Humans are creatures of habit and sometimes feel uncomfortable deviating for their norm. For most, when it comes to sports betting, the norm is wagering on full game point spreads, totals and moneylines.
Just like having a diversified stock portfolio to maximize your profits, adding more variety to your own betting menu will not only be more entertaining, but also increase your chances of being a successful sports bettor. Lets look at why I like betting the first half and quarter.
Also Read – How to Bet on Sports | Minimizing Losses
We’ll start by saying not all sports use quarters and halves, and for this article we will focus on football, basketball and baseball. Hockey (periods), soccer (halves) and many other sports are broken into individual segments, and we will dig deeper into those areas in future articles. You may be asking baseball, quarters? There are no quarters in baseball, but 1st 5 inning bets are the equivalent of 1st half bets.
I like betting 1st 5 innings in baseball because it allows you to bet on the starting pitchers. Even in our day of pitch counts and maximum innings pitched, managers are banking on their starting pitcher going at least 5 innings. Sometimes it is later in games when the nuances take over, so being able to limit your handicapping research, it will give you a leg up when trying to find soft lines.
How many times have you bet on a college football team that was the heavy favorite, only to watch them go out to a massive lead in the first quarter, and take their foot off the gas, letting their opposition keep the score close? With first quarter betting, you can take that out of the equation.
The same can be said for betting the first half. Following tendencies of coaches will allow you to predict first half scoring much easier than wagering the entire game. Not having to worry about coaches and players letting their guard down and not putting forth a full effort can be the difference in winning and losing.
Another reason I like betting the first quarter and half is because the wager is completed quickly. You don’t have to wait three hours for the game to be over and be graded; you know the outcome in 30 minutes in some instances. At that time, you will already have a good feeling how the game is going, and could give you the upper hand if you choose to bet the second half. Second half bets only take into account what happens in the second half, so it is possible to win twice in one game while betting opposite sides.
With live in-game betting, you can now bet on virtually anything, including all four quarters, with options including point spread, total, moneyline, exact total and much more for most games. Just as I started this article trying by opening your mind to new betting practices, looking at betting quarters and halves could have also have you opening your wallet to put more money in it.
Become a more informed bettor to increase your winning percentage
Betting quarters and halves in the NBA are very popular and can also be very profitable. Following team schedules and player minutes can dictate how games will play out, and can help you win quarter and half bets. Basketball teams are known for going on scoring runs, and if you can find team trends per quarter, exploit them to your advantage.
College basketball is played in two halves, so you will not find quarter lines for them, however 1st and 2nd half lines for NCAA basketball are very common.
Another thing to remember about 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarter lines, as well as 2nd half lines is that sportsbooks have a very small window to make the lines and get them posted. This, at times, leads to soft lines, giving the bettor one more advantage.
Betting quarter and half lines can be especially profitable when you are watching the game in real time. Maybe you spot something in scheme or sense something is off with a particular player. Spotting these before oddsmakers will provide you with great value. Perhaps a team is off to a slow start, but you know that once they get their legs and hit their stride, there will be no stopping them. That is when you check those quarter and 2nd half lines.
Other reasons I like betting quarters and halves are to hedge an earlier bet or to exploit an injury that will put a big damper on a team. Finding any advantage over your bookie will help your bottom-line at the end of the year, and in the end, that is all we are looking for.
Remember that quarter and half odds are not limited to point spreads, with totals providing great wagering options as well. Tough schedules, games quickly following an emotional loss and weather can play a huge factor when predicting first half and quarter totals, so make sure you explore all your betting options when getting your action in with your online sportsbook.
As you can see, there are a lot of reasons why I like betting the first half and quarters. Exploiting player matchups, team trends, starting pitchers, coaching tendencies and tons of other information will help you beat your bookie. Next time you log into your online sportsbook, take a look at the quarter and half lines. Sometimes focusing on the beginning of a game will be much more profitable than relying on a full game turning out how you expect it to.