Online Betting Trends
Online betting trends are a formidable weapon in the arsenal of serious sports bettors for us at top sports betting sites. In short, betting trends are large scale movements of betting action at sportsbooks. Betting trends basically tell us what the general public is betting on at the moment. They can be expressed in both percentages and actual numbers of bets.
Best Betting Sites For Following Trends
Sports bettors find betting trends at betting sites useful because these trends can be used to identify profitable bets. One of the most popular theories in betting trends is that it is profitable to bet against the public. The merits of this theory can be debated back and forth all day, but the basic idea is that the general public is so bad at sports betting that it is profitable to bet against them.
We don’t believe it’s that simple to turn a profit at online sports betting sites, but there is some merit to noting the betting trends. In some cases, the public goes so overwhelmingly towards one side of a bet that the betting website has to adjust the line to keep the action somewhat even. If you pay attention and know your sports, you can find value on these artificially adjusted lines.
Betting Trends And Smart Money
Here’s another theory behind online betting trends: if you notice heavy public action on one side of a bet but the sportsbook refuses to move the line, it must mean that the sportsbooks are paying attention to the professionals with the smart money. The logic behind this one is that sportsbooks would normally move the line to get even betting, but they have decided to stick with the smart money.
Once again, the goal is to profit by betting against the public. This betting trend strategy is almost the same as the one we mentioned above, except it looks for instances in which the line does not move even though the trend would normally dictate a move.
Online Betting Trends And Line Movements
One other strategy with betting trends is to look for trends in which the public is betting heavily on one team, but the betting line moves in the wrong direction. This is often a sign that the sportsbook saw smart money come in on the underdog. For example:
- Team Underdog +21
- Team Favorite -21
You notice in this matchup that the public betting trend heavily favors Team Favorite. But instead of making Team Favorite a less attractive bet, the sportsbook changes Team Favorite to -17. This move in contradictory to what you would expect in a match in which the majority of bets are already on Team Favorite. The only explanation is that the sportsbook has seen smart money come in on Team Underdog.
So How Useful Are Betting Trends?
Betting trends can be useful, but they are not the final solution to locking in a sports betting profit. The best way to look at betting trends is as if they are one piece to the puzzle. They have their use and should be noted, but betting trends alone will not make you a profitable sports bettor.
Research, online betting bankroll management and strategy should all be used to identify profitable bets. As interesting as betting trends are, they are only one piece of information in the grand scheme of things. Note the betting trends, but do not become a slave to them.