Wunderdog Sports Handicapper: Handicapping Service Review

Wunderdog Sports Picks & Handicapper Review

The sports betting industry received national attention in the late 1970s when writer Jimmy “the Greek” Snyder co-hosted the CBS show “The NFL Today,” providing free NFL football picks. The popular Sunday morning program previewed the NFL games at a time when interest in football was exploding, in many ways replacing baseball as the national pastime. Sports betting was illegal in most of the United States, but it nonetheless opened up the world of sports betting odds and gambling to millions of viewers.

Sports pick touts soon followed with full-page newspaper ads, free picks of the day with 1-800 phone numbers, and paid TV advertising promising winners. The industry was a melting pot of legitimate gamblers focused on making a profit for customers, marketers, comedians, and scam artists who only wanted to take your money to fill their own pockets. Some of the ads were quality and seemed legit, while others made used car salesmen seem like patron saints.

Today, the betting market is flooded with advice givers, and some are clearly better than others. In this review, I’m reviewing one sports handicapper who, while not as old as the Greek, has been in the business for over two decades: Wunderdog Sports Picks.

Who is Wunderdog?

Let’s start with how long Wunderdog Sports has been at this.. Its longevity alone is a good sign, considering that many fly-by-night touts don’t even make it through one football season before vanishing off the face of the earth or creating a new identity to take another crack at it.

No one wins all the time, and Wunderdog is upfront about this. The website features videos, stats, resource betting tools, free picks, paid or “premium” picks, plus every past pick from 13 different sports stretching back over 20 years. He has won over 50 awards for outstanding performance at the National Score Predicting League, and Wunderdog Sports has been featured on ESPN, the Wall Street Journal, MSN (Microsoft Network), StartupNation as a Top 10 Financial Performer, and the Harvard Business Review.

His craft involves uncovering good information and data to isolate solid wagering opportunities. He claims to have nearly half a million customers and he offers a guarantee to help bettors make money in sports betting.

What Sports Does Wunderdog Cover?

There’s an old business adage, “he has more sail than ballast,” meaning show and hype are not as good as careful thought and consideration. The sports tout service is awash with more exaggerated winning percentage hype than a coach fighting to keep his job after an 0-16 football season. There are legitimate and honest handicappers who know how to beat the odds regularly, alongside scammers who crow about their wins while hiding losses. Wunderdog makes picks on football (college and the NFL), basketball (pro and college), baseball, NHL, WNBA, horse racing, and PGA golf. The Wunderdog.com website provides graphs of his winning percentages, every pick he’s released, and a detailed analysis of his reasoning. Interestingly, the write ups for each pick are also included with every pick from the past 20 years. Even the shrewdest bettor with no interest in buying picks can comb over the recent (or not-so-recent) picks and benefit from the trends, stats, and analysis. This is a rarity, as other sites like to cover up their “chef’s secret ingredients’ ‘ immediately after the game so others cannot hone in on the recipe for success.

In his sports blogs and articles, the Wunderdog admits, “No one hits 80%, 70%, or even 60% long term.” I know no other handicapper who provides every past pick so anyone can tabulate the tout’s true winning percentages. The transparency was a refreshing change.

What is Wunderdog’s Betting Track Record?

Revealing every pick is a real rarity for sports betting touts at any level. I decided to try two different sports (college hoops during tournament time and an MLB season package) on a paid subscription from Wunderdog, plus I kept a third list tracking a two-month record of his free picks. I compared the releases I received with the plays that appeared on his Past Picks page online, and they matched up 100%. There was no boasting about some game covering that I didn’t receive or ones added after they won to inflate winning percentages. Every past pick from 13 different sports stretching back 20 years is online for free on the website. Wunderdog’s claim of “full transparency in results” appeared accurate.

Wunderdog.com Website

The Wunderdog website provides free research tools for bettors. It offers stats on teams and matchups, as well as current lines and odds, including moneylines, runlines, pucklines, and totals. Odds are available for the NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA, NFL, college football, college basketball, soccer, and golf. Users can access Computer Predictions and Public Consensus picks alongside their daily Premium Pick releases. The computer data and consensus betting information for every matchup are free.

Wunderdog’s won/lost records are available in all sports, such as his max plays (best bets) record and Free Picks over the last year. There are also free educational videos on sports betting, such as prop bets, betting trends, and sports betting tips. Some are general betting tips, while others provide depth on select topics, such as “Everything You Knew About Sports Betting is Wrong,” “The Importance of Goaltending When Placing NHL Bets,” and “Masterclass On How to Win at Sports Betting,” a comprehensive video guide to winning at sports.

I found some informative articles that give insight into how Wunderdog approaches handicapping, such as “Line Movement,” “Sports Betting Money Management,” “Moneyline Sports: How Does the House Always Win?”, “The Importance of Line Shopping,” “Variance in Sports Betting,” “Return on Investment,” and “Units Explained – How I Measure Bets.” This is good information that bettors of any pedigree will find helpful.

Accessibility

The website is easy to maneuver and offers informative tips for beginning or serious sports bettors. The drop-down menus are organized and concise. It’s not crowded or confusing and is easy to filter. Six drop-down menus atop the page are offered in this order: Premium Picks, About, Sports, Resources, Picks History, and Get Free Picks. The videos loaded quickly and didn’t begin with annoying advertising on some other topic or sales pitch.

Analysis

You can learn a lot about professional handicappers (or those who pretend to be pros) by observing how they analyze games and point spreads. Various ways to handicap include matchup analysis, coaching, stats, computer data, or situations. Some don’t provide analysis, instead relying on “feel” or computer models to spit out each day’s picks. In my experience using his service, I found that Wunderdog utilized multiple angles on his selections, combining gameday matchups, statistics, and situational handicapping. When comparing the trends with other sports betting sites, I found the numbers to be accurate and in line. Every pick has thorough explanations and stats. Not every pick I received covered, but every selection had insight and clear reasoning attached. One of Wunderdog’s customers praised his analysis as “Detailed & Analytical,” and I concur.

Customer Service

Wunderdog isn’t a one-man operation. While I believe there is one main handicapper, he has a customer support staff that answers questions over the phone and through emails. In my limited interactions with them, I found them courteous, prompt, and highly knowledgeable.  When I enquired about a game where the line had moved, the staffer – without hesitation – identified three books with the best numbers. Having that information immediately showed me they are informed and understand the concerns of bettors. It was not simply a calling service disconnected from the industry. In addition, there were times when I spoke with their customer support staff while receiving my picks and we chatted about specific teams, leagues, and sports. My experience found the support staff not focused on sales, hype, and harassment, but up-to-date and genuinely interested in winning the Wunderdog way.

The support staff engaged in explaining what bankroll management is all about. This is a huge part of what his handicapping service is all about, though you might not get that takeaway simply by looking at the website. The goal is to build a higher betting bankroll, which is incorporated into every play. Wunderdog advertises its customer service as “live support 365 days per year,” and I found that to be accurate.

The Picks

After getting the picks, Wunderdog’s selections were primarily sides and totals, which is what I expected and what I prefer to bet since I can find them anywhere. Each selection contained written reasoning as to why he had isolated it.

One of the most helpful parts is the use of unit-play recommendations. Not all of his selections are rated the same. On many of the picks, I was advised to wager 1 unit, which for me is $100, on one of the games and 1.5 units on another play that he obviously liked more. The higher-rated pick won, too, so the handicapping paid off. There was no chasing or doubling down, which I found to be the case with competitors.

One of the things I didn’t anticipate was his use of selective and creative parlays, particularly in college hoops. Most of the parlays involved two-to-three moneyline favorites. The win percentage was high, but I found I was getting a better return on the flat bets, especially the max plays.

Another surprise was his use of first-half totals in pro and college basketball. I rarely think about first-half wagers and this opened my eyes to new areas, and an outside-the-box approach to handicapping. The use of what I term “surprising bets” was minimal, but it shed light on the depth of how Wunderdog analyzes betting odds. It tells me he spends time trying to find where the best value bets are and will recommend those plays even if they aren’t what most people normally bet.

How Well Did Wunderdog Perform?

I tracked his free picks for six months, plus signed up for two months of college basketball, including the tournament run, and baseball. Wunderdog turned a profit for me, including a 13-7 run to end the basketball campaign. His final pick was one from my “surprise” column, a parlay featuring Connecticut on the moneyline for the game with Purdue/Connecticut First-Half Under the total. The odds were +154 for the parlay and cashed with UConn leading 36-30 at halftime (UNDER 68.5) on the way to a 75-60 victory – and a nice +154 season-ending payday.

The free selections also came out ahead, and every pick I received was posted afterward on his website. There were no games that I didn’t receive from his free or premium selections. Wunderdog’s website says, “I show every single one here – the good, the bad, and the ugly – because I value 100% transparency regarding my pick results.” That claim was 100% accurate in my experience using his service. It’s not about magic, luck, or hot air. His predictions prove there is a way to start winning more bets. I would buy picks again from him – and have.

Golden Guarantee

There are few guarantees in life and even less in the sports betting world. That’s why I was drawn to a section on his website highlighting this guarantee for picks. It’s dubbed the Wunderdog Golden Guarantee and this covers all purchased picks. The statement claims, “You win, or Wunderdog works free for you.” If the selections don’t result in a profit over the time of the subscription, you’ll get an equivalent subscription for free.

One customer on his testimonials page responded, “(Wunderdog has) the best guarantee in the business – hands down – and that’s one of the reasons I’ve been with him for almost 15 years.” Another replied, “If I buy some package from you and don’t show a profit…I get another package free… no questions asked.” He’s confident in his wagering skills to win consistently while backing it up with transparency and guarantees. His belief in his ability to win is also complemented by a commitment to this insurance policy, which was a nice touch.

Wunderdog Handicapping Service Conclusion

My experience using the Wunderdog service was very positive. I went in skeptical but in the end I was sold. The website provides useful betting tools for beginning and experienced sports handicappers. There were plenty of picks in my chosen sports, and careful analysis was written on each. This not only helped me understand Wunderdog’s reasoning and handicapping approach but also expanded my ability to assess games and odds. I saved dozens of tips and still run down my betting checklist at least once a week while trying to make my own picks.

The customer service support, when needed, was prompt, professional, and knowledgeable. The bottom line, of course, is winning, and Wunderdog produced winning results – on paper tracking free pick results and profit with paid premium selections – which is the best I have ever seen. Any professional sports handicapper can say they’re going to win. But showing every single pick, win or lose, over 20 years, along with a winning guarantee, puts Wunderdog a cut above the handicapping services that I’ve examined.