Despite the fact that it’s possible to make money betting on sports, most bettors never achieve consistent profitability. This is because the betting market has a built-in disadvantage and the law of large numbers will eventually wipe out any small profits. There are, however, a few strategies that can help.
The most obvious strategy is to bet on bets that offer a larger chance of winning than implied by the odds. This is known as value betting. Pro bettors also look for opportunities to exploit the weaknesses of a book’s line. These weaknesses can be found in a variety of ways, but some bettors are math freaks and understand statistical analysis, which helps them spot betting opportunities.
Another popular strategy is to bet on over/under totals. Over/under totals are calculated by a sportsbook to predict the combined score for a particular game. For example, a football team’s total might be set at 66. A bettor can then choose to place a bet on whether the team will score more or less than that number.
Some bettors try to make this type of bet a cornerstone of their wagering strategy by making over/under bets on every single game each week. While this approach can result in some wins, it’s also very risky and a waste of time. It’s much better to focus on bets that have a high probability of winning, and to limit losses by setting a maximum amount to bet.