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Don't just bet invest with Sports futures

July 14, 2021

Betting  sports futures can be very lucrative to invest in. That’s assuming it’s done the right way. Betting futures can be utilized in different ways. Here is our basic strategy when betting futures and our tools for success. 

By Red Eye

When betting futures it's imperative to seek out the best value, place them at the right time, and hedge appropriately when and if the opportunity presents itself. The following is a basic breakdown of our strategy and things to consider when placing your futures wagers. 

Futures Basics

Future bets can and should be made year round. Most books will have odds up throughout the season or event. Each sport has key times when future bets provide the best value to invest in.Example . When future odds are first posted for an event, sometimes several months before the event even begins, tremendous value can be gained by pulling the trigger at that time. Odds shake out during the season providing more opportunities for teams and players you might be interested in.

What does this do? It gives the future investor a big edge on the overall market, giving you more leverage hedging a position, and maybe adding more players or teams with that particular future market event.  If you follow, study, and research the sport and or the player seriously like we do, there will be opportunities to add hedge, maybe even buy out of a good or bad position we’re currently holding. Once the season or event starts, injuries, slumps, trades, public overreaction, etc.  tend to readjust odds, giving the investor of sports futures more opportunities to make additional moves to improve or add to his or her current position, perhaps even start a new position.

the golden rule: Value, value, value

How do we get the best value with a future investment we’re interested in? Shop, Shop, Shop...can’t tell you how much this helps to find the maximum value. Don’t chase bad odds! This will put you in a bad position every time. There’s always an opportunity to bet out of a future in a decent position to cash. Don’t chase! We don’t and won’t chase odds.

 

There’s a big difference in betting futures between a 10/1 and a 20/1 ticket, or a 100/1 and a 300/1 ticket. It’s the same principle as finding a + 3 ½ pts and a +3 pt line or a – 2 ½ pts and a -3 pt game line. Give yourself every advantage you can. It’s imperative to maximize a future bet and shop for the best value. A half point, a half win, is so valuable when shopping for any type of bet. A bigger payout by finding higher odds will be to your advantage in the long run.

By getting out front with a solid position, it makes it more advantageous down the road to make moves and insure profit with your investment.

Basic Example

One of our biggest future plays this past NFL season

 

  • KC -125 to win the AFC West - Harrah’s

  • LA Chargers +220 to win the AFC West - Wynn

  • LA Chargers +350 at Chinook Winds after season started

 

For example; if you bet $1250 on KC to win $1000 and bet $1000 on LAC to win $2200, you break even with KC and win $1200 on LAC. We saw no value with Oakland or Denver even at 20/1. If you had seen value on either Oakland or Denver however, you could have invested $50 or so at 20/1, or better, on either team to minimize losses if that team had won the division. We were invested more on KC to win than what was invested on LAC, to create a profit for both teams. Shopping for this future bet in August created this opportunity. 

Football Handicapping Competitions

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Types of Future bets

Future bets have never been defined just as betting a team to win it all, or a championship. It is important not to box yourself in when thinking about futures, a lot of people stick to Championship or Conference bets when some of the best value out there lies in some of the more obscure categories. 

 

All of these options and more are considered futures:

 

  • To win a championship

  • To win a conference 

  • To win a division

  • Win totals 

  • Head to head matchups

  • To make the playoffs

  • To win a future game

  • To win a prop (MVP, a Heisman, a rushing title, etc)

  • Players stats (TDs, goals, strikeouts, HRs, etc)

  • Golf top 5, 10, or 20 finish, to make or miss a cut

  • Exotic futures: betting 2 or more futures in same parlay to increase to a high payout

Expand your thinking in terms of categories to consider when investing in futures and your bankroll will thank you. Super Bowl and World Series odds are heavily influenced with public money, this is not to say that you can't find value there but it can be a little more difficult. These books will focus a lot of attention and resources into these categories because they know they will receive a great deal of bets in these domains. Therefore the numbers and odds tend to be more accurate than other lesson bet futures categories. 

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