As we noted above, the sports betting online requirement for a team to become a champion is to have at least one star player and a ton of depth. For the Miami Heat, they have not one, but three of the top 20 players in the league, in LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Along with the “Big Three” is a plethora of depth players, that each has a clear cut role. While Bosh’s offense has dried up, he is the commander of one of the strongest defenses in the NBA. Meanwhile, James and Wade appear more determined then last season to make it back to the Finals, and win the biggest prize in the association.

Another important factor to ‘getting over the hump’ is to be less predictable then your opponent. As we venture through the first three playoff rounds, it is easy to find patterns that every team creates, and make a defensive strategy. In theory, with three stars on the same team, the Heat should never have this problem. This year’s squad has a deeper bench, but as the games become more important, you will see more of the ‘Big Three’ playing together. What this should mean is less predictability and more opportunity to hit clutch shots and win the NBA title.

One of the most essential ingredients for any team to experience success in the playoffs en route to being named champion of that specific season is to win on the road. For all intents and purposes, the majority of teams that make the playoffs can absolutely destroy opponents on home court, but become the destroyed team on the road. Nevertheless, the teams with the best road records show that they can play in a hostile environment and still pull off the NBA victory. This year, several teams that struggled on the road during the regular season, will have to hope the second season gives them a fresh outlook on things.

For example, the defending NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks were absolutely dreadful on the road this season. Sitting at an overall record of 36 – 29, and the seventh seed entering the Western Conference playoffs, this Mavericks team isn’t quite as good as some of the Mavs teams in the past that were unstoppable on the road. Dallas was 23 – 10 at home and a miserable 13 – 19 on the road this season. In order to repeat as champions, they will need to be more like the 23 – 10 team and less like the 13 – 19 team.

The Philadelphia 76ers will make the playoffs – As we close out the regular season, the Philadelphia 76ers have been dissected by the media, as a team that should they make the playoffs, won’t do anything once they get there. In the same way that the Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers the last two years, have lacked a true star player, so to do the 2012 76ers. Nevertheless, the overall team game of the 76ers, has allowed this exciting young group to surprise the big boys on many different nights. While Orlando tunes out Stan Van Gundy, the 76ers will tune in to the idea that they can make the NBA playoffs and do some damage.

Denver Nuggets will miss the playoffs – The Denver Nuggets have become of the most field good stories of professional sports over the last two years. After trading away stars Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony for half the New York Knicks 2010-11 roster, the Nuggets played some of their best basketball, making the NBA playoffs. Unfortunately, this season, reality has checked in, as the Nuggets lack of a true star, has really hurt their ability to climb over teams in the playoffs. On paper, the Nuggets should miss the playoffs, as they appear far too young and raw.

Soccer handicappers focus on lines in two ways, that are comparable to the big four North American sports. Firstly, soccer uses the universal straight bet, known as the moneyline. At first glance, all you do is bet on either the favorite or the underdog to win the game outright and then place your money. However, that isn’t all that happens, as soccer provides an option that the big four sports do not, the ability to tie. If you wager on a game to tie, and one of the teams wins the game, then your bet is a loss. On the other hand, if you bet on a team to win and the game ends in a draw, your bet is considered a loss. Since the tie happens often, you would bet the same as if you were handicapping an MLB underdog. In other words, you would bet less to receive more.

Another option to wagering on soccer is by using the goal line. Similar to the run line or puck line in the NHL and MLB, you are giving an advantage to the underdog, by requiring the favorite to score more goals to win the game. Here is how it appears

Manchester City -1.5 (+300)

West Ham +1.5 (-200)

In this example, the bettor requires that Manchester City win by a score of two to nothing to win the game. Since Manchester City is at a disadvantage, bettors taking them to cover the one and a half goal deficit need only risk $100 to get back $300. Conversely, because West Ham only needs to lose one to nothing or draw with Man City, bettors taking them are required to risk $200 to get back $100.

There are plenty of trends that bettors can put credence in as the 2012 March Madness tournament gets underway later this week. One trend we are always surprised at is that despite winning all 84 games since 1991, the number one seeds are only 48-35-one against the spread verses 16 seeds. This tells us, that while they may not be winning the games outright, the 16^th ranked teams annually are getting better and may one day be able to win outright against a top seed. Another interesting trend is that while top seeds have a winning record against the spread, second ranked teams tend to struggle. In the same study from 1991 to present, the teams ranked second, have gone a disastrous 35-45-five against the spread, and 80 and four straight up. Meaning to say, picking an upset, is better statistically on two v 15 then one v 16.

For fans looking for straight up upsets, that game would come from one featuring the fifth seed taking on the 12^th seed. In a study calculating upsets from 1988 to 2012, the 24 year study, showed, that a 12^th seed has failed in upsetting a fifth seed only twice. Looking at a smaller sample, of the last five years, the 12^th seed has gone five and seven straight up and eight and four against the spread. Thus indicating, 12^th seeds are often better then fifth seeds on the NBA trade deadline March Madness betting line.

Now, what’s interesting to note, is that if you used the same system, except bet the over instead of the spread, you would have won at a resounding 58 percent. Basically, the let down that was taking place amongst the road favorites, allowed for the weaker home teams, to score more points. In other words, the total would go over the allotted number, because of the lack of defense from both sides. This in turn translates to a win loss record for the sports betting system of an identical 58 – 42 – one.

For all intents and purposes, the sportsbooks spend much less time focusing on college basketball lines, then they do on the NBA. Not as much value is taken into account for college referees in comparison to NBA referees. While most handicappers take the role of the referee into account in order to determine how a game will fair against the spread or total, in college basketball that simply isn’t the case. The best way to alternatively handicap the college basketball games is by looking at how the teams carry the pace of the game. Two lesser teams are more likely to play at a slow pace, as the plays take time to develop, and there are plenty of missed shots. At the same time, two powerhouse teams are such, because they can increase the tempo and overwhelm their opponents.

For instance, in the Syracuse v St. John’s game a few weeks back, the game featured a quick team in Syracuse taking on a slower team in St. John’s. Since Syracuse received a few players back from injury, the game quickly became a blowout and went over the total. All five starters for Syracuse scored in double digits as well. Thus they were able to over take St. John’s defense without much issue.

For years, the college basketball games were only bet on using the point spread or money line. However, in recent years, sportsbooks have opened up their offices, and have decided to use totals as a means to make a profit on the games as well. Totals are often bet on by sharp handicappers, since many sportsbooks either don’t offer totals just yet, or set the limits on the amount of wagers per section of the total. In general, the tougher the odds are to beat, usually means the more bettors will wager on the actual game.

When the totals are released, you could see the line move significantly in either direction. Using colleagues Right Angle Sports as a reference, you will see, that depending on who their handicappers select, the NBA totals can move towards or away from the under line. In many cases, the line may move two or three points in one direction. For those new to betting on totals, a line move of three to four points is common. To put this into perspective, consider that half a point on the point spread is usually unheard of.

One of the first tips we tell college bettors new to totals is to look at more then just the box score, before placing a wager. Essentially, by watching plenty of games, you can determine which team is bound to score the most points. You can also tell when those teams will score the most points. For instance, good teams can score a lot of points during both the first and second half. At the same time, poor teams tend to score more frequently to start the game, before slowly fading in the second half.

The biggest edge sharps have over the sportsbook actually wouldn’t seem like an edge if you’d read about it somewhere else. That edge we are talking about is money management. The old adage we mentioned earlier is often used by squares, as they learn awfully quickly, that betting more doesn’t mean you are betting smart. For example, a person that has a $400 bank roll who risks $100 per bet, will lose more, then someone with a $400 bank roll who risks $50 a bet.

If you take sports betting seriously, then the first thing you will realize, is that no matter how much you risk you won’t always win. In other words, if your goal is to spend $400 total, why waste it on four bets, when you can double the amount of bets you are using by spending less?

As well, the majority of sharp bettors, tend to be able to find value over the casinos and sportsbooks for one simple reason, they are willing to shop around. The reason most casinos and sportsbooks make a profit is because many square bettors, would rather wager at on the NFL at one watering hole, then go somewhere else.

Firstly, it is important to know yourself and understand what you are comfortable with. For every betting system, there are 1000 different money management systems used to keep you from over spending. Simply put, find the right system for you and you will have nothing but success. For example, one system we enjoy using is the percentage system. The system requires that you breakdown your budget into a percentage, and then play within that percentage for your entire wager. Winning wagers go back into the budget, and then whether you win or lose you continue to play the percentage.

Another tip we can offer you is to keep track of everything and pick the safest NHL wager. What distinguishes the top bettors from the new bettors is the ability to document everything. As we noted before, people handicap every sporting event. In some cases, this means that you will simply read the injury report for your favorite NFL team. Conversely, you may also elect to read up on trends or coaching changes. The point is, you should do a ton of research before you make your bet, so that you are 100 percent confident in who will win the event you are wagering on. If you aren’t 100 percent sure, then you shouldn’t be wagering.