General betting advice

Hello everybody,

For about 15 years now, I constantly bet on football games. I would like to share some general advice, some 'rules' that should help anyone get better results.

There will be several points I will make, however, the order in which they are listed is not important, except the first. The first one should always be respected, and the other ones are good, but they are not in any specific order.

1. If you feel you can't control yourself with betting, stop. Winning is great, but I read a study that showed the thrill bettors get when almost winning is higher than the thrill got from actually winning. This is a scary thought. I had periods when I completely stopped betting money on games, for more than a year. I just looked at the odds, compared, made combinations, and placed imaginary tickets just for the fun of it. I never considered myself in any danger of becoming an addict, except once. I kept betting and betting and kept doing it until I started placing more than 20-30 bets in just 1 hour (live betting). I had realized what I was doing immediately, and used one of the most important features every online betting website I used until now has: it allows you to block yourself from betting for a certain period. I used it immediately on myself and blocked me from betting on that website for 5 years. Never used it again. (that one).

Now the other ones:

• don't bet impulsively; think through your games, beyond prestige and who is the favorite on paper;
• lower odds are lower for a reason - they happen more often (this does not mean that big odds shouldn't be bet on - just don't combine too many big odds in one ticket)
• the fewer games you have on one ticket, the more chances you have to win (the opposite is valid: the more games you bet on in one ticket, the fewer odds you have to win)
• use statistics, facts help, injured and missing players count more than we give it credit;
• don't be greedy; you don't always have to win 10 times the amount you bet; doubling or tripling the sum should be enough; especially if you do it consistently;
• don't be greedy; if you feel you are not winning enough from just one ticket, and try to find other games to add to it, just to increase the total odd, don't do it. Bet only on the games you are sure of (after analyzing them). If you are not sure of a game, don't bet on it. There are always other games to bet on, or simply accept to win a little bit less today. Tomorrow you may have more games that you are sure of. Smaller and steady wins can be more important. They increase your morale. Also, another study that I read a long time ago, not on betting, but on general human behavior, is that the first instinct is usually the right one. If you are not sure of a game, avoid it, trust your instinct.
• try to check the referee of a game before betting on it; this is not because of the fact that they can be biased towards a team, because I don't think that, I think that they just make mistakes because they are humans and can't be perfect. This is because some of them have a predilection of showing more yellow cards then others. Some give faults and free kicks easier than others. If a referee that easily gives free kicks will lead a game between two teams, and one of the teams has a great free kick taker, I might increase the chances I give for that team to score. (this is just an example on how analyzing a referee can help - and there are many websites who can help with referee information).
• be in control; don't be afraid to stop betting for a few days, possibly enjoy your current winnings, before putting the entire amount just to double it (or lose it). You don't bet to keep betting, you bet to win some money to help you with other dreams you have. (and for the thrill of it, let's be honest; but the thrill should be controlled when it gets you in trouble).
• never borrow money to bet;

These are just personal opinions, I cannot pretend to know that they apply to everyone. But I learned some of them after failing, and we can all learn from mistakes.

Enjoy the thrill betting gives you, but do it responsibly!