Archive for September, 2010

For sports fans new to betting on the NFL and NBA, understanding the point spread will be essential to how much success you have when wagering. One of the biggest appeals to NFL betting is using the point spread, as it makes the games far more appealing than to simply wager on the favorite and receive a small payout. Today we examine the point spread for the unfamiliar bettor.

Essentially when dealing with sports wagering, sportsbooks predetermine one team to be better than the other. These are known as the favorite and the underdog. When it comes to the NFL and NBA, the point spread is used to lay points with the underdog to balance out betting lines.

What this means is that, when two teams face, the favorite has to win by more than a specific amount of points to make the wager a winner. The goal of breeders cup betting fans using the point spread for their bets is to wager on whether a favorite will cover by the suggested amount of points or if the underdog will either lose the game by less than the predicted points. Here is how it looks.

Cleveland Browns +3.5
Cincinnati Bengals – 3.5

Similar to the money line, fans using the point spread will once again see their picks represented by the plus and minus signs. As we know from money line wagers, the plus represents the underdog and the minus represents the favorite. In this example, fans betting on the Browns need them to lose by less than three and a half or win the game outright. Conversely, fans taking the Bengals to win the game, can only win their wager if the Bengals win the game by four or more points.

As we noted above, the point spread was created to balance out the betting lines. Basically, prior to the creation of the point spread, fans would mostly bet the favorite to win games outright. With so much money going towards the favorite, sportsbooks odds would not be able to pay everyone out.

When it comes to the online betting industry, there are a lot of options for players looking to get involved in wagering. NorthBet is the latest site to get in on the action, and they have a whole slew of perks for you to put your faith with them.

NorthBet’s best aspect is their payout options, as they realize that it is sometimes tough for online betting players to get their money out when they want it out. However, at NorthBet, they have a same-day policy when you comes to payouts, and if you are hooked up with their debit program, you can get your payout in as little as two hours. Most sites will make you wait a few business days, but the folks at NorthBet know that is far too long of a wait.

There is also their referral program, which could net you some extra cash, and it is always good to get your friends in on the action. You will get a 30% bonus off of their first deposit, and then another 5% on each additional deposit…for the rest of your life. It is the gift that keeps on giving, and you get to beta your friends while you are at it.

NorthBet is a young company, but they have experienced professionals working for them from the top down, and they leave no stone unturned. These folks know what it takes to be successful in an ever-growing industry, so you make the decisions, and they will take care of the rest. Check out the site at NorthBet.com and see what you have been missing out on.

Starting out in the early 90s with the rest of the big boys in the sports betting industry, BetOnline is a sportsbook trying to recreate its identity. Initially, they used the low juice, high bonus approach to acquire betting online handicappers from across the board. After taking a hit in the early part of the decade, BetOnline has bounced back in recent time to win over the hearts of online wagering fans. Here are a couple reasons to join up with BetOnline.

• Who Bets At BetOnline – As we noted, BetOnline initially started out attracting both sharps and squares as the low juices appealed to the big shooters while the high bonuses attracted first time bettors. Now 20 years later, BetOnline is a sportsbook frequented more by the casual and square bettors than it is by the sharps.

However, a fair amount of sharps continue to bet with BetOnline due to the low juice accounts from the middle of the 1990s being grandfathered. Patrons of the site can both deposit and withdraw at BetOnline using Moneygram, Western Union, Cheque and Bank Wire.

• Bonus Structure – Also noted earlier, is the high bonus approach that was formerly taken by BetOnline. Currently, BetOnline employs the bonus free play approach seen by many in the industry. Essentially how the bonus free play works, is that for every type of deposit you make, BetOnline offers a percentage of free play bonus with a rollover affect.

The maximum free play is $25 after 10,000 points are accumulated. For instance, if you deposit between $100 to $299 you are eligible to receive a 10 percent free play with a three time rollover. Patrons of BetOnline can deposit a maximum of $2000 in order to get a free play of 45 percent with an eight time rollover.

Finding the right online sportsbook is trickier than one might assume. Firstly, it is difficult to base how trustworthy a shop is when every site calls itself the best online sportsbook. Secondly, many reviews are from casino’s that either own the online sportsbook or are a subsidy of sans sportsbook. Here are three signs of a trustworthy sports wagering site.

• Read Press Articles – It is important when considering which sportsbooks are the most trustworthy, to find a reputable source. There are many sites that specialize in being the media outlets for sportsbooks. Meaning to say you should look at the articles these sites write about any given sportsbook.

For instance, SBR is the number one press outlet for sportsbooks and is the most credible source for helping you choose a trustworthy sportsbook.

• Go On A Test Run – Whether you are betting with a sportsbook or online casino, the majority of credible shops will have free software for you to test. When you join a sportsbook, you usually need to download a certain program to make your computer compatible. If you shop around and find one that requires you to pay a fee to download the compatible software, chances are they are in financial difficulty and should be avoided. Free software trials give you the opportunity to test the sites with no additional costs, showing that these sites are financially stable.

• Background Check – Similar to applying for a new job, it is important to look at a sportsbooks history and background. For instance, if you are shopping around and stumble upon BetOnline you will see that they have been around for almost two decades. With such a long history, new bettors know that the site is trustworthy, and stable financially, otherwise they wouldn’t have been around for so long.

Fans looking for a new sportsbook to bet with have come to the right place when looking at Sportsbetting.com sportsbook. As one of the middle of the pack sports betting online shops, casual gamblers are given the right amount of care to choose their sports picks. Here is a review of Sportsbetting.com

1.  Who Bets With Sportsbetting.com – As a middle of the pack wagering shop, Sportsbetting.com attracts casual and first time bettors as their main clientele base. They don’t post lines early or offer low juices, so sharps looking for a deal won’t really find what they are looking for here. However, as a beginner Sportsbetting.com is the ideal sportsbook for you to get your feet wet.

2.   Customer Care – Although phone wagering is becoming more ancient, this is still the most effective way to get a hold of the customer agents at Sportsbetting.com sportsbook. The customer care department could use some serious work, as many customers have complained about the service and respect they get from the shop.

For instance, patrons of Sportsbetting.com have had difficulty receiving payouts on time, cheques bouncing and account suspension without being told why. Sportsbetting.com does a lot of other things right, but customer care is their weakest area.

3.   Variety – Since the industry opened up for business 20 years ago, two methods of variety have been offered at sportsbooks. Sportsbetting.com falls under the first category also known as old school variety, in that they offer a ton of props betting options. The more common variety is one of live betting, exotic wagers and a lot of props.

For a bettors new and casual to the sports gambling scene, getting your feet wet with a variety based specifically on props bets may be the way to go before moving on to live betting.

Sportsbetting.com is your classic average shop that could use an upgrade to attract bigger spenders.