News to Watch While Gambling on Sports

As a sports gambler, one of the best pieces of advice you will get is to pay close attention to the news headlines.  The public will do this, but so will the sharps, and if you pay more attention than the public, you will probably pick up on things the public misses.  The public is easily swayed by sports headlines, but only for really prominent games.  They will typically miss the other events that take place over the course of a season, which is one reason they often bet incorrectly.  What should you be paying attention to?  Here are news events concerning sports teams which can have an effect on how future events unfold:

• Recent outcomes.  Obviously you want to keep up with how teams are performing throughout the sports season.  This can give you an idea about how they are likely to fare in future games.  Don’t just take note of the wins and losses and scores though; analyze the games and outcomes and see if you can glean an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of teams and players.

• Injuries.  If players are injured, it can impact the rest of the season.  In fact, in some cases, it can spell doom for an entire team for the rest of the season.  Even if they were doing fantastically before, they may not be able to press ahead if a key player was injured and can no longer perform.  Oftentimes just a few key players carry a team forward.  While you’re at it, you might also want to take notice of when players recover—which may not be as widely publicized as their injuries. 

• Starting lineups.  One starting lineup vs. another can have a huge impact, and may even determine the outcome of a game.

• Weather.  Weather can of course have an impact for both teams that are facing off, but this may exacerbate existing problems as well.  If a team is playing with injured players in cold weather, the weather will take even more of a toll.

• Transfers and staff changes.  When players, coaches, or management change, teams can undergo massive structural changes.  Even a single trade can make a huge difference, and if management or coaching undergoes a change, a whole team can transform.

• Disagreements and internal turmoil.  Something as seemingly trivial as a spat in the locker room can impact the way a team performs on the field.  

As a caution, when you are watching sports news and commentary, it is important to remember that a certain amount of exaggeration is typical.  Sports commentators often have their own agendas, and may over-blow an injury, a locker room fight, or any other snippet of news.  The public often makes the mistake of not only overlooking genuinely significant news, but putting way too much weight on news which ultimately does not matter half as much as they believe.  So take commentators’ statements with a grain of salt, and recognize that they regularly hype up news for their own reasons. 

One of the reasons you should strongly consider following just one or two sports as a bettor is that it makes it much easier to follow news headlines in detail.  This is also a reason it is sometimes smart to bet on your own favourite team, assuming you are able to leave your bias behind.  If you are a genuine expert on a sport or a team and you follow the headlines closely, you catch little details that others miss.  Sometimes those little details can translate into big money if you play your cards right.