Sports Wagering: Quarter Betting
By Loot, Sports Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Quarter betting revolves around sports that in fact have quarters. We’re dealing with pro and college football, in addition to NBA hoops, but not college basketball, where the games are played in two halves. The action in quarter bets only revolves around one quarter of play. There are sometimes some solid observation and analysis that can make quarter bets a viable play.
First the drawbacks: We are not really geared to looking at games in terms of individual quarters. During our decades-long conditioning as sports fans, we have been taught to look at games as a whole--as complete entities. Splitting the game up into 4 sections and looking at it in terms of 4 different things is a perspective that may seem foreign to some. When we bet, we like to feel comfortable and betting on individual segments of the game might not be up everyone’s alley.
When we bet on a game, we do so with a feel we have for all the quarters. We figure there might be some bumpy moments, but over the course of 4 quarters of a football or NBA hoops game, that our observations will play out the way we anticipated. It might take some time, however, over 4 quarters for our analysis to ring true. In a single quarter, we’re limiting the window of where our predictions can take hold to merely a single period of play.
TIP: A good online sportsbook that offers quarter wagering on ALL games is 5Dimes. They also offer -105 odds on straight bets and over/unders and are considered to be the fastest paying bookie online.
Then again, sometimes we should get away from our comfort zone if there is in fact money to be made. With quarter betting, there is some evidence that strongly suggests there are some edges to the bettor in the right situation. Surely, we’ve all bet on games where we wish we could have it all settled by the end of a given quarter. Sometimes, it’s those other following quarters of play that end up messing up our wagers.
Say we’re betting a college football game. We like the big favorite. They come out strong, firing on all cylinders. Then after building a nice lead, the team grows complacent, the coach’s moves are becoming less sharp, or maybe reserves start making their way into the game. Now the favored team that opened the game like gangbusters is struggling to beat the spread. If you had simply bet for that team to cover the first-quarter spread, you would have sailed to an easy cover.
Maybe you’re betting on an NBA basketball team. The team is on the road and playing its 3rd game in 4 days. But it’s a good team that is favored and you like the match-up. But naturally, you’re concerned whether that team will hit a wall in the 2nd half, coming off a busy schedule with some demanding games. Maybe a first-quarter bet is a decent option. Even a fatigued team will have a good quarter in them before the wear-and-tear sets into their bones.
Keep in mind that very few books spread quarter lines for every single game. That can throw a wrench into this type of wagering. Generally, we don’t like the book to be able to determine the field of play to that extent. It’s better to have it so that if a bet is available, it is available for all games. Then we can get our pick of the litter. When the book limits the choices to only a few marquee games, it will probably limit our ability to find a real diamond in the rough.
We should also remember that some of our observations will be too obvious. If a college football team typically opens its games by mercilessly beating on their opponents, for example, the bookie knows and so does the betting public. The bookie will know he doesn’t need to make the line very juicy because there will be many biters for the favorite. Using information that everyone is privy to tends to suck the value right out of wagers.
Remember that if you noticed something like that a team starts slowly or quickly, the bookie also noticed it and accommodated for it in their odds. We’re not likely to outsmart the book along these lines, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be the occasional spot where we should pounce. Sometimes it will be along subtle lines, based on information that isn’t so obvious or well-shared by the betting public
In addition to point-spreads, you can also bet totals in quarter betting. Between sides and totals, you will likely be able to find some favorable spots from time to time. Don’t go out of your way to make quarter bets, but keep it in mind. And if you see a good spot, don’t be afraid to fire and see if you can make quarter betting a small yet productive part of your betting arsenal.
