Betting on the Underdog: A Beginner’s Guide to Finding Value in Lesser-Known Teams

Sports betting has become one of the audiences’ most sought-after online hobbies worldwide. Recent studies indicate that the total size of the gambling market is 1.6 billion people. That’s almost a quarter of the global population. But that’s not all. 4.2 billion people have gambled at least once in their lifetime. Nielsen indicates that an average of 46% of Americans indulge in sports betting. 

So it’s no surprise that the market is ever-so-competitive. If you’re feeling cramped and unable to make significant profits, it’s absolutely normal. While going with the tide is the usual way to go, today we’ll show you how to excel at the road not taken – underdog betting! Read on for the best sports betting tips.

What Is Underdog Betting?

Underdog sports betting is the art of deriving a favorable result in an unfavorable situation. Betting on the underdog can often be a tricky choice. You can get it right only if you know the tell-tale signs and tricks. Through our underdog betting review, we’ll take you through a list of the best-winning betting tips. If you want to be a bettor looking to go against the tide and disrupt the sports betting market, keep reading.

The Basics Of Underdog Betting

Let’s iron the basics of sport underdogs betting out. The concept is a solid way to make money quickly and efficiently. With this betting format, you have to:

• Bet on the team that has a lower likelihood of winning
• Find the best odds in the market that offer a significant margin against the underdogs
• Know your game
• Know your team

Without the four tenets of underrated sports team betting in place, the chances of snatching victory from the favorite team will be slim. As a bettor, we recommend not worrying about the first two tenets. Numerous betting sites will give you ample information regarding the best odds and market sentiments regarding teams. 

The remaining two tenets – know your game and know your team are the most crucial ones. Not knowing the performance and form of underrated players and sports teams can be the single obstacle standing between you and success. 

Effective Underdog Betting Advice

If you’re keen on making bets that matter on underdogs, the list of underdog betting tips is for you. Follow each piece of advice closely to reap the benefits of this sports betting tactic. 

Choose an Appropriate Betting Market

The type of betting market you choose significantly makes a substantial profit from underdog betting. For instance, moneyline odds are the best odds or an underdog bet. Due to the bifurcated nature of the odds, a moneyline keeps skewing in favor of the leadership team. That’s why you can make substantial money on the same. Spread odds are also great odds for this method of betting.   

Choose an Appropriate Sport

This is one of the betting tips you must adhere to while betting against the tide. Choosing the right sport is the difference between winning $100 and $10,000 in a single bet. We highly recommend team sports for underdog betting. The reason for it is, team sports bifurcate the odds into two catapulting the gross probability to 50-50. 

However, factoring in several other elements, bookmakers will give you a moneyline of 70-30. In its place, if you bet on individual sports, the probability of each bet is reduced significantly. For instance, if in a horse race, there are 5 racers. The margin for each player is limited to 20%. Automatically, you make less money. Further, game rules for team games are also better for underdog betting. 

Research = Gold

We have emphasized this several times – research is the lynchpin for success in sports betting. Some common elements you can look at to understand favorable underdog bet opportunities are:

• Match Fixtures
• The League Table
• Game Rules
• Player Form
• Expert Forecast
• Old league game review of your preferred team and its players
• The outcome of the last 10-matches

Once you look at all these factors, try to predict a winning or losing pattern/trend the team is exhibiting. It will help you place logical bets that can assure victory. 

Select a Betting Strategy

The final piece of advice is to select the right betting strategy. In underdog/outsider betting, you must use a logical approach. The best strategy is to rationalize whether or not the underdog team is on a winning streak. Let’s take an example to understand what this means.

The Situation	In a Game of Lakers vs Warriors, the Lakers are playing an away match. The Lakers have won 5/7 games, and the Warriors have won 4/7 games.
Betting Odds	+150 for Warriors
Team Form	The Lakers’ form is rising, and they have a better score history The Warriors’ form is decreasing
Analysis	The Lakers are the underdogs because of an away game but their form is better than the Warriors.
Inference	The Lakers have a good chance of winning the game.

The above micro-table is a suggestion to help you understand how to start thinking about betting on sports outsiders. 

Conclusion

Sports betting is a very competitive space. Our list of betting hints is a beginner’s guide on how to get started. You must have your research and knowledge when betting on the losing side. Going against the tide can often be a difficult choice, but if done right, is the most profitable too! We hope as a beginner we were able to help you with the meaning of bets on underdogs and adequate advice to get you started.

FAQ

Is Underdog Betting Profitable?

Yes. It is extremely profitable when done right because few bettors are on the loser’s side of the spectrum. 

How To Make Lots Of Money Using This Betting Style?

To make a lot of money using this betting style, you’ll need to spend a lot of time conducting appropriate research and analysis on the games, matches, league tables and bets you want to place. 

Can I Bet On Sports Using My Smartphone?

Yes, sports betting sites also allow bettors to place bets from smartphones. You just need to visit a good site and register yourself.