A beginner's guide to sports betting tactics

July 2, 2025 by Staff

From the outside looking in, making predictions on the outcome of a sports event may not seem like a particularly difficult thing to do. But picking the winner of an NBA match or forecasting the winner of the Kentucky Derby is stress free when there’s nothing at stake, and those forecasts are usually done on the back of a gut feeling.

It is a whole different story when there’s actually money riding on a particular outcome. Sports betting requires planning and discipline, and is as far removed from ‘going with your gut’ as things can get. For the beginner, it can be difficult to pinpoint the best tactics to build a structured betting system.

The big kick-off

The first thing that a beginner has to do is find a platform in their jurisdiction to gamble at. Whether you’re looking in New Jersey, Michigan or New York, expert review sites can help you with everything you need to know. For example, WSN has made a complete guide to the best sportsbooks in New York for players to try.

These reviews take a lot of time-consuming research work off the hands of individuals, by listing reputable and safe platforms, complete with bonus offers and reviews of operators. Sportsbook review sites are a tremendous resource to get beginners on the map, and then it’s all about picking up some key betting tactics.

Managing bankroll

Money is the driving force behind sports betting, and bankroll management is the bedrock of responsible, planned betting. Managing a bankroll is a key tactic for beginners because it means organizing what funds you have set aside exclusively for gambling, and breaking that down into how much per bet is going to be used. A common practice is to use from 1-5% of the overall balance per bet, depending on your level of risk.

Organizing your funds like this means that only a small proportion of what you have available is being spent at a given time, which can be especially helpful when losing streaks come along. It ensures that you won't run out of funds after a few losses, and that, importantly, you won’t be pushed into making irrational, emotional wagers to try and make up for losses.

Keep options simple

Forget parlays, system bets, teasers and other complicated options. Beginners should keep things simple and stick to the big markets, which are the moneyline, spread and totals. These are good enough to get a solid grounding in sports betting, and there’s always plenty of public action on them, so margins are typically better.

Many seasoned bettors only play the spread on NBA betting, for example, and there’s nothing wrong with that. As a beginner, overwhelming yourself with bets that have different contingencies is a recipe for disappointment.

Learn to read stats

Understanding which are the right bets to make is a key tactic to learn. No bettor is correct with every selection they make, not even if selecting only odds-on favorites with every NFL bet. Sport is unpredictable and you need to be ready for losses because they are part of the game.

A key strategy in minimizing risk is to learn how to read statistics and form, as relevant data allows for a more knowledgeable bet selection process. Researching statistics like home form, attacking and defensive points, current form and influencing factors like injuries, team selections and key player matchups is all information to use to put toward your bet selection.

Knowing when to back a favorite or recognizing when to side with an underdog – as well as deciding when things are too volatile to even bet at all – are also key strategies to learn.

Know the odds

A good place for beginners in terms of odds is not to stray too far from the even money line. A range between -120 and +120 for options is fine for beginners, as it will allow you to get a good feel for the value of bets and their returns.

If you jump into sports betting and keep pushing for +500 bets, the probable lack of returns is likely to leave you frustrated. Alternatively, consistently winning -230 bets isn’t a great strategy, because of such a small return on the stake risked.

It is vital to gain a good understanding of the implied probability of odds, which is the perceived chance of the outcome happening as determined by where the odds are set. Learning this will help advance you to wanting to know about one of the most important tactics of sports betting for beginners – value bets.

Look for value bets

This is a great tactic for beginners to learn. Value bets are where the implied probability of odds that you see posted for a selection on a sportsbook is higher than what you would expect them to be. It is essentially looking for opportunities where, in your opinion, the sportsbook is underestimating an outcome.

It is, in a way, becoming a handicapper yourself, where you look at an NHL match, for example, and determine the probability of the home team winning that fixture. That probability is then converted into odds, and if when looking in a sportsbook, the price on that option is longer than your estimation, a value bet situation has been created.

Line shopping

Line shopping is something that beginners can do immediately. It entails getting into the habit of not just taking the first odds for a selection, but instead being prepared to look at different bookmakers for the best odds on that pick. Using an odds comparisons tool for this can be a great time saver. It does mean that accounts at different online sportsbooks need to be set up, and balances with them carefully managed, but shopping for odds can help greatly for long-term value.

Self-evaluation

Be prepared to learn the ropes, and while enjoying the wins, understand the losses. Lost wagers can provide great insight into your overall betting strategy, as long as you self-evaluate. Keep a record of all the outcomes of the bets that you have made, including the odds. That way, you will have a great deal of data that you can keep referring to while you analyze your strategy for future bets, as you may be able to see a sweet spot on which you can focus.

Sports betting is a skill, and it comes from building a strong foundation. It can take time and practice for everything to come together, so it is worth remembering that sports betting is all about the long-term focus.