Sports betting is about putting money behind an outcome of your choice, and getting paid if that outcome happens. The most common bets are moneylines and spreads, but there are many other types of bets as well, including prop bets. Prop bets give you a vested interest in more specific outcomes, like how many goals a player will score.
Making a profit at sports betting requires a lot of time and research. There are very few people who make a living from it, but the chances of winning a bet and seeing a significant return on investment are relatively high, especially if you stick to a plan and focus on the research.
The most important thing to remember is to separate your fandom from your betting decisions. If you can’t do that, you’ll have a hard time betting successfully on sports. You need to know everything you can about both teams — not just how well they play, but also their injuries and anything else that could affect the outcome of a game.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that you’ll almost always lose more bets than you win. There is no such thing as a guaranteed winner in sports betting, and that’s why so few people are successful at it long-term. In fact, it’s rare for a bettors to make life-changing amounts of money from the sport, even if they follow it all the time and know all the players and coaches.