Betting on Sportsbooks: A Guide For New Zealanders to Predict the Outcomes of Matches

Mon, Mar 25, 2024
by CapperTek

New Zealand is a sporting nation, rallying behind its national teams and athletes who compete and excel in a variety of sports. There are a few things that can enhance the experience of watching a sports game such as inviting your mates over, popping open a cold beer or logging onto the top New Zealand sports betting sites to place your bets. However, before placing your bets, this guide will run you through some of the most important factors to look at when trying to predict the outcomes of matches for betting purposes. 

The outcomes of past matches

First, and perhaps the most obvious, look at the outcomes of past matches a.k.a., the stats. This means looking at the number of games a team has won relative to their losses over a fixed period of time. While simply picking a team with a high winning percentage is likely to yield good results, you can even take things one step further. Do this by not only looking at the quantity of games won but also the quality of the matches. When a team wins, look at the caliber of their competition. After all, a win against a very lowly-ranked team lacking in skill on the pitch may not be as impressive as a draw or even a close loss against the absolute best teams. 

Team chemistry

Betting is a science, that's why it's important to study chemistry... rather, the team's chemistry. Team chemistry refers to how well the players gel on the field. This can include examples such as players having compatible playing styles, understanding each other strategic plays and sharing the ball with each other in order to assist a try. Team chemistry is crucial when it comes to factors that affect a team's chances of winning. There is no 'I' and team so every individual player is only as good as their ability to work with other players. Debatably, it's better to have a team of average players who work well together than a team of all-star players who don't know how to vibe with one another on the field.

Changes to the team roster, coaches or management

When a team shifts around, it's not unusual for their playing chemistry to shift as well. This shift can come in the form of changing for the better or losing some of the team chemistry that may have made a team successful. Similarly, changes to the coaching staff and upper management can also impact how well a team performs. Coaches bring in new strategies, new methods of motivating the players and more. Sometimes these changes may well be very clever but in the week or two following the implementation of these changes, players need a chance to adjust. That's why it can be a good idea to bet on another team and watch the changes play out.

The team's motivation and morale

Motivation and morale are underrated factors when it comes to determining the outcomes of various sports matches. After all, how big of an impact can motivation and morale have when everything is in the players' heads? The answer is it can have a big impact. Unfortunately, motivation and morale are not always easy for an outside party to evaluate. A few key ways to do this is to look at how dedicated the team is to their training and also look at the outcomes of their last few matches and the team's patterns of how they generally react to negative or positive results. Some teams may feel dejected from a streak of losses while others may experience one or two losses and feel more determined to get back to winning than ever before. Conversely, some teams react to wins by enjoying the momentum and continuing to push hard while others are lulled into a sense of laziness. Knowing how your team is likely to react to recent game outcomes is a big insight into the strength of their motivation, morale and resolution to win.

Finally, don't disregard the underdog team

Last but not least, don't be afraid to bet on the underdog. It may contradict everything you've just read but if you just have that feeling in your gut that this could be an underdog success story then don't be scared to go for it. At the end of the day, sports betting is unpredictable. There is no surefire way to determine which team will win, rather, the best you have is informed guesses. Despite the chances of a successful bet being slimmer, an advantage of betting on the underdog team is the potential payout is likely to be higher. For some sports bettors, it's worth the risk.

So there you have it. Using this guide you can make more informed decisions about betting on the outcomes of sports matches!