How to Make a Living From Sports Betting

Sports betting is a great way to add more excitement and a financial incentive to your regular sports viewing. But it’s important to remember that making a living from sports betting requires work and research. And a lot of patience.

The first step is learning the terminology and basic strategy for each sport. There are also different types of bets, and you need to figure out which ones suit your style best. The most common bets are moneylines, spreads and parlays. But there are also prop bets which give you a vested interest in more specific outcomes, like how many points a team will score.

Another key element is understanding the role of public perception in a game. The media coverage of a game can have a large impact on how the public perceives a matchup. For example, if ESPN is pumping the tires of Seattle all week, it will likely influence the opinion of the “betting public.” The sportsbooks are aware of this and often shade their lines toward the popular side of a bet.

Another popular strategy is tracking the line movements leading up to tip-off. In addition to the traditional full-game odds, many sportsbooks release a variety of other lines throughout the game. These include first-half and first-quarter odds, as well as live in-game lines that are constantly being adjusted based on the action of the game. These are especially popular in baseball and hockey where one run or goal can have a major impact on the final result of a game.