A handicapper in sports betting is a professional who studies and analyzes games and events and wagers on them.
The key is that a handicapper does the research to find an edge against the sportsbooks all with the goal of turning a profit.
Typically, handicappers are professional bettors who also sell some of their research and sports picks as part of their business.
What Handicappers Do
The average sports handicapper pores over mountains of data in order to come to a conclusion about a specific sporting event.
Most handicappers will specialize in a few sports because analyzing data takes time. They search through this data looking for an advantage to betting a side, total, or even a prop bet.
After the research, cappers will make their bets. Many have their own models or formulas they use to predict winners and losers. As mentioned, many handicappers will then sell these picks to bettors willing to pay for the information.
Most Specialize
As mentioned, most handicappers specialize in certain sports. Some do horse racing only. Others may work only in football or basketball. Still others might specialize in niche sports like golf and tennis.
Some cappers will also specialize in certain bet types. Some prefer moneyline bets others work the spread. There are MLB handicappers that specifically put most of their action on First Five bets, betting the moneyline or spread on the first five innings of a game.
Regardless, bettors can find a handicapper that specializes in just about anything.
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Benefits of Using a Handicapper
It may seem odd or it may even be ego that prevents some bettors from using the services of a handicapper. However, there are plenty of times when a bettor would benefit from using one.
Every sports bettor, no matter the experience level, suffers through some difficult losing streaks. This is a great situation to use the services of a professional. Let the pro do the work and make the pick (or picks) for you. A couple of key wins can get a bettor back on track.
New bettors can learn a great deal from using a handicapper. Newbies can learn a lot about things like betting strategy, finding value in certain bets, and a lot more when they buy picks from a handicapper.
The biggest factor for any sports bettor is simply time and convenience. Most bettors do not wager on sports for a living. They do not spend the same amount of time on making a sound betting decision that a handicapper does.
When time is an issue, paying a handicapper for his picks certainly makes sense. Using the services of a handicapper is really no different than investing in the services of a professional for help in betting the stock market.
Choosing a Handicapper
There are plenty of handicappers in the industry and, like anything else; there are some very good ones and some that are not so great.
Just like you would with any other purchase, do your homework. Find handicappers that are transparent about their records. Keep in mind, the best in this industry will win 55 percent, maybe up to 60 percent, of the time in the long run.
