Wednesday, 8 February 2012
If you’d like a shortcut to solid information-gathering and insight on potential betting action, here’s an online stop you’ll want to make: The online sports betting forums. Like any other topic researched on the internet these days, a quick way to learn a lot in a hurry is to troll forums for advice and tips; of course, it’s not enough to simply open a thread, find some guy who appears to make salient points and then cover his action.
Once you’ve identified a decent online sportsbook discussion forum, the trick comes in handicapping the handicappers. Even if you check out the recent history of an “expert” expressing opinion, a real danger exists in backing a punter who’s just been hot recently. Typically punters posting picks in such forums tend to be the apparently successful bettors of the lot, but often a short-term losing streak can cause a poster to disappear from the forums altogether. A good rule of thumb here is to make sure that a would-be expert has posted at least 100 results.
Because of the unpredictability and volatility in playing at online sportsbooks (that’s why they call it “gambling,” after all), a punter looking to handicap the handicappers might soon find himself in a seemingly paradoxical situation of following advice from a handicapper with a lower success rate – but his 275 of 500 correct picks (for a winning percentage of 55%) is more impressive and far less likely to be founded in luck than the guy scoring 85% with 20 picks recorded.
As far as paying for advice from a professional tipster, the truth is this move can only be made profitable if the fees are 2% or less; any higher rate effectively squanders most winnings above the breakeven point.
The online sportsbook discussion forum can also assist in finding a pro tout: Check up on any tipster’s reputation above and beyond his overall mark. You’ll also want to properly research any expert’s total record and his recent performance. And remember: If the information’s not online and easily accessible, the service is not trustworthy.
