Sports betting is a fun and exciting hobby for many, but it can also be profitable if you understand how to place bets, manage your bankroll, and know when to walk away from bad bets. There are a lot of different strategies that you can employ to improve your chances of winning big in sports betting.

How to Make Money With Sports Betting

The first step in making money with sports betting is to determine your base bet. This is the amount you’re willing to wager on each play and should represent one to two percent of your bankroll. This way, you can keep a consistent level of bets and prevent your bankroll from going down with a losing run.

How to Find the Best Payouts

The payouts on a sport’s wagers are determined by odds attached to the bet and the amount of money you’re betting. These odds are typically posted on the tote board and television screens around the sportsbook.

How to Bet on Horse Races

The most popular form of betting in the US is betting on horse races. The odds for a particular horse to win are estimated on the morning of the race, and then constantly recalculated by computer during the prerace betting period.

How to Place a Futures Wager

Futures bets offer higher odds–and thus larger potential payouts–than straight bets because they have a longer horizon (such as months or weeks) than straight bets. Examples include a bet that a certain NFL team will win the Super Bowl or a bet that a country will win soccer’s World Cup.