5 Tips on Betting US Sport
I’ve been meaning to write a post for a while now with some gambling advice for US Sport. Most guys in Ireland will be familiar with betting on horses, football and rugby. Maybe you’ve dipped your toe in the water with some tennis betting or golf betting. But betting on the likes of American Football, Baseball, Basketball and Ice Hockey is a very different animal.
So in this week’s edition of my betting blog, I want to give you 5 tips for how to hold onto your shirt when you begin to look stateside for your next big bets.
Obviously general advice like this can never replace your own research – but I hope it’ll give you some pointers to get started.
1. Use the stats. American sports are full of statistics. The websites are full of every statistic you could possibly imagine. If you don’t use them, you’re going to fall behind. So check out the NFL team’s 3rd Down Conversion %, the starting pitcher’s WHIPs and the hockey goalie’s save rate. If you’re not using the stats, someone else will.
2. Beware the home underdog. American sports are passionate, full-blooded affairs. Home-field advantage is often under-estimated. In particular, beware going against an underdog playing at home. They are always fired up and will often give the fancied team everything they can handle.
3. Don’t ignore the pitcher. The starting pitcher in baseball is the most important player in any team sport in the world, including an American Football quarterback. He starts every play, and a good pitcher can bail out a bad side. Before you step in with your big bets, make sure to check who’s pitching.
4. Don’t ignore the weather. Ice hockey and basketball are played indoors. But American Football and Baseball are outdoor sports (in the main – there are some indoor arenas, so make sure you know which ones!). The weather can have a massive effect on these sports: windy NFL games have fewer points, warm sunny baseball games have more home runs and so on.
5. Check the injury news. American Football is an especially violent sport, but in all the other big American sports, team news is a factor. There are loads of great team websites out there, so make sure you never get caught backing a team which has just lost his best player.
