A good book on sports gambling is worth its weight in gold and that’s exactly what King Yao delivers in the follow-up to his widely acclaimed Weighing the Odds in Hold ‘em Poker. If a sports gambling book helps bettors avoid one losing wager or points them to one winning bet they may have otherwise passed, it will pay for itself many times over. It’s impossible to come away from reading this book without that happening.

One of the best things about Weighing the Odds in Sports Betting is that King Yao manages to pack plenty of information into just 254 pages. There is something for sports bettors of all experience levels and even veteran bettors will enjoy reading some of the material for less experienced bettors, as it’s presented in an easy-to-digest manner and filled with valuable pointers. While most books on sports gambling are targeted towards a particular group of bettors, such as beginning/intermediate or experienced, Yao’s book seems to have been targeted at all sports bettors, which is a refreshing change.

The early chapters give a solid foundation of a mathematical perspective of sports betting, which is really at the heart of the matter. Winning sports bettors don’t always wager on the teams they believe are going to win, but wager on the teams where they perceive there is good value for the money. This book will make the job of determining which teams those are a bit easier.

Scalping, Middling, and Hedging

The real strength of the book, in my opinion, are the three chapters that deal with scalping, middling, and hedging. Yao presents a solid analysis of how to determine if scalping or hedging is worthwhile in particular situations, something many sports bettors don’t take into consideration when placing an additional bet.

Any bettor who places halftime wagers or places bets early in the week during football season with the expectation of betting the other way late in the week is sure to benefit from the book and its description of looking at them from an Expected Value perspective.

Many Topics Covered

Another strong point in the book’s favor is that Yao covers a multitude of sports and include tips on first half betting in the NFL, baseball totals and first halves, along with ideas on March Madness, Super Bowl propositions, office pools, futures and a lot more. There are plenty of charts and tables presented for readers, which make some of the concepts easier to follow, although none of them are too complicated.

It’s difficult to try and mention everything Yao covers in the book, as he does a solid and thorough job detailing numerous topics that are of interest to sports bettors.

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One of the most common misconceptions about sports betting, or any form of gambling, is that it is only the losers who have problems as a result of their gambling activities. Nothing could be farther from the truth. While those who habitually lose money have a different set of problems which arise from financial concerns, a number of sports gamblers, including those who break-even or even show a profit, will find their sports betting to be a disruptive force in their family life.

A primary reason is the amount of time sports betting occupies a person. This doesn’t mean handicapping the games, or the process in which a person places their bets, which is where a bettor should spend the most time, but instead usually involves watching the games on television all night.

When that’s done on a daily basis, it’s easy to see how a person’s spouse could become a little upset.

One of the things many sports bettors need to admit is that whether they watch the game on television or not will have no bearing on the final outcome. It’s not as though the Lakers are going to call a timeout and say, “Well, Bob turned the television off so there’s no point in trying anymore.”

Along the same lines, the final score will still be the same, regardless if you get it online immediately after the contest, from watching ESPN, or from the morning paper. You don’t have to spend every night staying glued to the TV or in front of the computer. Take a night or two off and spend it with your family or friends. You’ll all feel better about it.

Hiding Your Betting

I’m constantly amazed by the number of people who hide their sports betting activities from their spouse. Such an act is a disaster waiting to happen and in many cases the bettor will eventually lose much more than their football sports bets. They’ll lose their family as well.

A person hiding their sports gambling from their spouse is usually doing so because the spouse believes they can’t afford to lose the money that is wagered. If that’s the case, the bettor needs to ask themselves if they are betting too much or if they should even be betting at all. If a bettor realizes they shouldn’t be betting, but can’t help themselves, then it’s time to consider getting help with their gambling habit. I’m not an expert on compulsive gambling, but I do know enough to recognize some of the symptoms, and betting when you know you shouldn’t is certainly one of them.

Looking to Make the Fortune or Getting Rich

Another avenue in which young sports bettors tend to lose perspective is in the size of their wagers. Far too many bettors are constantly betting more than should be, although the proliferation of online sports gambling has helped to a minor extent, as bettors may only wager the amount of money they have in their account.

Those betting on credit through an illegal bookie are more prone to wagering excessive amounts, especially in the beginning of a new week, as they believe they have five or six days to get even if they should happen to lose money. Bettors who normally place $200 wagers will often find themselves betting $500 or more on a game when the new week begins, which again, is a disaster in the works.

One piece of advice sports bettors should take note of is Lem Banker’s saying, “Bet not what you want to win, but what you can afford to lose.” That goes hand-in-hand with another piece of good advice, which says if your sports betting winnings or losings are going to change the quality of your lifestyle, you’re probably betting too much.

Many sports bettors don’t realize that if they’re betting on a game for enjoyment purposes, it can be just as fun with a $20 wager on a game as it is with a $400 wager. The main difference is a bit less anxiety, and if a bettor really needs that anxiety, they probably shouldn’t be gambling in the first place.

What SportsBetting Should Be

The main reason a person should bet on sports is for enjoyment. If they happen to make a bit of money at the same time, that’s great, but the amount of people who will show a longterm profit in sports betting is extremely small.

For many people, discussing sports betting is essentially a hobby and something they do because they enjoy watching an occasional game with a few dollars placed on the outcome. If they lose, that’s fine with them, since just about every hobby will cost money. These are the type of people who probably get more from sports betting than anybody else, even those few people who make a living from it. Hopefully, you fall into this category.

It’s when sports betting begins to take on added importance in a person’s life that they need to be aware of what is happening and realize that they may have a gambling problem. If sports betting is causing problems in a person’s personal life, it’s time to make a change and if a person is unable to change on their own, perhaps it’s time to do so with some help.