Sports betting is big business these days. More and more land-based and online betting venues have joined the mix to help expand the scope and reach of the entire sports betting industry.
While no sports fan who bets on their favorite sports and sporting events bet to lose, the majority of recreational bettors end up with a net loss at the end of each season. The main reason why there are so many sportsbooks these days is the lucrative return on investment on their end of this industry.
Bookmakers make the bulk of their profits on the standard 10 percent commission (juice or vig) charged on all losing wagers. This means that even if you break even on your bets with a winning rate of 50 percent, you are still going to be in the red.
Another expanding aspect of the sports betting industry is the increase in professional sports handicappers. These are sports betting pros that sell their betting picks as part of a selection package. They can be purchased for individual sports, sports leagues and sporting events.
These selection packages can also be broken down on a daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal basis. Today’s pro handicappers offer a tremendous amount of flexibility in the sports betting products they sell.
The standard break-even point for sports bets carrying 10 percent juice is 52.38 percent. As a recreational bettor, if you reach 50 percent on your own, you are well ahead of the curve. Most casual bettors are lucky to win 40 percent of the bets they place.
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A professional bettor realizes they can make a rather decent living on a steady winning rate of 57 to 60 percent. The key concept here is “steady winning rate.”
Every pro is quick to point out their current hot streak. Even the “best of the best” in the business go through dry spells that sometimes turn into extended losing streaks.
When performing your own due diligence, one of your main concerns should be a pro’s overall winning percentage by sport over an extended period of time.
Most of the pros will release their picks with a recommended unit play. This is based on their confidence level in that particular game selection. The first and most important thing to keep in mind is that there is no such thing as a “lock” in sports betting. Even 8-unit plays do not always pay off.
Betting units are used as a guide when it comes down to the actual money wagered. If you bet $10 a game, a 5-unit play would equate to a $50 wager.
Making money with the help of a pro handicapper is more about math than it is anything else. One of the best pro handicappers in the sports betting industry offers a daily selection package for $30. The weekly package for that same sport is $99. If you expand that package to a month’s worth of picks, the price of the package would be $299.
The obvious value lies in the monthly package but this still has to coincide with your monthly sports betting budget. The amount of actual picks released each day tends to vary, so another important consideration is your overall betting volume.
There is money to be made with the help of the pros but that added cost needs to be taken into consideration as it relates to your particular betting strategy and habits.
Pro Sports Handicappers: Hype vs. Reality
You have probably heard the expression “sell the sizzle, not the steak.” This is all about selling a product’s benefits as opposed to selling its features. Consumers want to know what that product can do to enhance their life as opposed to understanding how it works.
The same thing could be said about the professional handicapping industry. In this case, the product is a selection package. This is made up of actual recommended game bets along with a suggest wager in units.
Selections are usually released on a daily basis for that day’s action when it comes to betting games in the NBA, NHL and MLB. Selection packages for NFL and college football games are released on a weekly basis ahead of each weekend’s contests.
The cost of these selection packages vary from one pro handicapper to the next. However, the longer the coverage, the lower the cost on a per selection basis. For example, the cost of a weekly NFL selection package per pick is going to be much higher than the cost of a package covering the entire season.
Once you decide to turn to a pro for help, this is where selling the sizzle has to be taken with a grain of salt. Every pro handicapper has hot and cold streaks. The best pros understand that betting on sports is a marathon, not a sprint. They also have a proven winning record over the long haul.
If a pro has a big night or a strong record over the previous week, they are going to tout those results in any promotional content they may release. This is especially true when they hit a couple a high-unit plays.
Your job as a recreational bettor looking for an edge with the help of the pro is to always look past the hype. It is out there on a regular basis. Most of this hype is legit. Yet, always remember it covers a very short amount of time.
When a pro goes cold for a week or two, they will tend to promote their long-term record for that particular sport until things turn around. You always have to keep in mind that pro handicappers are also in sales. It is one thing to come up with winning picks. Making a living off of those picks by selling packages is a whole new program.
A pro’s winning percentage is another area of hype vs. reality. These types of numbers can be presented in any number of ways. When they are too inflated, a red flag should immediately be raised.
The breakeven point for sports bets is 52.4% assuming a 10% commission on losing wagers. Pros know they can make quite a bit of money by winning around 55% of their plays depending on the units bet. However, they also know that nobody is going to get excited over a winning rate of 55 to 60%.
In reality, if you won 60% of the bets you place with the help of a professional selection package, you would be generating a positive return on investment ever with the added cost of buying those selections.
Yet, the average sports bettor expects the pros to be right 70% of the time or higher. That may be the case during a short-term run. However, this is not a realistic figure over an extended period of time. Always make sure to put any winning percentage figures into their proper perspective when it comes to evaluating a pro’s record.
Tips for Finding the Right Pro Handicapper
As more and more sports fans are starting to the bet on the games, the demand for professional handicapping selection packages is on the rise. While recreational bettors are content with going it on their own in light of a small volume of weekly plays, serious sports bettors are always looking for the best edge against the online sportsbooks.
There is definitely no shortage of choices when it comes to finding a pro handicapper. However, your goal is to find the right handicapper in terms of your sports betting strategy, habits and overall budget.
A great place to start your search are sports betting websites that feature handicapping reviews or feature actual handicapping selection packages. Sites such as Sportshub.com have already dedicated quite a bit of time researching the field.
The main benefit these sites bring to the table is a comprehensive and unbiased look at what is available along with a ranking system that separates the best from the rest.
The No. 1 criteria for ranking handicapping services is results. This includes both short-term runs and season-long returns. Pro handicappers are also rated for individual betting sports such as football, basketball, baseball and hockey as the four most popular.
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Along with results, another key measurement is value. You are going to pay a bit more for selections from the top pro handicappers in the game. Yet, you also need to make sure there is value in your investment.
Reputation can be added to the list. The pro handicapping industry is not necessarily regulated by any sanctioning body. Therefore, an individual handicapper’s industry reputation (good or bad) is a very important factor in the decision making process.
The goal of this initial search is to develop a short list of worthy candidates. Once you narrow the field to three or four quality pros that can meet your needs, it becomes much easier to compare one against the other.
It makes perfect sense to use different selection packages for different sports. All the top pros release regular plays for the biggest betting sports, especially NFL and college football games. One pro may get the edge for betting NBA games and another’s strong suit could be MLB games.
Specialization in a handful of sports is becoming more common in the pro selection industry. It is hard to be the best at every major betting sport since there is just too much time involved on a handicapper’s end. Through your own search efforts, you can take a team approach to contracting professional handicapping services. This is the best way to fully maximize your overall results.
Once you have located a handicapping service that does meet you needs, you can first test the waters with a daily or weekly trial run. The cost of the individual picks will be higher. Yet, you will not be locked in to any long-term deal.
Keep in mind that even the best pros have cold spells from time-to-time. This is why you also have to develop a certain level of patience along the way.
The biggest tip for finding the right pro handicapper is taking the time upfront to perform the proper due diligence. This will dramatically improve your overall success betting sports with the help of a pro.