Sunday 4 February 2018

Betting Strategies: The First Line of Defense


I went to watch my cousin play football the other week. 

He plays for a Sunday pub team. 

A bunch of beer-thirsty football lovers with nostalgia in their head, heart and feet. It's an odd bunch. A couple of teenagers, a goalkeeper who once had a trial for West Ham, three heavyweights who smoke more cigarettes a day than they can do press ups. My cousin is 6' 8'', unfit, twenty-five stones, but loves the beautiful game. A Norwich supporter for his sins! The rest of the team and two subs look like people seen on an e-fit for Crime Watch. 

Good lads, one and all. 

As the whistle blew to start the game, all but the goalkeeper chased the ball, everyone out of position, headless chickens. The other team kept their form. After 1-minute and 23 seconds the Headless Chickens conceded a goal. 

At half-time, the scoreline was in double figures. The game was lost. 

In ways, betting is the same.

A lack of strategy, disciple, thought may prove costly.

Why? 

Because bad betting decisions can prove hard to swallow. Many novice bettors do not appreciate what they are dealing with until they find themselves in a hole. It may be a financial hole.

That's why I always say to people, 'don't bet for fun'. There lies a problem for many because very few novices bet from a knowledge-experience base to start. Even if they have read umpteen books, watched videos, have a mentor there is a world of difference between your approach, perspective and strategy compared to someone else. It's the human condition. One person will never bet more than 50p each-way while another wouldn't bet less than £50. 

If betting for fun, you need a disciplined approach. 

I often say, 'if you don't have an answer to a question' you may be disappointed with the answer you find. 

You won't know the answer until it jumps out of a dark corner and may have a hefty price to pay whether money, relationship, health. 

Betting Strategies. Do you have a set approach to your gambling? 

From what I have seen, very few of the betting public have any strategy at all. Let's consider for a moment that a betting strategy could be as simple or as complex as you like. 

It may detail how much you bet. Which sport(s) you bet. Bet type (single, double, acca). Basically, a betting strategy is another word for discipline. I'm sure many of you who bet have wrestled with sustaining a disciplined approach. 

When I consider my betting, it is remarkable how many aspects stand on a foundation of discipline. They are so ingrained that I don't realise they are at play. If I wrote down my thought process when making a bet it would run into a long list. 

Even after all these years I have had days where I have lacked discipline. 

Long term, to be successful at anything in life takes discipline. Sometimes you need to look at the long game with the understanding that those formative years are more important that you realise. 

When betting for fun don't be fooled into thinking you don't need discipline.