You probably hear a great deal about sharp bettors. This term has almost reached mythical proportions within the world of sports betting. This is also a term that's widely misunderstood. People give sharp bettors way too much credit. Sharps are seen as people who have insider information, foolproof betting systems and more knowledge than any mortal can ever hope to possess. This is simply not true. The main difference between a square and a sharp bettors is how much time and effort each of them puts into their pursuit. Even a bad NBA athlete should be better than a guy who only plays once a week in a recreational league. NBA players practice and play basketball every day. They also have access to the best coaches and resources. After work, the guy in the recleague goes to the gym and plays a little ball before going out for wings and beer. The same is true in sports betting. Sharp betting is a code word for success. A sharpbetter spends all day and night studying games and learning the mechanics of games. He also looks out for ways to make money. Casual bettors will look at some stats and read a few articles before choosing the team that they prefer. It's about commitment, not insider information. Commitment is key.

Sharp bettors understand the real road to profit and how to get there by doing their work. They know what to avoid. Here are 3 things that sharp gamblers know that most casual bettors don't.

1. It is rare that the final score matters. The final score of a game is not important. It doesn't really matter what the final score was. Sharp bettors care more about why the result occurred. Did the winning team win because they had a dominant running game? Is it the secondary of the losing team that failed them, or the ineffective defensive line? What is the role of turnovers? Was the turnover problem isolated or did the team have problems with it all season? A key injury may have had an impact. The offense was effective or did the defense and special team score more points? Was the kick-off game successful or was it a disappointment? I could continue, but you know what I mean. Scores alone tell you nothing. Two teams could arrive at 27-14 in a million ways. It is important to look at the details of how the result was achieved and what they can tell you about the future. Sharp bettors pay attention to these details. Casual bettors may see that a certain team won its last two games with a 20-point margin and assume it will win again, without considering how it did it or if it will be able do so against the next opponent BOLA1.

2. Teasers and parlays are for losers. Parlays are only for suckers. There are some very rare situations when sharp bettors use them, but they rarely do. This is especially true when parlays use the point spread instead of the moneyline. This is because the payout is lower than the risk of a parlay. Over the long-term, this creates a negative expectation for the bets. If you bet on them for a long time, you will lose money. Parlay three teams, for instance. You can either be right or wrong for each game. There are eight possible outcomes for all three games - You can either be correct about all of them, or you can also be wrong. Only one of the eight combinations - correctly predicting all three games – will lead to a winning parlay. To break even in the long run, you'd need a bet that pays 7/1. Three-team parlays are only paying 6.5/1. You will lose money in the long run. Smart bettors know better than to play games with negative expectations. Casinos make money by playing games with negative expectations. But there's no reason to do that when you can place better bets and have a more realistic expectation of winning. Sportsbooks are pushing parlays and teasers because they can print money.