Second in betting popularity only to the Super Bowl, the March Madness Tournament is one of the most exciting sports events to ever be created. Bettors from a plethora of other sports, similar to the Super Bowl, actually take a break from their niches to get involved in office and friends pools for the legendary tournament. For the sports betting fan new to March Madness, here are a few tips on how to bet on the tournament.

Sides

During the early rounds of the tournament, the majority of wagers go in the direction of the favorite. Over the last few years, the favorite has won the majority of games at an astounding 56.3 percentage. What’s more, in the last three years, bettors that pick teams ranked in the top four, which are favored by 10 or more points against their opponents, win at an incredible 60 percent.

Throughout the tournament’s history, the number one seed is undefeated against the 16 seed. Yet, one should keep in mind, that betting underdogs at least on the point spread can have its advantages. For instance, in that same three year survey noted above, the number one seed is only seven and four against the spread of 20 or more points when facing a 16 seed.

As well, taking the underdog in a low spread game can be beneficial too. For example, favorites have a losing record when it comes to games with a spread of two and a half points or less.

Totals

In keeping with the three year study from above, we discovered that 103 games have gone over the total while 86 went under. Moreover, in games where the total is listed at fewer than 125, the games have gone over at almost 58 percent of the time.

Ever since he was acquired by the Lakers from the now defunct Charlotte Hornets in 1996, Kobe Bryant has been the face of not only the Lakers but the NBA. Sports betting is naturally a difficult way to make money, however since 96′ Kobe has been making Laker fans very rich for betting on him. Now 14 years later, Kobe and his Laker teammates are aiming to win back to back championships for the first time since the early 2000’s when Bryant was part of the dynamic duo with Shaq, which guided the team to three straight championships.

Although only being in the league for 14 years, Bryant has guaranteed himself a hall of fame spot, as he has proven to be the essential piece to the Laker puzzle, which keeps them moving. On Thursday, the Lakers will kick-off the 2010 NBA finals against Eastern Conference and historical arch rival the Boston Celtics. In years past NBA championship betting has been easy, as the West has primarily dominated the East. This year however, Kobe and the Lakers will have their hands full as the 2008 champion Celtics appear to be back in form.

Fans betting on the NBA finals for the first time, should feel confident in taking Kobe and the Lakers as they appear stronger than last year’s squad. Further, although the Celtics have Pierce, Allen and Garnett, the Lakers have Kobe. Annually, teams try to take out the Lakers by having more than one star on the team, and annually those teams fail. Kobe is the x-factor for the Lakers, which allows them to be so dominant. Over his career Kobe Bryant has been compared to Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan, however, as this year will prove, Bryant is better than Jordan as he and the Lakers will beat a stacked Celtics team in five games while winning their second straight championship and sixth of Bryant’s career.

Today Canada and the Czech Republic played in a Round Robin game with the winner avoiding a quarter final match up against the stacked Russian team led by Russian phenom and playoff flop Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin the NHL’s Lebron James, is the star of a Russian squad which also has NHL stars Pavel Datsyuk, Evgenie Malkin and Seymon Varlamov to name a few. Going into the game the Canadians had played two hard fought games against Norway and Sweden without sensation Steven Stamkos. Unfortunately for the Czech Republic, Stamkos would be returning, giving Canadian fans betting on the team a ton of confidence going into the game. However by game’s end the Czech Republic led by former NHLer Jaromir Jagr and NHL goalie Tomas Vokun walked away with the three to two victory. Stamkos appeared invisible at best and the strong play of the Czech Republic was over shadowed by a chippy affair which saw things turn ugly by the end of the game. In the final two minutes with Canada down three to one, Canadian forward Corey Perry thought it would be a smart idea to run into Czech goalie Vokun.

As a result the Czech defense proceeded to go after Perry for running into Vokun, which then led to Canadian forward Matt Duchene scoring into an empty net, cutting the lead and eventual final to three to two.  Sports betting enthusiasts could not imagine what would happen in the final minute of the game, as although the Czech won the game, they were still upset with Perry as seven of the Czech players attacked him. In turn the rest of the Canadian players also on the ice came to the aid of Perry as a line brawl broke out. The Canadians will now go on to face the dreaded Russians in one quarterfinal match while the Czech Republic will face the Swedes in another. As a hockey fan one can only hope it is Canada vs. the Czech Republic in the final to see if the bad blood remains.

Super Saver reigns supreme in the slop

It was a sloppy track on the occasion of the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby, and when 20 horses had all covered 1.25 miles of real estate at Churchill Downs, Super Saver came out on top. Calvin Borel - the rural Louisiana legend who has established himself as one of the greatest jockeys in the sport of kings - has now won three of his past four Kentucky Derby mounts, having already won with Street Sense and then last year with Mine That Bird. Borel guided Super Saver to victory this past Saturday on a muddy mess, but he still followed his patented strategy of guiding his horse to the rail when the final turn approached. Runner-up Ice Box tried to make a bold push on the outside, but the rail normally offers the best path for Kentucky Derby winners … at least when Calvin Borel is the man at the controls.

Nadal wins landmark Masters 1000 title in Rome

Sports betting enthusiasts might not have known what to expect from Rafael Nadal two months ago, but now, it’s a very safe bet that the Spaniard - who will turn just 24 years old this year - has once again established himself as the man to beat for the remainder of the clay-court tennis season. On Sunday, Nadal put the finishing touches on an historic championship, as the lefty outlasted countryman David Ferrer, 7-5, 6-2, to win the Rome Masters 1000 event. The win marked Nadal’s 17th Masters 1000 (formerly known as the Masters Series) crown, tying him with Andre Agassi for the most in tennis history. It’s true that the “Masters” event is relatively recent in the sport’s evolution, but the achievement still points to Nadal’s amazing consistency. The best clay-court competitor since Bjorn Borg has now won five of the last six Rome titles, in addition to having won each of the last six Monte Carlo Masters.

Henin triumphs in Stuttgart for first title since return

If one great tennis champion had a fantastic week on the men’s side, another decorated performer capped off a similarly glorious week in the world of women’s tennis. Justine Henin, who returned to the court this year after a self-imposed tennis hiatus, won the first WTA Tour title of her new tennis life. On Sunday afternoon, Henin disposed of Australia’s Samantha Stosur, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, in the final of the Porsche Grand Prix event in Stuttgart, Germany. Stosur - who reached the semifinals of last year’s French Open, produced another strong run in a clay-court tournament, and she took the second set from Henin in appreciably decisive fashion. However, Henin once again showed why she’s won seven major championships in her career. The diminutive but muscular Belgian, despite playing with a broken finger on her left hand, regrouped to take the third set and enter the winner’s circle. Henin - who has been unseeded in every event she has played in 2010 - earned enough ranking points to crack the top 20 with the French Open just a few weeks away. This performance will ensure that Henin is one of the top three favorites to win at Roland Garros.

Betting enthusiasts looking for a choice to invest in a team to win this year’s NBA Championship should look to perhaps the biggest mismatch of the first round to find their pick. The Cleveland Cavaliers begin their run at an NBA title against the Chicago Bulls, a series that offered the most lopsided NBA odds of all the opening round match ups. Already up two games to none, the Cavaliers aren’t looking to waste any time on their way to the big game.

Unlike a season ago when they just didn’t have the tools for a long run, the Cavaliers are stacked heading in to this postseason, with two key additions that will make the sport betting difference this year.

Cleveland fell to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern conference finals a year ago, and the presence of Dwight Howard in the paint was the biggest part of their undoing. Enter Shaquille O’Neal and his four NBA championships, whose signing with the Cavaliers will be judged solely on his ability to earn a fifth championship this season. Cleveland also added Antawn Jamison from the Washington Wizards during the season as another scoring weapon that can excel both in the paint, or pull outside with his perimeter game to open up more room underneath, and serve as another kick-out option for Lebron James.

The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers have struggled all season with injuries and inconsistencies, and that will be the difference when the Cavaliers beat them in this year’s NBA finals.

February is over which means one thing.

March Madness is on the horizon.

It’s the time of the year college basketball betting enthusiasts love more than any other, as they formulate their systems, and determine their brackets for the big tournament.

The great thing about March Madness is that smart money can be won by playing to the factors that comprise most betting systems.

Betting against the public, monitoring line movement, and analyzing the top seeds are three criteria that in unison provide the ultimate betting system.

Since 2003, top seeds have gone a terrible 20-25 against the spread in the first round of the tournament. This trend can be made use of by analyzing the top seeds and their opponents in the opening round.

On average, the betting public majority has lost 53-57% on average. By focusing on the top selection of heavily wagered on games, investors can increase their opportunity for success.

Another excellent criteria by which to gain a betting edge is to monitor line movement. The line will often change a couple of points based on where the public majority lays its money. That indication can be used along with the concept of betting against the majority to increase the chances of winning.

March Madness is the time of the year NCAA basketball betting enthusiasts wait for all year. Implementing a proven betting system can limit the chance of risk, and improve the odds of winning for all wagers.

The Super Bowl odds are up and most people are itching to get in on the action for Super Bowl XLIV. But before you dive head-first into the pool, you have to be cautious of where you are diving to make sure that you don’t drown.

Cheesy analogies aside, here is a great Super Bowl betting system:

Middling is not a new concept in the sports betting community but with so many different wacky props and betting lines during the Super Bowl, we are afforded a good opportunity in the big game.

Usually – and this isn’t always, but usually – the Super Bowl matches up two teams who are very even against each other. After all, theoretically, this is supposed to be a matchup of the two best and last teams standings.

With all the alternate lines available, we can get both teams as an underdog and hope for a close game.

For the Super Bowl, we can take the Indianapolis Colts +10.5 and the New Orleans Saints +17.5 and if the game lands in that 28-point window, we win the bet.

Obviously, if it lands outside of it, we are laying -800on the Colts and -500 on the Saints, which could be costly, but this game is supposed to be close between two high-scoring teams and the likelihood of it being a blowout one way or another is unlikely. That’s why middling is a good opportunity for Super Bowl XLIV.

Pick: Bet Both Colts +10.5 & Saints +17.5

Sports betting is a marathon, not a sprint. Unfortunately, many bettors forget that point, which really hurts you if you don’t see the bigger picture.

Gamblers typically don’t like small wins and they would much rather home runs. Unfortunately, in the world of investing, which in a sense is what all professional bettors are doing (unless you are just in the game for entertainment), you have to be patient and appreciate moderate growth.

When it comes to sports betting, there is no such thing as a lock, which means you shouldn’t be betting your whole account on any event.

A good strategy is to limit your bet amounts to just 10% of your total bankroll. When you take all of your eggs out of the basket and split them up into separate portions, you’ll never be in a position where you lose everything in one shot.

If you like certain games more than others, then you bet two or three units on the game (20% or 30% of your account) but even in those situations, you are taking calculated risks opposed to just swinging for the fences.

Whatever your strategy is, make sure you have a system in place where you manage your money and manage your bet amounts. One of the easiest ways to lose in betting is to bet different amounts on different games and stay very disorganized. If you can stay organized and manage your money, you will have one edge that most bettors don’t bother with.

It’s been a close race between the American and National League in terms of the World Series this decade, as the American League has a 5-4 lead since the Yankees won in 2000. This is why it’s difficult to figure out a sportsbook system when betting on World Series futures for this year. Here’s a couple of tips to help you along:

1) Look at the trends

Since 2000, the end of the Yankees’ three-peat, the World Series has bounced between leagues except for 2004 and 2005, when the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox went back to back for the American League. Last year was won by Philadelphia, so odds are, it’s the American League’s turn. Due to their win in the All-Star Game, the American League will also have homefield advantage.

2) No back-to-backs here

That Yankees team was the last one to repeat as World Series winners, and only one team has won twice this decade, Boston in 2004 and again in 2007. That could rule out the Red Sox and Phillies this year, and they’re two of the top three teams in this year’s current World Series futures.

3) Watch for the darkhorses

Darkhorses are a tough thing to pick for World Series futures. Usually it’s not recommended, but then you get teams like Tampa Bay from last year that come out of nowhere. However, at this point last year, we all knew that the Rays were for real, after months of wondering. A team like Colorado, for example, is ranked just outside the top contenders and shouldn’t be your first choice in your sportsbook system.

Sticking in with baseball sports betting systems, another one this week focuses on pitchers – not just any pitchers, but struggling pitchers.

We all know how frustrating it can be when hyped-up pitchers let you down again and again in the first half of the season, losing you money when their teams are supposed to be favored. Well, it’s time for those downtrodden hurlers to atone for their mistakes. These same goats can be the key to a good sports betting system.

Manny Parra is a good recent test subject to show how this system works. He struggled in the first half of this season, never throwing strikes, and eventually earned a demotion to the minors. He worked on his mechanics for a month or so and returned last week as a different pitcher. He shut out the Cards for seven innings, walked one and struck out seven. If you bet on Milwaukee at the sportsbook that night, you would’ve cashed in nicely, as the Brew Crew would’ve been underdogs based on Parra’s past struggles.

The same happened with Jose Contreras in Chicago and, famously, Roy Halladay early in his career. Talented pitcher goes to minors, fixes flaws, returns a new man, but can win you money since his team will be an underdog when he pitches.

It’s one of the more intriguing sports betting systems I’ve dreamed up in a while, because it turns underdogs into secret favorites.

Who’s next? Consider Pittsburgh’s Ian Snell. He bombed early in the year and requested his own demotion. In the minors, he has a 0.34 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 26.1 innings, so he seems to be working out the kinks. Be ready when he gets his promotion!