After trying many handicapping services, I landed on Wunderdog Sports and was impressed.
Like many bettors, my journey into the world of handicapping services began for fun, not money. A co-worker was a serious sports gambler. While talking about the upcoming games, he told me who he had put money on. He explained the odds, line movement, and his reasoning. I was curious and took an interest. We exchanged views, and some of my reasoning differed from his. I went further, listing his sports picks and studying the matchups. I tried to decide if his picks were sound or if he was on the wrong side. I also made lists of my own picks without risking any money. Should this team be a 6-point favorite? Aren’t they more likely to win by 14 points? Why is this team an underdog when they have the superior defense? Then we’d have discussions after the games playing Monday morning quarterbacks. The odds and the gambling element made it all more enjoyable.
An eye-opener was when I had four different MLB parlays, but one team was tied into all of them. I had to sweat out the last late game, which happened to be a massive closing-line favorite. The big chalk blew a ninth-inning save, making me sick all through extra innings. My parlay day did have a happy ending as the final game eventually was a 12th-inning winner. But the thrill of victory was replaced by a sobering thought: “Do I really know what I’m doing with sports predictions, or is it all luck?”
That’s when I ventured into the world of sports handicapping and paying for picks.
Before Finding Wunderdog
I sampled various services for free and premium picks, from a two-dollar fan appreciation special to a six-month package costing several hundred dollars, before finding Wunderdog. I was quickly reminded that “too good to be true” is a cautious saying for a reason.
The handicapper results were mixed.
Some sports picks had sound reasoning and were one-sided winners, while others fell flat. I gained more knowledge of the betting industry than profit. I lost a little with one, broke even with another, and won a little with a third in college basketball, baseball, and the NFL. What stood out was that the sports wagering tout service is loaded with different styles. Some are low-key, some are online only, others scream and hound you, while others are obvious scammers who are only in the business because they couldn’t hold a real job anywhere else.
Many free pick phones aren’t designed to provide useful information or good selections but simply to accrue customer phone numbers and emails. Scam artists use those details to blast marketing information in hopes of getting a few return calls from desperate gamblers. The worst one I encountered was “5-0 Free, or the NFL Season is Free!” Pause and think about that for a moment. A free pick phone will release a 5-team parlay betting on football that’s guaranteed to go 5-0, or you play the rest of the season for free? Nonsense. It’s a marketing gimmick. If it sounds too good to be true, run for the hills.
The Wunderdog Experience Overall
I finally found a handicapper in Wunderdog who appears honest and realistic about his betting percentage. With his service, I actually started to win consistently while also improving my handicapping knowledge. I found his reasoning behind selections concise and appreciated the advice on how to approach bankroll management. Losing is never fun. It’s even worse when you put money on the line.
With Wunderdog, I’m confident I’m getting sound advice consistently. Of course, he doesn’t win every day. Wunderdog had a tough outing one night in basketball, going 1-3. He offered a free day to make up for it. I didn’t have to call and ask. Instead, I received an email around 9 AM the next morning saying, “I’m just as disappointed with the results as you are.” My next set of NBA picks appeared in my inbox a few hours later.
I expected more parlays as they have a higher return. There were some parlays, but he was careful about picking his parlay situations. What I found is that Wunderdog is honest about his winning percentages, admitting that he won’t win every time. But he did win for me over the long haul, and I like that he backs his packages with guarantees.
Pick Deliverability
Wunderdog picks were delivered to my email long before the games took place. Each comes with different ratings, so one can calculate how much to wager on each game. Ratings and money management can seem complicated, but it’s easy to pick up and essential for turning a consistent betting profit. The Wunderdog customer service staff also explains this money management investment strategy. Getting the plays early allowed me to organize the picks and check the latest line movements. Line moves are constantly taking place, something Wunderdog studies and is ahead of the curve on. When the plays are sent out, they contain up-to-the-second odds. For the customer, having multiple sports betting options is recommended to pounce on the best available line. A half-point might not seem like much, but wagering is very important, so I liked this aspect of Wunderdog’s offer.
The Bonus of VIP Points
Wunderdog has a VIP program that’s free to join. It’s a way to get more for your buck. For every $10 spent, a customer earns 70 points. There are four levels of VIP: Rookie, Pro, All-Star, and Hall-of-Fame. A rookie gets a $1 discount per 250 points, and a customer can jump up to the other levels by hitting 6,000 points (Pro), 15,000 points (All-Star), and 40,000 points (Hall-of-Fame). For instance, a Hall-of-Famer gets $1 off picks packages per 125 points accrued. The benefits also include free sports betting gear, priority customer service, and extra content. There are VIP-only contests to join, and you can even submit questions directly to the Dog related to sports betting, how he makes his picks, or anything else. Very cool.
Write-Ups
Some sports handicapping services only deliver selections, but Wunderdog has write-ups for every pick. This is a big plus on many levels. The reasons behind every bet are clear and highly detailed. It’s not a preview of the game but a streamlined analysis on why one team will cover the point spread or the total. There are usually multiple handicapping angles visible, such as situational analysis, key stats, and home/road mechanics. Having one angle is a good start but winning at sports betting really requires layers of thought and edges. Having multiple angles inside game write-ups is something that seasoned betting professionals can do after years of study.
In addition, there are often relevant betting trends. Some services only use trends or attach trends that don’t appear to have much to do with the upcoming game. But Wunderdog’s betting trends have meat on them, make sense, and are weaved into the analysis. All of this offers a window into Wunderdog’s mind, how he views the games and lines based on his decades of wagering and winning. This is especially valuable when he releases parlays and under-the-radar betting lines, such as props and first-half numbers. That kind of insight proves how adept he is at zeroing in on the best available plays. It not only puts you alongside a seasoned handicapping expert each night but makes you a better long-term bettor.
More than Picks: Money Management
What amount to wager is a key component of sports betting success. Everyone has their betting bankroll that will be different from everyone else. Here’s a personal experience with a tout service I paid for before finding Wunderdog. The salesman asked if I could get down $500 on three games going tonight. The total bankroll I had set aside was $1,500, so I did the quick math ($500 x 3 = $1,500) and reasoned, “Yeah, I can.” I then plowed ahead and got down $500 on the three bets. The picks went 2-1—a decent payday—and the next day, the salesman apologized, “I’m sorry we didn’t go 3-0, but we’re going to do that today.” Looking back on that experience, I often wondered, “What would have happened if I went 0-3?” My bankroll would have been wiped out on the first day of a three-month handicapping service package. It was foolish, but I was a naive newbie. Even a 1-2 night would have crushed my bankroll by 30%. The point is, the salesman never bothered to ask what my betting bankroll was. He didn’t care. Yet, sports betting money management is huge.
My experience with Wunderdog was completely different. He and his staff provide the percentage amount to wager on my entire bankroll. The purpose is to turn a profit long-term while educating about betting discipline, a valuable area few tout services care about, and one I came to appreciate.
Wunderdog Results
For me, the winning results were real. By wagering far less than 30% of my total bankroll, I was able to absorb losses and squeeze out enough of a consistent profit to increase my bankroll with his guidance. That’s important because no one wins every time, something Wunderdog is upfront about. Wunderdog helped me feel better than I used to when I would have losing days. He compares sports betting to the stock market, saying that losses happen regularly in the market and with day trading, too, but you can still make money with the right picks and a sound investment strategy over time with the right sports betting service.
Transparency
There’s no transparency with con artists; otherwise, you’d catch on quickly to their schemes. Many services I’ve tried or examined in the past refuse to post past plays and free picks.
One I dealt with simply lied, claiming, “These picks hit 80% last year.” I responded, “Well if they hit 80%, what do you need my money for? You’re making a fortune. Just give me free picks for two weeks, and if we hit 80%, I’ll gladly pay whatever you want for three months of service.” I felt it was a reasonable request, but the salesman wouldn’t bite. And I figured that was for obvious reasons – they weren’t hitting anywhere near 80%.
One of the best things about Wunderdog is he posts all his past picks for every sport to the site. I kept track of the picks and compared them to the plays listed on the website. They matched up – every one of them. So I was able to get comfortable with his honesty, a difficult commodity to identify in the sports betting tout industry.
Customer Service
Customer service in the sports handicapping field is all over the map. But I knew it was important to me to be able to talk to someone if I had questions or needed some advice. Some services are one-person operations, and some are packed with salesmen fighting over every new caller. Some have multiple handicappers and assistants, while others have no customer help at all. One of the worst I’ve experienced in the past is “upsell.” These people are partially customer service, answering questions and providing picks, but their main task is to steer you towards expensive packages. Simply put, they’re the fishermen, you’re the chum, and the mouths of the high-pressure shark salesmen are just around the corner, waiting to bite into your bankroll. I’ve experienced customer service touts saying, “Those are just the free picks. Let’s get you enrolled in the high roller club.” I’ve also heard, “This is a lock – forget the mortgage note, put everything on this one game!” Those are red flags in my book.
I’ve never experienced anything like that with Wunderdog. There’s no pressure and a unique transparency. I found his support staff to be available, helpful, and considerate whenever I needed them.
Would I use Wunderdog Again?
The short answer is yes. Wunderdog covers many different sports, and I can focus on the ones that interest me. I’ve always been a bettor who is less interested in confirmation of my own picks but more interested in what a reliable, professional handicapper likes and why. As someone who has spent over two decades in Las Vegas wagering, I’ve learned that people have different areas of expertise. Some bettors are good at finding underdogs, and some know line value. Some have a sense for totals, and others can nail props while struggling in other areas. Wunderdog has a style that’s evident in his selections, and I found him excellent at picking NFL underdogs, first-half totals, and solid situational opportunities. He explains in great detail the reasoning behind every pick. That’s important to me as it shows handicapping depth while I’m able to improve my own sports gambling skills. He’s the best I have ever seen at identifying line value and how to maximize it.
