You may have often heard someone bragging that they picked 9 out of ten NFL games last week or managed to take a three-way parlay to the bank or engineered wins in both the daily double and trifecta at the track. Wow, what a good day that gambler had! Basically, ask them how they did the rest of the year.

The very fact is the fact that anybody can hit on a bet every once in a while, but in sports betting, where the very best pros are right 60 to 65% of the time, it takes more than one day of luck to turn a true profit. Sports betting might not be a science, but it is a discipline and it does involve research, analysis and skill. If you want to be a successful sports bettor, here are five tips that may start you and keep you on the proper track.

Successful handicappers are experts in a couple of sports. To begin with, do not bet soccer or perhaps the horses if you don’t follow soccer or the horses. You must know the rules, strategies, players, coaches, trainers, venues and also more of the sport on which you are going to wager. That suggests reading previews, keeping abreast of daily developments and engaging in detailed analysis. You should often be open to learning something new and taking your understanding to another level. Be an expert and after that a guru.

If you really want to make money on a weekly basis, then you have to treat sports betting like it’s really a business. Why? Since it is a business. Sports betting is just not about hunches, it’s about weighing evidence, which includes stats, injuries, depth analysis and much more. Keep files on teams, your wagers, your successes and failures and analyze your performance. If you are constantly losing, it is important to figure out why. If you don’t, you run the risk of going broke, going nuts or going to jail. Sports betting is a business and should be treated as such.

It is exceedingly crucial that you track just about every wager, including just how much you bet, how much you won or lost and your resulting balance. Be cautious in deciding the amount you’re going bet. Should you have a $500 bankroll and you are making $50 wagers, that grubstake will be eaten up quickly. Make small wagers and if you win, then loosen up the bankroll a bit. But don’t go overboard and do not start making desperation wagers in order to make up for losses.

By crazy bets, I mean the following-exotics including parlays, futures, mixed parlays and various props. In the event the odds are long, then you should keep away from them. Focus on making single wagers on specific games in one sport. Moneyline, point spread and over/under wagers are all sensible and winnable. You will not make a killing on anyone of these wagers, but when gambling on sports, they may be your best bet. If you make some solid cash then designate 5 to 10% of your winnings (not your bankroll) for long shot wagers.

Say this as if it were a prayer, it could save your fantastic online gambling site life. Never bet when you are desperate, drunk, high on drugs, depressed, tired, angry, stressed or under-informed. Never do that. Never.

If as a sports bettor you are looking to have a few laughs and drop some money on a game or two, then do so. Have a ball. You might win a couple of bucks and then lose a couple of or lose much more. But don’t anticipate to earn consistent cash through your efforts. So that you can do that, you have to become a true student of the game and an astute businessman, managing your hard earned money, making sensible decisions and keeping your emotions in check.