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So you’re looking to get into the world of sports betting. You’re bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and ready to make some serious money. That’s good – a can-do attitude is crucial to success in the business of sports betting. You should be careful, though. There are a series of very easy but potentially financially fatal rookie mistakes that many sports betting novices make.
- Not looking for the right platform
One of the most significant mistakes sports bettors make is wandering blindly into the market without doing their research first. There are a whole host of different sports betting portals and platforms that you could be using. Not all of them are created equal; some are better than others, and without the right know-how it’s definitely not easy to know right from wrong. If you’re a newbie at sports betting, you might think you don’t need any help and can discern a good bookie from a bad one, but you’re likely wrong. Don’t take offence at that; it’s just part of the learning process. Websites like this page are set up to help budding sports betting aficionados figure out where they stand in the world of sports betting. Don’t just go with your gut on a bookie; check out pages like the one we’ve linked to learn more about rates, payouts, and other important aspects of an online betting portal.
- Not keeping a clear head
There are a lot of ways that a sports bettor can run afoul of their own mind. Let’s say, for example, that there’s something bad going on in your personal life. Are you going to let that affect the decisions you make when you’re betting on the next Premier League game or boxing title fight? Will you let your personal circumstances cloud your judgement, or will you go into each decision with a clear statistical head? It’s not just your circumstances, either. You can even let the personal circumstances of athletes themselves interfere with your judgement. Letting your emotions cloud your decision-making skills is a massive no-no when it comes to sports betting. It’s not just personal emotions, either; if you’ve got a particular fondness for a team or athlete, that can be a confounding factor in backing a winner. Your favourite isn’t always going to win.
- Not having patience
Success comes with time, error, and a strong desire to learn. You aren’t going to be able to launch straight into a career in sports betting and immediately start making money. Instead, you’ll need to painstakingly build an online profile for yourself and get to know the sports betting world intimately. What portals are best for you? Which sports do you tend to predict more successfully? Where is your heart when it comes to sport? All of these are things you’ll learn as you progress through your betting career, but they won’t come immediately. Impatient gamblers and bettors often place bets simply because they want a quick payout, but that won’t bring you long-term joy. You might be successful in the short term, but you’re not developing a consistent and coherent strategy that makes sense to you and is more likely to bring frequent returns. Step back, frequently analyse yourself, and figure out what your gambling profile is. Once you know that, you can build on your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses.
- Letting substances cloud your judgement
If you’re partial to a spot of alcohol, you need to leave that part of your life far, far away from the betting table. Making decisions while inebriated is a terrible idea. You might think you’re making the best decision in the world and that your chosen team or athlete is a sure-fire win only for your dreams to come crashing down when it turns out your drunken mind isn’t as good at this as you thought. Make sure you’re going into every single betting decision with a clear head, not just emotionally but physically too. If you’re into meditation or yoga, it’s actually a good idea to do this first before you engage in a session. Doing so clears your mind and keeps you focused on the task at hand. Working out is also a good idea. Whatever your personal approach to clearing your mind, make sure you do so before you bet, and definitely don’t drink anything stronger than cola.
- Not wanting success enough
True sports betting aficionados don’t just play the market as a hobby – they adore what they do and can’t imagine themselves doing anything else. You might not necessarily want a career in sports betting, and that’s fine; you can keep sports betting as a side activity in addition to a main career. Even if you do, though, you need to go into every betting decision wanting to succeed. You won’t see results unless you’re willing to learn from your mistakes and plan your betting roadmap accordingly. Did you make a bad decision? Examine what factors led to the decision and why it was bad, then make adjustments. If you don’t care about sports betting and you don’t want to improve or succeed, you’re going to see consistently poor results. Instead, every decision you make as a sports bettor should make logical sense and focus clearly on victory. After all, you can’t make money if, deep down, you don’t really want to.
These are our 5 tips to help sports betting beginners get on track. Once you’re engaged with the discipline, sports betting can be an incredibly enjoyable and profitable activity. Getting over these first hurdles is crucial; once you do, you’ll notice you’re having a considerably easier time sports betting.
It’s not always easy to spot when you’re making these mistakes, especially since some of them could come quite far into your sports betting career. Luckily, we’re on hand to help. We’ve assembled a guide on 5 crucial mistakes that sports betting novices frequently make. If you’re a seasoned professional, see if you can spot your early self in these mistakes. If you’re a novice, listen up – we’ve got your best interests at heart.
