Tales from the Bet Slip, Vol. 1: Personal Favorites
If you’re a big fan of sports betting like I am, this is one of the prime times of the year for you.
But along with the plethora of men’s college basketball action there is going on right now, from the NCAA Tournament to the several lesser tournaments, there‘s also the women‘s NCAA Tournament, late-season NBA and NHL action, baseball (spring training, the World Baseball Classic, and soon the regular season), soccer, NASCAR, golf, and we had some tasty tennis showdowns at the BNP Paribas Open last week.
Of course, many sports bettors are firmly focused on the Big Dance, and that includes me. This year, I had (past tense, sadly) multiple rooting interests in both the men’s and women’s tournaments. I’ve been a Mississippi State fan since I was little, and I went to school at Florida State, so it was nice to see both of them make both the men’s and women’s tournaments. Unfortunately, the men’s teams both lost in the first round, and the women’s teams lost close games in the second round last night.
This brings up an interesting question for sports bettors – are there any limits when you bet on your favorite teams (or in the case of racing, tennis, golf, or fighting, individual athletes)?
Now, it’s a lot easier to answer this one if you’re a fan of some of sports’ juggernauts, but for most others, the best advice I can give is to tread safely if it’s not a sure bet, because it can leave you twice as angry – first about them not doing as you‘d hoped, and then about the hit your account balance takes.
From experience, your perspective may get a little skewed when it comes to your favorite team, and your homerism can get in the way of betting smartly if you don’t watch out.
After Mississippi State’s impressive SEC Tournament win, I thought they could do well against Washington, so I put a sizable amount on them to cover 6 ½ against Washington and a significantly smaller amount on them to win.
They did indeed have a promising start, but Washington pulled away at the end of the first half and start of the second, and that was that.
Lesson learned. As confident as you think you may be, before you press that ‘confirm’ button, step back from the computer, and ask yourself if you’re really, really that confident. If you aren’t, and this goes for any other bet too, really, lessen the amount, or don’t make the wager at all. Of course, if they go and win and you don’t win as much as you could’ve initially, you’ll rethink your decision, but if we’re talking a significant chunk of your account balance, then it’s one of those ‘better safe than sorry’ decisions.
Looking back, I wasn’t genuinely as confident as I should’ve been before putting down that much money, because their inconsistencies and tendencies to disappear at inopportune times this season was playing at the back of my mind all the while I was pondering how much to wager.
Now, going to the opposite end of the spectrum, is it okay to bet against your favorite team if you know that there’s the potential for a big win? That all depends on if you’re in it more for the money or more for the sheer enjoyment.
I got into sports betting because I thought it might help me become an even bigger sports fanatic than I was already and help enhance my knowledge of more teams and leagues throughout various sports. It’s done just that, but I can’t lie and say that it’s been nice to see my numbers improve over the last several months.
I’ve bet on my favorite teams a fair amount, but I haven’t done it nearly as much as some other people might. It hadn’t really worked out much until recently, when I put $17 on Mississippi State to win the SEC Tournament at +1200 odds and saw it turn into $204 when they won four games in four days. If you think about it, I came out with a profit, considering what I earned from them winning their way into the Big Dance outweighed what I lost on their quick exit.
Manchester United were away to Fulham on Saturday. Fulham have been a great home side all season, and even though they had been thrashed 4-0 by United just a few weeks ago in the FA Cup quarterfinals, I thought Fulham could win against a United team that had just lost 4-1 at home to Liverpool.
Really, I thought the +620 odds on Fulham were way too generous to pass up, so I thought ‘what the heck?’ and went for it. A couple of hours later, I was rewarded with a nice boost to my account after Fulham won 2-0. I can’t say I celebrated it much, considering it’s made things a little too tight for my comfort at the top of the Premier League table, with Liverpool hot on their trail and playing like world beaters (for now, at least, given their unpredictability).
But I imagine it was only karma working its magic a few hours later when UCLA laid down against Villanova and threw away what I had won and then a little bit more, but am I going to learn? Probably not, because guess what? In hindsight, I wish I had put even more on Fulham!
If you’re going to be guilty about betting against your favorite team, then all I can say is not to do it.
But, if you have no qualms about doing so and prefer to take chances and see your account balance grow sizably as a result, then indulge yourself, by all means. But as is the case with betting for them, and any other bets you might make, the biggest advice I can possibly give you is to bet responsibly, and have fun.
Dont Agree? Let us Know. We love hearing your thoughts and picks!
Loading ...
