7 Things To Consider When Choosing a Handicapper

Stigmas are always funny things to shake. Some can only be shaken after generations and generations have passed. Think of the word – bookie. While it is simply the shorter form, or colloquial term, of bookmaker, bookie conjures up mental images of gambling illegal debts and lengths people will go in order to settle said debt. Blame pop culture and mafia movies for that negative stereotype, which because of its nature will last for quite some time. However, what is closer to the truth is that bookmakers help all who are interested to place their best bets on the picks that matter and assist winners in cashing out when that time arises. Similarly, there are negative connotations bestowed on the word handicapper. This is for one obvious reason, that word is frighteningly close to the descriptive word – which sometimes doubles as a slur – handicap. And for another unrelated reason because of the function of a handicapper. A successful handicapper is someone who bets on sports, not blindly, but after a tremendous amount of research attempting to find what they deem as their edge over other bettors, and critically sportsbooks. There is a reason why the online sportsbook industry is a multi-billion-dollar operation. As more and more sports fans start adding some betting action to the games they watch, this industry has continued to expand and grow. So there became a need to try and get more professionals involved to guide all who interested in placing informed bets. These handicappers are mostly specialists focused on one sport in particular and for a select few their expertise concentrates on one particular aspect of a sport. Depending on how good the record of the handicapper is, they might have just a few customers who buy their picks or dozens of customers who place their bets according to the advice from the handicapper or from a group of handicappers. Handicappers come in many different forms Some may prefer one type of bet, such as a moneyline or a spread, others will vary their betting type depending on the odds on offer and the insight that they’ve gained from their research. The most common betting picks are: over/under picks, parlay picks, picks against the spread and moneyline picks

Because of the nature of the business, it can be quite the task to find the right handicapper for placing a bet. What follows is a small list of probable choices which could, or could not, lead down the right path for one lucky bettor. 

How Should HandiCappers Be Chosen?

1. Understanding how each sport is different is critical for choosing the right handicapper. How long are the longest losing streaks? How long are the longest winnings streaks? How many picks will there be on average per season? The answers to these questions tend to be unique depending on the sport so special care should be made regarding pairing a handicapper with a particular sport. 

1. Research is key. Each day and week can bring new matchups, depending on what sport a person is trying to handicap, while injuries and rotations could throw off certain variables so special attention has to be paid to them. 

1. The right handicapper, or a good one should have rave reviews complete with praise from customers who have stayed with a particular handicapper for a long time. These handicappers are normally good with communicating the process of making picks, regardless if they ended up being wrong or right. People are always happiest with proper feedback. 

1. A huge part of sports handicapping is understanding value so understanding that interested parties should be searching high and low for it until they find it. It is difficult to really define betting value, as it’s really in the eye of the beholder, or beholders depending on how good the value of the handicap truly is. 

1. Many handicappers who prefer to keep their results private. But that cannot work long term as people will want to know who they are hiring and what their track record for successful handicapping has been. As mentioned before, bettors should look for someone who isn’t afraid of being transparent, if not with their identity, at least with their results. Interested persons should make sure the handicapper they choose should have a success rate of a minimum of 55%, so that bettors who choose them can be profitable over the long run. 

1. Before  hiring a handicapper, people should make sure they have a complete understanding of the prices involved. Is it subscription based? If so, how long does it last, and is the renewal rate the same? The handicapper’s fees should be calculated to determine how successful bettors need to be profitable. The bookmaker must get paid. The handicapper must get paid, and of course the bettor wants to get paid too. As the bottom line in betting on sports is making money. 

1. People should also be aware of being scammed. In any business that returns some level of profit, there will always be the potential for scammers to find their way in. So if after some time there is no direct contact with a true handicapper then it would be advised for a bettor to walk away and find another more trusted place or person to take advice from. 

When diving into the world of sports betting via handicapper. The bettor should never forget the reason why they were interested in the first place. The overall sports betting industry has been expanding at a rapid pace, especially in the United States. More and more sports fans, and just people overall, are starting to place wagers on their favorite sports and sporting events. This is because for some people adding betting action to all the action on the field, court or ice is exciting and fun to do. But it still involves cold hard cash that is far easier to lose than to earn. And everyone should know the saying: “A fool and their money will easily be parted.” So if there are plans for a person to get serious about earning a positive return on their betting investment, they may want to consider using a professional sports handicapper to place their bets. It is by far the safest play.