Sports Betting

Copper Contributor

So I am made a sports betting model (very simple) and its more so just for fun. But I have been more and more interested in improving it. I recently started using power ratings found online from different sources.

Basically I have 4 different sources (power ratings) and I use the html function on excel to get them into my workbook. I then use a drop down arrow and Vlookup to get the different matchups projected spread from that power rating. And because the sources I use do not have the same names on their site (unfortunately) for example, For the Charlotte 49ers,

One says Charlotte 49ers, The other says Charlotte, another says North Carolina - Charlotte and the other says Charlotte.

So I have to put the matchup in four separate times (which is annoying).

I was wondering if anyone knows how to help me with my problem, so I only have to put the matchup in one time and it pulls from all my data bases.

 

Thanks in advance.

8 Replies

@windowq 

I assume they are differing renderings of the same team name?

For me, the solution would to be to conduct a 'wildcard' enabled search

= XLOOKUP(
    "*"&Name&"*",
    TeamName, 
    Pts, 
    "Not found",
    2)

where the final 2 introduces the wildcard setting.  Without XLOOKUP, I am guessing; perhaps

= INDEX(
     Pts, 
     MATCH(
        TRUE, 
        ISNUMBER(FIND(Name, TeamName)),
     0)
  )

but I am not the ideal person to answer non-365 questions.

If only don't care that

 

Charlotte, NC

Charlotte, FL

Charlotte, MI

Charlotte, Canada

 

are different cities.

True; the trick is to provide the minimum number of wrong answers required to define the question. A somewhat archane game of answer and question!

@Peter Bartholomew 

 

What is wildcard?  

Both within XLOOKUP and the xxxIFS family of functions a "?" and a "*" can have special significance matching a single character or multiple characters respectively. That allows a search to be conducted for a substring occurring within the target string.
I can definitely understand how frustrating it must be to have to enter the same matchup multiple times due to naming inconsistencies across your data sources. . I'm not an expert in Excel, but have you considered using a formula like "IF" or "INDEX/MATCH" instead of VLOOKUP to match the team names across your different sources? That way, you could input the matchup once and have the formula do the rest of the work for you.

It's fascinating to hear about your sports betting model and how it started as a fun project but has now evolved into a deeper interest for improvement. Incorporating power ratings from various online sources sounds like a smart move to enhance your model's accuracy. Remember, sports betting can be an engaging hobby, but it's essential to approach it responsibly and be aware of the risks involved. Continuously seeking data and refining your strategies can lead to more informed decisions. If you're interested in exploring further insights, websites like https://affiliazionescommesse.com/ might offer valuable informatio

Dealing with inconsistent team names can be a hassle. One solution could be creating a mapping table where you associate different names with a standardized one, like "Charlotte 49ers." This way, you can input the matchup once, and your model can reference the standardized name across all databases. By the way, have you considered checking out SFTC CFB consensus for college football? It might provide some useful insights for your model!