Odds are, if you are a sports bettor, or just a sports fan who makes occasional bets, you’ve seen ads promoting the handicapper who always wins and never loses. These ads are found across the internet from professional handicappers offering you their winning picks for a price. But, is it really worth it to fork out a few bucks for what you hope will be picks that translate to winning bets?
Unfortunately, there is no simple right or wrong answer to that complicated question. But, any professional handicapper who claims to have never seen a loss is full of it. However, there are reputable picks services out there that provide analysis on top of their predictions. Buying picks is different for every bettor and their own personal situation. Below we’ll explore why that is and if paying for picks is worth it.
What is A Picks Service?
A picks service is a professional handicapping company that provides sports bettors with predictions for a fee. Most picks services run on a subscription model where you can purchase predictions for a day, a week, a year or for a season.
Handicapping and betting tips are offered on every major sport like the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, soccer, and college football and basketball. You’ll also be able to purchase picks for the WNBA, CFL and the UFC. However, not every professional picks site provides angles and predictions for every UFC fight or every soccer game.
How Adept Are You At Bankroll Management?
Before you decide to buy picks, ask yourself: What is my sports betting budget (bankroll) and am I able to control it? If you are laying down $1 or $5 bets on a couple of games every week, then you certainly shouldn’t be spending more than that trying to get winning picks for even money.
If you are placing small wagers like that, you will likely end up paying more for your picks than you will end up winning from those bets. Paying for picks is only worth it if you are going to end up winning more money than you paid for the picks in the first place.
What’s Your Betting Style?
The second question to ask yourself is: What is your betting style? Are you already winning more than you lose and putting away your winnings? Is your bankroll steadily growing, or it is going downhill consistently and requiring you to re-deposit every week? Remember, betting on sports should be fun and if you’re losing money because you’re not making the right picks, then using the services of a professional handicapper could be a good idea to help you recoup some of your lost dollars.
Before deciding if you should pay for picks, you should determine your betting style. Determining your betting style will let you know if you need to pay an expert for your picks.
Are you the type of bettor who likes to crunch a ton of numbers, sift through all the trends and get all the relevant basketball betting news on coaches, players, injuries and off-court transgressions? Do you understand line movements and how to manage your money to ensure you get a maximum return on investment (ROI) from sports betting? If so, then buying picks doesn’t make sense since you’ll be basically paying for a professional handicapper to tell you what you already know.
On the other hand, if you’re the type of bettor who doesn’t follow trends or want to deal with line movements, then purchasing picks could be what takes you from being a betting novice to a pro sports wagerist. Or, and let’s face it, some people simply don’t have the time to look at every stat and break down every game or MMA fight analysis. Why not get an expert’s opinion to help you out?
Do You Need The Help Of A Professional Handicapper?
One of the distinct advantages of working with a professional handicapper is convenience. When you want to bet but don’t have time to do the necessary research involved with making an educated wager, a picks service will do the hard work for you. Maybe you’ve gotten so bogged down with other parts of your life that the only sports updates you have time for are the analysis that comes with your purchased picks. In this case, buying picks and information from a trusted professional who has studied all the lines, trends, odds, etc. and makes knowledgeable predictions based on facts – not just gut feelings or based on their favorite team – could be your best option.
Think of buying picks from a professional handicapping service as investing in the stock market and not knowing enough about certain funds. You would enlist a broker to help you so you’re not investing your money in a Ponzi scheme. The same goes for sports betting. If you don’t have time to do your research or don’t have enough insight into the sports you want to bet on, using the services of an expert handicapper might be a good option.
Handicappers You Can Trust
The most important consideration when buying picks is finding veteran handicappers who are true experts in their field and are also known throughout the industry as being the best at what they do. There are “scamdicappers” out there who overly promote themselves with the aim to deceive. These are horrible people who will provide you with false records in hopes of taking your money. Any of the picks services we promote on Odds Shark are thoroughly vetted, trustworthy and don’t make false promises. Check out our Top Picks Services pages for Canada and the United States for more information.