Types of Sports to Bet On

19% of US adults have bet on sports in the past year. It’s time for you to join them!

If you’re new to sports betting, it’s hard to figure out which types of sports you should bet on. Or even what type of bet is best for your needs. We’ll explain all of that in this blog so you can make winning picks.

Keep reading to learn more about the best sports to bet on and the different bets you can make.

Types of Sports

The best sports to bet on are those that have a lot of action and excitement. They also need to be easy to understand, so you’re not distracted by the rules while watching them. Here are some of the most popular types of sports to bet on.

American Football

Football is a sport played between two teams of 11 players each. The objective is to get the ball into the other team’s end zone, where points are scored. There are three ways to score:

• Touchdown
• Field Goal
• Safety

If a player catches a pass in their opponent’s end zone, it’s called a touchdown. This is worth six points.

If the player kicks the pigskin through the uprights from anywhere on the field, this is called a field goal. It’s worth three points.

When a team commits a foul in its end zone, fumbles the ball out of that area, or is tackled at any point within the safe zone, this is a safety. This gives the defense 2 points.

Basketball

Basketball is a sport where players are split into two teams. The one with the most points at the end of a game wins.

Players on each team take turns attempting to score by shooting a ball through an elevated hoop. The goal of each player is to prevent their opponent from scoring. Players try to keep possession of the ball until they get an opportunity to score themselves.

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and ball game in which two teams of nine players compete to score the most runs. The teams do this by hitting a ball thrown by the opposing team’s pitcher. Players must advance around four bases:

• First base
• Second base
• Third base
• Home plate

A team scores a run when a runner legally advances around the bases and returns to home plate.

Hockey

Hockey is a sport that involves two teams of six players. Teams score by hitting a puck into the opponent’s net with their sticks. Players can use any part of their body except their hands to catch, carry, or pass the puck.

Hockey games are divided into three periods of 20 minutes each.

Soccer

Soccer is a sport played by two teams of 11 players each. Each team has a goalkeeper, six defenders, and five attackers.

The objective is to score by shooting the ball into the opponent’s goal. The team with the most goals wins the match. Many people enjoy soccer betting because it’s the world’s most popular sport.

Golf

Golf is a sport that involves hitting a ball with clubs into holes on a course. The player with the lowest score wins.

There are four major categories of golf:

• Amateur
• Pro
• Seniors
• Women

In addition to these categories, there are several sub-categories within each major category. Amateur senior men’s and women’s pro are examples of these sub-categories.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

MMA is a full-contact combat sport. There are many MMA styles, such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, wrestling, and Judo.

If you want to bet successfully on any given match, you need to understand how each style performs.

NASCAR

If you’re looking for a sport with high odds and action, NASCAR is the game for you. It’s a team sport that involves car racing. You could place bets on individual drivers or teams.

Types of Sports Bets

There are many different sports bets, and knowing what they are will help you pick the right one for your next wager. Below are the most common sports betting strategies.

Moneyline

Moneyline is betting on whether a team will win or lose. The sportsbook will assign the favorite a negative number, and it will give the underdog a positive number.

Let’s say Team A has -145. If this team wins, the bettor will receive $100 back for risking $145. If Team B has odds of +145, you would have to risk $100 to win $145 back if that team were successful.

Point Spread

The most common type of wager is the point spread. This bet is on which team will win. Besides betting on the winning team, you’re betting on the margin of victory.

A point spread can be positive or negative. It depends on whether it favors the favorite or the underdog. The favorite team is assigned a positive number.

Let’s say that Team A is taking on Team B during a football game. Most gamblers think Team A is better than Team B, so they’re favored by 3 points. This means that if you bet on Team A winning, they have to score 3 points or more over Team B for your bet to be successful.

Over/Under

An over/under wager is a prediction of the total number of points scored in a game.

Suppose the New England Patriots are predicted to win by five points over their opponent, the Miami Dolphins. Bettors will then place their money on whether they believe that New England’s total points will be higher or lower than this prediction.

Futures

A futures bet is a wager placed on the outcome of a game, match, or series of events. Futures bets let you place wagers on your favorite teams and players before the season begins. You can use this type of wager to predict which teams will make it to the finals or win their respective divisions.

As an example, predicting that LeBron James will score 50 points during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals would be classified as a futures wager because he has yet to play in that particular game.

Parlay

A parlay bet is a single wager made up of several individual bets.

For example, you might place two wagers on your favorite baseball team. One bet may be a moneyline wager that the team will win. You might also bet that they beat the opposing team by 6 points or more.

If any of these bets lose, then the whole parlay loses. If both bets win, then you can win very large payouts from sportsbooks because of how much risk you’re taking on.

Head-to-Head

A head-to-head bet is a wager on the outcome of a single event. You can make the bet on any sport or event. For example, you can place a head-to-head bet on whether your favorite team will win the World Series.

It’s similar to moneyline betting, but there are two major differences.

First, head-to-head betting sometimes considers the possibility of a draw. This means you can bet that neither team will win.

Also, head-to-head betting is based on who wins that matchup, not who wins the game. Let’s look at a NASCAR race example to see how head-to-head betting works.

You can bet that Racer A will beat Racer B. Racer A doesn’t have to win the race for your wager to be successful. They only have to beat Racer B.

Live Betting

Live betting is a type of real-time sports betting. It allows you to place bets during a sporting event as it’s happening.

For example, if you’re watching a soccer match and one team scores a goal, you can place a live bet on the next goalscorer before halftime ends. If your prediction comes true, then you’ll win some money.

Handicap

In handicap betting, the sportsbook will assign a team a disadvantage or an advantage to even the playing field. The chosen handicaps are based on the difference between the two teams’ skill levels.

Let’s say Team D is playing the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL. Team D has -6 points on the sportsbook, while the Cowboys start the game with +6 points. This means Team D has to win by 7 points or more to cover the spread.

Teaser

One way to increase your odds of winning is by using teaser bets. A teaser is a type of parlay, which means you need to win multiple bets for it to pay off. However, unlike other types of gambling, the bettor can change the point spread for any game (or multiple games) to decrease their risk.

Teasers have much lower payouts than other types of gambling. This can make them appealing to those who aren’t looking for big payouts but still want the thrill of winning money from sports betting.

Pleaser

The pleaser bet lets you move the line in the sportsbook’s favor. This gives you worse odds but a higher payout. Most pleaser bets are for six points, but many books allow you to give away more points for better odds.

Prop Bets

Prop bets are typically not related to the outcome of a sporting event. They’re secondary opportunities for gamblers to make money on events beyond who wins or loses. A prop bet can be about anything that happens during the game.

For example, let’s say you’re betting on the Packers to win the Super Bowl. You can decide to add on a prop bet that says Player B will score 28 or more points in their first two games of the season. If you’re right, you’ll win some cash.

Prop bets are usually made with bookmakers who have access to data about teams’ performances against specific opponents and at specific venues.

If Bets

If bets give you the opportunity to connect two to six bets together. These bets are like a parlay but there’s one big difference. The next bet depends on you picking the winning outcome in the previous stage.

Here’s an example.

You place an if/then bet on Team A winning game 1 of their series against Team B. If they win, then your if/then bet would move forward and apply for game 2. If they lose, then no further games apply and you lose all your money placed on the original wager.

This process repeats itself until it reaches the limit that you set for the wager. For example, you may have placed an if/then bet up to game 5. After game 5, you’ll receive your winnings.

How to Bet on Sports

There are several ways to bet on sports, but one of the easiest is to log onto a betting website like the ones listed at https://www.bookmakersreview.com/sportsbooks/.

You can place a wager on any one of these sites.

You’ll have to sign up for an account first, which only takes a few minutes. Afterward, you can place bets on any of the sports listed on the site.

Each betting website has different odds. It’s essential to compare them and choose the sportsbook with the best possible odds before placing sports bets.

You should also read reviews of these sites so you know what they offer and how secure they are before making a deposit.

Start Betting on Sports

It’s easy to see why so many people enjoy sports betting. There are so many different types of sports you can bet on.

The best part is that you don’t have to be an expert in the sport. All you need is some basic knowledge, which you can learn by reading a book or watching videos online. After that, find a sportsbook to place your bets.

You can find more betting tips in our gambling section. Read some of our blogs to learn more about how to bet on sports and other gambling strategies.