Amateur sports bettors collect little or no data before placing their bets but professional gamblers make sure that they are as well-informed as they can possibly be before they place their wager. That means that they don't use the regular, mainstream sports sites to cover the spread that are favored by the majority of the public, but rather rely on specialty sites that focus on providing detailed information that will make or break a big bet.
Gambling is, of course, never a sure thing. There's no way to know whether your bet will pan out. But pro gamblers hedge their sportbet wagers by accumulating the latest, up-to-the minute information about every aspect of a sporting event so that they have the best chances to achieve a positive outcome to their bet.
Which are the data sites used by the pros?
What are Sports Statistics?
Sports statistics involve data that represents the ranking of athletes, teams and fixtures in sports. The data is then recorded in tables so that fans and bettors can assess the performances of the teams. Sports statistics are used by commentators and analysts to predict the outcome of a game. They look at the past performances of the players and current information (injuries, etc) to calculate the possibilities that might occur during the game.
For instance, if the team has won its previous four games, the analysts will note that the team seems to be performing better than normally and will likely win Game #5. Or they might assess the team's chances as being less than average based on an injury to a key player.
Professional sports gamblers get their information and analyses from sites that specialize in sports statistics in a highly specialized environment, using top-notch evaluators. Some of those sites include:
SBD Sharp
Bettors find that SBD Sharp offers a massive benefit by examining sports statistics differently than other sites. The site tracks teams over time to determine their standing value as investments. The goal is to assist bettors in predicting how the team is likely to perform in specific scenarios.
SBD Sharp focuses on identifying those teams that offer the best return on investment as point spread, moneyline or totals bets. Teams' past records are reviewed to allow bettors to determine the results of wagering on individual games or on the season as a whole.
You'll be able to see, not only which are the games that each team has won or lost, but when the bettor would have profited had s/he bet on them. This betting trend analysis tool is an ideal solution for those who want to track sports bets as investments over time.
The site allows you to choose from a number of formats for display of data and filtering of results. Filter criteria include the top teams to bet on at home, when away, as an underdog, as a favorite, as a home underdog, as a home favorite, as an away favorite, as a road favorite, etc.
This is handicapping at its best as it allows you to identify statistics and information that give you the information that you need to know how likely any team is to perform in specific situations. You can then evaluate these trends throughout the season to predict what is most likely to happen the next time the team faces similar conditions.
FiveThirtyEight
FiveThirtyEight is known in the industry for employing many of the industry's best statisticians. Their advanced form of statistical analysis, sabermetrics, applies statistical methodology to predict the outcome of sporting events (and other political and entertainment events as well.)
FiveThirtyEight believes in transparency so their data is made available publically, for free. They also feature predictive models for both the NFL and the NBA via their "CARMELO" and “ELO” systems.
According to stats analyst and FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver, “Elo ratings are a measure of team strength based on head-to-head results, margin of victory and quality of opponent, while our CARMELO projections estimate a player’s future performance based on the trajectory of other, similar NBA players.”
The CARM-Elo model was created with a combination of both ELO ratings and CARMELO projections. CARM-Elo is a forecast model. The system projects results based on a team’s historical game results in conjunction with the team's roster. It's predicated on more than 50,000 simulations, taking into account distance traveled to games, fatigue and even home courts in higher altitudes. When predicting playoffs, the CARM-Elo model takes into account teams with significant playoff experience by giving them a bonus.
This is a great model and one that its recommended to integrate into your sports bets. Correct more often than not, it’s also free, simple, and efficient. Plus, few have ever found a way make data more aesthetically appealing and exciting than the fine folks at FiveThirtyEight.
Killer Sports
Killer Sports provides free data on a level that was once available only to big media organizations like ESPN. It's a free service along with a patented SDQL (Sports Data Query Language) for subscribers. It's generally acknowledged as the most comprehensive database available to the public.
The Killer Sports SDQL database gives users the ability to build and save their own trends (which others can then access for a fee) and access team comparison tables. There are also statistics that aren't available through any other database.
Sports subscription services aren’t for casual bettors but if you want to take your sports betting activities to the next level, consider starting with one of these services' free offerings and, if you wish to move forward, buying a paid subscription.
