By Betmaker Team
Live, in-game betting requires as much or more strategy than handicapping a regular game by its very nature. The beauty of live, in-game betting is that it is all about improvising as the contest unfolds. The ebb and flow of a specific game can sway the betting lines in dramatic directions. This characteristic is also the potential danger of live betting. A lot of gamblers will overreact to the live betting lines. Therefore, to succeed at live, in-game betting, the winners tend to keep a level head throughout the game, regardless of what significant events occur. Another trait of successful live bettors is their ability to think like an oddsmaker, read the gambling public, and possess the courage to go the other way of the crowd.
Today we will examine the best strategies for success at live college football betting. What makes these strategies so useful is that they are so simple to employ.
Read the Public Like an Oddsmaker
College football betting has an interesting dichotomy. It is both the most public and the most skilled form of sports betting. On a college football Saturday, there is a flood of casual money bet by fans that don't have expertise in the sport. These gamblers are name brand shoppers that are willing and eager to pay full retail prices or more. Teams such as the Alabama Crimson Tide, Clemson Tigers, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish draw excess amounts of casual money.
Oddsmakers know that the public likes the name brand teams, especially as home favorites, and will mark up such teams' price. Since the guys setting the lines have to attract equal betting on each side, they will increase popular bets' cost to entice similar action on the opposite bet. To put it another way, the masses overpay for the popular bets. But the sharps and wise guys take the other side, knowing that they'll get a better price than what is warranted.
This factor leads to live betting. Oddsmakers know how to anticipate public reaction to an in-game betting line. Your key to success is to read the public too. The better you understand the public response to the in-game odds, the more money you will win.
Assessing the Value of Live Betting Odds
An example of an in-game incident that will draw a strong reaction is when a top quarterback leaves the game with an injury. Nothing moves the live betting odds of a college football game more than a lost quarterback. More often than not, it sets up an overreaction.
As soon as the quarterback has carted off the field, the masses check the live betting odds. On such occasions, a reality check comes into play. What do you think the oddsmakers expect when setting the live betting line after the injury? Well, of course, they expect a flood of wagering money bet against the team that lost its signal-caller. And they have a responsibility to set a price that will attract gambling action equally on both sides. To accomplish that, the oddsmakers must set a price that will scare off some of the wagering action against the team that lost the QB. Similarly, the team's worth with the injured quarterback must be enticing enough to draw betting dollars.
This knowledge means that the more favorable price and better wagering value will be on the team that lost the quarterback.
In-Game Momentum
The same principles of value apply to a game that has unexpected momentum changes. If a big underdog is leading a power favorite, the likelihood is that the masses will bet on the trailing chalk in expectation of a rally. The problem, once again, is that the oddsmakers know that and will set the price accordingly.
The Nerve to Stand Alone
Successful gambling separates the professionals from the amateurs. It is not easy to step into the crowd. It takes nerve to wager on a team that lost its starting quarterback. That is why you get a better price for doing so. Contrarily, you pay a higher price to follow the crowd.
Golden Rule of Live Betting in College Football
College football is a game of emotion. This emotional factor feeds into reading public. You'll never outsmart the oddsmakers. Therefore, think like them!
