Golden sportsbetting tips
Sportsbetting is all about the numbers, whether they be live-betting odds, long odds, short odds, bankroll management or any other combination of number-crunching madness you can conjure up. First and foremost, all sports punters should employ a careful practice of sensible money management. It’s important not to put this issue on the backburner for the simple reason that if you cannot afford to lose what you’re staking, then don’t punt. I always advise punters to go in with a pre-determined bankroll that they are prepared to lose. If you’ve got cash in pocket and you’re willing to part with it, then that’s your bankroll – but don’t exceed it otherwise you’ll land up in all sorts of trouble.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. No team, player or race has a predetermined outcome. Anyone can win the prize based on his/her playing performance on the day. A rule of thumb is this: don’t punt on games that you don’t want to try and understand. There’s much more to sportsbetting than simply staking an amount and clicking on bet. It’s a detailed art – sometimes rather complex – and it requires a cool head and more than a little homework. I am a firm believer in flowing with the go (as opposed to going with the flow) because if you’re hot, then you’re on a winning streak and you should continue.
It’s all in the numbers
If you’ve always wondered what the punters were talking about when they alluded to the numbers, then brace yourself for an answer. The numbers are the odds. Recall that each and every sport has a carefully calculated odds package. These can be immensely attractive to gamers but they are always slanted in favour of the sportsbooks. That’s why you should know your numbers well. Across sportsbooks the numbers in the same sports are largely similar. The differences come in between sports. Take American college sports and basketball games in the NBA and you’ll soon see that the numbers have great variance. These are called betting lines and your goal is to choose the top betting line every time. It’s a challenge, but it can be done.
I am certainly going to continue this discussion in future blog posts, but one other point I must raise is this: stay out of the punt when you’re under the influence. Just as you should never risk driving home when you’re sloshed out of your mind, it makes perfect sense not to bet your hard-earned cash when your faculties are not at 100% functioning ability. Remember that impulsive decisions can break the bank. Stay clean and focused, there’s plenty of money to be made in the long term.