Your success in online (or any) sports betting depends largely on you, and how much of the work you’re willing to do yourself. Maybe you have dreams of beating the house more times than not, and earning a good living just by placing the right bets. Maybe you’re a novice and you have no clue what terms like “the line” or “chase your bet” mean. You’re not going to win every bet you place, but to be successful at placing bets, your objective is ridiculously simple: win more than you lose.
If you are committed to doing some of the legwork, or you have access to reliable advice, then your wins-to-losses ratios are much more likely to swing consistently in your favor. Below are a few casino tips anyone can apply when placing bets.
By far the most important tip that you need to remain conscious of is your money management. This really isn’t a “tip.” You need to absorb this as a hard fast rule. Nothing good will come from betting more than you can afford, regardless of your knowledge or experience. The reason is obvious: you’re not going to always win, and once that money that you needed to pay your mortgage or car payment is gone . . . it gone! There’s no faster way to financial ruin than betting money you can’t afford to lose.
The first tip leads very nicely into the second most important tip: don’t chase your bets. When you’re advised not to chase, it simply means that you need to avoid the temptation to try to recoup your losses with your next bet. If you lose, and you begin to say to yourself, “I need to get that money back,” then you are in the early stages of losing control. The consequences of losing control have already been discussed in tip #1.
The next tip is for you to shop around for the best line. The term “line” basically means the chances that the odds-makers giving a team to win or lose, and how much money it’s worth to the bettor if the predictions are right. The best line isn’t necessarily the one that’s going to pay you the most money (especially if you make a large bet). Many experts advise that you should set yourself up with three or four different sports books because their lines may be different. If the points are different, the payoffs probably will be too. You should do your homework.
Your best shot at becoming a successful sports bettor is to stick to one sport that you know well, and then master the workings of that sport, and your knowledge of sports betting. It’s better if you can narrow your focus down to a specific conference or division within that sport. Odd-makers have to follow every sport, so getting in-depth expertise on a sub-category of one sport is pretty tough. You actually can create an advantage for yourself in a one-sport niche if you use your knowledge of those few teams and of their lines.
Obviously you want to bet with a clear head. This doesn’t just mean betting under the influence of alcohol. If you need to be told not to make bets while you’ve been drinking, then you probably don’t need to be placing bets. This idea also means that you have to keep your emotions under control. Anxiety over losing can cloud your judgment just as easily as alcohol. Losing is part of the game. It happens to everybody. You must learn to keep your emotions under control in light of a loss. Otherwise you risk chasing bets and all of the trouble that comes with it.
