Getting started handicapping

[jdelcampo247]

Hey guys!
I was wondering if anyone has any advice or help on how to get started handicapping yourself. Ideally I would like to do it myself instead of getting a pick service, simply from the financial aspect. i also understand handicapping is not for everyone and it may be more profitable for me to do it on my own.
1) what are good resources to use when handicapping?
2) what are the best stats to focus on for the various sports?
3) any helpful tips to be able to pick games more accurately?
Basically what I am wanting to know is what resources do the professionals use to handicap, and what are the things they look for?

[Big Bear]

watch as much as you can of whatever sport you plan to bet

get familar with the players and teams and the plays will come to you

[Big Bear]

if your are going to bet MLB

a couple things i would suggest using as tools

go to espn.com the full site , not the mobile and check out how a pitcher has faired vs hitters he will be facing

baseballpress.com is good for line-ups and to see what bullpen guys are available

i also recommend getting the MLB at bat app for your iphone

also get the MLB extra innings package so u can watch ALL the games

i always look at pitching matchups BEFORE i look at the lines bc i dont want the odds to influence whether or not i make play on a game or not

sometimes looking at the odds before you start the handicappin process will cloud your judgement

[BigDeem5]

Tail Big Bear

[Big Bear]

Tail Big Bear

give a man a fish and feed him for a day

teach a man to fish and feed him for a life time

[Smoke]

Just follow jjgold's spreadsheet

[jjgold]

just get good numbers using www.sbrodds.com

nothing else works

[jdelcampo247]

JJ what is this spreadsheet smoke mentions?

[jdelcampo247]

And thanks big bear!

[SteveKerrsJunk]

give a man a fish and feed him for a day

teach a man to fish and feed him for a life time

Just learned that in church yesterday did ya? lol. It is a great scripture though and true.

[MoMoneyMoVaughn]

A lot of guys on here have no idea what they are doing when it comes to handicapping. Their reasoning is attempting to convince themselves as much as it is trying to convince others on the site.

Bet the sports you really know and leave everything else alone.

[Smoke]

JJ what is this spreadsheet smoke mentions?

Its a sheet of his picks

He posts them in a new thread each day

[OckertCR]

Get out while you can

[Biff41]

U might try a longshot system. No one wins every bet but try to get good money when u do win. See Munson on his MLB threads

[Ra77er]

My suggestion is to slowly create some kind of a database. Pick one sport, preferably one you played or are passionate about and then look for core stats that help determine which side is better. Examples would be offense, defense, special teams or offense, pitching, fielding etc and create your own system starting with 2 or 3 stats. Get familiar with excel or even google documents which is free just to get you going. Over time you can add more data and its a nice way to identify areas of weakness....such as always betting home favorites etc. If you need help with math formulas you can google them or ask for help here! Start simple, grow into amazing.

[jjgold]