Experience Sports Betting in Black Hawk, CO
So, you’re ready to try your hand at the exciting activity of sports betting? Good news! Sports betting is now legal in the state of Colorado, and Black Hawk is the place to go for sports betting fun and excitement in the state. While sports betting can be an enjoyable experience, wouldn’t it be more fun if you had a better chance to win? We thought so. That’s why we’ve prepared this sports betting guide. In this game, there’s no such thing as a sure winner and you should only bet with money you can afford to lose, knowing what you’re doing is important and can go a long way. Learn how to bet on sports and make plans to join us at one or more of the casinos in Black Hawk.
Sports Betting Basics
Sports betting might seem simple at first, but there’s a lot going on. If you’ve ever seen a sportsbook, all those numbers on the big board can be quite confusing without a basic understanding of what’s going on. We’ve prepared some information on the basics of sports betting, including betting on a favorite or underdog and betting on point spreads, money lines, and totals. There’s more to it, but this can help you get started betting on your favorite sports or teams.
- Favorites – The favorite is the team or athlete expected to win. You’ll usually see the favorite displayed with a minus sign in front of the odds. An example of this would be Denver Broncos (-4) at Kansas City Chiefs. In this case, the Broncos are favored to win by four points. You can choose to bet on the Broncos to win the game outright, or to cover the spread. In this case, covering the spread means winning by more than four points. If the Broncos won by exactly four points, the bet would be a push. If you choose to bet a game straight up (money line), the favorite will have a lesser return on the money that is bet.
- Underdogs – The underdog is the opposite of a favorite and is the team or athlete the oddsmakers expect to lose. Underdogs are usually displayed with a plus sign in front of the odds. In the game we referenced before, it would read as Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (+4). This is the same thing as the Broncos (-4), or the Broncos being favored by four points. If you bet on the Kansas City Chiefs to cover the spread, they can actually lose by up to three points, and you will still win your bet. If they lose by four, you’ll push. When betting the underdog to win straight up (money line), you’ll have a greater return on the money bet if they win.
- Pick’ems – In a pick’em or a pick, the oddsmakers have not determined a favorite. Both teams or competitors have equal chances of winning. All you need to do is pick who you think will win. Betting on the money line will get you an even return if you choose the right team.
- Point Spreads – The point spread is used to even a betting matchup between two teams or competitors. The favorite gives points to the other side, while the underdog receives points. The favorite must overcome the number of points given to the underdog to win against the point spread. The underdog can win against the point spread by using the points given to overcome the opposition. To stay with our previous example, let’s say the Denver Broncos are -4 favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs who are +4 underdogs. Once the final score is determined, the Broncos would subtract four points from their total if you bet on them, or the Chiefs would add four points if you chose their side. This determines if your bet was won against the spread. If the Broncos won by a total score of 25 to 20, they would win the bet because they covered the four-point spread, winning by five. The Chiefs would lose because even with their four points, they still failed to cover the spread when they lost the game by five.
- Money Lines – This bet is a bit simpler than point spread bets. When you bet on the money line, you are betting on the game straight up, without the added or subtracted points. Sticking with our example, you would pick either the Denver Broncos or the Kansas City Chiefs to win the game. Since the Broncos are favored, you won’t win as much if you bet on them as you would if you bet on the underdog Chiefs and they win the game. The money line is consistent with the point spread, as minus signs indicate a favorite and plus signs are displayed next to an underdog. In this example, the money line might be -200 for the Broncos and +175 for the Chiefs. This means that you would need to bet $200 on the Broncos to win $100. On the other side, a $100 bet on the Chiefs would win you $175. The bigger the favorite, the less money you can win on them. This keeps things even for bettors on both sides.
- Totals – The total is the number of points scored. The oddsmakers will release lines for the total amount of points both teams score in a game. Bettors can wager on the total being over or under that amount. For example, if oddsmakers think the final score will be Broncos 24 Chiefs 20, they would set the total at 44 points. This would also explain them setting the Broncos at -4. Totals may also apply to only one team, the number of wins in a season, and more.
Sports Betting in Black Hawk
Now that you’re an expert on the basics of sports betting, it’s time to get in on all the action. The best place to take advantage of Colorado’s legalized sports betting is with the casinos in Black Hawk. Your next vacation destination includes fantastic gaming, lodging, and dining options in Black Hawk, CO.