Sports betting can be a lot of fun when done smartly and responsibly. There’s nothing like watching your biggest loser hit a field goal at the last second. A big part of responsible gambling is simply knowing what you’re getting into. Punters must have a clear understanding of sports odds and the teams they are betting on. Of course, it is best to go to the professionals for the best betting tips and advice. Bettors interested in earning more than a little pocket change find success buying pick packages, playing the picks and keeping the difference. This article simply explains the basics of college football betting and offers a couple of tips for making good college football picks.
The most common types of college football picks you can make are based on teams. Individual players lack the national renown of star professional athletes in other sports like LeBron James or Albert Pujols. In any case, the college game is much more team-oriented than professional sports, so it’s fitting that team betting is the way to go. Plus, it’s hard enough to know the quality of Georgia Tech’s defense without having to memorize the best players in the conference. Instead, the bets are focused on the appearance of the team. The probabilities themselves are not difficult to understand. They are designed so that bettors with the most football acumen and the best information win the most money.
Betting the margin is a popular option. The bookmaker will set the spread for a game. An example would be Texas winning 4.5 over Oklahoma. There are no midpoints in football, of course, so what does this mean? By choosing the underdog, Oklahoma, a punter takes the points. If Oklahoma wins the game or loses by less than five points, the bet wins. On the other hand, betting on Texas would imply giving the points. The bettor calls the favorite, but Texas must win by five for the bet to pay. The spread is a way of leveling the betting field for teams that are not even on the soccer field. It also allows for some accurate betting. If you think the favorite will win but the loser will put up a good fight, you can take the points and win based on his astute reasoning.
The premise is simpler with a straight bet or money line. With these college football picks, simply bet on the favorite or the underdog to win the game. The advantage is that winning an underdog bet pays more than winning a favorite bet. You can play it safe with the favorite, or go for the big score by betting on the underdog. An example listing is Oklahoma +120 Texas -140. This means that a $100 bet on the underdog, Oklahoma, wins $120. A bet of $140 on Texas is needed to win $100 because Texas is considered the favorite.
Another interesting bet option is the plus/minus. An example is betting the total score of a game, counting both sides. If that Oklahoma vs. Texas matchup is expected to be a fairly high-scoring affair, the over/under of could be 64. If you take the over, then you win if the teams total more than 64 points, no matter who actually wins. Calling low is a winning bet if the teams combine for less than 64 points. This is a good type of bet for people who like statistics and trends more than the details and psychology of individual teams. The over/under bet can also be exciting until the end of the game. The winner may have been decided in the second quarter, but the loser could catch up enough to get over the line.
Betting on college football can be challenging, but also very rewarding. No one gets excited about a game like college athletes. Games are always fun to watch, and many people find them even more fascinating when something is at stake. Make sure you get as much information on the teams and betting as possible before you start this year. If you know what you’re doing, making college football picks can be a lucrative endeavor.