The final type of wager that you must master if you want to learn how to bet on sports are the “If bets”. This type of wager is interesting and it is widely available among the best gambling sites. Understanding it can be tricky at first, but it is not that complicated. Furthermore, once you grasp the concept of how it works, you will se that it is a very interesting type of bet.
The mechanics work like this: If bets allow for you to select two picks that can be sides or totals, these picks are considered as two separate straight wagers based on conditions. The first bet has to be deemed a winner so you have action on the second wager. Also, if bets permit the use of the winnings of the first wager to bet on the second bet.
So let’s say that you pick Team A and Team B to win their games. Lets say their lines look like this:
Team A -4 (-110) you risk $110 to win $100
Team B +9 (-110) you risk $210 to win $190
In this case Team A must win. If you bet $110 you will win $100, however if Team A doesn’t cover the spread you loose the bet, and then you will not have any action in the second wager. If Team A wins and Team B doesn’t cover, you win the $100 wager but lose $210. If both teams win you will get a total of $290. That’s the simplest type of if bet, but there are other types that can be tricky to understand for players learning how to bet on sports.
The other popular type of if bet that is available is the If Win, Tie or Cancel. The basic concept works almost the same as the aforementioned If Bet (win only). Basically the difference is that you will have action on the second bet if your first wins, ties or cancels. However, for this wager you don’t have the option to use your potential winnings from the first bet on the second one. But, you have the possibility to risk more on your second bet than on your first bet, that is of course if you have enough balance to cover the wager.
Using the above example of this bet, let’s say that Team A’s wager was considered a push of if the game is cancelled, you will still have action on the second bet. If on the second bet you risked $110, you will win $100 if the second bet is deemed as a winner. However you will lose $110 if they do not cover.
As always, If Bets might have some restrictions on some sportsbooks or they might work differently on other betting sites. That’s why, we strongly suggest that players learning how to bet on sports that they contact a representative of their customer service department and verify with them the ins and outs of that type of wager before placing it.
