Beginner Betting Tactics – Safe Sports Bets

What is the Safest Bet in Sports?

If you’re pondering this same question – and the fact that you’re reading this now tells me you are – I have good news. The safest bet in sports also happens to be the easiest one to make. Not necessarily the easiest one to find, but the easiest to decide on.

It’s a Moneyline, or Straight Up Bet; a simple wager on one athlete or team to beat its opponent. What makes these wagers so safe is that any genuine sports fan can capitalize on them, with no professional-grade betting knowledge required.

What Makes Moneyline Bets So Safe?

Think back to your earliest days as a sports fan. You sat down on the sofa with a friend or relative to watch the game. “Who do you think is gonna win?” they ask. You follow up with a response, leading to an insightful discussion on the how and why. It could be an agreeable conversation or a shrewd debate. If the latter, odds are someone will propose, “Wanna bet on it?”

If you are confident in your pick, you’ll take that bet, even if it’s just a couple of dollars, or who buys snacks or beer for the next game.

That’s exactly how easy it is to make a moneyline bet. You simply pick the team you are absolutely confident will win. the only difference is that a sportsbook is a serious bet, not a friendly wager amongst your closest buds. So if you’re not absolutely confident, don’t make the bet. So long as you have enough knowledge of the sport – not the betting world, just the sport you’re betting on –  then you know you’re making a safe bet.

Are Long-Odd Moneylines Worth Betting On?

Straight bets tend to have long odds. It’s rarely an even match-up, so you’re probably going to be betting a significantly larger amount of money than you stand to win. The lines could be as far apart as 35/65, or even 20/80. That’s because most contests have a favorite to win. The more favored one is over the over, the longer the odds. Sportsbooks exploit safe bets by making you pay a high price for a small reward.

Is it worth betting $100 to win $25? That’s something only you, the bettor, can decide. Think of it this way – you either lose $100 or you win $25. That’s a $75 difference. Are you more than 75% certain your team will win? If not, it isn’t a safe bet. Even if you’re exactly 75% certain, that’s not enough to call it a safe bet. But if you’re closer to 80% or 90% certain, then you can call that a safe sports bet.

Unfavorably long odds aren’t always the case, though. There may be an occasion where you’re truly confident the underdog will kick butt and take names.  In such cases, you can risk far less to win much more. It’s a rare case, so don’t go looking for worthy underdogs. Statistics consistently show that the favorite team is favored for good reason. They will win more often than not.