Be a Sharp Gambler

The gambling world is full of people who just throw down hard earned money without thinking about what they are doing. Are you one of those people who will just go with the flow? If so, you are most likely a losing gambler or you are not winning as much money as you could be. There are three main factors that make up every successful gambler: money management, value and knowledge. This article will take a look at all these of these areas and help you become a sharp gambler.

Money Management

It’s amazing how many people gamble and don’t think, for even one second, about money management. You wouldn’t go on a trip without thinking about what you want to do right? Then why gamble without a goal? When you go on a trip, is your goal to simply go on a trip? Of course it’s not. You at least decide on a destination, time of stay and so forth.

Before you gamble, you should have some goals in mind. Here’s a quick list of a couple goals you want to define.

1. What is your total bankroll for the gambling session?
2. If I am ahead $X, I will leave.
3. If I lose X% of my bankroll, I will leave or I will leave once my bankroll is gone.
4. I will devote most of my time to playing [ insert game ].
5. While playing [ insert game ], my average bet will be around $x.

Defining these five goals will help you keep organized and focused.

Value

The sharp gambler stay way from bets that are for suckers. He or she is only concerned with getting good value. Here’s a list of key bets and activities to stay away from.

1. Slot Machines – The payback percentage is poor.
2. Roulette – Huge house advantage.
3. Proposition bets in Craps.
4. Parlay cards in sports betting that contain a large amount of selections.
5. The insurance bet in Blackjack.
6. The tie bet in Baccarat.
7. Caribbean Stud Poker, which has a large house advantage.
8. Bingo

There’s no law against playing the above items from time to time, but you have to do it in moderation and not make these items part of your main betting activities.

Knowledge
This is one of those factors that separate the long-term winning gamblers from the consistently losing gamblers. If you are going to wager on something, you should know all you can about it. Study the game, learn the tricks and understand everything about it. By being knowledgeable in the game, you will know how to maximize your wagers and your time.

Pick a game you want to play and follow this guide to become a guru.

1. First, research the game by typing in the name at your local search engine. Look for how-to-play articles, tips and strategy. You will find many free resources out there.
2. Find an online casino that offers play money games and go practice what you have learned. If are learning about sports betting or horse racing, find a sports book to get odds from and play bet.
3. Visit your bookstore and look for books on the subject. Sit down at the store and read a little.

Keep reading and searching for the area(s) you like and soon you will become a very sharp player. Knowledge is power, especially in the gambling world.

By improving yourself in these three areas, you will have a great possibility of winning more consistently and you will have more fun because you are organized, focused and education.

The author is the founder and players manager of the internet sportsbook AdvantageSportsBetting.com and one of the top experts in the sports betting industry today.