The start of a new season of football in both the college ranks and the NFL is still several weeks away, but if you are an avid sports better it is not too early to start formulating your betting strategy for the upcoming season.
Formulating this strategy should actually be thought of as a two-part process. The first would involve the actual handicapping of each individual football team you plan to bet on based on its current roster. You want to try and paint a clear picture of how any offseason personnel moves will impact its performance on the field. When it comes to college football, this would pertain to assessing the talent lost in the outgoing class and the talent coming in through the new recruiting class. In the NFL, this would pertain to any gains and losses through free agency as well as the new draft class coming in. The entire goal of this whole exercise is to develop a strategy of how you are going to bet on the games once the new season gets underway.
The second part of the process is finding a sportsbook to actually take your bets on the games. While there are literally hundreds of different choices when it comes to finding an online sportsbook to handle your betting action, you need to take the time to find the ones that will work best for your particular needs. The good news is that you do not have to limit yourself to just one choice, but it would also be unrealistic to try and manage too many different betting accounts at multiple books. You should try and limit your options to the two or three sportsbooks that appeal to you the most.
A good starting point to narrowing down your list of choices is to consult a reputable source for unbiased sportsbook reviews. Most of these reviews will assign each online sportsbook an overall grade as well as point out all the pros and cons that are associated with that site. One of the biggest issues affecting that grade would be how long it takes a sportsbook to pay out withdrawal requests, but things such as bonuses, promotions and incentives are also a big factor for many sports bettors. Ease of making deposits and withdrawals are also high on the list along with the fees associated with making any financial transaction online.
Most recreational sports bettors are only looking to bet on football with a straight bet on a side or a total, however you should also look for diversity in a sportsbook’s overall betting options. Exotic bets such as parlays, teasers/pleasers, if-bets and reverses can offer a great opportunity to change things up when it comes to adding betting action to the games. Another great way to spice things up is through football futures and props bet odds. Many of these betting options are available before the actual football season gets underway and they can often times offer some tremendous betting value.
One of the most important things you should look for in an online sportsbook is any reduced juice options for betting on the games. The standard commission (or vig) that is charged to book a bet is 10 percent, but many sportsbooks will offer incentives to reduce that number based on the type of bet you make. Finding ways to pay less on your losses can really add up over the course of a football season and this is a great way to extend your overall betting bankroll.
There are a number of great online sportsbooks out there just waiting to take your football bets. Your goal should be to find the two or three that work best for your individual betting strategy.