Beware the big Internet site’s so-called “Online Sportsbooks power rankings” when preparing to bet on the day’s games. Whether you’re looking to do some online soccer betting or online baseball betting, these lists are easy to get caught up in as a fan and gambling enthusiast, but they can hurt much more than they can help.
It’s easy to run down the list and use it as a gauge for whom to bet on for any specific matchup (does anyone actually do this?) The Braves are #7 but the Tigers are #9, so the Braves must be the team to bet. What a horrible approach.
First of all, you know as well as I do there are a million other things to take into account besides what one Internet site decided the order of teams should be this week. Where is the game? Is it a hitters park or a pitchers park? And…who’s pitching? How have these teams fared against the opposing pitcher in the past? How has the team been hitting over the last few games? What are the weather conditions? Oh yeah, what’s the line?
Not to mention that these lists are put together mostly by sports journalists of questionable knowledge to begin with. Some may even be fans. Yes, I’m talking about every single one of them. Just because you research the game for your job and fill four hours of game-time talking about steroids doesn’t mean you’re qualified to rank the teams.
These things are put out there simply for clicks and entertainment value. You can tell there’s no real serious thought behind them by the comments they leave. They’ll float one vague statistic and expect you to believe that justifies their decision. Sometimes all you get is a quote from the manager…how is that helpful?
They might be good to spark conversation, but as a gambling aid, they’re totally worthless. Think about it, do you actually use what some of these guys are blabbering about on television toward how you bet on games? Please don’t tell me you do. OK, so now that we’ve cleared that up, you realize these same amateur experts – many old ballplayers – are the same ones putting their two cents into these power rankings each week?
Do yourself a favor and don’t even look at them. Even if you’re an experienced gambler, the order can seep into your subconscious and have negative effects on your decision making you won’t even know are happening.