The first step towards reading value on the sports betting lines is to start thinking like an oddsmaker when betting sports. Sportsbetting lines are set up based on a combination of public perception and the oddsmaker’s ability to set up prices of equal appeal in a matchup. Beyond that, the sportsbetting oddsmakers are so good at what they do and such experts on reading the gambling public that they will often set “trap lines” to suck the public into wagering on the wrong side of games when they are betting sports.
Sportsbetting value is what it is all about. The equation of added value on the sportsbetting lines is the difference between what the actual betting lines should be compared to what the betting lines actually are. The greater the difference between the two, the greater the sportsbetting value will be.
Instead of reading the same tired old statistics, trends, and media reports that conventional handicappers consume, you should instead practice making sportsbetting lines. When you make your sportsbetting lines you should make them based on what you believe the actual merits of the game are. Then compare that to what the sportsbetting lines actually are. The more that you do this, the better you will be able to read the board and learn to understand the differences in the sports betting lines between what you felt was the fair price, or even what you believed would be the actual price, compared to what the price actually was on the board.
Skill in setting sportsbetting lines is the greatest skill that you can develop as once you obtain expertise at this, you will be thinking like an oddsmaker instead of a gambler and be able to read the gambling public better, which will then point you towards where the real value is.
The best winners that are betting sports work the least hours because all they are focused on is what really matters, which is value against the sportsbetting lines. And you are not going to find by doing what everyone else is doing when betting sports.