Online Sports Betting- Betting Futures

Trying to predict the future is rather hard to do. However, when there is money involved it becomes a very attractive betting option for a wide array of sports and sporting events.

Futures are simply predictions with betting odds. Online sportsbooks such as HRWager have done an excellent job of releasing futures odds for all the major sports leagues and major sports betting events.

The perfect example is the NFL’s Super Bowl. You can bet on next season’s winner before this season’s winner has even had a chance to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

While the concept of betting on a future result in advance is easy to understand, the betting strategy behind futures can be a bit more complex. Futures in sports can be compared to future trading in the commodities market. The price will go up or down based on demand.

Once a set of odds are released for any betting future, they are constantly impacted by the betting public. A team’s future success or failure is dictated by the betting public’s perception of that particular team.

The Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV and they immediately opened as the favorites to win Super Bowl LV. You can almost guarantee that whichever team goes on to win this season’s NBA Championship will be favored to repeat, especially if it is one of the two teams is in Los Angeles.

Major offseason player moves also has a huge impact on futures odds. When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Tom Brady as their new quarterback, they went from longshots to contenders across every NFL future for upcoming season. Wherever LeBron James has played, that team has immediately become a top favorite to win the next NBA title.

Futures odds posted for individual sporting events work the same way. Betting golf’s four Majors well in advance of the actual tournament is always going to center on the biggest names in golf. This does not take into account a player’s form when that event finally does roll around.

Futures betting is big business for online sportsbooks. The biggest events draw the most action and you can always find special betting options posted throughout the year. A very popular NFL futures bet covers the first head coach fired each season. You can then find a futures bet covering who will be hired to replace him.

Free agency is another popular futures category. Before Brady left New England for Tampa Bay, there were futures posted for where he would end up.

There are three basic strategies you can use for betting futures:

  • Bet when posted
  • Wait and see
  • Bet and hedge

Each one has its merits and pitfalls at the same time. Betting a future when it is first released offers the best value but that far out, anything can happen.

The wait and see option will give you the best chance to make a high probability bet. However, quite a bit of value in the number may have been lost from when it was first released.

You can make a futures bet at long odds and then hedge it with another bet going chalk. The pitfall here is being wrong both ways.

Futures should be thought of as fun bets. You can stick with the favorites, bet your favorite teams or make educated guesses at longer odds. As long as you have the patience to wait it out, any winners down the road will be like found money when they pay off.