If you’ve talked to veteran sports bettors, you’ve likely heard the term “bad beat.” To put it simply, a bad beat is when you barely miss out on winning a significant bet. The term is used when one comes very close to winning a longshot bet but something unlikely happens that causes them to lose the bet. Learn more about bad beats below.

Bad Beat Example

There is some confusion, especially amongst novice bettors, about what constitutes a beat. The term is sometimes used to refer to a single bet on a favorite that missed narrowly. Generally, a loss can only be considered a beat if the bettor would have won but for something very unlikely happening.

Say a sports bettor placed a large bet on the Browns beating the Patriots. The Browns lead late in the fourth quarter. The teams suddenly abandon the game because the lights go out in the indoor stadium. The wager is a push. Certainly a bad beat.

Not All Losses are Bad Beats

Most lost wagers are not bad beats. Say the Browns lose. This is the expected result. It does not require an extraordinary piece of bad luck for a bettor to lose this bet, so it is not a beat.

Avoid a Bad Beat With Intelligent Betting Strategies

Avoid bad beats (to a certain extent) with intelligent betting strategies. For example, bad beats often happen when an underdog chokes and loses a game they were leading. If you bet on an underdog, make sure you have a good reason.

Start Betting On Everygame Today

Now that you know how to avoid bad beats, it’s time to start winning bets. Everygame has fair lines on all major sporting events, making it a great sports book. Start betting on the Everygame sports book today.