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The consensus report has been very popular lately when it comes to sports betting. The theory of betting against the public and with the “smart” money has brought about the emergence of consensus reports being utilized as a handicapping tool. Because of this people have been mislead in how to use it and the differences that is can display if not used properly. Since we have covered the discussion on where to find it, how to read it, and some pitfalls to look out for, covering its use with different sports was the next logical step.

We discovered that using it with college and professional (NFL) football can be very profitable and it often will provide the most accurate reading of the reports. Next when investigating basketball the discovery was made that it could be a useful tool in handicapping hoops, but it had to be used differently then handicapping football. Next we will look at the consensus report when it comes to handicapping baseball and the outcome of the investigation was different then any other sport.

When it comes to baseball and handicapping baseball to make money our suggestion is not to use the consensus report. That is right, don’t use it at all. In fact the recommendation is do not even look at the report because it may sway you in to betting against a good team. Baseball uses something that other sports do not and that is a money line.  Since the other sports use a point spread the consensus is skewed when it comes to baseball. The point spread is the difference between a good team and a bad team in football and basketball. In baseball the difference is illustrated by using the money line. This renders the consensus report useless.

Let’s use the Yankees as an example. They are a very popular team and a very good team so I would imagine that on any given day during the season they will be a popular pick. If a sports bettor uses the theory to go against the report they would bet against the best teams in baseball, or in this case the Yankees, every day. Since the Yankees and other teams like them can win 100 games in a season this could become quite costly to the baseball bettor. Now we discussed that the consensus should never be used alone as a handicapping tool, but in this case it would always suggest to go against a good team. There would only be one situation where the use of the consensus report would be warranted. That is if the money line was below -120. This would suggest that the teams are very close in talent and make the game essentially a pick ‘em. With that in mind discovering the team that the public is on would help in this situation.

Overall when handicapping baseball the best suggestion is to pass and not use it at all. In other sports like basketball and football it has some usage but not in baseball.

In the series of articles the consensus has proven to be a very valuable tool. The understanding of its origination, usage and its value to each sport is priceless. The articles should give the sports bettor a great first look at the consensus report and how to use it along side other handicapping tools to make a consistent profit in the world of sports betting.