(Don’t) Bet for your lives

…or as if your life depended on it. It can never be stressed enough how you shouldn’t be betting anything you can’t lose or on anything you don’t want to lose. Confusing? Not so much. When gambling, let’s say playing Blackjack or some other card game, the first rule, the golden rule is always “don’t bet what you can’t afford to lose”. People that bet beyond their expectations are compulsive gamblers. Gambling is a game of chance, and chances are the odds aren’t in your favor. When sports betting, the idea is the same, with some little twists added for good measure. Of course it’s still valid that you shouldn’t bet money you don’t have. But keep another variant in mind: don’t bet on a team that you don’t want to see losing.

I’ll give you a real life example. I bet on football on a regular basis and I am a hardcore Bears fan. That means that in the regular season, I make it a point not only never to bet on a Bears game, I also keep away from the entire North division.

Because having the emotional distance when placing bets is the only way to stay healthy when gambling. Mentally and financially. There’s no way I can listen to reason when I’m gambling away whatever money would pay for my next meal, just like there’s no way I can be clever enough to  bet against the Bears even with all the odds are stuck against them.