Let's be real, picking the best sports leagues to bet on is a tough task. Not because they're terrible to wager on, but ultimately it's down to personal preference, what type of bet you like making, and who or what you feel comfortable putting your money on.
At
Dimers, we always like to help you with betting on sports. In the spirit of this, we've listed the leagues you can make a winning play on.
Betting on the NFL
The granddaddy of them all. The
National Football League
attracts the most interest of any of America's best sports to bet on.
There are 256 games in the NFL regular season, with another 12 playoff games before the Super Bowl. As you can see plenty of opportunity to secure the bag.
Without question, the
favorite NFL bet is the spread. This is essentially a sportsbook's way of leveling out two uneven teams.
For example, the Kansas City Chiefs are playing the New England Patriots. The Pats would be the dogs, and as such would receive a head start, in the form of points – let's say 5.5 points.
To cover a spread, a favored team needs to win the game by the specified amount of points (or more) – they will have a "-" next to their name. Meanwhile, the underdog can either win outright, or lose by the number (or less) to cover.
Spread lines can fluctuate prior to NFL games, and even during them. The line will move depending on injuries, momentum and, naturally, the scoreboard.
Example:
- Kansas City Chiefs -5.5
- New England Patriots +5.5
Using the example above, if you bet New England at +5.5, they would need to lose by 5 or less points – or win outright – to cover the spread.
Conversely, if you bet Kansas City (-5.5) against the spread, the Patriots would need to win by 6+ points to ensure a profit.
In the event of a push – where the bettor and sportsbook tie – your stake will be refunded.
Example:
- Bet:
Kansas City -4 vs. New England
- Final:
Chiefs 20-16 Patriots
Given the Chiefs only won by 4 points, and not MORE THAN 4, this is considered a push. You would be refunded your bet, and yes, sadly that means no profit. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
MORE:
Fastest Withdrawal Options For Online Sportsbooks
Betting on the NBA
Just bet on the King. Now, that wouldn't be the worst betting strategy – LeBron's teams win far more than they lose.
The NBA
is difficult to bet on, particularly due to the 82-game regular season, teams don't always play at full throttle and there is always a chance the best team in the league can lose to the worst.
That's why we recommend you don't bet blind and instead use our
free data and analytics on every NBA game. We have projected box scores to help your NBA prop bets, odds for the Over/Under, and probabilities for the moneyline and in-game bets.
If you want to
win at NBA betting, this is where you go.
MORE:
Definitive List Of Super Bowl First Touchdown Scorers
Betting on CFB and CBB
NCAA Football
and
College Basketball
betting are two of the more popular ways to wager on sports in America. March Madness aside, the traditional powers generally stroll through most of the regular season – even the playoffs if you're coached by Nick Saban!
CBB and CFB are two of the more profitable sports to bet on, particularly at the start of a new season. Sportsbooks often struggle to find a handle on just how good a team will be with new recruits and coaches coming in. Take Mississippi State laying it on reigning national champion LSU in their opening CFB game of 2020/21.
MORE:
The Best Super Bowl Prop Bets
Betting on the NHL and MLB
The two other major pro sports leagues have similarities when it comes to betting. Both baseball and hockey have their own version of
spread betting
– the run line and puck line respectively.
You won't see spreads like the
NFL
or
NBA
because the sports are very low scoring in comparison.
The puck line and run line are almost always set at +/- 1.5 goals/runs. Meaning, the dog gets a 1.5 goal or run head start, with the favorite thereby needing to win by 2 in order to cover the spread.
A far more popular way to seek a payout is the Moneyline bet. It's the easiest sports wager to make, as you're simply choosing which team will win.
Be sure to check out our
NHL picks and
MLB picks
before every hockey and baseball game, where we have the
best odds
and probabilities at the
Moneyline
and every other popular bet.
MORE:
The Definitive List Of Super Bowl MVP Award Winners
Taking Advantage of the Edge
Taking advantage of the edge is key to making money
on any sports event. What is the edge?
This is where the probability of an event occurring is more likely than the sportsbooks' odds. In other words, our data and analytics suggest a team/player has a much better chance of winning than the sportsbooks think!
Taking these bets gives you a better chance of winning money overall. Of course, the higher the edge, the better.
While you're not guaranteed a W, taking some picks, like the
MLS picks, gives you a greater chance of being profitable well into the future. This is super important when trying to be a successful bettor. Of course, along the way, you'll also want to ensure that you keep your betting experience in line with your usual activity. The potential of landing a winning bet and taking advantage of these top picks could be enough to see an extra deposit leave your account. To avoid this, we would always recommend utilizing the
responsible gambling tools
provided by your chosen sportsbook. In turn, you know that any picks you can place will remain well within your limits.
Once you've added deposit limits, betting limits, and alerts to your account, you'll soon be able to find our best edge picks in the
Best Bets section, or Best Bets within any individual sports matchup at the top of our website.
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