Sports Betting is a Game of Skill

The gambler's sports betting challenge is to gather and analyze as much information as the gambler can about the sportsbook game they are placing wagers on, weigh the probabilities of each sportsbook team winning, and subsequently compare the gamblers opinion to the odds maker’s. Make the right judgment and the gambler wins the bet. It's as simple as that.

While luck may be a deciding factor in the outcome of any single sportsbook game, and will inevitably go against the gambler on occasion, it will balance out in the long run.

Being a consistent sportsbook winner in sports betting is not about luck but whether the gambler is prepared to invest the time and effort to become knowledgeable about the sportsbooks the gambler is placing wagers on. Whether that gambler can weigh all the factors in a cool, objective fashion, and whether the gambler adopts a consistent, disciplined, long-term approach to sports betting. Do all of these things and the gambler will come out a winner. Remember, it's the gambler against the oddsmaker, not the bookmaker. The bookmaker is simply a middle-man who operates on a small profit margin and, ideally, likes to see half the money wagered on one sportsbook team and half on the other, assuring the bookmaker of a profit. If too much of the money goes on one team, the bookmaker will move the line or pointspread to encourage gamblers to place wagers on the other sportsbook team in an effort to balance his book.

The person a gambler is attempting to beat is the oddsmaker and his views on each team's chances. Just by flipping a coin the gambler will be right 50 percent of the time. At odds of 10/11 only 52.4 percent of the gamblers bets have to win for the gambler to overcome the bookmaker's profit and break even, so the gambler only needs a very small edge to become a winner. Gamblers should do their homework, bet selectively and 55 percent winning bets is definitely achievable and 60-65 percent is a realistic target. At those levels the gambler will have an extremely profitable, as well as enjoyable, hobby.