This is the time of the year when consumers are bombarded with one marketing ploy after another to grab your attention for the holiday season. This wave of advertising actually started right after Halloween and it will remain in full force right through New Year’s Day.
The same could be said for the world of online sports betting, but in a much subtler way. The big online sportsbooks driving this industry will pull out all the stops to attract sports bettors to their sites, but it is the sheer amount of betting action on board this time of the year that is driving the huge increase in overall betting volume heading into the final month on the sports betting calendar.
Just about every major betting sport has action on the board during the holidays featuring one big matchup after another. With so many betting options to choose from, you need to develop a specific strategy for your approach to betting on sports this time of the year. Even if you are not all that big on shopping for the best deals to cover your holiday gift list, you should definitely take the time to shop the online sportsbooks for the best betting lines for any game you decide to put your money on.
Shopping betting lines should be a big part of your year-round sports betting strategy if you are serious about earning a better return on all of the bets you place. A half point here and there can mean the difference between winning and losing a bet. Millions of dollars exchange hands on a regular basis when a half point is the difference in a specific game.
This is not to say that you need to open an online betting account at each the top 10 online sportsbooks (although some avid sports bettors do). However, you should take the time to track line movements on games of interest over an expanded number of online betting outlets. Tracking how and why lines move one way or the other can help develop your overall sports handicapping skills.
The best strategy is to come up with your own betting line depending on your current level of skill and experience with a particular sport. Football is probably the easiest sport to handicap betting spreads given their direct correlation to scoring in this sport. Football betting spreads are also the sharpest betting lines released, especially when it comes to the NFL. With basically the same starting point across a wide array of online books, the line movement on the spread or total line for a football game is dictated by the money coming in.
Not all online sportsbooks are created equal and most will adjust their lines based on their individual position for a specific matchup. One book knows that it still has to stay somewhat in sync with the other books it competes against. From time to time, that same book might be willing to go against the grain to really shift some action one way or the other.
There is also the timing factor when it comes to shopping betting lines. If you get a number you love right out of the gate, it probably makes sense for bet that game right away. If you are fishing for a specific number, shopping the line and waiting until you get what you want is the best course of action.
If you continue to bet on a games in the absence of tracking how and why the line has moved, you are only setting yourself up for deeper losses over the long term. Making a concerted effort to shop your lines will improve your overall winning percentage, especially this time of the year when there is so much action on the board.