AFL betting odds can be studied from a variety of perspectives including looking at past history.
The problem that so many gamblers run into when looking over the AFL betting odds board is that they are fixated on last season, which often has very little to do with now.
AFL betting odds are interesting to look back at but they really don’t do us much good for the future. You need to be very careful about stepping out on teams that had unexpectedly great seasons in the year prior versus AFL odds. Teams that come out of nowhere to make the playoffs or into contention become over-valued in the year that follows in AFL betting odds. Keep in mind that when the season ends for a surprise team, so does the surprise, and in many instances that success versus AFL betting odds is not repeated. A team like Columbus may have gotten on a roll versus AFL odds but the reality of the situation hits that team the following year. It is important to keep in mind that the AFL odds makers are fully aware of the public’s tendency to handicap based on last year. It is also just as important to know that the on field opponents of surprise teams won’t be surprised in the year that follows in terms of AFL betting odds.
The fickle and reactive nature of the gambling public also comes out in the opposite extreme with good teams that had an unusually bad year versus AFL betting odds. These teams can easily bounce back the following year and surprise the public and the AFL odds makers. Last year is just that, last year, and you really have to remember that when analyzing AFL betting odds. Teams are rarely as bad as they look or as good as they look. The truth is usually somewhere in between when it comes to sports.
Don’t put too much stock in what happened last year in terms of AFL betting odds. It is fun and interesting to look back at last year’s AFL betting odds but the reality is that it doesn’t help you too much. Keep that in mind when you are wagering versus AFL betting odds this season.