2) TOTALS-BET OVER EARLY AND UNDER LATE
A healthy majority of recreational bettors are over players so it makes sense, especially early in the season when weather is rarely a factor, to bet under later in the week after the totals have been driven up. This holds especially true for TV games where the odds makers automatically inflate the total, knowing the public loves to bet anything they can watch.

4) USE POWER RATINGS
Picking winners in football is a game of numbers. You don't have to know the name of every starting quarterback in the NFL or how many returning starters a college team has compared to their opponent. What you should be looking for is a hole in the line as put up by the bookmakers and the best way to do this is find a power rating that you're comfortable with and stick with it. There are a ton of newsletters, or tout sheets if you prefer, who publish weekly power ratings. In most cases you can line your garbage can with their selections, but check out how close their numbers are to the posted line. If a publication has an eight to ten point difference on every game, chuck it. This isn't what you're looking for. Don't look to come up with a play for every game on the board or every game on TV. Try to be selective and find three or four solid plays that you feel confident with.

5) FIND UGLY TEAMS
I try to stay off of the glamour teams in college for two reasons. The line makers tend to have a better opinion on the teams that are in the top-twenty year after year. But it's possible to find bargains among some of the lessor known or up and coming programs that they haven't yet honed in on. Remember one very important point. With all the sophisticated information now available to you both from the Internet and your daily newspaper, you should be as well informed, sometimes more informed, than the man behind the counter. Reason number two is everyone is basically on the same sides every week. If you don't get the number early you are going to get the worst of the number and there is NOTHING WORSE than getting the WORST of the number!

6) NEVER PLAY PARLAYS OR TEASERS
A lot of you aren't going to like this one, but it is a logical rule of thumb. Do not bet parlays or teasers. If you've ever been in any of the fancy new Las Vegas betting palaces, remember those plush chairs you're reclining in and those "free" drinks that scantily -clad cocktail waitress keeps bringing you, were paid for by parlay and teaser bettors. If you're looking to stay in the battle for the long haul and show a profit at the end of the season avoid parlays like the plague. If your goal is to turn a toothpick into a lumberyard then fire away.

7) DON'T PLAY TV GAMES JUST TO HAVE ACTION
How many times have you heard one friend turn to the other and ask "Who do you like in the Ram game John?" "I don't really have an opinion Bill, it's too tough a game for me." "What do you mean you don't have an opinion, the game is on TV?" Just because the game is on TV doesn't mean you have to bet on it. That's not listed in the rules anywhere I've ever seen. Security does not come around and check to see if you have a ticket on the game on the big screen. Keep an eye on TV games and you're likely to pick up something that will help you in the future.

8) YOU CAN LAY BIG NUMBERS IN COLLEGE
Don't be afraid to lay big wood in the amateur ranks. There is a vast difference in talent levels and conferences. You've probably noticed that college numbers move to a much greater extent than in the pros. It's common for a college line to move as many as five or six points, while a two point move in the NFL is huge. This is because of the relative parity in the pros and the vast disparity between the haves and the have-nots in the college ranks.

9) ALWAYS FACTOR IN STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Casual fans often fall into the trap of being overly impressed with teams that run up big scores week after week against inferior competition. When they finally run into some serious opposition, often at an inflated price, they show their true colors. Who a teams has played is much more important than how a team has played.