Mistakes Bettors Make
We all make mistakes, it’s part of the learning curve associated with becoming a more successful bettor. Recognizing the error in our ways creates self awareness, forcing those committed to the craft into forging a gameplan for long term accomplishments. I’m not here to sugarcoat any of this; most gamblers never take the next step because they don’t want to put in the hard work it takes to recognize their shortcomings. Nothing on this list is earth shattering but here are a few common mistakes bettors of all ability levels make more often than they’re willing to admit.
Leaving yourself limited outs
You wouldn’t go into battle if you didn’t have the weapons you needed to win; why try and bet sports with just one set of numbers? In the current landscape, moving money offshore is a challenge and unfortunately we all can’t call Las Vegas home. However, there are other ways to give yourself various other sets of numbers, it just depends on how creative you want to get in your wagering.
Forcing plays
It’s Monday night, you’re at the bar with buddies and the Jets are playing the Titans. Well, there’s only one thing to do: close your eyes and fire! Nope, incorrect…don’t be afraid to let a game go. There will be a much better menu of offerings next week.
Short cutting the process
My buddy’s cousin’s uncle knows a guy who dated a trainer whose step dad is an assistant coach at Abilene Christian. Wait what? There are no short cuts to being a winner long term because as a wise man once said; the harder you work the luckier you get. Take time to specialize in a specific conference, region, or sport. The more command you have over a select group of teams will translate into extra zeros in your bank account.
Spreading yourself too thin
Short cutting the process feeds into this one about trying to do too much. There are only 24 hours in a day and most of us have wives, girlfriends, families, and jobs that should take priority over sports betting (not in that order). It’s virtually impossible to handicap soccer, tennis, baseball, basketball, football to the best of your ability unless you make it your full time job. Find that niche, exploit inefficient markets and stay in control of your sports betting rather than letting it control you.
Going at it alone
There’s so much information out there, going it alone is a challenge. Thanks to social media it’s easy to identify other like minded individuals that share your passion for the Swedish Elite League. Reach out to them, share the information, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised how much more ground you can cover by just cutting your work load in half.
Betting over your head
We all love being in action, getting our fix from the high that sports gambling creates. However, there are risks. I’ve seen it more often than I care to recount stories of those that couldn’t handle betting responsibly and went belly up. I’m not one that believes you have to go broke before you can make it as a bettor…stay the course and bet within your means. We always can afford to make more money but we shouldn’t put money on the line we can’t afford to lose.
Believing you can win every day
The first thing you learn about baseball as a kid is that a hitter who fails 7 out of 10 times can still be called an allstar. Ok, you can’t fail that often as a sports bettor but if you expect to hit 100% of your wagers that won’t work either. If you go into this hobby striving for perfection the inevitable losses will crush you. I’m not saying accept defeat or be complacent but avoid letting every loss discourage you. Part of being successful with this hobby is handling defeat, especially the bad beats. You can’t win every day, every week, or every month and the faster you accept this the easier it becomes to set realistic goals.
Relying on the media
Don’t let the media talk you into a bet. Whether its breaking news, trade rumors, or an edge in motivation you think they’re providing, just be careful. The media’s objective is to report the news (or create it), whether it can be used to increase your winning percentage is something entirely different.
Chasing your losses
NEVER CHASE YOUR LOSSES! It’s always easier to get out of a small hole than digging out of the Grand Canyon. The faster you come to understand there’s no such thing as the “due factor” the safer your wallet will be during the dry spells.
Advice from the community
Avoid the heat check; just because you were hot early in the day and won games doesn’t mean you need to press your luck late with additional games.
Don’t pigeonhole yourself as a bettor. Bet favs, bet dogs, run the full spectrum to give yourself a betting angle.
Have other mistakes you see bettors make that everyone should know about? Send them here and we’ll add to the article
