Submitted by rsteel on
I am sure most of you have heard the phrase the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.
So how does this relate to sports betting? Well as I have mentioned often it is very important to evaluate as objectively as possible your bets after the fact.
When we are on winning streaks this endeavor is often over looked. After all you can do no wrong. Conversely when you are on a losing streak there is a tendency to over analyze which if you are new can lead to losing your confidence over constantly second guessing yourself.
In overview fashion here is my post game review of bets. It does not take too long. However the biggest question you must ask yourself win or lose what can I learn from this bet? What can I take away about the 2 teams involved moving forward?
Getting into the details did I win this bet based on solid handicapping? Did the game play out the way I anticipated it would? Did I lose based on a bad beat? Did I win despite myself and got lucky. Remember luck is just temporary it is short term. Lastly would I make this bet again under all the same parameters win or lose? BE OBJECTIVE!
We tend to give ourselves far too much credit when we win a bet and far too much blame when we lose. Sometimes we make the right bet we simply do not cash the ticket it is the tax we pay to participate in this business.
In addition betting markets are always changing. Techniques that worked just 3 months ago may not work anymore. The market may have caught up. Adapt to succeed.
We study the past to learn more about the future; to not make the same mistakes. If you are not able to understand the reason why teams win or lose you have no chance to predict future outcomes. Realize most teams lose games not win. It is an important distinction. In other words the teams that make the fewest mistakes and play sound fundamental defense are sides to target.