How Relevant Is “Momentum” in Sports Betting and Is It a Good Choice for a Betting Strategy?
One very common thing in sports betting is that the odds set for a certain event, generally incorporate the dynamics of the teams or the athletes involved. In simple words, the oddsmakers too often take into consideration the winning streak and the previous performance of teams before deciding on the lines and the prices. All UK bookmakers acknowledge the role of ‘momentum’ and even though there is no scientific or statistical evidence relating the winning streak to the following performance, it is frequently integrated and reflected in the odds.
There is a widespread notion amongst bettors that wagering on momentum is a pretty good pay-off strategy when it comes to sports. The basic idea is that momentum exists in sports, whether in between games or within a single game and since it exists, the responsibility of a good sports bettor is to leverage this to his own advantage. If they manage to be precise and right to the point when the winning streak is still on, then they can have profits and boast of their exceptional betting skills.
It seems that this kind of approach, however, suits better the more casual sports bettors or the recreational punters, who are more willing to base their choices on something called momentum. Or even sports gamblers who are more likely to treat sports betting like a casino game, such as those found at online-casino-pt.com. Or it can also be for more advanced and professional sports bettors who are closely watching winning streaks and have made more careful analysis of how these are going to affect a team’s performance in an upcoming NBA game let’s say.
However, the truth is that there is no evidence or statistically established relationship between momentum and subsequent performance. At least in an objective way or in a cause-and-effect relationship manner, one would expect to consider the reliance on momentum as a viable criterion for betting.
Momentum is the perceived greater probability of success that derives from the assumption that since a team is experiencing a series of victories or a winning streak, they will continue to do so. In short, it is nothing else than believing that a team – or an individual player – will make a winning appearance when they have scored winning appearances in a streak lately. We often say that they are having momentum right now and this is going to bring more wins.
A winning streak is in fact the best kick-off for a new game or even for performing within a game. It’s hyping, boosting, revitalizing and motivating. In fact, it’s everything one needs in order to do exceptionally well in something. Thanks to the so-called momentum, we have seen teams breaking records, athletes accomplishing the unthinkable and generally sports advancing in ways that we never thought before.
Though the momentum, according to psychologists and sports analysts, is nothing more than a ‘perception’, which persists and perseveres and makes teams and players gain enormous confidence. In fact, they gain so much confidence that they ultimately leverage and apply their skills more efficiently and effectively and in the end, they achieve more. And they end up – at least very often they do so – scoring more wins, having more of the good performances that they already have showcased, and eventually adding more victories to their streak.
But this may be the case for the athletes or the entire teams themselves and may have nothing to do with how sports bettors make their choices when wagering. It is generally a flawed approach to put much emphasis and significance on the so far experienced success when you try to forecast what will happen in the future.
Momentum is very subjective and while there is a strong belief that it does affect how a team is performing and whether it has greater chances of winning, the bottom line is that there is nothing tangible to support this argument. In some cases, the over-reliance on momentum to make profitable betting choices, may lead to the opposite results.
Consider for example the points spread bet that you can place in any of the top UK betting sites and the fact that since there is a widespread perception of a team having momentum, the points spread set may not be actually reflecting the realistic scenario. Bettors, believing in the momentum of the team, make their choices, only to see their wagers lost if the pressure is too much for the team and unrealistic expectations were made because of the winning streak. Such a thing is not uncommon in sports betting and it is something that punters should always have in mind, when they realize that their choices are made on the basis of perceived momentum.