My System

My System is fairly simple and does not involve a whole lot of number crunching. However, it does involve some rules. These rules must be followed, respected and exercised at all times. If you follow these rules, I guarantee you, there is profit for you at the end of the season. I have been doing this for a few years now. In the beginning, I was a frustrated bettor because as you may have guessed I was almost always on the losing side but something ironic happened, I realized that the only thing I had to do to become successful in speculating in sporting events is to apply the skills that I've learned in speculating in equities. After all, that is my full-time job (I'm a fund (mutual) manager of a company I obviously can't disclose). Betting on sports is a creative hobby to me. I'm not in it for money believe it or not. I'm doing this to constantly exercise critical thinking and decision-making skills. The amount of money I win at the end of the season is nothing compared to my annual salary but it is just as enriching. Anyway, I digress. Back to the rules...in my observation, in any type of financial speculation, individuals lose because of three things: 1. THEY ARE LAZY. - They just have no backbone to find out the hard things to uncover that really decide the outcome. 2. THEY JUST HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THEY ARE DOING. - These people have no economic clue whatsoever what they have to do to keep the playing field as close to level as possible. For instance, do you know the winning percentage you have to attain if you're constantly betting heavy favorites? If you don't, stop betting and get your facts straight first. 3. THEY HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THEY ARE DOING BUT THINK THEY DO. - These group of people are most likely to bottom out first. These people think they can bet based on hunches without properly studying the game and can get away with it in the long run. Unfortunately, randomness may side with them first and lead them to believe it's that easy. All of the successful people engaged in speculating, I have observed, possess the two qualities: 1. Above-average Emotional Intelligence 2. Objectivity Trust me on this guys...before you even start handicapping a game...make sure you have these two weapons. Forget about the numbers, take care of these two things first. ABOVE-AVERAGE EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE If you get really emotional after you lose and have a tendency to bet another game big just because you were mad and thought revenge will make you win, you are making a big mistake. Instead, accept that you got beat and walk away from your computer. Just turn it off and walk away. Clear your head and once you're okay, go back to the game you lost and objectively find out why you lost. Trust me, you will be humbled. "It seems there was a lot more to the game than I thought" is a usual statement. If you objectively researched the game you lost, usually you don't feel as bad because subconsciously you knew that you did your best. Just keep at it and don't ever get emotional after a loss. OBJECTIVITY Are you looking at trends that don't mean anything? Trends that date back 6 years ago when the team was composed of a whole different set of players and coaches? If so, then you are just being lazy. Stop this attitude. Find out why things have been the way they have been. That said, here are the rules: 1. Always handicap at the same time during the day. If you want to succeed, treat it like a business. 2. Don't ever fall in love with a team. I live in Toronto yet I can never be a fan of the Leafs, Raptors, Argonauts and Blue Jays because I choose not to be attached. I see them just like any other sports franchise. 3. If it feels wrong, chances are you made the wrong decision. Trusting you intuition is part of knowing about yourself. Harness this skill. This is a talent that can make you rich someday. 4. Dont' be afraid to ask yourself tough questions? Find out why the team is acting like douchebags lately. Be persistent. 5. Follow your home teams. This has got to be the most important of the rules. The reason being you see them play most, if not all, of the time. When you watch a game, your subconscious takes over and it gives you very subtle signals the next time you look at this team's line in their next game. Listen to that signal and investigate further. 6. Tell yourself you don't have to bet everyday. This is true. What I do is follow my hometeam and if they have no games for that day, I don't bet. It's that simple. In 2005-2006 i went 50-25 in the NBA following the Raptors. And ended up 60% in baseball following the Jays. 7. When you win, donate some of your winnings to charity. Karma does exist whether you believe in it or not. 8. If you know you got a winner but have to pay an expensive price, walk away. Remember, at the end of the day, you are still gambling. If you end up losing, then you will be hurt. There's always another day. What I would do in this situation is play the total based on what I think would happen in a game. In hockey, you can play the regulation -0.5 spread or same with baseball. With that said, I wish you guys good luck. Bobby

Bobby thanks very much gunna try some of those tips out i see myself like that but im still a kid and when i lose sometimes i go right back at it harder which has killed me sometimes thank you very much for the info.

You got it wildchild...emotion is what kills a gambler. When money's at stake, there's always emotion. I speculate for a living so I've gotten past that barrier but it was hard at first. My advise is to learn about yourself first before learning about the game you are about to bet on. For instance, if you can honestly tell yourself you're going to be furious if you lost, then you've just made a big improvement because you're acknowledging that you are too emotional. The next step is to pick a game where you can examine yourself BEFORE you make that bet and honestly determine if you're still going to be mad if you lost. IF you can tell yourself that you won't be mad even if you lost, you know you've picked the right game and all you have to do is determine the bet that gives you the best chance of winning. When you're betting flat and treating your bankroll with respect, then everything becomes second nature and you stop getting too emotional afterwards. A bit about emotion.... Anyone who tells you they're not emotional after they lose either lies through their teeth or does not bet at all. We are emotional beings...win or lose, we will feel something before, during and after the game we bet on. The trick is to convert that anger to motivation. If you lose this game, then be more determined to find out why...learn, learn, learn. I have a list of questions prepared when I look at a game...sometimes, the answers are hard to find, sometimes not but I will guarantee that you will come out a winner in the end if you look for the hard answers than the easy ones. Don't be lazy like the rest of the gamblers who think trends from 6 years ago still matter. These people need a reason to convince themselves they've made the right GUESS. Betting on sports is one of the easiest ways to make money or not but I guarantee you that there's money for everyone. One school of thought I've always followed is to know the people, not the numbers. I've always practiced this in equities and in sports betting, I also follow the same approach. You've probably heard of the saying "handicap the people, not the stats"...i don't care much for numbers to tell you the truth. If I know the player's attitude, personality and tendencies, I can handicap him without the numbers, I play out the game in my head and can tell with deadly accuracy what he'll do. Chris Bosh is a good example. I can tell you that Chris Bosh will score one way or another. He will fish for a foul if you don't give him space for his perimeter jumpers. Now, the best way to play against this guy is to spread your arms and keep you feet moving. Let him know you're more agile than him but at the same time give him space for his jumper. That way, he'll have less chance of scoring than if he went straight for the bucket. Jermaine O'Neal is the only player that has read him perfectly and has employed this kind of defensive play. Tomorrow(Friday), watch him against the Pacers and you'll see what I mean. GL