Swain Scheps - Sports Betting For Dummies

Sports Betting For Dummies

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Copyright 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2020904219

ISBN 978-1-119-65438-4 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-74861-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-74862-5 (ebk)

By Norm Hitzges

Betting on sports is about looking forward, hoping to find clues or insights that will lead you to betting on the right side of a game. But good bettors also spend time looking backward, trying to figure out whatclues they missed in yesterdays lost bet. When you spot those missed clues, your brain will whisper, You're a dummy! Try not to listen to that pesky brain.

If you're about to step tentatively into the sometime mystifying world of sports wagering, you must first understand one truism: No matter how long you work at it, sports betting will always provide moments where youll feel like a dummy. Being wrong sometimes badly, terribly, even embarrassingly wrong is part of the deal.

And sometimes your luck will be so bad, you wont even be granted the dignity of merely being wrong! Often the bettor is done in by factors he or she has no control over, like injuries, weather, or in the case of football yellow handkerchiefs thrown by your fellow human beings at the worst possible times. Suffering bad beats (when the team you bet on gets an unlucky break, or somehow snatches defeat from the jaws of victory) is also a part of this hobby. You must accept them and move on as quickly as possible hoping that it all evens out in the end. (That sentiment, while true, has never made anyone feel one bit better.)

Sports betting also involves work. Are you ready for it? Anybody can make a bet on a hunch and win a few bucks and have some laughs, but this isnt something you can dabble at if you expect to be consistently good at it. Youll need to study the sports betting marketplace, get comfortable with betting strategies and odds, find ways to research teams and players, and learn to keep good records. It takes time, patience, and no small amount of courage. (Did I mention those bad beats?)

So why do so many of us participate? Sports betting is fun. Not just game-of-Parcheesi-fun or go-to-the-movies fun. Im talking about genuine exhilaration. Betting takes what you already love about sports to the next level. When you pick a winner, it can feel like youve solved a seemingly impossible riddle or uncovered a secret that nobody else knows. When you win a bet that all of your friends said you were crazy to make, its a flavor of elation you wont soon forget.

So put aside your fear of being a dummy and start reading! Good luck, and Ill see you at the betting window .

Norm Hitzges is a Texas Radio Hall of Fame member in his 45th straight year on the air in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Norm is a veteran horse and sports handicapper and industry insider whose picks are offered every Friday as his acclaimed Picks of the Pole segment on KTCK (1310 AM / 96.7 FM, SportsRadio 1310 The Ticket). Norm also donates considerable time and energy to charitable work for many organizations, including the Austin Street Center and Texans Can Academy.

1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 5
4. Chapter 10
5. Chapter 11
6. Chapter 12
7. Chapter 13
8. Chapter 14
9. Chapter 17

1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 4
3. Chapter 6
4. Chapter 10
5. Chapter 11
6. Chapter 14
7. Chapter 16

Lets get one thing straight: Sports betting is an intellectual challenge with a tangible life-affirming, pocket-book-enhancing result at the end of each event (if all goes well). Its a test of your puzzle-solving skills. Can you find the hidden angle or discover some insight about the two teams on the field that the rest of the world missed?

In the old days, youd have to travel to Nevada or have a guy if you wanted to bet on a sporting event. As the internet evolved, those with enough patience and tolerance for risk could pursue bets through offshore casinos. Thankfully, in this modern age, there are now a handful of states and Canadian provinces that permit sports betting. So if youre traveling to one of those regions, or if youre like me and you maintain an account with an online bookmaker, this is the book for you.