2013 SPRING ISSUE | CHOICES 35 keep this in mind . You would never risk 100 percent of your retirement on something if you knew that when making your best bet there is a 60 percent chance of losing . Money management skills , or lack thereof , have been the downfall of most sports bettors . They allow their egos to get in their own way . Some think that because they have lost 4,5 , or 6 bets in a row , it is not possible to lose the next bet . Yes , you can . ( You can imagine how I know .) You have a memory of what has happened based on your streak of bad decisions but the teams involved don ’ t . The betting proposition involving a point spread is to present a 50 / 50 chance of winning with the sports book taking 10 percent of the losses . If you have lost 6 bets in a row , bet number 7 proves like all the others a 50 / 50 proposition . It ’ s the same in real life . If you are having a streak of bad financial luck based on bad decisions , it is time to do something differently .
Skill # 4 Shop for Key Numbers You can offset the house advantage by shopping and getting good numbers .
Why lay 3 points with the 49ers when across the street you can lay 2 ½ ? You might wonder , what is the big deal ? It is only half a point . It is a big deal ! A little advantage goes a long way . Fifteen percent of all pro football games are decided by 3 points . Last year it was18 percent . Just like in everyday life , there is a fine line between winning and tying , losing and tying , and winning and losing , Respect your money and it will respect you . The little things do count and the small amounts add up to big amounts . Watch your daily spending . Most unsuccessful sports bettors know just enough to get themselves into trouble . Arm yourself with knowledge and remember “ Before you BET it , make sure you GET it ”.
By implementing the 4 skills of a professional sports bettor in your every day finances , you are already on your way to making more money .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Scott Pritchard has been a professional sports bettor for 30 years . He is the host of the weekly LIVE TV show The Odds Couple seen every Friday at noon PST .
He has been featured on ESPN radio , Fox sports , and most recently , the Huffington Post sharing sports betting information .
Check him out at : www . PritchardsPicks . com www . Vegasinsider . com