With so many bets that can be made on an individual sporting event, it is sometimes easy to forget to step back and take a look at the big picture – what happens outside of the individual matchup and what is more likely to occur over the course of a season or a full event. There are a lot of gamblers who only bet on these outcomes, ignoring the day-to-day results to focus more on the odds of an athlete or team becoming a champion in the ned.
Futures Bets are the type of bet that this style of gambler is looking for. These bets are placed on the result of a longer period of games or matches and can be based on team or individual performance. Let’s take a look at Future Bets and why someone would make these instead of betting on individual games.
Examples of Futures Bets
There are several types of future bets that you can make at a sportsbook. Let’s start with one of the obvious, which is picking the team that will win a championship at the end of the season. This is a bet that can be made as the season progresses, but the best odds are usually posted before a season begins.
When you read these odds, you can see the immediate effects of the offseason in the sport. The odds of winning the Superbowl this year were posted (opened) the day after the last Superbowl ended. At that time, you could have received these odds for all the teams listed. However, as a result of personnel changes, draft picks and other factors, these odds have changed since they first opened, which is why this site shows you the differences between the two. For example, the Los Angeles Rams odds dropped from 20 to 1 or 10 to 1 as a result of the players they have signed as free agents. If you were lucky enough to get the 20 to 1 odds when they opened, then you are in a great position heading into the season. Conversely, if you like the Washington Redskins, then you will see that their personnel moves have left them in bad shape when it comes to winning it all next year.
You will also see from this table the odds for a team winning their conference. These bets tend not to pay out as handsomely, but also only force you to select which teams will make the Superbowl, not necessarily who will win it. This would have been a great option for fans of the New England Patriots this past year as they lost the big game after being a heavy favorite.
There are many different items on which you can make futures bets, including the following:
- Winner of a championship in team sports
- Winner of a conference in team sports
- Winner of a division
- Individual award winners
- Postseason award winners
- Winner of individual events, i.e. golf tournaments, etc
These bets range across many sports, and in the case of futures bets on events like golf and tennis tournaments, the results only take a few days to come in. This is different than the major sports leagues which take months to complete their seasons.
Why make Future Bets instead of the individual games?
There are some people that swear by futures bets. One of the main reasons why these are so popular is that they take the swings out of play. For example, you may have bet on the New England Patriots to make the Superbowl or win their division, which is the likely outcome after the entire season. However, the team could lose a couple of games in a row or not cover spreads in other games, which can cause bettors havoc. Betting on the outcome of the entire season may seem boring, but in the long run can be a very successful strategy.
Where to find the best Futures odds
Most sportsbooks will offer futures bets on the major sports, but you should still do your research and look at a couple of sites for any discrepancies in the odds. These days, those are harder to find, but you may come across a book that has taken too much action on one team and had no choice but to move the odds in a direction that may favor you. Also, take into consideration other factors such as bonuses, loyalty programs, and other offers when making your futures bets as these can all lower the amount of risk coming from your bottom line.
Futures bets are a lot of fun and allow you to make bets that last the entire season, and in many cases, you will know the outcome before the season ends so you know your money is in hand when you head back into the sportsbook to make your next wager.