So you want to become a full-fledged member of the billion-dollar-a-year sports gambling industry, only you think you have what it takes to beat the masses? You’re think you’re the next Jimmy the Greek?

There are ways to help “even the odds” in your favor.

The truth is there is only one proven way to win consistently (although having lady-luck on your side is also a major plus). You MUST know the sport you are betting on, and you have to pick out the games where the oddsmakers erred in setting the odds.

There’s no magic formula, no computer simulating system, there’s no “insider” secrets. But there are ways to increase your chances so you win more than you lose.

I like to call these the 10 Commandments of Sports Gambling.

1. Do not bet on sports if it affects your health. If you are a hard loser, if you have high blood pressure, a bad ticker, or just can’t let those bad beats go, then this isn’t the game for you because losing is inevitable. Betting on sports is like the stock market … you’re going to win sometimes, and you WILL lose sometimes. The goal is consistency and longevity. Think marathon; not sprint!

2. If you pass the first commandment, and you really want to win money, then you must approach sports gambling as a job. It cannot be a hobby, and you cannot go about your business half-assed. Each spread (or game) is a business deal that you’ll either do, or you’ll pass on. A knowledgeable businessman should research each deal on it’s merits, then decide. Going into a business deal without knowing anything about the teams, terms or circumstances usually results in bad business. Which means you go outta business real quick.

3. Bet the same amount of money on every game you bet. This one will cause a few arguments amongst some bettors, but it’s a common mistake among social or weekend betters. Even if you really like that one game, but only kind of like two other games, bet all three the same. When you put $500 on one, but only $100 on the others you’re only setting yourself up to fall hard. Sure the $500 game might cash in, but how many times has the $500 missed, dropping you into a hole you never recover from. There is no 5-star, 3-star, 1-star … there is no “system” … anyone that tells you these things is not a successful gambler unless they have extremely deep pockets to eat a 5- star loss every now and then.

4. Stay away from parlays, teasers, props and other exotic bets like first half/second half bets and the first 5 innings bets unless you are willing to just hand over cash. They are all a bookie’s (or sportsbooks) wet dream. Sure you get paid 10-to-1 if you hit a 4-teamer, but the chances of it happening, consistently, are about the same as your odds of sleeping with Heidi Klum. Instead of one bet on four teams, put your money on the four teams separately. That way when 3-out-of-4 win, you walk away a winner instead of cussing “that damn fourth team!” There’s a reason sportsbooks offer these bets and it’s not because they like to pay you 10-times your bet when they lose. It’s because they ALL put more money in their own pockets. The lure of fast money is too enticing for some people to not realize they’re walking into a trap.

5. Know when to walk away and don’t chase! This is obviously the biggest problem for most gamblers. How many times have you lost on a noon NFL game, dropped into a hole, then made it worse by betting a couple of afternoon games to try and make it up only to take it deeper without lube. Likewise, you win a noon game, then try and double it by betting an afternoon game only to lose and break even. DON’T FALL INTO THIS TRAP. Pick the games you’re going to bet on ahead of time, bet them, then walk away. Don’t compound your problems by trying to double it or win it back by betting on a game you didn’t want to bet on in the first place. Don’t chase by betting on the second half because you already lost the original bet in the first half. This is the hardest rule to follow sometimes because it goes against every gambling fiber in your body. But if you want to win, win consistently, you have to follow it.

6. The walk away rule also applies before the games as well. If you look at the point spreads in the morning and nothing appeals to you, don’t bet. Let’s face it, oddsmakers are good at what they do. Sometimes too good. You must remember that you’re looking for an oddsmaker’s mistakes, but if you have a hard time finding a game you like, take a day off and start fresh tomorrow.

7. Don’t bet on games if the odds have changed too much for your taste. If you like a game that has a spread of 3, only to get to your bookie and find out the odds changed to 4 1/2 … stay away. It’s no longer the bet you thought it was, and therefore it’s no longer worth betting on. Different betters will give you a different level of variance, but I recommend using a point to point-and-half guideline. But you can determine your own comfort level about how far you’ll let the line move before it becomes a bad bet.

8. This one is called the “Bull Durham” rule after a line in the movie. “Don’t mess with a streak.” If you’re winning, don’t brag aloud to everyone, gloat or do anything to piss off the Betting Gods. Likewise, when you’re losing, don’t cry in your beer or piss and moan. Be like the athletes you’re betting on and try and stay on an even keel. When you win, act like you’ve been there before. When you lose, be mad but determined to do better next time.

9. Since you’re treating this like a job, do what every self-respecting human does whenever possible and take a vacation from betting. Take a week off every now and then to recharge the batteries. If you’re winning, this may go against the previous commandment, but pick and choose the best times of the year to step aside and take a break.

10. The last commandment pisses a lot of bettors off and takes some of the fun out of sports gambling for most, but it’s something you MUST DO to win constantly. DO NOT BET on your favorite team. If you’re honestly going to try and make money, you have to remain unbiased in every way. When you bet on your team, a large percentage of the time your judgment is clouded. Sit back and enjoy their games while looking at the scroll for other scores. If you must, betting on an over/under with said favorite team is a much smarter bet anyway, and easier on the heart and mind.

Following all of these rules will increase your chances at beating the house. If you are an “action junkie” and can’t stay away from parlays and teasers and all of the other traps discussed in this piece, then you will have a hard time following these rules and will find yourself reloading your bankroll more often then you cash out.

The bottom line is that you have to be smart about the plays you make. Be smart, do your homework and have fun and remember that you will not become a millionaire in one night betting on sports. Those are the exact kind of egomaniacs that sportsbooks are hoping to attract.

Best of luck to you!

Basketball Betting – NBA Totals Home-Away Primer

Very few sports gamblers take into consideration that NBA teams often have different personalities when they’re playing at home, as opposed to playing on the road. A smart bettor will learn how teams perform in front of the home fans and how they do away from the friendly confines of their home arena. Some teams try to put on an offensive show when playing at home and concentrate on defense more during away games, while other teams will do the exact opposite. Some teams will play pretty much the same no matter which city they are in. Knowing the tendencies of each team can add a few dollars to your bankroll, especially when betting NBA totals.

Home and Away Differences

There were 16 NBA teams that showed an average difference of four or more total points between their home games and their away games in the 2006-07 season.

Using Detroit as an example, the Pistons outscored the opposition by an average score of 96-92 in all of their home games, for an average of 188 total points. When Detroit was on the road, the Pistons outscored the opposition by an average score of 94-89, for an average of 183 points. So there was a five point differential between Detroit’s home and away games.

What we are looking for are differences of four or more points between home and away performances and we will bet totals accordingly. In the case of the Pistons, we would look to bet over the total when the Pistons were playing at home and look to bet under when Detroit is on the road. The Pistons ended up going over in 26 of their 47 home games and under in 31 of their 47 away games last season (playoffs included).

The Pistons were a bit of an anomaly in their home and away over/under peformance on the season, but a person wagering accordingly on all 16 teams that met the four point difference criteria would have had a record of 720-621 or 53.7% winning wagers. This percentage could have been improved on slightly by shopping for the best lines and betting into those most favorable. While 53.7% won’t make a person wealthy, I certainly would not want to be wagering against those patterns.

Because NBA rosters change frequently, it is unwise to use last year’s statistics and you should wait until January 1 to start, as teams will then have played a number of home and away games and some trends will have began to emerge. The beauty of this system is its simplicity and the fact that it will point you towards the right team more often than not. While it should make you money in the long run, it’s best used as a supplement to your over/under handicapping process.

The point spread is the handicap, or head start, that oddsmakers give to the underdog. Betting against the spread can make a lopsided event more interesting – rather than just winning outright, the favorite must win by more than the point spread (also known as covering the spread) for bets on the favorite to win. As you can see, the point spread is designed to make betting on either side equally attractive.

Let’s say an NFL matchup has the Minnesota Vikings at home against the Denver Broncos. The oddsmaker might decide to give the Broncos a 3.5-point head start, which is expressed as Broncos +3.5, or Vikings -3.5. Here’s what that line would look like:

Denver Broncos +3.5
@ Minnesota Vikings -3.5

With the spread set at 3.5 points, if you bet on the Vikings, you’ll win your bet if they win the game by more than four points (or if their score is higher even after you subtract 3.5 points from it). If you bet on the Broncos, you’ll win your bet if they lose by no more than three points.

Sometimes oddsmakers will set the line on an even number like 3, 6 or even 10. In cases like these, if the favored team wins by the exact amount set for the spread, the bet would be considered a push and your risk amount would be returned. For example, if the San Francisco 49ers were 7-point favorites and they won by a touchdown (seven points), any wager on the 49ers at -7 would result in a push.

Every now and then you’ll come across a game without a spread. This is called a pick’em and both teams are given even odds to win the game. Since no points are given or taken away in a pick’em, the team that wins the game is the team that wins the bet.

Your payout is determined by the moneyline odds attached to the point spread. A negative number (such as -170) shows how much money you must wager to win $100, while a positive number (like +150) shows how much money you will win on a $100 wager.

Typically, the odds given on the spread are -110 unless otherwise noted. If one side is receiving a lot of action, oddsmakers may adjust the lines accordingly in an effort to balance the action.

You can place a point spread bet on the whole game or only a portion of it – when first half, second half or quarter lines are offered.

Germany is the third betting choice in World Cup 2014 and they top the odds board in Group G wagering too. Who can slow down the Germans?

Germany is a loaded squad that has one of the best midfields in the tournament and they have the third best overall betting odds to win the World Cup after Brazil and Argentina.

They are also the big betting favorite to win Group G, which is the Group of Death with Portugal, Ghana, and USA.

While the midfield and defense may the strengths of the squad and the team does not have a superstar striker even though they averaged 3.6 goals per match in the qualifying process.

Germany Odds to win World Cup 2014: +550
Germany Odds to win Group G: -200

While there are no glaring weaknesses for Germany they only scored one set piece goal in qualifying and none on headers.

In four of their last five friendly matches, the Germans have played World Cup-bound teams and they are unbeaten.
World Cup Prediction for Germany

German’s biggest match in group play is their first one playing Portugal and while they will not win easily they win nonetheless with their superior midfield play.

They will not have a problem beating Ghana and the USA and Germany will take all nine points in group play. They will meet France in the quarterfinals and win a close match and then face Brazil in the semifinals.

This will be a great match up, but on their home turf Brazil will get the win and it would not be a surprise if the match was a low scoring one that goes to penalties.
How Germany got to the World Cup

Germany easily won their European qualifying group where they went unbeaten and they were the highest scoring team in the process. They only played to a draw in one match at home against Sweden and overall had nine wins and one draw.

In every match, but one they scored at least three goals and in three of their last four matches they had a clean sheet.

Team Key Players

Thomas Muller FW Bayern Munich – While Germany does not have a superstar striker he is very close to it and the main attacker for the squad.

Mesut Ozil MF Arsenal – Ozil is a great playmaker that is great at ball control in the midfield and can push forward on the attack and drop back on the defensive line.

Mario Goetze MF Bayern Munich – Another great midfielder for the squad that has solid playmaking skills.

Billy Walters, a man considered by many to be the greatest sports bettor ever, believes he is an underdog to ever see wide-spread legalization of the industry that has helped him make hundreds of millions of dollars.

“Who knows, one of these days, maybe there will be somebody up there that will have the guts to do the right thing,” the 65-year-old Walters told Covers.com in an exclusive phone interview in early February. “But I’m not holding my breath waiting for it.”

In the race for legalization, sports betting is several lengths behind online poker, which has built its case on being a game of skill, instead of chance. Walters is adamant the same case can be made for sports betting. Just like in poker, successful sports bettors must analyze information and use risk management to turn a profit.

“I used to be a professional poker player,” Walters said, “and, they’re right, if you’re a good poker player, it’s a game of skill. Well, betting sports is much more of a game of skill than poker. I’m living proof that betting sports is a game of skill. I’ve won 37 years in a row. If that’s not a skill, then I don’t know what is.”

Walters believes online poker will be approved, and that it could lead to legalization of sports betting. But there’s still plenty to overcome, if Americans are ever going to be allowed to place a sports wager as easily as they can bet on a horse race.

“They’ve legalized lotteries, and you can walk into an off-track betting parlor and bet on any horse race in the country,” said Walters. “And why can they do that? Because of the horse lobby; the people who control the horse lobby have a lot of juice; so does the poker lobby, but there is no such thing as a sports betting lobby. I think they’ll get poker approved, and hopefully sports betting will be next. People are doing it, and they’re not going to stop. It just doesn’t make sense.”

The NFL is another huge obstacle in the fight for legalization. The league’s objection is hypocritical, says Walters, because e of how much interest gambling generates for the NFL.

“Does anyone believe that the NFL is naïve enough not to know that if it weren’t for people betting on sports and playing fantasy football that they wouldn’t have 20 percent of the people that are watching now?” Walters pointed out. “If you’re running the NFL and admit what you already know, then why wouldn’t you want to legalize it? That way, people involved in it are licensed and have to undergo background checks, and it’s regulated, taxed and up front. That’s the most positive outcome for everyone involved.”

Sports betting opponents often warn of an increase in games being fixed, like the corrupt NBA referee, Tim Donaghy, and the point-shaving scandal in the mid-90s at Arizona State. Walters witnessed both, but says those types of nefarious activity have been rare throughout his more than three decades in the industry. He chuckles at notions that today’s professional athletes, who make millions of dollars, would risk it to throw a game that might earn them $50,000.

“Now, pro soccer over in Europe … well, let’s just put it this way … it’s not nearly, nearly regulated as say the NFL,” said Walters. “I got to tell you, the NFL, NBA, college basketball and college football are about as square as it gets.

“From a bookmaker’s perspective and a bettor’s perspective, the integrity of the sports betting market is something that we all have in common,” he added. “If it’s compromised, bookmakers are out of business and so am I. So I’m going to do my best to protect it.”

Sports betting ban more ‘ludicrous than prohibition’

Walters is passionate about what legalized sports betting could do for the United States.

The most intense his soft, but grizzled voice got during the interview was after he rattled off all the benefits of legalization, including tax revenue, creation of jobs and consumer protection.

“This is more ludicrous than prohibition,” Walters emphasized. “Prohibition lasted for what 13 years, before they finally realized that this is insanity. People aren’t going to quit drinking alcohol. And people aren’t going to quit betting on sports. The powers-that-be know that; it’s no secret.”

It’s not a shock that the game’s best player supports legalization and regulation. But the level of Walters’ frustration with the system stood out in the interview. He sounded like he’s sick of the hassle that comes along with simply investing in a football game. And it’s hard to blame him.

“We’re still operating under the same laws that were passed 50 years ago when it comes to sports betting,” he said. “There wasn’t any Internet or cell phones then. But we’re still operating under those arcane laws. It’s ridiculous and makes no sense at all.

“In the past 20 to 25 years,” Walters concluded, “I guarantee you that there are more laws being violated in the first two seconds that the New York Stock Exchange opens Monday morning than there will be in all of sports betting in the next thousand years.”

To be honest, the title of this article should be “changes in public perception” but that’s not as catchy. The recent arrest by Federal Authorities of a number of principals in the BetOnSports family of books underscores the longterm problem with sports gambling in America. The problem isn’t so much that the Federales are “out to get” sportsbook owners and associates; the real problem is that the general public has an negative, outdated and inaccurate view of the entire sports gambling nexus. The only longterm hope for sports gambling in this country is a change in that perception.

Here’s something you can bank on–if the Senate ever does pass a bill against online gambling I can almost guarantee you that poker will be exempted in some way. There’s a variety of reasons that this will be the case, not the least of which is simple politics–poker is hugely popular in the United States. A recent survey indicated that 20% of all Americans play poker in some form or another at least once a month. That’s 60 million potential voters, and that’s a number that no one in Congress wants to mess with.

More significantly, poker has a very positive image with the American public. You can’t turn on the TV without seeing poker. Take a look at the magazine rack at any Barnes and Noble store and you’ll see at least a half dozen titles devoted to poker coverage. Head to the relevant book section and you’ll see shelf after shelf of poker theory books. The top professional poker players have become mainstream celebrities, and even the non poker playing public views the game as a very benign, skill based endeavor.

Contrast this with the mainstream media portrayal of sports bettors and bookmakers. Bettors are viewed as degenerates, bookmakers as crooks–even pawns of organized crime. It doesn’t matter that there’s as much skill and intelect involved in successful sports wagering than in poker, nor does it matter that virtually every Las Vegas casino is now run by a large publicly traded corporation (as are many of the top offshore stores). Those in my line of work who handicap sporting events are viewed as sleazy, “boiler room” type telemarketers willing to say or do anything to get a buck out of the “degenerates” who bet on sports.

Unfortunately, the mainstream media isn’t as much to blame for this negative–and inaccurate–portrayal as is the sports gambling industry itself. Poker has been masterful at packaging and promoting itself to become attractive to the mainstream American audience, but sports gambling has done nothing to better its lot. Not only is there a complete absence of a unified vision of sports gambling being presented to the American public, there’s really nothing at all being done by the sports betting industry within the US media. In the current legal/political environment, this is somewhat understandable–if you’re operating a successful and profitable business as it is, why take the chance that a higher profile position might receive negative attention from Federal authorities? Still, if the status of sports betting is ever to improve in this country some positive changes must be made.

In a perfect world, the Las Vegas sportsbooks would take the lead here since sports betting is very much legal in Nevada. Of course for years Nevada books have either dismissed offshore bookmakers or actually worked against them. This is a very shortsighted attitude, and the experience of poker could illustrate what might be–everyone with an Internet connection can now play poker online, and there’s plenty of “live” poker to be found nationwide as well. Despite so many alternatives in the marketplace, Nevada poker rooms are experiencing booming business. The reason for this is simple: despite the widespread availability of poker nationwide, Nevada–and particularly Las Vegas–is seen as the “big leagues”. Las Vegas has so many non-gambling amenities to offer that even for the devoted online or “local” casino player it remains an almost mythical destination. This won’t be changing anytime soon, and Nevada sports books should note well the increase in poker room traffic during the current “boom”.

Basically, the status of sports betting the US is in such sorry shape that all the relevant players within the industry need to work together to improve it. Even if they don’t do so in a formal, coordinated manner they need to at least be on the same page. The status quo–with a small number of sanctimonious busybodies answering to the religious right trying to pass legislation to shape an industry that most elected officials and the general public really don’t understand–is unacceptable. The poker experiences demonstrates that a dramatic change in public perception is possible in a very short time.

So you’ve picked a team for the big match this Sunday and you’re ready to place the bet in a matter of seconds. But before you place that bet and let you money ride on said club this weekend, you may want to take a closer look at the odds you’re getting from your sportsbook. Sure, you know the line looks good…but is it the best possible line you can get?

Maybe. But chances are probably good that you could get better lines at another book. But why do it matter if you can get better odds at another book? Well if you end up winning the bet, you could be in for a better payout. And if you do lose, there could be a chance that you could save some coin if you got a more favourable line.

But just where do you go to compare and find the best betting odds? Why don’t you come along and see.

The first step to looking for betting lines is to find a reputable website that gives you at least 10-15 sites and their odds all at once. Whilst that might seem like a lot of information to digest, I can assure you that it’s very easy once you understand what you’re looking at.
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1) Select a site: I like to use football-data for my betting odds, but you’re more than welcome to use a plethora of other options out there if you so choose. Some are connected to betting sites, so please be aware of the links before you click. Sometimes the numbers are a bit skewed in favour of the site. Football-data does a good job at giving you an unbiased look.

2) Reading the odds: Assuming we’ll be getting readers from all over the world looking at these step-by-step instructions, I’ve decided to use moneyline odds for the example. With that in mind, click on the odds tab and find a match you want to bet on. For this example I’ll be using the odds from Italy and Germany’s U21 match:

OK, so we can see the match has odds for eight different betting sites. We need to be able to look at these numbers and find the best odds depending on the side you want to bet on. Let’s say you want to take a punt on Italy to win — well then you’d want to find the most favourable odds since Italy is the favourite. You’ll notice they’re currently being bet around +130-140, so you figure that’s the average odds most places will be giving. But if you notice on the right, Betfair has odds of +162 for Italy to win. Those odds are in some cases 30 points higher based on other sites.

When you consider that a placing a bet of 100 quid could get you a profit of 130-140 in some cases if you used the average odds, you could essentially get an extra 30 of so quid if you took the time to look at a betting site before you bet!

That alone makes it worthwhile to look at the odds with a critical eye. The same could be said if you wanted to lay a punt on Germany to win.

3) Selecting the book: You’ll now want to sign-up for the book with the best odds. But before you do, make doubly sure that the odds are still correct on the site. Like any betting site, the odds could change from minute to minute. Once confirmed, just sign-up and place the bet! I don’t recommend shopping for lines if you’re a novice, as opening 4-5 books can be a lot of work.

Line shopping for the best odds should be done by those who understand the nuiances of betting, as well as those who can afford to open more than 1-2 betting accounts.

A few days ago I decided to check in which football championships around the world the draw occurs most frequently and I must admit I was surprised by the results I got. Some of my preliminary expectations came true, others not so much, but more about this a little later.

To check where the draws are the most common ending I used the betting database of the site betexplorer. From there I wrote down the percentage of the draws in the last three seasons.

My initial expectations were that in the lower Italian leagues the percentages of the draws will be highest, but it turned out that even though it is really high there, there are championships where the percentage is even higher.

Will you be surprised if I tell you that in the championship of Morocco, in the last three seasons, the average percentage of draws in matches is about 37? This means that every bet for a draw on odds higher than 2.7 is fully justified. Of course, the bookies are well aware of this and therefore the proposals for draws in Morocco are not particularly high. For example, for today’s match between Maghreb Fez and Hassania Agadir bet365 offers odds for a draw of 2.63, Bet at Home gives 2.5 and William Hill – 2.6.

However, the bets on draws there are not quite unjustified. In Morocco, there are teams that end the season with draws of nearly 60% of the matches. If you bet on such a team, even with odds of 2.5 for a draw you would gain profit of nearly 50% with flat betting.

Other leagues in which the draws are common are the championships of Iran, where the average rate is 33%, Honduras, Argentina and Ligue 2 in France, where the draw percentage is 32%.

Of course in this championships the bookies like bet365, William Hill and Bet at Home again are in line with the reality and offer much lower odds for a draw than in the other leagues.

However, I believe this statistics is useful and can be an interesting source of information about different betting systems. It is up to you to find one and to start gaining profit from it.

The UEFA Champions League is now in its decisive phase as this week we will see the last matches of the second round of the 1/8 finals of the tournament. Four teams have already done the needed to qualify for the quarterfinals and these teams are FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and PSG. In the next two days the remaining 4 from the best eight teams in Europe will be determined.

One of the most exciting matches we are going to see is the one between Chelsea and Galatasaray. As of today, Chelsea seems to be the only team from the Premier League, which has real chances to continue forward as they made a draw (1:1) in the first match between these two teams. The match in Istanbul was very interesting and which is more important it was a quite close match. If you look at the statistics you will see that both teams were able to create nine goal attempts and the shots on goal were 5 to 4 in Chelsea’s favor.

How will the today’s match go? Almost all the analysts worldwide expect the winner of the match to be the team from London. They have the advantage of a goal scored away from home, which means that if Chelsea’s players succeed to keep a clean sheet, they will qualify for the next phase of the tournament. It is highly unlikely to find a better than Chelsea (or more accurately said a team managed by Jose Mourinho) team which to play better in situations like this one.

It is almost certain that Chelsea will come out on the field with the wisest and most peaceful tactic possible. They will try to limit to a minimum Galatasaray’s players’ chances. The British know that at some point the Turkish giants will need to risk more and more, which will expose them and give excellent opportunities for a successful counterattack.

Of course, it is also unlikely for Galatasaray’s players to start the match with wild attacks. The team from Istanbul is full with experienced players like Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder, who know that a similar tactic could be suicidal against a team led by Jose Mourinho. This is why they are also expected to be patient and to wait for the right moment and only then to attack with full forces.

All said above makes a bet with no goals scored in the first half an attractive bet. bet365 offers odds of 3.25 for this which makes it a good enough bet with a small amount and this is what I am going to bet for this match.

A few weeks ago we wrote here about a betting statistic which covered betting systems which back underdogs in football matches in England. The conclusion we made was that in the long run you can count on a small but relatively secure profit. Moreover, the profit could be even bigger if you are good enough when using money management. For our post, the source of the information was a betting site in which we just recently found another similar statistical information with information about the reversed type of betting. This statistic answers the question what will happen if a punter decides to back only the favorites in England?

This question has a quick answer and it is that this punter is going to lose a lot of money.

The system for backing the favorites is the same as the other one. Again we should create a small betting bank for each team with eight units for betting. The moment when a particular team’s bank gets empty we no longer bet for the given team. We bet as long as we have money in the team’s bank.

In this type of betting we bet on 109 teams through the season or in other words we have a betting bank of 872 units. As we can see from the betting statistic at the end of the season the punter will have a cumulative loss of more than 86 units. For comparison, the statistics showed that backing the underdogs will bring a total profit of approximately 17 units.

This statistic shows once again that the stakes for the favorites in a match are a short cut to losing money. Probably the main reason for that lies in the popularity of such bets, which allows the bookies to put a large part of their margin on the lower odds.

What conclusion should we make from all this? It will be most likely about the fact that betting on underdogs, respectively betting on higher rates offers much higher profit opportunities compared to betting on the favorites.