Handicapper, specific to sports betting, refers to someone who does analysis into sporting events in order to provide themselves a benefit over the bookmakers. Pretty much anyone can become a handicapper and, whether you would like to take it on in a professional fashion is up to you. There are both pro and amateur handicappers making bets on different sports every day. The former typically spend hours looking into statistics, figures, and just about anything that might give them a benefit.

Amateur and Professional Sports Bettors

Both amateur and professional sports bettors are regarded as handicappers since they take a lot of time analyzing a game and predicting how it is going to play out. But, this does not indicate that a professional sports handicapper and an amateur handicapper must be treated the same way. The two are different in spite of sharing the term ‘handicapper.’ A professional handicapper is more patient and does not place their bet easily. An amateur will always be in a rush to bet on a game. A professional handicapper, on the other hand, can stay away from the game and instead gather as much information as possible so that they know how and where to place their bets.

Football Handicappers

Sports are seasonal events, with most campaigns lasting 8-9 months a year in professional leagues. Certainly, this is not perfect for handicappers, particularly if betting happens to be their chief source of income. One sport may be enough if there are off-season tournaments available. For example, in football, you can always find international activity afoot after clubs break off for the summer. The World Cup comes every four years but there are also the Euros, which come around every four years too but never the same year as the World Cup. Football handicappers can also get by on pre-season football, leaving them with adequate to bet on while the official club season lies inactive.

You could find very lucrative handicappers in both groups so it is hard to say which group is better but specialists are likely to find more success as they can narrow their focus and give attention to just one or two sports, which leaves them with more time to know everything that goes into them.

Other groups will depend on data scraped by models they have developed themselves. While those are not perfect, many of them are pretty correct most of the time. Yet another group makes their picks based on opinion. This does not mean that they just guess – they still do the research. The difference is they like not to have systems guide their hands.

Every game is different and, though anything can take place once that whistle blows, there are several factors leading up to any game that can give you a better chance of making the correct choice. You may decide to bet on a sport because you enjoy watching it but, once money gets involved, it pays to do your homework.

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Bettors have been around the block more than a couple of times and generally don’t think so. As such, most of them will take some time to examine their selections. Some do this by researching key pieces of information they deem significant, while others will lean heavily on reliable resources to do the heavy lifting.
There are also combinations of both approaches, and several offshoots, some of which are quite advanced while others aim to keep it simple. In all cases, these bettors are handicapped before making their selections. The endeavor of handicap betting is to take guessing out of the equation. It is tough to beat the oddsmakers on a long-term basis, but those who put in the time and effort can improve their chances of doing so.

For those new to online sports betting, handicapping can appear to its making things more difficult. It’s actually a contradictory case. The aim of handicap betting is to make it simpler for you to make your selections with confidence.

Concepts of Handicapping Sports

Tons of different theories on the best way to handicap sports, and data and information you can consider. Moreover, each sport has its nuances to consider. That can make it all appear really confusing to those starting out.

Thankfully, there is a simple base that you can use to build off. For team sports such as basketball, football, baseball, and hockey, start your handicapping journey by gaining a thorough understanding of the following concepts.

• After opening odds for a slate of games are released, you can immediately start scanning and looking for potentially appealing prospects. Once the market had a chance to react, the odds and lines may begin to adjust. The odds can tell a whole lot about probabilities and potential outcomes, so dedicate time to understanding how they work.

• Homefield advantage can twist odds and lines, so it is important to look past that for a second to determine which team is actually better. It can be advantageous to picture them facing off on a neutral field to help decide this. In addition, there are several power rankings systems that rank teams from top to bottom on overall strength.

• Homefield advantage can be a very big deal. But, there are also teams that do extremely well when playing on the road. As part of your routine, devote time to understanding how the two teams perform in the situation they are facing. You can find a home team in a vulnerable spot, as well as a road team that may be in a position to pounce. But, you won’t find either of them if you don’t take the time to look.

• You will have to look at offense vs. defense on both sides as well as the opposite. For each sport, you can also dig into more specifics, such as an NFL team that has a predicament with pass-catching running backs, or an NBA team that struggles against opposing big men.

• While the recent play is no assurance of what is to come in the future, it is a strong indicator of how things are going for the team overall. If one team is swelling while the other is flailing, you have found an important variable to consider.

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