When betting on sports, there are certain things that are not cut in stone yet are as important as anything else. These things are called intangibles. For example, a serious sports bettor analyzes the recent performance of teams in a league. This analysis will show who is playing well and who is playing poorly. Aside from that, the sports bettor can find out information such as the mindset of the different teams and players as well as the chemistry between players both within the same team and with other teams.
The question, though, is just how much importance should be placed on the recent games when it comes to sports betting? There is such a thing called due factor, which in essence simply refers to the idea that a team’s performance is about to change because of an extended streak (whether win or lose).
To give you a clearer picture, think about this year’s NBA champs, the Spurs. Say they were on a winning streak – they’ve won their last 8 games. The due factor would dictate that their chances of winning the next game have decreased. Yet does this ring true?
I don’t think so. The bottom line is that evaluating previous performances is important in determining sports picks but it does not have a predictive value regarding what will happen in the next game. Though that is the truth, the due factor type of thinking is so common among gamblers – don’t be misled and fall for it as well.