Tailing in betting is a popular strategy used to improve the chances of winning. It involves following the bets of bettors who have a good track record and using their knowledge to make your own betting selections.
Yet, tailing can be tricky and confusing for many bettors, who might not grasp its full scope or how to use it effectively in their betting approach.
Our experts give a clear and thorough explanation of tailing in betting, covering what it involves, why bettors use it, plus the advantages and disadvantages linked to this strategy.
What Does Tailing Mean In Sports Betting?
Tailing is a widely used strategy among sports bettors to increase their chances of winning. Essentially, it involves copying the choices of bettors who have a track record of success. You bet on the same outcomes as they do, with the belief that their successful history can improve your own chances of winning.
Tailing is not a new idea and has been around for years. It’s a way for bettors to benefit from the experience of others and improve their odds of success.
Why Do Bettors Use Tailing In Sports Betting?
People use tailing in sports betting for a variety of reasons. These include:
- Improve your chances of winning – by following the choices of successful bettors, you can ride on their success and benefit from their expertise.
- Managing the risk – when you follow the bets of several bettors, you’re spreading your risk across different outcomes, which helps you manage your bankroll better and lessens the impact of any single losses.
- Gain from the experience and knowledge of successful bettors without having to spend time and effort researching and analyzing events on your own.
- Learn from the betting habits and strategies of successful bettors to enhance your own betting skills gradually over time.
- Following successful bettors can be a smart way to diversify your betting portfolio and lower the risk associated with betting on a single event or outcome.
- When you tail multiple successful bettors, you spread your betting capital across various events, minimizing the impact of potential losses on your overall betting performance.
What Is The Opposite Of Tailing In Betting Called?
The opposite of tailing in betting is known as ‘fading.’
Fading a bet involves taking a position against a specific team, player, or outcome for a specific reason. Instead of placing a wager on something, the focus is on betting against that particular outcome.
Typically, sharp bettors choose to fade the favored outcome, meaning they bet against the event or team that the general public anticipates will happen or win.
Fading in sports betting can take several forms, such as fading a consistent losing team, fading a consistent winning streak, and fading a stellar performance.
The Best Way To Tail Bets
Although it may seem simple, learning who and how to tail takes knowledge and skill. There are certain things to consider when tailing bets in sports betting.
Selecting Reliable Sources
When getting into tailing bets, the first challenge is picking reliable sources from many options. Look for signs of commitment and consistency. This means checking how serious and invested the bettor is, ensuring they’re in it for success.
Transparent Decision-Making
Successful gambling is more than just making bets; it’s about understanding why you’re making them. Bettors who can explain their reasons, whether through detailed analysis, expected value return (EV betting), or clear thinking, are transparent.
This not only helps followers understand the logic but also builds an informed and collaborative betting community.
Reputation Matters
In tailing bets, a source’s reputation is crucial. While a big following might indicate past success, it’s vital to dig deeper into their associations with reputable sites or communities. Even subtle signs on social media can tell you a lot about a source’s credibility.
Variety Without Going Overboard
Though there are many good handicappers, you can’t tail them all—it’s impractical and risky. The key is to choose strategically based on your preferences and betting style.
While variety is good, be careful not to spread yourself too thin by following too many handicappers in one day. Manage information wisely and limit bets for a healthy and productive strategy.
Optimize Your Resources
Paying for picks in sports gambling can be risky. Profits are already slim, and with so many free options available, it can be hard to justify the cost.
However, if you value specific gamblers or a variety of knowledge from different bettors, paying could make sense. Just be thoughtful about it, considering the value against the cost. Also, you can always track a ‘paid-for’ service’s results for a while to see if they are for you.
Consider Whether The Bet Makes Sense to You
Even when committed to tailing a specific person or strategy, keep a critical mindset. While trust is important, consistently assess whether the bets align with your own logic. Blind trust can be risky, so balance it with critical thinking to avoid costly mistakes.
Think Long Term
Remember, gambling is a long-term game. In tailing, this means two things: don’t give up on a strategy because of short-term losses and don’t stick with a failing strategy for too long.
Sometimes it makes sense to move on and start fresh. But always think about these decisions based on how you expect them to play out over months or even years. Building success in gambling takes time — it’s not something you achieve in a day.
What Are The Most Popular Tail Betting Sports?
While tailing is a betting strategy that can be used across most sports, it is particularly common in popular sports such as football, basketball, and horse racing.
For example, a bettor who consistently succeeds in horse racing may attract followers. These followers observe the successful bettor’s betting patterns and replicate similar bets on the same horses. This can also involve bettors using the successful bettor’s picks as a reference to place their own bets in the same races.
In sports like basketball, baseball, and football, tailing is also prevalent. Here, bettors follow the bets placed by successful handicappers or tipsters. In these sports, bettors may use the successful bettor’s picks to guide their own betting decisions or to validate their own choices.
Best Tail Bets To Follow In NFL
Touchdown Tips is a reliable source for bets to tail in the NFL. They record their results and provide a public profit/loss spreadsheet that anyone can view and have done for years.
Another useful source is Megalodon Betting Tips. They are known for being reliably profitable in the long term, but they do charge a monthly fee for their service.
Bill Krackomberger is another shrewd NFL judge with a big following.
Best Tail Bets To Follow In Horse Racing
Former hockey player Eddie Olczyk has a major interest in horse racing and provides bets to tail for major events such as the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes.
Other Terms For Tail Betting
Tailing in sports betting goes by different names, such as piggybacking, shadowing, or following the sharp money. Despite the variations in terminology, these terms all describe the same fundamental idea of copying the bets of successful bettors to shape your own betting decisions.
Regardless of the name used, the objective remains the same. The aim is to leverage the knowledge and expertise of successful bettors to enhance your own betting results.
In summary, here are some other terms for tailing in sports betting:
- Following the sharp money
- Shadowing
- Betting the public
- Piggybacking
- Tapping into the wisdom of others
What are The Negatives of Tail Betting?
Tailing in sports betting has significant drawbacks, mainly limiting a bettor’s independence and creativity. By solely following others’ bets, bettors may miss valuable information and insights that could enhance their betting performance.
Moreover, tailing carries risks, relying heavily on the success of the bettor being followed. If the successful bettor’s track record declines, the follower is likely to experience losses.
Identifying genuinely successful bettors to follow is challenging amidst the multitude of advice and picks available. It’s hard to distinguish those with a proven track record from those relying on luck or making poor betting decisions.
Tailing is also solely at the hands of the tipster being followed – so at any point, they could stop, or the service could cease to operate. Therefore, trying to perfect your own strategies will always put the control back in your hands.
Lastly, tailing can foster complacency among bettors. Depending on others’ bets may make them less proactive in researching and analyzing opportunities, leading to a decline in overall betting performance.
