Form heading into a game
One of the most important things that bettors should look for before placing their bets on a sporting event is the form of a player or team heading into that event. The reason that this is important is that it can give bettors a clearer picture of how someone is performing than an overall season record or season-long statistics that don’t get a feel for how someone is doing in the present.
For example, if a team starts off a season with 10 straight wins in any sport, but follows it up with five straight losses, they will have a 10-5 record. On the surface, that looks good, as the team has won twice as many games as it has lost. But that analysis fails to factor into the equation the recent form of the team, which has been disastrous after those five straight losses. Despite the team winning twice as many games as it’s lost, it could be a good idea to go against that team due to its poor form.
In a similar vein, it’s a good idea to analyze that form to see why someone may be playing above or below expectations. It’s possible that a team played through a difficult stretch of its schedule, or that they had some favorable matchups recently, which would explain their recent outings. Understanding form and how it can be over or undervalued depending on strength of opponents is a big step toward placing strong betting picks.
How injuries affect teams
Injuries are one of the most prolific impactors of sports bets in the world, as players sitting out or being able to play have a big impact on the ability of some teams to compete in games. If a team is without its best player, for example, it will be in a much more dire situation than a team that is only missing an ancillary role player. Understanding those differences is crucial, as is simply knowing who is in and out for each game.
There are plenty of sources to obtain injury report information, but some are more reliable than others. Getting a feel for which sources are most reliable is a great way to make sure that you know who is going to play and how you might be able to adjust your bets accordingly. The following sites belong to these sources.