Sports betting is an activity that can be fun and lucrative if you know what you’re doing. The best way to bet is to understand the basic rules of the game, which are based on a variety of factors.

Getting Started

To start betting, you’ll need to set up an account with an online sportsbook. The process is simple and usually takes only a few minutes. You’ll need to fill out a few forms, including your first and last name, the last four digits of your social security number, and a valid email address.

Bet Types

The most popular types of bets in sports include the point spread, the money line and the over/under. The point spread is the most common bet, where you choose whether or not a team will win a game by a specific number of points.

Power ratings

Another popular type of bet is the power rating, which ranks teams based on their ability to cover a spread. These power ratings can be very useful if you’re a sharp bettor and want to place bets on specific teams that have the best chance of winning.

Other wagers are futures, which focus on events that might happen months or years in the future. They tend to offer bigger odds and larger potential payouts than straight bets.

You also have a variety of other betting options, such as prop bets and totals. Arbitrage betting is a popular form of betting that allows you to generate small guaranteed profits by matching the odds of two different games.