Betting is a form of gambling that involves placing bets on a number of different events, such as horse races and football games. Bettors typically win when their predictions are correct, and they usually lose when their predictions are wrong.
Betting can occur in hundreds of forms, including table games (such as poker), non-casino games (such as bingo and lotteries), and arcade games. Some betting also occurs on electronic games, such as online slots and keno.
Value – Expected value is the measure of what a bettor can expect to win or lose per bet placed on a particular type of odds. Positive expected value (+EV) indicates that bettors will make money over time, while negative expected value (-EV) suggests that bettors will lose.
Fading the Public – Bet against the Favorite
The majority of bettors tend to place their money on the favorite, so bettors can take advantage of this by fading the public. In other words, they back the underdog, which can be a great way to get extra value.
Underdogs are often undervalued by the public, and this is especially true in sports where the oddsmakers set point spreads. The point spread is a line that shows the distance between two teams, and it represents the best guesses that the oddsmakers have about how far one team can be separated from the other.
Betting on an underdog can be a good way to get more value, but it’s important to remember that the oddsmakers don’t know how a team will play, and it’s up to you to decide if the risk: reward ratio is worth it.