Who and What is a sharp sports bettor?

They say content is King. Sharps, pro gamblers and sports handicappers are heir to the throne in sports betting. You can never consume enough content and here at Sharp Sports Bettors you marry yourself to some of the best players in the game, and the best resources to bring your betting to the next level.

Sharp sports bettors makes it easy to access the best content from the sharpest minds in sports betting all from the one place - a directory of the best sports betting handicappers and professionals. With so much content out there the good stuff can get lost in the ether. Sharp Sports bettors is a collection of all the best betting resources, portals for insight, sites, education and strategy advice around in your quest to become a better sports bettor - a sharp! 

What is a sharp sports bettor?

In the UK and Europe we refer to sharp sports bettors as the shrewd players or the sharks and we call the not so shrewd or the mugs - if we are being kind - the recreational players. Sharp is a term that originated in the US for smart bettors. The opposite is referred to as a square punter in US betting terminology. In sports betting a sharp is a long term winning bettor or pro bettor whose opinion should be respected and generally someone who can originate accurate odds and make regular and consistent winning plus EV bets. Some sharp sports bettors who play big have the sway to move the betting odds and lines and control the markets. Syndicates play a big part in this.

What is a handicapper in sports betting?

A handicapper is someone who studies the sports and markets and quantifies his or her edge. Some may originate odds tissues themselves and some share picks and insight. Sharp gambling sites or books like Pinnacle Sports also exist and generally originate or import their own much more accurate odds. Pinnacle and the other best betting sites operate a different model to the soft bookmakers where they have higher limits and smaller overrounds, with a winners welcome policy. Take a pinch of salt with that last bit perhaps? Marco Blume, trading director at Pinnacle sports calls his sharpest players his "betting consultants" as he uses them (or their models  inputs) to help shape their books and prices, along with their team of data scientists, sports experts traders and risk department.

How do sharps make money?

There are a number of ways sharps or the best sports bettors make money:

1. Originate their own odds to 100% tissues
2. Steam chase, piggyback, or head-fake
3. Use algorithms, scrapers and models
4. Arbitrage betting, middling, or trading
5. Value betting software
6. Diversifying their portfolio with verified tipsters
7. Bonus whoring and enhanced odds hunting

The two main types of sharp sports bettors are the handicappers or originators who compile their own odds, and the steam chasers. The model men (on its own) who use the frequentist approach are generally maths gurus or analytics guys who run smaller edges at higher volume on the markets. They can come into the category of keen hobbyists, syndicates or pros. The super smart bettors though are guys who use Bayesian probabilities to originate precise 100% tissues and then shop around for bigger lines that differ significantly in the market from them. All guys at the top of the sharp sports betting chain will understand the importance of an efficient staking plan and discipline. The mental game in sports betting is huge if you want to be one of the best sports bettors.

How do you become a sharp bettor?

Well it's safe to say there won't be too many better options than to bookmark this Sharp Sports Bettors site. Educational betting content and strategy is getting more commonplace now and there's no better time to learn how to bet smart and adding sports modelling / coding or analytics / data science to your skill portfolio is something to think about. The books from the modern sports betting trilogy are a great resource to have at hand and all 3 may be available by the end of 2022.

• Practice originating tissues to 100%
• Watch and consume as much sport as possible
• Learn all about the sports betting markets, dynamics and book %s
• Research bankroll and risk management
• Learn how to manage and understand EV and variance
• Listen to sharp sports bettors on podcasts or read articles
• Follow sharp sports betting guys on social media
• Reads top sports betting books (google on amazon)
• Research and try develop "Risk Intelligence" skills
• Take an online course in probability or data skills and or read up on them