2012 Summer Olympics Betting: Best picks & odds

What are some of the best betting options when it comes to making picks on this year’s 2012 Summer Olympics, and which sportsbooks offer the best lines? Lets take a look at this year's games as we try to beat the odds.

Every passing day gets us closer to one of the world’s biggest spectacles; the summer Olympics. For all you degenerates out there, you can get your round the clock gambling fix by putting some action on a variety of different sports and prop wagers. In this article, we will take a look at some of the better sports to wager, and if there are any futures or props that catch my eye.

Futures and props 

One of the bets you can lock in now at most sportsbooks are totals for medals either by country or by athlete. You can bet totals of gold medals for countries like China, the USA, Great Britain, France and many more. You can also bet either total medals or total gold medals at most sports betting shops. 

Another type of wager that is available now is country versus country medals and gold medal future bets. For instance, on 5Dimes, the USA is -155 to have more gold medals than China, who is +125. The USA barely beat out China in golds in 2008. Or, Russia is  -170 to have more golds than the UK, who are +140 against the Russians in the gold medal battle.

These are nice wagers to have, and most of them hold some value, but before the games even start, it’s hard to put action on these types of bets weeks before the games even begin. However, if you are going to place a future medals wager right now, do your research. I would wait a few weeks until the games are only a few days away, though. 

Pre race/match/game betting 

This will undoubtedly be the most utilized form of betting, as there are tons of sports, and the sportsbooks won’t have as sharp of lines on a table tennis match or a swimming race, as they do on a soccer match or basketball game. This is where we can take advantage.

There are a total of 292 events scheduled in the Olympics, and the ones that will garner the most money are soccer, basketball, track and field, and probably swimming. However, sports like wrestling, rowing, rugby and diving will be where the bettors find their winnings.

You don’t have to know a whole lot about the sports, just find someone who does. In this age of the Internet, there will be people who can help you out, and we here at SBR Forum hope to be one of your many resources.

My favorite sports

These are not only my favorite sports to watch, but they will also be ones that could have a lot of value. I’ve already mentioned wrestling, rowing and rugby, but there are a few more events that could have value.

Swimming and diving are one of the biggest, because sportsbooks should have totals and moneylines that will hold value. I have been in the minority view that Ryan Locthe might just beat out Michael Phelps a few times in these Olympics. There will be a lot of value there.

Rowing and sailing might also hold some value, but you will have to do some shopping to find out which books hold lines for these types of events, and whether or not you can take advantage.