The March college basketball tournament is almost upon us, but are college basketball fans ready to make the most informed betting choices? In this article, we share some general sports betting advice, as well as some specific March college basketball tournament betting tips to ensure you’re prepared for this important tournament.
General sports betting tips
Don’t go in blind
Whether you read a story online about someone who struck it rich, or you’re just interested in picking up a new exciting hobby, it’s important to do your research when you’re new to the world of sports betting. You want to have a solid understanding of the game you’re interested in, including its jargon, rules, and important stats, as well as the betting lingo associated with a sport.
Once you have a general understanding of a sport, it’s important to gain a clearer understanding of its professional scene, particularly each player’s or team’s performance. Looking at key performance indicators and understanding how they have played against specific competitors in the past can help you improve your chances of winning whenever you place a bet.
For example, understanding NCAA team stats, such as their overall or conference record (W-L) or winning percentage (PCT), can play a critical role in making sound betting decisions.
Take steps to correctly manage your money
Sports betting is fun and exciting, but there will be times in your betting career where you will place losing bets. This is why it’s important to play with money that you can afford to lose.
Once you’ve set a “sports betting budget” or bankroll, you should decide on a maximum betting percentage that you’re okay with for each bet. Taking this important step will help you avoid placing larger and larger bets to make up for any losses you may have incurred.
Place your bet when you have a clear mind
Successful sports bettors understand that your physical and emotional state can affect your decision-making skills, which is why you should never place bets when you are exhausted, have been drinking alcohol, are going through an emotionally difficult time, or even riding the high of a lucky streak.
Pick an online sports betting site that you can trust
Our final piece of general sports betting advice is to pick a legal and trustworthy online sports betting platform.
To ensure you don’t get taken for a ride, follow these simple steps:
- Look for online reviews, as well as posts about the website on social media and other online discussion spaces – There are many online gambling and sports betting review sites, but remember, not all of them are as honest as they claim to be. Some of them are willing to take money in exchange for a positive review. This is why it’s important to compare any “official” review with opinions and experiences on social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit.
- Check their licensing and regulations – It’s important that you check the licensing and regulations for a sports betting site. Not only will it give you an idea that the site is legally compliant, but it will also help you avoid any legal complications as a player.
- Test out their customer service channels – Any online sports betting site that’s worthwhile will have a fast and friendly customer service team that’s available 24 hours per day. If a customer service team is slow, unfriendly or unresponsive, this will likely indicate other problems on the site.
- Find out how quickly they pay out – Similar to the point above, you can tell a lot about a sports betting site by how quickly they payout. Sites that are slow to pay and make excuses as to why you haven’t received your winnings yet are likely to have other issues that will affect your overall experience.
- Website performance – Does the website load quickly? Has the server ever crashed? Does it struggle during peak hours? While these issues may be affected by your own internet connection rather than the service provider and their infrastructure, if the website has problems it could be indicative of other difficulties in the background that will negatively impact your enjoyment and trust of the service.
Once you have a healthy foundation in place for sports betting, take advantage of these tips to improve your chances of success when picking a winning March college basketball tournament bracket, team, or player.
How to choose the best March college basketball tournament picks
This advice isn’t focused exclusively on the performances of teams and players in 2021 but also includes trends that have taken place over the history of the tournament.
Do your homework on the teams and players
You want to know the expected seeds of specific teams, their performances, and any standout players who are expected to carry their teams to victory to improve your chances of placing a winning bet.
It’s almost time to hit the court
We hope this advice helps shift the odds in your favor, but even with a more confident approach to your picks, you might still be wondering, “Who can I trust to handle my online sports bets?”
Join in on the excitement with BetMGM where you can get in on all the March college basketball tournament action today. From straight wagers to entertaining prop bets, BetMGM has you covered.
