Part of what is so incredibly appealing about sports betting is that you have far more options than simply picking winners or losers. Think about the structure for a second. In the NFL, for example, outside of bye weeks, there are 16 games per week. Even the most knowledgeable sports analysts out there barely operate at 60% in picking straight winners and losers. At the end of the day, it is essentially a coin flip. How many had Seattle over Denver in last year's Super Bowl? How many had Oklahoma over Alabama in their bowl game? Flipping a coin is no real way to gamble. And that's why sports betting lines are there. If you are brand new to sports betting, then this information will really enable you to start out making informed wagers. If you are a casual but experience or a serious bettor, then you probably already have a pretty firm grasp on how betting lines work. A little reminder of the details never hurts though. In addition to assisting players with understanding betting lines, we also have a good informational page on iPad live betting options, as well as a guide to USA iPad mobile sports betting and UK iPad mobile sports betting. Below you will see our recommended iPad compatible mobile sportsbooks. Each of them was chosen for meeting a series of criteria, including offering a great range of betting lines for their customers. We verify the validity of the lines, including how competitive they are with the bookmakers in Vegas.
Bovada remains our number one recommendation for USA sports fans seeking legally licensed and high quality mobile sports betting options from their iPad. Bovada effectively delivers a really great range of betting lines and wagering options. Their lines are considered the industry standard by many professionals and bettors alike. Bovada was launched in late 2011 by the Bodog brand to take over the USA traffic that was previously directed to Bodog before they exited the US market. They cater exclusively to US gamblers, and offer a high end performance, and a stable, secure environment for mobile and online betting. They offer new players a nice 50% deposit match bonus worth up to $250 on your first deposit. As a customer of Bovada myself, I receive additional offers and promotional announcements via email every week almost. You can fund and manage your account from their mobile interface, as well as place bets and switch back and forth between their mobile sportsbook, casino and poker room.
We can easily recommend BetOnline to both US and UK players who are in search of an impressive menu of betting lines and wagering options. The fact that they have been in the business since 1991 shows through in their strong selection of sports categories and associated betting lines. Their lines are highly competitive and their odds are comparable to those found with the Vegas bookmakers. When shopping around for the best lines for any event (and we do hope you shop around for that), BetOnline is definitely one to always check out. We've found them to offer the best odds in many cases. They present players with a $50 free bet for their fist mobile sports bet, and a 25% match bonus on any future deposit for the life of your account. Definitely not the type of offer you see everyday. BetOnline's mobile sports betting app does not require any type of download, hence no space is taken on your iPad. You also have access to their live betting features, which are worth checking out indeed.
A sister brand to BetOnline, SportsBetting.ag is a highly recommended mobile sportsbook that provides a secure, high quality and strong performing mobile sports betting experience to their customers. Offering a $50 free bet for all brand new mobile customers, they help you get started with a nice little bankroll boost. If you win, your winnings are yours, if you loose, at least it wasn't out of your own pocket. Their lifetime bonus offers applies to all sports bettors, and offers a 25% match up to $1000 on all deposits for the life of your account. The selection of betting lines at this mobile sportsbook is decent, with a pretty inclusive menu of sports events from around the world. Many of the most popular betting lines qualify for live betting features and options. Their banking suite supports both UK and USA players through a lengthy listing of reliable funding and withdrawal options. They are one of the first US friendly mobile sportsbooks to offer Bitcoin deposits for account funding.
Bookmaker presents a very high quality mobile sportsbook with a more than adequate selection of betting lines and wagering options. In order to be included in this guide, a sportsbook must deliver a meaty menu of options. Bookmaker is a trusted brand for both US and non-USA players. They have been providing services for nearly 2 decades, and they provide a very safe and secure environment that protects players' personal identity and financial information while providing a high end performance sports betting experience. Bookmaker offers live betting options that are nice, and they include a great sportsbook application. Their mobile sportsbook does not require any download and does not take up any of the storage space on your iPad. They have multiple welcome bonuses to choose from, and often present seasonal promos to keep things exciting. Their banking suite is full of flexible and convenient payment and withdrawal options that effectively support players from around the globe.
There are two main betting lines in the iPad mobile sports betting universe: Point spreads and over-under. While you can find other mathematical aspects to bet on, and also other pertinent line bets like total minutes, total yards and such, the point spread and the O/U are the two that most players concern themselves with. So, let's discuss what these bets are.
Point spreads can be a little deceiving by their nature, so it is important not to place too much stock in these spreads. Let's look at a recent big-time matchup to discuss point spreads in better detail. Just recently, the number-one ranked college football team, Mississippi State, traveled to Tuscaloosa to face the number-five ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. The point spread of this game was Alabama -8 ½. What this means, specifically, is that Alabama was favored to win the game by 8 ½ points. So, not only were they predicted to win, but they were predicted to win by more than a touchdown.
That part of a point spread is easy enough to understand. Where things get tricky, however, is in how the lines actually come to pass. You see, the experts creating these lines in Las Vegas and AC do not typically think of spreads in terms of winners and losers. Their goal is to induce action. For the game in question, Alabama was a heavy favorite around the nation, while Mississippi State was viewed as an underdog not in 'Bama's league. So, how do you induce action on both sides? That's the number-one goal of line makers. They do not want everyone betting on Alabama. If the action is not evenly spread, they cannot cover a loss. So, if they just picked Alabama by, say, -3, the vast majority of the action would have went to Alabama, and sportsbooks would have taken a huge loss. However, by spreading the margin of victory out farther, they created more interest. Even people who thought Alabama would win still bet on Mississippi State to cover and to lose by fewer than 8 ½ points.
Spreads are how sportsbooks receive action on both teams playing in a game. So do not simply bet on whichever team is favored by the most points. You have to understand the action involved, and sometimes it's a wiser bet to wager on a team covering, even if you think the team will lose.
An over-under, or O/U, is basically an either-or on a predetermined guess of the total points scored in a matchup. Let's use an example like the Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings. The O/U for this game may be in the range of 48.5 points. That is the set guess by line makers, and your bet will be whether or not the team will score more than 48.5 (O), or less than 48.5 (U). Like with spreads, these bets are not as easy as they seem. Most O/U lines range in the 40s, as most NFL games range in the 40s. It gets even more difficult with higher-scoring sports. Basketball O/U lines are in the hundreds, and it's often difficult to predict whether or not you'll have a high-scoring shootout or a defensive matchup.
The decimals in lines are there simply to avoid a push – a tie. For instance, if the aforementioned line were 48, and you bet the over and the teams scored 48, this benefits no one. The money is returned as is, and all that happens is the better becomes disgruntled and no longer chooses to bet. By having the .5 in the lines, it gives a certain win or loss because teams do not score in parts.
Before you wager on these lines, make sure you are familiar with the sports in question, do research on the lines, and always attempt to look at different aspects of the matchup. For instance, if you want to take the Broncos and the points (say, -10.5) but the star receiver is out and Manning has a hamstring issue, Denver will be hard-pressed to cover. The same may happen if there's a snowstorm brewing, if the winds are going to be ridiculously high, etc. Understand the rosters and the surroundings, team habits, individual matchups, and other aspects before you decide to bet on lines. Line bets are varied and very exciting, but there's more involved than guesswork. There are many iPad sportsbooks out there offering action on many different line bets. If you want to find a great one to use, we can point you in the right direction.