The Early Bird Catches It
If you have decided who your tournament favourite is going to be months or weeks before the tournament is going to even start, it is best to rush in and place a bet before anybody else does. Sure you could wait till the team list is confirmed, or whether the player has any injuries coming into the tournament, but so will everybody else and by then, the price that you have looked upon as attractive may longer be available for you anymore.
Doing your homework and walking the walk allows you to beat the rest of the crowd when it comes to picking up who will be the eventual champion. Especially if your pick happens to be one of the popular picks or last year¡¯s champion, it is best to get in early before the odds shorten further. The longer you wait, the more time it gives everybody else to do their last minute homework before they make their decisions.
This same theory also goes with horse racing. Sometimes last minute can provide you with extra information or you can watch for how every horses¡¯ movement before making your own decision but it is best to still do your homework and know in your mind which horse you are looking to put money on regardless of what you hear at the track or the last minute mail from the radio.
Information that helps you make a good early decision is usually statistics that lie in favour of past performances, last few races or matches, weather conditions, health, injuries and form of players and horses, coach or trainer, home or away, possibility of an upset, recent attitude to oneself, age, etc. Make sure that once you have worked your way through all these points that you make an early bet to get a good price.
