily understood. While you may have previously placed a wager with your friends or family members, it is unlikely that you have placed wagers using the circumstantial odds and more complicated betting types that can be found through an online sportsbook. This is where things tend to get confusing. Odds are carefully devised and laid out, and, as the bettor, you will have to make a choice between two or more sets of odds per event. The odds will either show that one side, team, player, entrant, or whatever is the favored to win, while the other will be the long shot, the underdog.


Top Sportsbooks For Betting

Once you know about the basic betting types, as well as the understanding of betting odds, you should not have much difficult actually playing the lines. Understanding how to play the odds, as well as the betting types associated with the odds, is of key importance. You will want to make sure you understand these two features before you actually start to bet, or you could otherwise face major trouble. Sports betting is, above anything else, a game of knowledge, so keep this in mind when you are done with the guide to sports betting and actually start to wager on sports. Also look at the sportsbook deposit methods before you try to deposit, as they can simplify the financial part of your betting career online.

Bodog Sportsbook - 10% Unlimited Bonus

Bodog is an online sportsbook that will allow you to play the odds as you desire. If you bet through Bodog, you will find that they will allow you to play every form of odds available, fractional, decimal, or otherwise. Bodog has each of the betting types we have listed, and each of these cover most of the sports in the world. Bodog has a 10% unlimited match bonus available for all new players. They accept a variety of sportsbook deposit methods, all depending on where you live. We have found that VISA, MasterCard, eWalletXpress, Moneybookers, Instadebit and more.

Bodog Sportsbook

Intertops Sportsbook - 25% Match Bonus Or Free $20 Bet

Another way you can adapt the sports betting guide is through the sportsbook known as Intertops. Intertops provides their players with betting odds and betting types that cannot be rivaled. Their odds are favorable, as are the number of different betting types found through the sportsbook. Intertops offers two bonuses to help players learn how to bet on sports, a 25% match to $100, as well as a free $20 wager. Only one may be accepted, but both bonuses can be easily accepted and used in order to play the games with some extra cash. Intertops is easily one of the best sportsbooks to emerge on the Internet, and they provide all players with fun and excitement above all else.

Intertops Sportsbook

DSI Sportsbook - 20% to $500 Sign Up Bonus

Diamond Sportsbook International is a very user friendly sportsbook. This sportsbook helps all players figure out exactly what they need to know in order to place wagers on sports. DSI has made it so their interface is easy to navigate, so all you really need to understand is the wagers at hand. DSI offers a 20% unlimited match bonus, which can be used to collect up to$500 dollars in free money. DSI has the deposit options known as VISA, eWalletXpress, wire transfers, bank wires, bank transfers, NETeller, Moneybookers and more. Each deposit method is simple to use, so all you have to worry about is understanding sports betting after you learn everything you can from the sports betting guide.

DSI Sportsbook

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Best Sportsbooks
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  Intertops Sportsbook 25% to $100 or Free $20 Bet 10% to $50 Visit
  DSI Sportsbook 20% to $500 10% to $300 Visit
  Bodog Sportsbook 10% Unlimited Match N/A Visit
  5Dimes Sportsbook 50% to $520 Up to $500 Visit
  Bookmaker Sportsbook 20% to $500 10% to $300 Visit

Playing the Odds

Odds Formats By Region

  • European Format - Decimal
  • UK Format - Fractional
  • American Format - Moneyline
  • Every format is interchangeable

Odds are one of the most important things in all of sports betting. If you do not understand the odds, you do not understand the bet. Understanding the odds is a multi-faceted concept, as odds are displayed in a variety of different methods. Depending on your region, particularly your country of origin, the odds could be displayed differently. Odds can come in the European Format (which are decimal based), UK format (or fractional odds), and the format found through the online sportsbooks for US players, which the money line. Essentially a ratio, the odds present how much the bettor will win compared to the amount staked in the event.

Examples of Odds
- Even money would be presented as 2.0 (decimal), 1/1 (fractional), or +100 (American).
- Two-to-One would be presented as 3.0 (decimal), 2/1 (fractional), or +200 (American)

In any event, the person, team, or occurance with the lowest payout will be the favored. As an example, if Team A were to carry odds of -350, while Team B carried odds of +600, it is clear that Team A is the favored to win the event. Note that in games where a tie can occur, this outcome will have its own line associated with it. Keep in mind that the different odds layouts are all interchangeable, and each one can be translated into the next. Odds are essentially a predetermined probability set into place by the oddsmakers, those at the sportsbook who actually determine the likelihood of an event.

Understanding Betting Types

Different Betting Types

  • Straight Wagers - Straight Up, Point Spread, Total Score
  • Exotic Bets - Parlays, Futures, Teasers, Pleasers, Reverse Teasers
  • Proposition bets - Diverse, and deal with specific occurences in the game - coin flips, who runs the most, etcetera

Now that you have the odds, you then have to look at the betting types. If you thought that odds could be complicated, the betting types are where things really grow confusing. At any given moment, the best sports betting sites will offer at least six different betting types, though this could grow to almost a dozen. Our sports betting guide will help you understand some of the more complex and common of the betting types.

Betting types come in three major forms - straight wagers, exotic wagers, and props. Each form of wager carries its own stipulations and rules, but each can be profitable in its own right. Straight wagers are the most simple, and also the most widely used. Exotic bets are not only slightly more difficult to understand, but they can either pay higher or be very easy to hit. Finally, there are proposition bets. If a wager is not covered by any other betting type, then it is probably a proposition bet. It is likely that, in your sports betting career, you cover each type of bet at least once.

Straight Up Bets

Straight bets are the most common, and there are three of them. The first type of straight bet is who will win out right. You will be presented with odds on who will win, and you must choose the right one to win. There is then the spread. Spread betting is probably the most common form of sports wager. When betting the spread, the sportsbook will set a number. If you bet on the underdog in the spread, you will will the wager if the underdog's score plus the spread is greater than the favorites score. If you bet the favorite, your bet will win if the favorite's score minus the spread is greater than the underdog's. The total score, also known as the over/under, will present odds on a proposed total score of the game. The sportsbook will create a number, and you will have to wager on whether you think the total score of all participants involved will be above or below that number - hence, the over under.

Exotic Bets

Exotic bets also come in several forms. The most common of these wagers is that of the parlay. In a parlay, you will choose several two or more events. You will place one of the straight wagers on each of these events, but you will only win the wager if you accurately predict the outcome of each event in the parlay. Due to the nature of this wager, it is one of the highest paying bets available. Teasers are also in place. If you do not like the spread that has been applied by the oddsmakers at the sportsbook you are using, you will be able to adjust the spread. By using teasers, you can add or subtract points to spread and subsequently make the wager. Note that this will adjust the odds. Pleasers are essentially a combination of a reverse teaser - taking away points from the spread - and a parlay. These are some of the hardest wagers to hit, but they have enormous pay offs in the event that they come through.

Proposition Bets

Proposition bets are easily some of the most fun wagers you can place in the state. Proposition bets, also known as prop bets, cover specific instances in a game. Examples of prop bets include who will win a coin toss, who will run the most yards, will a player throw more than a certain amount of receptions, or who will take the first interception. These bets may not always come through, and they may not make you any extra money, but they do provide entertainment beyond most other types of sports bets.

What You Need To Know From This Sports Betting Guide

The wide range of betting types is what can complicate sports betting for many players. An understanding of at least bet type is important, and can be something as simple as a straight up win/loss bet. Now that you have read our guide, you should be some what acclimated to how odds function as well as the different betting types to which the odds may be applied. The combination of both the odds and the bet types are required in order to begin a successful betting career. Further advice includes sticking to sports you know, not taking overly outrageous risks, and sticking only to the best sportsbooks. Feel free to dip into our sports betting guide beyond your first read through, as this information will prove invaluable throughout the life of any betting career.

top eWalletXpress bonuses
DSI $500 - 20% or 10% Visit
Bodog 10% Unlimited Visit
5Dimes 50% - $200 Free Visit
Intertops 25% - $100 & $20 Bet Visit
Bookmaker $500 - 20% or 10% Visit
Sports Betting Help
  • Need more help?
  • Once you are a member of a particular sportsbook, their customer service will be willing to help you learn more if you are still confused. Some sportsbooks also have their own guide that you can read if this is not enough info to get started.