Sports betting is now legal in a majority of US States. As more states legalize, the number of people betting on sports will increase.
Soon enough, every US citizen will have access to legal sportsbooks. And the United States of America will become the United States of Handicappers. You see, all gamblers are sports handicappers. But some are far more skilled than others.
So who are the best sports handicappers, and how do they make a living? Read on to find out.
Handicapping Definition
All bettors are handicappers. And the folks working behind the scenes generating and assigning odds are also handicappers. So what, exactly, is the process of handicapping?
In the sports betting world, handicapping is assigning an advantage to one team or individual contestant based on prevailing statistical analysis to give both sides of the bet an equal chance of winning.
Sportsbook oddsmakers handicap a game based not necessarily on who they think will win and by what amount, but on what odds will produce equal betting. Bettors also handicap and place bets where they believe the oddsmakers are incorrect.
Sharps vs. Squares
Sharps are the best sports handicappers with big money, skill, and mathematical understanding. They provide sportsbook oddsmakers with the most significant challenge because of their dedication to research and methods.
Sportsbooks welcome sharp bets in large amounts because they know they have the public or square bets. The public, or square handicappers, place bets based on emotion and feelings rather than research. They have inherent biases and often fall prey to confirmation bias in whatever investigation they perform.
Because there are so many more squares than sharps, sportsbooks don’t face a lot of risk from these professional bettors. That said, many books now limit bets from these players.
The Best Sports Handicappers
How do these folks make money? For many, they place bets and make their living on the winnings.
But this is fast becoming a hard way to make a living. As sports betting legalizes across America, oddsmakers are now less reliant on the human element. Commercial sportsbooks now use line services that create air-tight odds and eliminate the human mistakes that professional bettors once exploited.
Because the sports betting craze continues its sweep across America, handicapper insight is more valuable than ever. Many professional handicappers now offer their expertise on the best betting sites. You can find a sports handicapper on these sites and pay for betting advice.
We’re All Sports Handicappers
With sports betting legal in many places, the average American is now a sports handicapper. That doesn’t mean the average American is very good at it. If they were, sportsbooks wouldn’t pull in massive profits.
Professional handicappers, the best of the best, either work for the sportsbooks or make a living gambling. Handicapping is an acquired skill that takes years of practice.
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