It's been a few weeks without a B List. My apologies to those who were looking forward to that as a weekly feature. It should be back on, but it may be more sports related as I am amped up about football season being back.
As I prepare for the 9,000 fantasy leagues I've entered, I am also getting ready to start my favorite gambling season of all - NFL & NCAA gambling.
I know many friends of mine who are casual gamblers, some of them are more of the daily type of gamblers - you all know who you are, damn degenerates. In this B List, I'll focus on some of my personal do's and don'ts when it comes to gambling. I've gotten better at following most/all of these, but there are times where the degenerate in me comes out and I piss away my money.
Enjoy.
7. Do some research. It sounds simple, but it's an important part of gambling. It can be something as simple as reading a couple of pre-game stories or studying the injury report or as complicated as studying gambling trends of the teams in the game. I haven't found a specific routine when I study before a bet. With baseball, I like to use stats I find on baseball-reference.com. Also, SportsInsights.com offers free betting information that shows you what sites offer what lines and how heavily each team/side is being bet.
Occasionally, I will go with a gut pick, and obviously Week 1 picks are based on hunches, as we haven't seen the current ensemble of players play together in a meaningful game. As you've seen more games from a team, you should have a better idea on how a team will play together.
6. Don't bet if you are the type to get mentally/physically ill from losing money. Whether you bet just $5 or $100, if you can't handle losing, then I suggest not betting. Gambling is not for the faint of heart. When you do this as long as I have, you'll encounter some messed up losses and unreal wins. Anyone can handle the wins, but not everyone can handle the losses. If you're one of those folks, never gamble.
5. Don't bet with your heart. Too many people I know bet on their favorite teams, many of them blindly. Long term, this isn't a good approach. Your judgement on whether your team will win or not will usually err on the side of "win". If you're a real fan of the team, watching the game without betting on it should be good enough without adding the extra stress of wagering money on them to cover the 10 point spread.
4. Do expect to win if you gamble. Don't look at it as gambling - look at it as sports investing. Entering the gambling world with a little bit of confidence is good, but just don't expect to win every single bet. At the same time, don't bet if you've got the mindset, "I'm likely to piss this money away."
3. Do set limits for yourself. If you make 200-300 bucks a week, you probably shouldn't be gambling as much as someone who makes closer to a grand. I've heard different theories on how much of your bankroll you should risk on every game, but don't make a habit of risking anything close to what you make in a week. You're just asking for broken legs from bookies and/or really crappy
2. Do not chase losses. If your early bet lost, don't feel compelled to bet on a later game that you had no intention of betting just to try cancelling out the loss from earlier. This usually results in losing double the amount of money for the day, as you'll usually just end up making a bet for the sake of betting.
1. Do take a closer look at gambling lines that seem like "Locks". In case you hadn't noticed, Vegas and other places who rely on gambling revenue for survival don't just hand money out. If you see a line that makes you think they're handing you free money, maybe you should take a closer look at it. You're likely missing some key factors in why the line is lower than what you think it should be. Some folks frown upon this, but I often end up betting against what the general public bets. My weekly gambling column features "Fool's Gold", which highlights a line that seems too good to be true and usually has a high volume of public bettors betting on it.
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