BETTING - TIPS & ADVICE FOR SPORTS BETTING
Selecting a bet - making the right choice
Let’s face it. If you are looking at sports betting then you are going to be bombarded with options. Look at football match, you immediately have three outcomes to choose from and then if you take into consideration all the different markets that are available on that game, plus all the new ones that become active in live betting after kick off, there is an information overload. When that happens it is easy to get swept up in all of the excitement and suddenly you are looking at a betting slip with selections on it that you had never even planned for.
| Successful Betting – Subchapters |
So how do you make the right choice on a bet for successful betting? Well, familiarity counts for a lot when it comes to betting. Some punters formulate the most basic strategy of all and that is betting on the same team or teams each and every week. But that comes at the expense of finding the best market value because the favourite isn’t always the best option for your money. The key element of betting is looking for value. That is the prime thing that you are looking for. Forget about the big money one-off windfalls, they rarely happen. If you want to do that, shoot for an accumulator. But for your regular day to day, week to week betting, look for value, not the big odds. Winning a handful of bets around the 4/5 mark or even money is going to be better than throwing away stakes trying to land a 6/1 winner. Value and a reasonable probability are what you are looking for.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint!
What creates the most losses in sports betting? The answer, although many won’t like it, is the lack of self-control and discipline. You must absolutely have these in place for sports betting so that you don’t get carried away and let your emotions get the better of you. Think about it like this, you support the worst team in the league who aren’t likely to win more than six games in the season. Are you going to bet on them to win every week just because you support them? No, keep that emotional attachment out of your betting, it doesn’t have a place. It won’t serve you well.
The things that you do need are patience, control and a little bit of endurance. Think of betting as the old adage, “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” and you are on the right track. Here’s a fact….you will lose bets. That goes without saying, there will be times when you will see yourself in a bit of a betting hole (and how big that is depends on your betting fund to start with). The important thing is to look at a losing bet in the whole picture because maybe you have won the last five bets in a row and are well in profit. If that’s the case then you wouldn’t panic in trying to make up for a loss in your next bet because you would still be ahead. If you did panic then you could end up eating further into some of that profit.
Have a plan. Always. The plan that you concoct has to be based on your betting fund. Maybe you can only afford to lose £50 this month. That being the case, spread out those funds over several bets. That could be over £12.50 each weekend to play on Premier League betting. That £50 could translate to around £1.60 per day of the month. Small, steady profits is successful betting.
When you see the small wins rolling over, it’s a great psychological boost because you are winning as opposed to only seeing one in ten underdog bets win, because then it feels like you are on a losing streak. Whatever your marathon betting plan is, don’t deviate from it.
Stick to what you know
Something else that you will want to stick too is a particular sport. This is a betting tip for beginners. Whatever your favourite sport is, let’s just say football, you will want to stick to that and probably just to one league. Remember this is about a marathon, not a sprint. By focusing solely on one league, for example, you will become extremely familiarised with the workings of it. You will be able to spot your own trends through a bit of research, know when certain teams are playing, know who is strong on the road or at home, know the likely goal scorers and also know the latest news about things like injuries. Over time of course branch out into other sports, but have a solid go-to, a platform for your betting upon which you can always turn to.
The main do’s and don’ts of betting
So we have looked at some of the main do’s for sports betting, namely the need to express control and patience and not betting with emotions. You never want to bet in anger, for example, just because a wager has lost. Let’s sum up the top five in each category.
The Top 5 Do’s of Betting
- Always exert self-control and patience
- Take time to formulate a betting plan
- Research and understand the sport/league you are betting on
- Do make a betting fund and don’t go over it no matter what happens
- Take betting seriously, not for fun (there’s money involved)
The Top 5 Don’ts of Betting
- Don’t increase the stake of your next bet after a win
- Don’t panic bet in trying to make amends for a losing bet
- Don’t deviate from a betting plan
- Don’t bet emotionally
- NEVER bet more than you can afford to lose
