Betting Home Favorites
One of the most popular betting strategies is betting on home favorites, but is that really a sound strategy? The home team is going to be the favorite in a large majority of sporting events, but that doesn’t always mean that they win a higher percentage. There are other strategies that might be better in the long run, but betting home favorites can be a sound strategy as long as you do your research. The home crowd can give a team a huge advantage depending on the sport, and some teams do just play much better in the comfort of their own stadium. The NFL and NBA are two of the best leagues for employing the betting home favorites strategy, but there are still plenty of other things to consider before just laying money down on home teams with consistency.
Beware of Divisional Opponents
One of the biggest things that you should consider when betting home favorites is when they are hosting a divisional opponent. Rivalries are a real thing when it comes to sports betting, and they tend to play a huge role in who wins and loses each matchup. Divisional opponents play each other twice a season in the NFL, so there is plenty of familiarity between the two teams. Underdogs in a certain rivalry have been known to ruin plenty of bets by playing their best games of the year against a much better divisional opponent. There are certain rivalries that are very one-sided at the moment, but that doesn’t mean that the trend is going to continue. Betting a home favorite can still work in a rivalry type of game, but you need to make sure you do plenty of research and feel comfortable before making a pick.
Watch Out For Line Movement
You should always watch for line movement when placing a bet on sports, but it comes into play, even more, when employing the betting home favorites strategy. The line is going to open up probably much larger than it will end up, and you need to keep your eye on the line movement. There are different reasons that a line might change one way or another, and you need to try to find out why it is moving. The amount of money being laid on a certain team could impact how the line moves, and it should probably change the way you think about placing a bet. If you are going to bet on a home favorite, then you need to make sure that you get the best value for your bet.
Look At Past Results
A team that is 13-0 on the season will easily be favored at home over a team that is 5-8, but that doesn’t mean it is the right pick. You should do some research and look at how that team has performed against the spread as a home favorite, and look at the past results between the two teams. Some teams can win games with consistency, but that doesn’t mean they do well in terms of winning bets. You also need to take a look back at the previous matchups between two teams before just picking the home favorite and laying down some money.
