Sports Betting

A smorgasbord of betting optionsThis time of year reminds me of an all-you-can-eat buffet for bettors. There are tons of food choices out there, and you feel like you need to sample all of it to get good value. But the truth is you'll feel just as content picking a few of your favorite items.That's how I look at the betting season upon us right now. College football is just winding down but there are all those bowl games. Then there's the pro game. Pick your poison, whether it's NFL, NBA, NHL or even soccer. The danger is you'll start making bets on games - or even sports - that in the lean times you'd never look twice at.A veteran bettor over at the covers forum offers himself up as Exhibit A of how a successful season as a capper can go into the crapper in a matter of a few short weeks. Or, as he says in one of the posts, "Rome may not have been built in a day, but it sure can burn in one - or over the course of three weeks." Joe_Public joined the Covers forum community back in 2001, so he knows of what he speaks.Mr. Public reaches out for advice over the age-old debate of money management, under the subject heading: Question for the vets about money management, etc. He started the year, as most of us do, with a variety of outs. We do this to get the best value on a particular game. The difference between one book and another for the point offering can be significant depending on the play. Shopping for points is always a good idea. Mr. Public uses three books and he deposited the same amount in each book. His goal at the start of football season was to double the money in each account. Until three weeks ago, he was right on target. But then, as he explains in the post, the luck started to run dry."I had a few really big plays crash and burn, nothing bigger than I had been betting before, only now they all went sour. Then I had a ton of little plays go the wrong way --and so now here is where I sit. One account back to where I started, just about even. Another about 50% up and the third way down, about 60% down." Mr. Public wants to know what his next move should be. And the response was strong and varied.First, he was told to stay away from the little plays. Just like the buffet, why go for the little stuff when you know the big ones will satisfy you. With the big plays, you know what to expect and have an idea of how the food will settle. The side dishes are always a wild card. Here's what Spottie2935 said: "I have been gambling for 10 years! I don't know it all! What I have learned though is bet your best games. No more, no less. Forget the small plays, at least for now! Keep it simple! If your best games lose, you lose with no regrets." Simple advice, yet so hard to follow.Mr. Public responded, "I think that the advice of making sure to limit your plays is a good one - perhaps the best suggestion, and here's why: This is the time of the year when it is easiest to place a bet. "All the sports are going except baseball … and everything is getting to that point where you've seen enough games to think you know something about the league. Also, it's the holidays. You're off work or you're over at the family's place, there are games on every night, it's easy, too easy, to bet for action. Or to say, 'Northern Illinois, I know Northern Illinois; they won me $500 six weeks ago.' So, I suppose that would be what I'm taking from this."Spottie2935 chimed in with one other piece of advice: "As far as your allocation of money, and I'm saying this to everyone: Know your books! If you know MOST of your best lines come from pinny, then pinny should hold a lot more of your money!"A good point. It would be much harder to double your money at a book with tough lines or a book you use infrequently. So, instead of trying to use a strict mathematical equation to determine when to cash out of each book, look at the big picture and maybe give more of a percentage allocation to a more frequently used book than one only used when a good line pops up. There are other suggestions for Mr. Public, but the one underlying theme was to stay focused on the games you know. And don't dabble for the sake of dabbling.If you know you'll like the prime rib, don't fill the side plate with quiche. Chances are if you both, you'll wind up leaving the restaurant disappointed. Just ask Mr. Public.
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