Sports Betting 101: Learn the Basics & Access Our Resources

Sports Betting 101: Learn the Basics & Access Our Resources

If you're just joining the wonderful world of sports betting, you should take the time to understand how it works before you start risking your money. Or, if you've been betting for years, there is always room to improve your knowledge to make your a better bettor. Use our free guides, calculators, and other resources to learn the basics of sports betting, advanced strategies, and more!

Learn About Sports Betting

Learn everything you need to know about the 11 major types of sports bets including spreads, totals, parlays, & more.

Learn how to read betting odds including American, Fractional, & Decimal formats plus calculate Implied Probability.

Learn all of the major terminology used in sports betting. From “accumulator” to “vig”, our guide defines the most common words.

Betting on point spreads is the most popular form of sports betting. Learn everything you need to know about spread betting.

Total betting is when you take the Over or Under on the total points of the score of the game. Learn more with our guide.

If you just want to choose who will win the game, you will need to put a moneyline bet in. Learn the basics with our guide.

Parlays are a high-risk, high-reward form of sports betting. Learn everything you need to know & find tips on betting parlays.

Teasers move the lines of games in your favor in exchange for a reduced payout. Learn more in our full teasers guide.

Pleasers move the lines of games against your favor in exchange for a higher payout. Learn more in our full pleasers guide.

Learn how round robin bets work, how to place them, and the different names for them.

Learn how prop bets work—including game props, player props, and novelty props—as well as the best strategies for betting them.

Learn how to set limits and other strategies for gambling responsibly as well as where to find help if you are struggling.

Odds boosts are a popular promotions that almost every major online sportsbooks offer. Learn how they work & where to find them.

See the steps required to start your online sports betting journey & tips for doing so.

This guide goes over the legality of sports betting in each state in the U.S.

Learn about our favorite strategies for making money sports betting—something that isn't easy to do.

Arbitrage betting is one of the only ways to guarantee yourself a profit with sports betting. Learn what it is and how to do it with our arbitrage betting guide.

Learn what hedge betting is and how you can hedge your bets to guarantee yourself profit when things are going in your favor on a parlay or other market.

Learn what the most profitable sports to bet on are so you can give yourself the best shot at making money.

Check out our favorite sports betting strategies based on how much time they require and how effective they are.

In this guide, we go over sports betting tips that can increase your chance of becoming a profitable sports bettor.

See who is betting on sports in the U.S., how often & how much they bet, and more with our sports betting stats guide.

Learn how live betting works, the best strategies for live betting, & everything else you need to know about in-play wagering.

Learn how reload bonuses work & see the sportsbooks that currently offer them.

See risk-free betting offers by sportsbook, learn how they work, & see strategies for betting them in our guide.

See promo codes all sportsbooks that give you access to sign-up bonuses.

Learn what a double result bet is at FanDuel and other popular sportsbooks.

Learn what a push in sports betting is and what it means for your winnings

This short guide goes over how to read +200 and -200 betting odds, as well as American odds in general

This quick guide goes over what +2.5 means when reading lines & how to read lines, in general

Learn what units are in sports betting is and how you can use them

Learn what a bookie in sports betting is and if they still exist today with legal betting

Learn what a favorite in sports betting is and how you should bet them

Learn what an underdog in sports betting is and how you should bet them

Learn what a bankroll is and how you can manage it to make sure you don't run out of money

Learn what a rollover/playthrough requirement in sportsbook sign-up bonuses is

Learn what vig/juice is in sports betting is and how it affects your bets

Learn what alternate spreads are and how you can bet them with sportsbooks

Learn what alternate totals are and how you can bet them with sportsbooks

Learn how three-way moneyline bets work in soccer, hockey, & other sports

Learn what winning-margin bets are and how you can bet them with sportsbooks

We go over what a method of first basket bet for basketball is in sports betting

In this guide, we go over what a YRFI bet is in baseball sports betting.

In this guide, we go over what a NRFI bet is in baseball sports betting.

We go over what a team to win every quarter bet for basketball, football, & other sports

In this guide, we go over what alternate passing yards bets are and how they change from standard passing yards lines

In this guide, we go over what alternate rushing yards bets are and how they change from standard passing yards lines

In this guide, we go over what alternate receiving yards bets are and how they change from standard passing yards lines

In this guide, we go over the legal age requirement to bet on sports for each U.S. state.

See the steps you have to take to open a betting account, including what info is required.

Find the Best Sportsbooks

See our picks for the best online sportsbooks based on our thorough review and rating process that looks all all parts of legal books.

Compare free bets & betting offers at legal online sportsbooks in the United States including risk-free bets, deposit bonuses, & more.

Reviews of the best sites for betting on the NFL & everything else you need to know about wagering on America's favorite sport.

Reviews of the best sites for betting on college football & everything else you need to know about.

See our ratings and reviews of the best sites for betting on the NBA & everything else you need to know about including tips and strategies.

Reviews of the best sites for betting on college basketball & everything else you need to know.

See our reviews of the best sportsbook for betting on the NHL & everything else you need to know about NHL betting including tips.

See which legal, online sportsbooks in the U.S. currently offer same game parlays.

We reviewed the top sportsbooks to find those with the fastest withdrawal times.

See our top picks for online sportsbooks that accept PayPal for deposits and withdrawals—one of the best banking methods.

See sportsbooks that offer Olympics Betting & learn about what events you can bet on and tips for doing so.

See online sportsbooks that allow you to deposit using debit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.

See online sportsbooks that allow you to deposit using credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and Amex.

See online sportsbooks that allow you to deposit using Mastercard & what you need to know before doing so.

See our top choices for sports betting apps for beginners that are easy to use.

Sports Betting Calculators & Tools

Calculate your profit & payout based on your odds & switch between odds formats (American, Decimal, Fractional).

Enter the odds in for each leg of your parlay to see your expected payout & profit. Works with all three odds formats

Our calculator shows how much of a profit you can guarantee yourself based on your original bet & the odds on the hedge.

Enter your odds in one format (American, Fractional, or Decimal) and see your odds in the other two formats. Plus see your payout.

Enter your odds and see the implied probability to figure out if you've found a potentially good bet or not.

If you receive a free bet, you can guarantee yourself profit by betting the other side. See how much to bet & how much you could win.

Calculate the payouts of your NFL bets if they win, convert between odds formats, and see the implied probability of your bet winning.

See currently available positive expected value (+EV) bet opportunities and learn more about expected value.

Find currently available arbitrage bets including pre-game and live arbs. Updates every minute so you can always find opportunities.

Our tool helps you find Value Bets that are currently available on sports like football, basketball, baseball, and soccer.

Compare online sportsbooks for things like sign-up bonus, odds competitiveness, banking methods, and more

Compare odds and lines at major sportsbooks for 20+ leagues. Filter by state, sportsbook, and more to find the best deal.

Dave Rathmanner

Dave Rathmanner is the Founder & CEO of Odds Assist. After struggling to find helpful sports betting resources and honest reviews when he first started betting, he decided to create the site he always wished he had. Dave has been betting on sports since NJ legalized it in 2018 and regularly analyzes sportsbooks to find the best options for bettors. Aside from creating new content for OA readers, Dave is also passionate about researching betting markets, creating models, and developing profitable betting strategies.