When you are considering your picks for your weekend bets make sure you check the injury reports for the teams you are looking at. I know this seems like an obvious statement but believe me, many people ignore this important information. It would probably surprise you how often I get shown someones wins and losses for the past weeks games and see bets placed on teams that have significant injuries to key players. There are a few different reasons that bettors either choose to ignore the injuries or do not even look at the injury reports. For consistent winning in the betting sports game you need to look at all of the information you can before you place your bets.

I think the most common reason people don't look at it is that they don't feel it is as important and it really is. If you don't know who is in or out of the line up you are missing key information that directly affects the outcome of the game. Some people think that if someone is injured they will hear about it in the newspaper or on their favorite on-line sports article source. While this may hold true if it is a star player or even someone close to star status that is not good enough. You need to be thorough and know each and every player that is injured and where that person fits into the teams depth chart. Injury reports and team depth charts can be found on-line at most major sports outlet websites and many other sports sites, including links to it on my own site for the NBA. Check this information daily or at least before you place any bets. The guys that make the Vegas sports odds lines do and to win the betting sports game you need to as well.

When you are following a low risk betting strategy, you want to avoid teams with injuries to players that are near the top of the depth charts. I know that this will limit some of the teams you should bet on, but remember the goal. Increasing your bankroll with low risk, safe bets that you will win. Injuries always means that a team needs to adjust the way it plays. Someone that wasn't normally considered as "good" as the player that is now out with injury gets put into a situation were they are expected to step up and fill the role that was vacated. This usually results in the team playing at a lower level for at least the first few games after a player is out and most likely until they return. Now I know that sometimes injury creates opportunity for a young player to shine or for a veteran to return to past form, but if you look at the statistics you see that teams with key injuries lose more games. It is common sense that you need to follow. Avoid these teams and you will be able to use your bankroll for other bets that do not have the same risk factors.

Another reason that people ignore the injury reports is that they look at the Vegas sports odds line makers numbers and use them as their determining factor to bet on a team instead of hard information like the injury reports. You can see what I mean all of the time when you look at the odds line. Teams that are considered strong will still get points put on them so it looks like Vegas thinks they will continue winning. This will and does make some sports bettors think that if the odds makes think that team is still going to win then they probably will. It is a bit of a mind game actually. By relying on your own information and knowing who is injured BECAUSE YOU READ THE INJURY REPORT gives you the edge and will take you 5 minutes. It is well worth the time and something that should become part of your regular routine when looking at the daily games.

The Vegas line makers know that a bettor's overall impression of a team is what will pop into the average sport bettor's head rather then viewing that team without their star or other key players. A teams performance often changes dramatically when they get hit with injuries. The odds makers use this to their advantage and make the line close enough to get people to place higher risk bets on those teams. They know that the team won't be as good, how can it? You need to know that as well and avoid the temptation of placing the high risk bets. Higher risk bets are bets placed on teams with key injuries. The types of bets that you need to avoid when you are following a low risk betting strategy and looking for safe bets.

So, if you aren't already doing it, you need to start checking the injury reports regularly and adding that information to your sports betting tool kit. Place the safe bets and you will win the betting sports game and increase your bankroll.