While trying to empty out your bookie’s pockets, a sports bettor needs to be equipped with as many weapons as possible. One type of bet that is often underused by many gamblers is the “future” bet.
This article will go further in-depth explaining what future bets are, how they can be effective for you in each sport, and why you should consider the profiting potential of future bets.
What is a “future” bet
The term future bet covers a wide range of wagers. This refers to the options of bets that are offered by sportsbooks that allow bettors to place wagers on the results of sporting events that take place in the distant future.
While most bets are placed on games and matches coming up, a future bet is placed on the end result of a season or tournament. Most online and in-person sportsbooks will have a designated section for future bets. All of the bets in this category will be long term bets that are dependent on multiple results.
Sports Betting: Basketball Futures
While the concept of the future bet is a simple one to grasp, it is often easier to understand after some examples are given. One sport that future bets can heavily influence is basketball. With all of the star power in the NBA, future bets are the go-to for a number of basketball betters.
Some future bets that apply to basketball include :
- Betting on personal accolade winners
Future sports betting allows gamblers to place wagers on the outcome of a number of awards given out. These awards include the numerous accolades given out by the NBA, enabling sports bettors to bet on the winner of the Rookie of the Year Defensive Player of the Year, the Most Improved Player of the Year, the Most Valuable Player Award, and much more.
Some sportsbooks will even offer odds on the coach of the year and the first, second, and third All-NBA teams.
- Betting on division/conference/championship winners
Future betting in basketball lets bettors put up wagers predicting the winners of each division in the NBA, as well as who will win the conference.
These are just a few of the dozens of future betting odds offered by online sportsbooks. One interesting basketball future bet that caught our eye in recent weeks was the odds offered on where current Warriors forward Kevin Durant will be playing next season. You can check out those odds below.
Where will Kevin Durant play Game 1 of the 2019-20 season
New York Knicks -175
Golden State Warriors +210
Brooklyn Nets +700
Los Angeles Clippers +500
Los Angeles Lakers +750
Dallas Mavericks +2500
(Bovada Odds)
Sports Betting: Football Futures
There may not be a better sport to implement future betting than football. With both college and NFL football to take into consideration, the future bet opportunities are countless.
The most favored future bets for college football are typically made on the college football playoffs. Online sportsbooks give gamblers all kinds of options when betting on futures, such as laying odds on basically every team making it into the four-team playoff bracket, as well as putting an over/under win total for each school’s football team.
Sports bettors who are skilled at handicapping will be attempting to crack each of these lines as they look for a surefire winner.
If college football isn’t your tune, maybe a future bet on some NFL action is more like it. It’s never too early to place a bet on your team winning the Super Bowl. NFL futures allow gamblers to predict a number of NFL outcomes, including the stat leaders in each category, as well as which teams will qualify for the playoffs, and much more.
A good example of a tempting football future bet would be the betting odds offered by Bovada on the Cleveland Browns next season. Considering the offseason acquisition of O’Dell Beckham, many NFL fans believe that this Browns team will push for the playoffs after narrowly missing the postseason last year.
A future bet will allow bettors to place a wager on an outcome such as this.
Will the Cleveland Browns make the 2019-20 Playoffs
Yes: -145
No: +115
(Bovada Odds)
Sports Betting: Soccer Futures
Another sport that is filled with future betting opportunities is soccer. Soccer is a sport that is played 9-12 months throughout the year, depending on international competition. The high volume of teams, leagues, and players all over the world makes soccer an attractive destination for future bettors.
Soccer bettors can place future bets on which teams they believe will win their respective leagues, as well as which player will lead the league in scoring.
One of the most popular future bets to implement while betting on soccer is placing a wager on a team to win their domestic league. Often times, soccer powerhouses such as Bayern FC, Juventus FC, Barcelona FC, and PSG are heavy favorites to win their league, taking some profitability away from a future bet on certain outcomes.
One league that does not have a huge favorite for next year’s campaign is the English Premier League. We see Liverpool FC as a dangerous team in the English Premier League next season, prompting us to take a look at this future bet below.
Liverpool to win the 2019-20 England Premier League
Yes +250
(Bovada Odds)
Sports Betting: UFC Futures
The UFC and future betting have a very unique relationship because of the special scheduling that is necessary for the sport of mixed martial arts. Unlike team sports, there is no set schedule for a fighter at the beginning of the season.
Fighters could fight four times in a year, or just once in three years. This means that once a fight is announced, the betting odds are made, opening the public to place wagers months before the bout is to take place.
As the fight gets closer, the money will start to come in at an increasing rate, altering the original betting odds of the event. Savvy sports bettors will be able to anticipate the movement of a betting line on a fight, which will go a long way in ensuring money is made on the event.
Variables that will heavily sway the odds of a fight include the health of the fighter throughout their camp, the media coverage leading up to the fight, and the popularity of the fighters.
While we named just a few, future betting applies to virtually all sports. If you have a sport that you have knowledge on, make sure to check your favorite sportsbook for future betting options.
Pros and Cons of Betting Futures
Like most betting strategies, future betting has pros and cons.
The pros of Betting Futures include :
- Take advantage of anomalies
Future betting can present profitable opportunities to sports bettors in certain scenarios. For instance, the Toronto Raptors lost Game 1 of the first round series against the Magic in this year’s 2019 NBA playoffs. This loss shifted the odds of the series, dropping the implied probability of the Raptors winning the series.
A smart sports bettor would see this Game 1 anomaly and place a future bet on the Raptors winning the series, as the odds have shifted in a favorable way for Raptors bettors. This Game 1 result would have no influence on a regular bet, but the option of future betting adds a profitable dynamic in this case.
- Profitable when correct
The biggest upside that future betting offers is the potential winnings that comes with a successful future bet. Hitting a big future bet is a rare and difficult task for a gambler to accomplish, especially if it is predicting the winner of a league champion prior to the season. These types of bets offer lucrative odds, even on the favorites of a competition.
- Plenty of options
Future betting is unique in the way that bettors have the advantage of choosing from a huge pool of betting future options. Just a quick glance above at all of the different futures in each of the sports is a great representation of all of the possibilities.
- Allows room for error
When placing a wager on futures, the sports bettor will often have a little more room for error with their pick. For example, if the bettor picked Barcelona FC to win La Liga in the 2019-20 season, he is betting on the body of work over the entire season.
This means that Barcelona FC can lose some games and still win La Liga over the long term. This differentiates future betting from regular betting in the sense that the whole bet is not riding on just one result. This is an appealing characteristic to some sports bettors who want to make money on the favorite, but don’t want to risk huge amounts on a single result.
The cons of Betting Futures include :
- Changing variables
The biggest negative of future bets have to be the number of uncontrollable variables that will have a huge impact on the result of whatever you are betting on. When betting futures, the bettor has no way of predicting certain events, such as player injuries, team trades, and more.
For example, if a gambler placed a wager on the Lakers winning the 2020 NBA Finals at the beginning of the season, he is most likely depending on the Lakers best players to remain healthy throughout the season.
If LeBron James was to suffer an injury in the middle of the season, the original future bet on the Lakers winning the title would become much less likely to occur. Future bets of all kinds can be derailed by player injury, personnel swaps, and other unpredictable variables. Try to keep this in mind when looking for your next future bet.
- Length of wait
Another con that applies to future bets is the waiting that typically comes with placing wagers on future events. In most cases, future bets will be placed weeks, if not months, before the event takes place.
This takes a chunk of capital out of the bettor’s account, which is never a good thing. Future betting has the potential to throw a bettor off of his usual betting tactic. These bets can cause the gambler to stray from disciplined bankroll tactics, as the time between the bet and the result can be unusual. Make sure to take this into consideration when betting on futures.
Concluding Future Bets
By now, it should be clear as to what exactly future bets are. In addition to knowing the ins and outs of a future bet, it should also be understood that the potential for these future bets is endless.
With the countless leagues, players, and competitions in all of the sports worldwide, it’s time to get out there and find the perfect future bet for you!
Please visit Oskeim Sports’ Blog on a regular basis for more sports betting information. Sports betting can be a lucrative endeavor with the right information, and Oskeim is known as one of the most successful sports betting consultants in the industry.
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