Knowing the gambling percentages can help you decide on where the best place to lay down your money for your skill level should be. Casino advantages in the major games stack up this way:

The easiest betting tip there is in craps is to only bet on the Come & Don’t Come or the Pass & Don’t Pass Line bets. Those bets pay even money and the house edge is small, at only 1.4%. If you play the Buy Bets only the 4 and 10 are worthwhile. They reduce the house edge to 4.76%. The house edge for the Place Bets varies from 6.66% to as low as 1.51%.

The other bets give the house a bigger edge. Betting on any Craps pays 7 to 1 but the house edge is 11.11%. The Horn Bet is another to be avoided. It pays 30 to 1 for the 2 or 12 when the true odds are 35 to 1. The 3 and 11 pay 15 to 1 but have true odds of 17 to 1. That’s a 16.66% house edge; stay away from that bet.

Boxing doesn’t have nearly the same influence it did even 30 years ago as America’s preferred gambling sport. As they say, power corrupts. But boxing remains a simple sport to bet, and its tenuous hold on the fringes of mainstream sports encourages the same level of ‘fair play’ that has led MMA out of the wilderness.

This is human combat boiled down to a very simple form: punching the other guy, in the front of the torso and head only. Differences in technology and equipment play a very small role in the ring (but a much larger one during training). As a handicapper, you’re looking for easy-to-spot indicators of the ability to throw and take punches: size, strength, even age.

Attitude doesn’t come up on the tale of the tape, but if you’re not already a student of human behavior, don’t sweat it. Win-loss records reveal a lot about a fighter’s attitude.

The best tip you could have received for NBA betting before the season began was to bet it all on the Celtics right from the start. But since the time machine hasn’t been perfected yet, you’ll have to do your homework to make some profit on your NBA bets the rest of the way. You can still keep dumping money on the Celtics, but Boston has since failed to cover the spread for the first time this season and fell to Orlando Sunday.

One factor you can take advantage of in NBA betting that doesn’t exist in the NFL is lengthy opposite-coast road trips. In the NFL teams play one week and get at least six days off before playing again. In the NBA fatigue can become a big factor when an east-coast team heads west, or a west-coast team heads east. Most coast-to-coast trips aren’t for just one game, and during a two- or three-game road trip across the country, the second or third game can be real tough on the visiting team. Give the schedule a closer look, find the teams making the cross-country journey, and try betting against them. It will often pay off.

Unless you’re a born and bred Canadian, chances are you haven’t even put on a pair of skates in your life. But that doesn’t mean you’re unqualified to bet on hockey.

It’s a really simple sport: put the puck in the net. Some teams are better at it than others. Also, some teams are much better at keeping the puck out of the net. If you do the math on the two goaltenders in a matchup, you’re already ahead of the game.

The betting side of things isn’t rocket science, either. It’s a lot like baseball betting; there’s the moneyline, and there’s the spread, which looks and cooks the same as the MLB runline. If you’re not a big fan of either, try the totals. These are very popular, since you don’t have to do too much math on the chalk; it’s usually hovering around the familiar –110. And you get to keep your teeth.

“What will Nicole Richie and Joel Madden name their first baby?”
“Who will win the 2008 Presidential Election?”
“Who will win the Super Bowl this year?”

Proposition bets (or props): Unusual betting opportunities that can add a new level of excitement to whatever it is that you’re watching, be it a major celebrity, sports or television event.

Futures: Odds posted in advance on the winners of various major sporting events, including the World Series, NBA Championship, Stanley Cup, and Super Bowl, and can also be a valuable source of entertainment.

How to Bet on Futures

If you don’t have a big enough bankroll to tie up your funds for months at a time, then betting futures may not be the way to go for you. But if you do have some money to set aside (for the duration of the NFL football season, say) then betting futures can be very profitable. For example, let’s say you were to put down $500 on the Cleveland Browns to win the 2008 Super Bowl. At 125/1 odds to win, if the Browns pull off a miraculous season and become this season’s champs…well, you’d be in for quite a nice pay day.

Although easy to bet on, the general rule with futures bets is the earlier you bet, the higher your payoff. As the season progresses the odds on your team to win the Super Bowl will undoubtedly change…possibly for the worse.

Keep an eye out for injuries, for teams that are struggling early on, and for teams that get off to a hot start. There are a lot of bandwagon fans out there and if they all bet on one team the odds can be driven way down.

Not sure who to go with? Check the schedule before you place your futures bet. If you see a team with a relatively easy schedule and you think they can bang off five straight wins, you may want to throw some money down as soon as possible.

How to Bet on Props

A prop bet is a wager that is not directly related to the final score of the game (or event).
For example, fantasy sports are totally hot right now and if you bet on certain players who you think might be in for a good game or season, props are a great way for you to profit on your fantasy team.

Not interested in sports? Entertainment props are also extremely popular. By betting on your favorite reality TV show or your favorite celebrities you’re adding a new element of fun to your entertainment dollar.