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2018 Super Bowl Betting for Dummies and Novice Bettors


by - 1/25/2018

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery

I live and breathe sports, and I write about betting on them almost every day. It can come as a surprise, then, when I am reminded that not everyone cares about sports or about betting on them at all. And that many, many people only care about such things on one day a year - Super Bowl Sunday. A whole lot of people bet on this one game every year because of the spectacle and attention, because everyone is watching, or because they need more of a reason to care about the game than just the football. It is very easy to make a bad bet, and that's especially true when you are inexperienced. So, if you are a novice bettor plunging into betting for the biggest of games then this is for you. Call this Super Bowl betting for dummies and novice bettors:

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What do you think will happen?: This seems obvious, but it is the best place to start. Who do you think is going to win the game? And, more importantly, why do you think that? If you think it because you have read good information about the game, or talked to friends who paid more attention than you do, then you could probably base a bet on that opinion. If you have your opinion based on the color of the uniforms, or your preference for one city over the other, then you can still make a bet if you really want, but you just have to accept that you are less likely to win. The better your reason for making a bet, the better the bet is likely to be.

What are you actually betting on?: We have people over to watch the game every year - many who watch only one game a year. Because they know what I do, people typically pick a side and make a friendly bet on it. And inevitably there is someone every year who doesn't understand point spreads and thinks they have won their bet when they haven't. Point spreads are far from complicated, but you have to be sure you know what you are actually betting - that who wins the game doesn't necessarily matter. The same goes for prop bets, too. Make sure you know what needs to happen in order to win your bet - only then can you decide if that is actually likely enough to happen to make a bet worthwhile.

Be legal: There are legal ways to bet and illegal ones. Make sure you know the difference and that you avoid trouble. It's not worth taking risks for one betting day per year.

Take a deep breath: Here's a harsh truth - no one but you cares about the bets you make. You might feel like what you are doing matters to everyone, or that you have to make a big bet to impress other people. No one else really cares - just like you don't really care when someone else shows you dozens of pictures of their baby. Don't bet to impress anyone else, and don't move beyond your comfort zone with the size of any bet you make for any reason. It's just not worth it.

Shop around: There are many sportsbooks out there, and despite what novice bettors think they are all not the same. Even in a game as high-profile as this one we can see big differences in the prices or odds that are being offered from book to book. The difference between a spread of 6.5 points and one of 7, for example , can make a big difference in your chances of coming out ahead. If you are starting from scratch anyway it makes sense to look for the book that offers the best price for the bet you are making. Books also often offer nice incentives for people betting with them the first time - matching of your initial deposit, for example. It can be very worthwhile to look around and find the bonus that best suits your needs.

It's about quality, not quantity: The winner is not the person who places the most bets but instead the person who wins the most. There are so many bets available during the Super Bowl that it can be very tempting to make a whole bunch of bets - a side, a total, and a bunch of props. When you are making bad bets, though, you are just throwing your money away - and there are a ton of bets available for this game that are just awful.

Get help if you want it: This probably seems obvious if you are reading this article on a site like this, but there are places out there to get good advice, and it can be very worthwhile to get the advice that will help you make good betting decisions. You can get $60 worth of premium picks from Doc's Sports handicappers free for Super Bowl betting by clicking here .

Don't bet on the freaking coin flip: This is a pet peeve of mine. One of the very popular prop bets every year is on the coin flip . People can bet on whether the coin comes up heads or tails and which team will win. It's a truly insane bet. Coin bets are a true 50/50 proposition, and there is absolutely no way to handicap what will happen because what has happened in the past is absolutely irrelevant to what will happen this year. Yet you have to pay more to make a bet than you will get back if you win. So, over the long term you are guaranteed to lose money on this bet, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Don't be an idiot.

Have fun: A lot of people who bet on sports regularly can begin to forget this, but betting is about having fun above all else. You aren't going to get rich betting - in fact, you are more likely to lose than win unless you really put work into learning to handicap properly. So, if you aren't having fun when you are betting then you are doing something wrong.

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