You could already know 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 truth is that anybody can hit on a bet every once in a while, but in sports betting, where the top pros are right 60 to 65% of the time, it takes more than one day of luck to turn a true profit. Sports betting may not be a science, but it’s 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 one or two sports. For starters, don’t bet soccer or even the horses if you don’t follow learn soccer (Learn Even more Here) or perhaps the horses. You need to 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 always be open to learning something totally new and taking your understanding to another level. Become an expert and after that a guru.

If you really want to earn money on a weekly basis, in which case you have to treat sports betting like it’s really a business. Why? Because it is a business. Sports betting just isn’t about hunches, it’s about weighing evidence, that includes stats, injuries, depth analysis and much more. Keep files on teams, your wagers, your successes and failures and analyze your effort. For anybody who is constantly losing, you should 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 very critical that you track just about every wager, including just how much you bet, the amount you won or lost as well as your resulting balance. Be cautious in deciding how much you are 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 don’t start making desperation wagers so that you can 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 avoid them. Concentrate on making single wagers on specific games in one sport. Moneyline, point spread and over/under wagers are sensible and winnable. You will not make a killing on any one of these wagers, but when gambling on sports, they’re 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 gambling life. Never bet whenever you are desperate, drunk, high on drugs, depressed, tired, angry, stressed or under-informed. Never do that. Never.

If as a sports bettor you’re looking to possess a few laughs and drop some cash on a game or two, then do so. Have a ball. You could win a number of bucks and then lose a number of or lose even more. But don’t expect to earn consistent cash from your efforts. To be able to do that, you will need to be a true student of the game and an astute businessman, managing your money, making sensible decisions and keeping your emotions in check.