1 (the most obvious one!): Only bet what you can afford to lose.
If you’re going to start, you might say to yourself “Come on, I’m going to deposit €1000 on such-and-such a site and start betting”.
There are several sports betting sites with different odds, so it is recommended that you register on several sites. In addition, each one will offer you a welcome bonus to encourage you to sign up. Your first deposit should take this into account.
But above all, something more important to consider: your starting capital. You must decide the amount that will constitute your capital. This amount will determine the amount available for your bets.
In general, it is recommended to bet only 1% of the bankroll (the capital).
1% seems small, but this allows you to recover your losses. And you will have losses, believe me. Sometimes it can be weeks of losses in a row. So if you put 10% of your capital each time, you will run out as soon as the snow melts in the sun, and your sports betting career will quickly end.
So, the first and most important sports betting tip is the following: Create a bankroll that you can eventually lose and control your bankroll by betting only small amounts (1% or at least 2%).
2: Accept that you are going to lose bets… Lots of bets.
Losing sports bets is part of being a bettor. It is normal.
Some people lose more than others, it depends on the bets they have placed. So you must be willing to lose, there is no other choice because this is going to be part of your day-to-day life.
No professional bettor wins in the long run with 80 or 90% of successful bets. Pros are more like 40 to 60%, which is not bad.
Because unfortunately (or fortunately), you can’t predict the outcome of a game. It’s impossible.
Unless you pay the sportsmen themselves. You have to take into account so many parameters that will influence the outcome of the game. Parameters that you don’t control. Sometimes, luck too.
So much so that sometimes, despite all the sports betting tips you’ve read, you’re going to be accumulating losing bets. A lot of them. Maybe too many for your liking.
But that’s where you can go from being an amateur to a professional bettor. An amateur will stop, while a professional bettor will understand that this is the result of variance and that if your betting system is good, then it will increase again.
There are times when you will be luckier and times when you will be less lucky. And it does not depend only on you.
Remember: these are humans you are betting on. With their flaws. With the pressure on them. That’s why sometimes Real Madrid loses against a small club in La Liga when they can win the Champions League three times in a row.
3: Control Emotions
A good bettor controls his emotions.
Even if you are a Barcelona fan, you will have to be able to bet on Real Madrid when the case arises.
Even if you are on a bad losing streak, you will remember my first sports betting tip and continue to bet only 1% of your bankroll (capital), instead of trying to recover and bet 10% of your money at once (which you will probably lose).
Controlling your emotions is one of the keys to winning money in sports betting.
4: Choose your bookmakers wisely
You were waiting for this tip.
Choosing the right sports betting site is paramount.
Seen from afar, all the sites look similar, but when you start searching you realize that each site has its own characteristics, its own sports where it excels.
There are sites that have more interesting and less restrictive welcome bonuses.
Sites with a good application for your mobile.
Other sites with excellent odds.
And others that allow you to bet even if you have won several times. Contrary to other sites that block you if you have won too much (because for them it means loss of money).
Sites authorized by the General Directorate of Gambling Ordinance
If you live in Spain, I recommend that you only register on sites authorized by the General Directorate of Gambling Ordinance (Dirección General de Ordenanza del Juego).
The authorized sites are reliable and have fulfilled a series of requirements to obtain the gaming license. So you can trust these sites.
5: There is not only soccer in life.
I know. You think you know a lot about soccer, so you’re going to bet on soccer.
But remember, you must ignore emotions. You must bet scientifically and analytically.
Soccer is a sport full of surprises (you remember that Greece won the Euro Cup more than a decade ago).
Also, soccer is the most studied sport by bookmakers, so the odds are very precise and very well chosen. Contrary to other sports where, due to lack of knowledge, bookmakers may not evaluate the different possible outcomes and it is possible to make a good deal.
So be careful with your soccer predictions. Take your time to analyze well, measure everything, etc.
6: Beware of combined sports bets
A recent modality is to combine several bets, it is about combined bets.
On paper, it is interesting. By taking some safe bets (with low odds, for example, 1.30) and combining them, you can easily double your bet.
But, obviously, the multiplication of the matches makes the outcome of the bet much more uncertain. It is enough that one of the matches on which you bet does not have the expected result, and that’s all the bet you lose.
Therefore, it is necessary to use the combined bets in an intelligent way, and without betting on everything.
7: Start on paper
Among all the sports betting tips on this list, I’m sure this one will surprise you.
In fact, at first, I recommend you not to bet for real.
Train yourself on an Excel file or a sheet of paper. Your first 100 or 200 bets will allow you to improve your technique, see what went wrong, and after all, measure your progress and see if you really won something.
I said your first 100 or 200 bets because I know you are impatient. But it should really be your first 400 or 500 bets on paper. Just to be sure and to avoid the variance effect we saw above.
8: Follow an expert
You don’t need to analyze the games yourself. After all, your goal is to make money, no matter what.
You can follow one or several professional bettors. That’s what many people do. It will cost you some money, as they often offer you a paid subscription, but once you have found the good one, your investment in the subscription is profitable.
But beware, not all of these professionals (or tipsters) are good. In fact, most of them are bad. Choosing a good tipster is an art.