The most important point in placing a successful spread bet in team events is to be fastidious in your research. For example, in many sports there exists an ongoing rivalry, or a massive home ground advantage; it is always wise check past results of clashes between the two teams, and current form streaks.

Some betting shops offer basic match-up reports detailing win/loss records, injuries and so on. You should often extend your research, however; the primary port of call is forums and chat rooms, where up-to-the-minute information is available from passionate fans worldwide who might also be able to give an indication of how it will impact the outcome. Secondary to that are online newspaper sites that provide fresh content. If you are betting on smaller events, there is a chance no match-up report will be available, and it is always advisable to check hometown newspapers if the match is being played somewhere relatively remote.

There are a number of sites that also offer mathematical methods of sports prediction, albeit with moderate success. The best way to judge the outcome of a future match is to keep a close eye on previous matches and the styles in which certain players play, their attributes and the tactics of the coach. This method conquers gut, mathematical prediction and all other methods used by punters wanting to get rich quickly with minimal effort. Spread betting professionals who engage in daily spread-betting are wary of such schemes, and use much time and energy in studying matches rather than score lines and statistics.

Online sports betting on team events allows you to bail out at a guaranteed profit; for example, if you go overs on a cricket batsman at 45-50 and the spread gradually moves to 75-80, you can then go unders at 75 and guarantee a profit of 25 times your per run price. The downside to this is that the spread might not always move to 75-80, and one can become a bit greedy. Alternatively, resisting temptation and not placing the safe unders bail-out can result in much bigger profits once the batsman passes the overs spread.

Injuries in sport are often talked about and impact hugely on sports betting lines. Do not be completely fooled by this, however – the absence of a star player does not always have as big an impact as one would imagine, depending on how many are to take the field. Depending on the depth and quality of a team, the loss of a star player in the five-man basketball arena might have a much more severe impact than if it was in the fifteen-man rugby. The shock effect of an injury to a star player affects bookies as well, and sometimes you may be able to catch them off guard.