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Mixed Martial Arts Betting - A How ToSince the ancient days of gladiators, spectators have enjoyed the thrill of betting on combative sporting contests. Every moment of a fight seems much more exciting when there is money riding on the outcome. Today is no different, as a growing number of people are betting on modern-day gladiatorial contests - mixed martial arts events. I believe even more people would be wagering on these events if it weren't for a lack of knowledge of how to go about doing so. Therefore, I'm providing the following guide on mixed martial arts betting - an explanation of what the odds mean and what areas to look at when picking a winner. This information is presented so you can enjoy events such as the UFC and Pride to the fullest, and maybe even make a little money along the way.
Picking a Winner in Mixed Martial Arts BettingThe nature of mixed martial arts makes it a difficult sport to consistently pick the winner. This is because there is such a wide range of skill sets for fighters to draw from and contend with. However, after ten plus years of mixed martial arts in the United States, with a history of entrants ranging from self-proclaimed ninjas to Olympic wrestlers, it has become obvious that a fighter's success in mixed martial arts depends on three basic components. By analyzing a fighter's strength in these three components as compared to his opponent, it is easier to pick a likely winner.
1) Stand-up Striking: This category includes skill sets such as muay thai kickboxing and western boxing, and uses weapons such as punches, kicks, elbows and knees. Basically, how good is the fighter at attacking and defending while on his feet? If a fighter has shown to be competent in these skills sets, he will often be referred to as having "good stand-up."2) Ground Grappling: This category includes skill sets such as jiu jitsu and sambo. A fighter's ground grapping ability will determine how likely he is able to control his opponent on the ground or finish the fight with a submission hold such as an armlock, leglock or choke.3) Wrestling: This category is not only limited to the sport of wrestling; it also includes skill sets such as judo. This component determines how well a fighter is able to bring his opponent to the ground, or prevent the opponent from bringing him to the ground. Fighters with a strong wrestling component are able to dictate whether the fight takes place on the feet or on the ground.
In addition to these three main components of mixed martial arts, there are also various minor components that may play a role in the outcome of a fight. These include:1) Injury: Obviously, an injury can have an adverse role in a fighter's performance come fight night. MMA fighters often try to hide injuries they've sustained during training to prevent their opponents from enjoying a psychological advantage.2) Win Streak: One of the most important factors for a fighter is confidence. If a fighter is coming off an impressive win streak, his confidence is likely to be high.3) Past Performance Against Opponent: If a fight is a rematch, the past performance of either fighter can be indicative of things to come. However, the longer the time period between the first fight and the rematch, the less influence this has in picking a winner.
Understanding Mixed Martial Arts Betting OddsTo help explain how the odds for betting on UFC or other MMA events work, I will provide an example of odds from one of the most watched UFC main events of all time, the rematch of Randy Couture versus Chuck Liddell.
Randy Couture to win -265Chuck Liddell to win +175
Pick each fighter individually to win by knockout:Couture by KO or stoppage +210Liddell by KO or stoppage +270
Pick each fighter to win by submissionCouture by Submission +285Liddell by Submission +315
If a newcomer to the betting world took a look at these numbers, he or she may be a bit confused. However, it really isn't all that complicated.
Should a bettor pick Randy Couture to win, Couture would have to win by any means, and the bettor would receive $100 for every $265 wagered. If the better had chosen Liddell to win, Liddell would have to win by any means and the better would receive $175 for every $100 wagered.
Should a bettor pick Couture to win by knockout or ref stoppage, he or she would win $210 for every $100 wagered. Choosing Liddell by knockout or ref stoppage would pay $270 for every $100 wagered.
Picking a winner by submission is similar to picking a fighter by knockout. Should a bettor pick Couture to win by submission, the bettor would receive $285 for every $100 wagered. Picking Liddell by submission would pay $315 for every $100 bet.
In addition to his careers as a freelance writer and personal fitness trainer, Matt Rogers has been a professional mixed martial arts competitor since 1999. He won the Florida State Mixed Martial Arts Championship in 2001, defending it three times before moving on to fight in other organizations, and was ranked no. 1 in the 190 lb. division by the World Vale Tudo Federation (WVF).Sports Betting Article Archives


Sports Pager- One might think the Sports Pager is on it's way out. What with the times we live in with PDA's and cell phones with text messaging and so on. No question that at some point in the near future, a service will come out that will make the sports pager obsoleteBetting Basics for Golf
The key to golf betting is differentiating the two main wagering options, so we're here to serve as your gambling caddy and give you helpful tips on how to understand PGA golf odds. With golf, you can either bet on an individual to win a tournament or take part in "Matchup Betting" which involves wagering on artificially created golf matchups set by oddsmakers specifically for betting purposes.
"Betting to Win" an outcome event like The Masters is the most common way to wager on golf. Since golf has multiple tournaments over the course of a year, "Betting to Win" obviously offers numerous wagering opportunities.
Keep in mind that not all the competitors in a PGA golf tournament may be individually listed to win, so another golf betting option is the "field" bet which includes all other competitors not listed.
The PGA golf odds on a "field" bet depend on how many golfers are listed and how likely it is for the top golfers to win. In other words, if the same five or six golfers seem to battle it out for the top spots atop the leaderboard from tournament to tournament, the odds on the "field" will be much higher since there is less likelihood that one of the longshots in the "field" will win. However, major upsets seem to occur much more often in golf than other sports, so a "field" bet is typically comparable to a bet on the favorite odds-wise in order to protect sportsbooks from taking a big hit. In exchange for a lesser payout, field bettors do gain the advantage of having more than one entrant that can win for them.
Here's an example:
Favorites or top golfers = 5/1 to 10/136 or so other well-known golfers listed individually = 10/1 to 200/1Field (collection of 36 or more not listed) = 10/1
Some sportsbooks will also allow you to bet futures on the four major PGA tournaments, which is yet another way you can "Bet to Win" that can offer you appealing odds because you are betting far in advance of when the event takes place. For example, betting on the 2006 Masters golf tournament now might get you much better value on Tiger Woods, who may be 10/1 at this moment but dip to 6/1 closer to the event if he is on a roll. For more information on the value of betting golf futures, read How Future Bets Can Pay Off.
"Matchup Betting" offers an alternative to simply betting on a golf tournament's winner. Artificial head-to-head matchups are created by oddsmakers and involve golfers who are all competing against each other to win the tourney, with the bet specifically focused upon how one golfer finishes compared to another golfer in the matchup. Group matchups are another "matchup betting" option particularly popular in golf and auto racing events like NASCAR, where you can select how one golfer will finish compared to other golfers in the group. Both head-to-head and group matchup golf odds are based on the money line (check out How to Read the Money Line for more information).
Different sportsbooks will often feature different matchups, and this is very important to note because you can shop around to different online sportsbooks and try to find the golf matchup that's most worth betting on. If you like a particular golfer going into a tournament, your best move is to compare matchups across multiple online sportsbooks and bet a larger amount on the biggest mismatch in your estimation. Then you can also put down a small wager on your favorite golfer to win the tournament in case he does come through and win the tournament. By betting your golfer to win the tournament and a matchup, you'll have double the fun knowing you've got double the chances to win!
Here are a couple final important tips to consider before picking your golfer:
It's advisable to stay away from betting the public's favorite golfers since you won't get much value there Research the golfer's history, especially how he performs on a particular course since tournaments are typically played on the same course each year and some courses definitely play to a golfer's strengths better than others If you are a knowledgeable PGA golf fan who has a good feel about how tournaments will likely turn out, you should most definitely trust your insights and use them to find strong bets. For those of you with less experience, several sports web sites have power rankings for golfers which should give you a good idea of who's hot on the links and who's not. Of course it's up to you to decide which golfer you want to bet on, but the more you learn about PGA golf, the more prepared you will be when placing your bet. Hopefully now at least you know the basics of betting golf and how to use golf odds to your advantage!