December was my first full month of sports betting relying only on information I obtained this site. The start of the new year is as good a time as any to check into my results using Unabated.
Between the holidays, family, work and watching Christmas movies, I could only dedicate 20 hours to finding and placing bets. Because of these end-of-the-year time constraints I only got down 114 plays. I identified at least 50 more bets I could have taken, but Christmas lights don’t hang themselves.
I’ve been gambling long enough to know that 114 bets is a small sample size, but I love seeing people’s results whether it be gambling, weight loss or learning how to do a backflip. Even more than that, I love getting to watch someone’s journey in real-time.
Because I plan to continue to document my results using Unabated in 2023 and I’ve already watched Love Actually and It’s A Wonderful Life, there’s no better time to start sharing.
The only tools I used to find these bets were the Unabated Odds Screen and the Alternate Line and Closing Line Value calculators. I only took bets that showed an edge of 2% or better according to Unabated and I spread my action out over eight different sportsbooks.
The Numbers
Bets Placed Nov. 26 through Dec. 30
- Total bets: 114
- Settled bets: 99
- Pending bets: 15
Bets And Edges By Sport
- NBA:15 bets, average edge 3.48%
- College basketball: 51 bets, average edge 3.34%
- NFL: Nine bets, average edge 3.37%
- College football: 31 bets, average edge 3.77%
- NHL: Eight bets, average edge 2.8%
Results
- Total money bet: $19,034.45
- Average bet size: $166.96
- Largest win: $700
- Smallest win: $66.36
- Largest loss: $240
- Smallest loss: $100
- Profit (99 bets): $2,740.77
- Amount currently pending (15 bets): $3,645.28
- Hourly only including settled bets: $137.04
- Rate of beating the closing line: 68.9%
- Level of difficulty: On a scale of one to 10, one being a beginning bettor who just learned what -120 means and 10 being Billy Walters, I’d give my December betting method a two out of 10.
My Method
I only used the Unabated Odds Screen and the Alternate Line and Closing Line Value calculators to find bets pre-game.
The Odds Screen compares the best available line to the Unabated Line – a blended line using prices offered at market-making sportsbooks. If a any bets offered at my preferred sportsbooks had a positive expected value they would show up in green and display the edge. When the edge was 2% or higher, I took the bet.
If the positive bet was on a spread or total, I would go through my sportsbook’s alternate line options and use the Alternate Line Calculator to determine if there was also an edge with the alternate lines.
If I wanted to quantify the edge of my alternate line bet or a bet I found at a book not listed, I used the Closing Line Value Calculator to calculate my edge.
As an example, if I identified a moneyline better than the Unabated Line, I would navigate to the Closing Line Value Calculator, choose a sport, enter zero as the spread then enter my line as the top price and the Unabated Line as the closing price. The result would be my real-time edge.
The most time-consuming part of my 20 hours spent betting in December was using the Closing Line Value Calculator after my bets settled to get all the data on my results using Unabated. Though I won from the start, I would not have the confidence to continue betting if I wasn’t consistently beating the closing line, which I did in 68.9% of my plays.
My advice to anyone calculating their CLV is to do it when you enter your results, otherwise your number of settled bets adds up and you’re left with a lot of busy work at once.
Other Considerations
I’m admittedly slow at data entry. Someone faster than me could scan for bets in a shorter amount of time. If my preferred sportsbook wasn’t listed on the screen, I had to compare prices directly from their app which slowed me down.
Driving and walking time are included in my results. My hourly would be higher if they weren’t factored in. Also not considered are my pending bets. If we think I have an edge, my hourly will likely go up after they settle.
Most bets were made between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. for the next day’s games other than college football. About half of those bets were bowl game plays made a week or more before game day.
Getting limited wasn’t a consideration with my number of bets and bet sizes.
Final Thoughts After A Month Of Results Using Unabated
I initially thought that I’d have to dedicate more time before I could find serious value with the tools at Unabated. Instead my methodology was as simple as could be and my return over 20 hours is considerable. I know that my numbers aren’t an exact science. Positive variance can be a deadly force in gambling and in life. But my results coupled with how often I beat the closing line give me enough confidence to continue to bet real money.
Whether I keep winning or I start losing, I will update my results through 2023. I’ll also dive into the Teaser Shopper and the props and futures simulators. I can’t guarantee I’ll include dollar amounts but I will include time spent – a consideration often overlooked by people when deciding if they should get into advantage gambling pursuits, whether it be card counting, poker or sports betting.
If you use Unabated to find value as a sports bettor, don’t bet until you understand why you’re betting. Check in with the Unabated Discord frequently to get feedback from fellow bettors and Unabated staff. And good luck.
