Most people who bet on sports focus on games instead of the big picture. They will spend sometimes hours looking over the stats and records trying to find an advantage to bet. Or better put, looking for some reason to pick one team over another. They may as well flip a coin.

They are so busy trying to figure out how to win, the forget t ask the most basic question of all. Without knowing the answer, they have no chance of success. Unfortunately for them, they never even figure out the question, much less answer it correctly.

So what is the question every sports bettor should ask first.

Why is it possible to win betting money on sports?

Without the knowledge of what allows you to win, how can you possibly do it? The fact is, until you answer that one question all of your bets may as well be may by flipping a coin. You can't exploit what you don't know about.

So what is the answer?

You can win money betting on sports because the books do not control odds and the rules of the game for your bets. They have lines and spreads to influence betting one way or the other, but that is hardly a substitute for control.

For instance, a casino can change the rules for blackjack and figure out to the dollar how much they will make or lose on the change before the first bet is ever placed. A sports book has no such control.

But you do. By placing smart bets only when the spread or lines are in your favor, you can take total control over both the odds and the rules you play under.

So don't ask yourself how to win. Ask yourself why you can win in the first place. Only then can you figure out the how.