Halftime Heroes

Sun, Feb 28, 2016
by SportsAdvising.com

Halftime Heroes

One of the greatest aspects of sports betting is halftime wagering. It is a prime opportunity to make up for bad plays, ride great plays or find an opportunity to get in on the second half. A lot of people will view this as “chasing.” Yes, we have all chased, but this is simply finding opportunity. The key is to become disciplined enough to not chase and only play halftime bets when you see an opportunity. The books have very little time to put up a line. Halftime is only 15 minutes. The line setters want as much action as possible, so they usually throw up a line within 2-3 minutes after the halftime buzzer. This only gives betters about 12-13 minutes to get their plays in. Let’s examine the opportunities to take advantage of and those to stay away from.

The Original Play

This would be a game you played originally and you have supreme confidence they will cover the second half and the game. For example, you bet the Warriors (a popular team to bet). They are -10 at home and are down 2 at half. Steph Curry has been off, Klay Thompson is missing shots and the other team came out blazing from the field. The books set the second half line at -8.5. The Warriors have to win by 7 to cover the second half. Your eyes are telling you the other team cannot play any better and the Warriors cannot play much worse. You bet the second half and the game goes just as expected. Curry gets hot and the Warriors blow them out in the second half to win by 14. Double win.

The Realization

So let’s completely reverse the scenario. You bet the Pacers who are playing the Warriors. Your eyes are telling you that your bet is lucky to be winning at this point. Instead of hoping the next 24 minutes remains the same, you can either hedge your bet and lose the juice or bet more than your original bet on the Warriors to make a profit. It is a tough choice to make to go against your original bet. But, your eyes never lie. It is ok to be wrong, and it is even better to correct the mistake and turn a profit.

Wait and See

This is the most common scenario. A lot of times in coin-flip games, I like to lay off and see if the opportunity is there at halftime. Sometimes the road team comes out firing to begin the game and you can get the home favorite for a way better price in the second half. It is common in the NBA for the superior team to come out flat, be down at half, then proceed to blow out the inferior team in the second half. Or, maybe you want to bet the total. There are times I love the over and both teams start off slow and it ruins the total. Or I think it will be a slow paced game and both teams shoot 50-60% in the first half. Then the second half goes exactly as planned (i.e. Louisville/Miami under yesterday). If you are not completely committed to a bet, lay off until halftime and jump on the chance if it presents itself. If not, it is always ok to leave a game alone completely. Sometimes the best bet is no bet.