Sports betting is inherently challenging, but certain sports present unique difficulties for bettors. Here's why specific sports are particularly hard to bet on successfully:

Baseball

• 162-game season makes consistency difficult to predict
• Heavy reliance on starting pitcher performance
• Complex statistics (batting average, field independent pitching, etc.)
• Limited home-field advantage impact
• Frequent unexpected outcomes despite historical data

Golf

• Large field of 100+ players per tournament
• Multiple betting markets (outright winners, top 5 finishers)
• Environmental factors heavily influence performance
• Course-specific advantages vary by player
• Physical and mental fatigue from consecutive tournaments

Tennis

• Heavy dependence on individual performance
• Match duration uncertainty (1.5-4+ hours)
• Surface-specific player advantages
• Mental state significantly impacts outcomes
• Head-to-head records often misleading

Hockey

• Extremely fast-paced gameplay
• Frequent line changes alter game dynamics
• Low-scoring nature makes each goal crucial
• Quick momentum shifts
• Multiple player rotations affect team performance

Soccer

• Three possible outcomes (win, lose, draw)
• Low-scoring matches
• Weather and pitch conditions impact play
• Referee decisions can determine outcomes
• Single plays can decide entire matches

MMA

• Single strike can end fight instantly
• Career trajectories change rapidly
• Weight cut impacts performance
• High upset potential
• Fighter conditioning varies significantly

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