When you become seriously interested in making a profit in sports betting, there are various factors you should keep in mind. Solid handicapping and research are a given, as is a basic grasp of discipline and bankroll management.

Most bettors are aware of the pitfalls of poor bankroll management; which is, they realize that betting a high number of their bankroll on one particular game, or chasing losses with larger bets on the next game just isn't a prudent thing to do.

Even as a result, there are many sports bettors, even folks that might qualify as advanced in most areas of skill, who take for granted the significance of the "juice," or vigorish, in the sports betting business.

The juice will be the fee the sports book charges that essentially puts the odds in their favor against the gamblers. The standard fee is 10 percent or -110; to paraphrase, you have to bet $110 so that you can win $100. If you win, the fee is returned along with the original wager and the sum of the win for a total of $210.

So what's the problem, you ask? Most novice bettors, after they become acquainted with this concept, usually not give it much serious thought. They figure since they intend on winning anyway, what's the big deal about the fee they must pay up front should they intend on getting it back?

The truth is, the juice makes a lot bigger difference over the long haul than you could expect. Within the short run, the juice serves as a sort of insurance policy for the sports books that guarantees them a profit no matter the outcome of each game.

Imagine, as an example, that you walk up to the counter and place a $110 bet to win $100 on Team A. The customer behind you in line bets $110 to win $100 on Team B. The sports book has now taken $220 worth of wagers on the game and will only have to pay out $210 irrespective of which team wins, guaranteeing the business a $10 profit.

Many bettors mistakenly believe that this profit margin alone is exactly what keeps sports books in business. This is not entirely true; even though the point spread and other odds are set with the hope of drawing "two-way action," or bets on both teams, the juice is essentially a default position for the sports book.

To paraphrase, whenever they receive exactly 50-50 action on each game both in volumes of wagers and amount wagered, the books will gladly accept the ten percent profit that comes with this situation.

On the other hand, this scenario is far from a common occurrence. More often not, the books are unbalanced on each game, meaning they took more bets on one side than the other. In essence, they can be gambling against the bettors, given that they will lose money if they side on which they are heavy wins the game. The sports books stay in business while they win more frequently than they lose in these situations.

So while the juice only accounts for a portion of the profit for a sports book, it really is a major obstacle that stands between you and long-term success with sports betting.

This is because beating the point spread on a consistent basis is difficult, and simply breaking even is a losing proposition. For example, if you bet $110 to win $100 on six different games and went 3-3, you might think you broke even for the day.

Think again. When you placed your bets, you gave the sports book an overall of $660 and, despite winning half of them, you are now only picking up $630 when you cash your tickets.

Over the long haul, these $30 losses add up and, the better you bet, the better juice you will pay. This forces you to win at a better rate than fifty percent so that you can show a profit.

The break-even point for sports bettors whenever you element in the juice becomes 52.5 percent.

Again, the 2.5% edge the home gets from the juice might not seem like much, but let's compare this to other gambling games.

A blackjack player who uses correct basic strategy on every hand can expect to break even against the house within the long haul. An advanced card counter can expect to achieve a 1-2 percent edge over the house. This seemingly slight edge is enough to get card counters banned from the casino as soon as management catches on to them.

So if you bet 100 games against the point spread, you must hit 53 of them in order to just break even. This is the equal of the sports book going for a three-game lead on you before you bet the next 97.

The goal you must shoot for is a minimum of 55 percent, with the hopes of hitting 57 percent or higher over the long haul. With good handicapping and discipline this is possible, but you must always keep the juice element in mind.

You need to count the juice as part of your wager and factor it in as a portion against your bankroll. As an example, if you bet $110 to win $100 and also your bankroll is $1,000, you are betting 11 percent of it, not 10 percent. As a result of this, it is very important to understand your bankroll.

Some sports books, particularly of the internet variety, might offer a weekly special through which the juice is -105 on a particular day or event. This is something you should make use of, as you are receiving a product that is worth $110 for $105.

Additionally, if sports books are heavy on one side of a game, they might change the juice on each side to generate find more info action. For example, if a 4-point favorite is heavily bet, they might charge -120 for the favorite and let you take the underdog for even money. Should the underdog will be the side you liked to start with, this really is a situation you must take advantage of.