It can be rather overwhelming when you first dip your toe into the world of sports betting! There are more games to choose between than you likely ever realized, and as you’ll quickly discover, you can bet on pretty much anything — including the chances of us being hit by a meteor at a given time.

All of this is before you even start thinking about how the different types of bets work and how much money you might get in return for winning. To make sure you don’t end up placing a parlay on the Bulgarian First League, it’s important to get the basics down before fully diving in.

Getting Started

The first thing to consider when you visit a sportsbook is which sport you want to bet on. Although niche international football leagues can look appealing, it’s important that you choose something you’re familiar with to start. You don’t want to be placing bets on touchdowns if you don’t know what they are because you likely won’t stand a chance of winning. Making bets on things you don’t know about isn’t a very responsible way to burn through your budget!

You’ll also want to do a little comparison between the sportsbook options available to you to ensure that you’re getting the very best value for your money. Pick a specific potential wager, such as ‘Will the Vikings win the 2026 Superbowl?’ and compare the odds between different sportsbooks.

Alternatively, you can save yourself the time and effort by using one of the industry’s most trusted comparison sites, World Sports Network (WSN). When WSN selects sportsbooks, they look at things like odds, bonuses, customer support and the overall experience to ensure you’ll have the best time when betting. Their expert team, which boasts decades of experience, includes some of the industry’s leading voices such as Tanner Kern and Grant Mitchell, making sure you’re in safe hands.

Putting Your Best Bet Forward

You’d be forgiven for finding the number of different bets, along with the barrage of different terms that come with them, just a little overwhelming. There are more different betting types than you can shake a stick at and don’t get us started on the different combos! Although it might not seem like it at first, once you understand how the odds work, you should be golden.

Spread bets

A spread bet is our country’s most popular bet and entails placing a wager on the winning or losing margin of a game. You’ll see these bets given in the form of something like -10 (200) where the first number represents the projected point difference and the second signifies the price.

Even though the point difference is a minus, in this case you’re actually betting on this team to win and they would need to do so by 10 points or more to result in a payout. The -200 means that you’ll have to bet $20 in order to win $10 from a successful bet. If we reversed it to +200, then you would only have to bet $10 for a chance of winning $20 in return.

Moneyline bet

If you’d rather avoid getting bogged down in numbers all together, then moneyline bets are a solid choice. Rather than having to specify a winning margin, you bet on the overall outcome of a game. Moneyline’s odds are represented in the same way as spread bets, so if you’re backing the Chiefs to beat the Cowboys and they’re the favorites at -90, you’ll have to bet $9 for a potential $10 return on top of your stake.

Total bets

Total bets are placed on the total number of points that will be scored in a game. Using our previous example, you might bet that the Chiefs and Cowboys combined will scoop up over 75 points in their game. If it goes over that total, then you’ll rake in the dollars, if not then you’ll lose.

You can also place bets on totals for individual players; if you’re an NBA fan you could bet that LeBron will net more than 20 points in a game against the Knicks, for instance.

Prop bets

Prop bets involve wagers on the likelihood of a certain event occurring, such as whether a player will score a goal or get a red card in soccer.

They’ll often be displayed as a yes or no question, such as: ‘Will Tyler Glasnow pitch a shutout against the Pirates?’. You can also have prop bets that last all season long. In the case of our Glasnow question, you’d simply have to change ‘against the Pirates’ to something like ‘in the 2026 MLB season’.

Parlay bets

If you’re looking for something to really challenge you, then you can combine multiple bets together for a parlay. The different sections of a parlay wager are referred to as ‘legs’ and must all win to result in a return on your bet. This means parlays have longer odds and the chance of bigger payouts compared to straight betting. You can combine different types of bets in a parlay as well, placing spreads, totals and prop bets.

Know and Set Your Limits

All bettors should keep responsible gambling in mind whenever they look to place a bet, but it’s absolutely essential that you’re familiar with these guidelines as a new player. From the start, evaluate your mindset when it comes to gambling and ensure that you’re only viewing it as a fun activity, and never as a way to gain additional income.

Make sure to keep track of your activity and bets, both of which you can check under your profile. Responsible gambling tools are essential to staying in control of your gambling activity and avoiding harmful behaviors, such as overspending or chasing losses.

Be careful with bonuses

It can be all too easy to see a tempting bonus at a site, such as the offer of a free bet, and to be dazzled by it. Always make sure to pay attention to the terms and conditions of an offer to avoid any nasty surprises and only use bonuses for a bet you were already going to place, rather than being enticed into wagering on betting on something you have no idea about.

Making the most of responsible gambling tools

There seems to be a common misconception that responsible gambling tools are only used by players who already have a problem with gambling. In reality, all players should be making the most of the tools available at a provider whenever they gamble. We recommend that you set a deposit limit, which caps the amount you can spend at a provider, right away. There are also session limits, which control how long you’re able to spend at a provider, and breaks, which make sure you step away from gambling every now and again.

If you feel that your gambling activity could be becoming a problem, there are more permanent options available like self-exclusion. This valuable tool allows you to prevent yourself from being able to use a provider for a set amount of time, usually six months or longer. If you want to self-exclude on a country-wide basis, there are tools such as the National Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program, which make that possible.

You should never be worried about reaching out for help if you need it. Whether you talk to someone you know, or you’d rather seek out helplines and support groups, make sure you’re getting the support you need.

What Are the Most Important Things To Remember When Beginning Sports Betting?

It’s important to understand the basics of betting odds and bet types before you begin sports betting. You should only be betting on a sport you’re reasonably familiar with and avoid getting suckered in by generous bonuses. To get the most bang for your buck, you can use comparison sites to help you find the best sportsbooks available.

Although there’s a lot to remember when it comes to the different types of bets you can place, once you have a solid foundation, you should be able to work out what you’re doing from there. Finally, always make sure you’re setting and sticking to your limits and never betting beyond your means. Now, you should be prepared when it comes to sorting your props from your parlays!