Online Sports Betting- Betting Reverses

This exotic bet can basically be thought of as an extension of an If Bet with Reverse action. It can act as a hedge for a single if bet or as a pair of if bets using the same teams.

An if bet groups together two or more plays in a specific order. If you happen to like the Bulls, 76ers and Knicks in tonight’s NBA action (+ or – points), you would bet your top play first followed by the other two teams. In this case, your if bet might be Philly, New York and Chicago.

If the Sixers cover, there is action on the Knicks’ game. If the Sixers lose, there is no action on the rest of the bet. If the Knicks cover, then there is action on the Chicago game. If New York loses, there is no action on the Bulls’ game.

If bets are used primarily as a money management tool. You can put a stop-gap on losses by limiting continued action to previous wins.

Gamblers by nature always think they are going to win. Why would you place a bet to lose? The reverse is used to play both ends of an if bet. The reverse in the case above would be Chicago, New York and Philadelphia in that order. It works exactly the same as an if bet.

It is hard to call a reverse a money management tool. Going three out of three with your picks is very difficult to do. Doubling down on that if bet with a reverse actually adds more risk. If Philly and Chicago lose, you just lost double the amount of the regular if bet.

If one of those teams win, the other half of the bet continues. However, you have already lost your original stake plus 10 percent juice (commission). Even if you win the Knicks’ game you are still down for the night because you lost twice on Chicago.

Most gamblers use a reverse as a hedge. If the 76ers lose, the if bet is over. The hedge is on Chicago winning its game. That would keep the action going on the Knicks game. As opposed to playing these three games as a reverse, you might want to simply play them as a straight bet.

Reverse bets are more popular during football season. You may want to play a three team reverse based on starting times. A 1 p.m. (ET) game is followed by a 4:25 p.m. start plus the Sunday night game. If you win the first two games, you are sitting pretty going into the night game.

If you win the third game, you will collect on the reverse both ways. However, if you lose that third game, it basically cancels out your winnings from the earlier games since you bet it both ways. The net loss would be the 10 percent juice on the two losses against the two wins.

A good alternative to a three-team reverse would be a three-team parlay. You are only risking your initial stake. If all three teams go on to win, your return is 6 to 1.

You can also bet reverses using total lines and moneylines. Most online sportsbooks such as HRWager will take action on reverses for every major sports betting league.