If you are trying to get into sports betting, then there are several things you need to do before you start in order to maximise your chances of winning. In this article, we will go through some of these tips in order to help you get the best possible start at sports betting.
Learn about betting
If you want to start betting on sports, then one of the best ways to start is to familiarise yourself with all the main terms of betting, the main types of betting and any information you can get. The more prepared you are before you bet, the more likely you are to avoid an early period of losses that could prove costly.
The two main ways that you can familiarise yourself are by watching videos on forums such as YouTube or by reading about it, either in blogs/online betting sites like www.findbettingsites.co.uk, articles or books. It is important to know what techniques such as value betting or arbitrage betting are so that you can eventually implement them, or on the contrary, so that you never implement them.
Decide what you are looking to gain
Punters become punters for widely different reasons. Some bettors enjoy statistical analysis in order to make bets that they feel are mathematically probable. Some bettors exclusively look for odds where they think the bookies have made a mistake. Others still just bet as a hobby, a way to make the games more exciting but not really caring about their profit margin.
All these types of bettors are valid, but it is important to choose which one you are before you start. If you enjoy impulse betting during games, then that is entirely your choice, but if you are expecting to receive consistent returns then you will be disappointed.
On top of this, remember that there is no guaranteed way to make money on the long term. There are serious bettors who put in an incredible amount of research to their bets who will still lose their bet, while someone who put literally ten seconds of thought into theirs wins a lot of money. There is no formula so do what you enjoy, and make sure you only bet what you can lose.
Take your time
Unless you have decided that you want to bet impulsively and without thinking for the fun of it, then remember to take your time as you bet. Make certain that the odds are right and that you truly back your bet, or you will find yourself betting and then almost immediately regretting it. These bets are the worst you can place: it is one thing to be wrong in your analysis, it is another to be stupid and not being able to resist placing a bet for a few seconds. Take some time to research which book makers off the best terms for your needs. With so many UK sites offering signup bonuses, you shouldn’t have a problem finding a site that offers a good bonus, but also look at which offers the best odds – as this is what counts in the long term.
Record your bets
This tip is more useful the earlier you do it and it is so important to do. A lot of bettors are blinded by their victories and ignore their losses even if those losses start to increase. Keeping a conscious eye on your wins and losses allows you to reflect on yourself and helps you make the right decisions going forward.
Excel is a great app for this. Start a new spreadsheet and make columns with all the bits of information about your bet that you think are necessary: stake, date, bookies, odds, returns and anything else you can think of. Once you have started it, it is very easy to maintain it and will give you an easy and clear overview of your betting history. Always be careful of betting becoming an addiction rather than a hobby, and seek help if this does happen.
