If you’re new to sports betting, you need to understand what you’re getting into before you get started. First of all, sports betting involves a lot of patience and long-term thinking. It also requires you to learn about basic sports betting edges. The first of these is the fact that home teams tend to undervalue their opponents. This is true not just for baseball but also for every other sport, including football. Additionally, in football and baseball, favorites are often undervalued after a big loss or a blowout.

Sports betting is not a sprint, but a marathon. As a result, you’ll have good days and bad days. For those days when your picks are not coming in, it’s a good idea to take a flat-betting approach. This involves betting between 1% and 5% of your bankroll on each game. This way, you won’t lose your entire bankroll in a single game.

Another fun way to bet on sports is through futures betting. You can place a bet on whether a team will win the league championship or reach a certain win total. You can also place a bet on whether a player will win an award or meet a specific statistical benchmark. However, you should be aware that some states do not allow betting on subjective trophy awards, such as those chosen by voters.

The first tip that you should keep in mind is that sports betting can get out of hand if you get too caught up in the excitement of the game. You should make sure that you don’t drink alcohol while betting because alcohol will affect your judgment. It can also slow down your decision-making process.