Semester 3: The First Sport Bets Online: Advice and Risks
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Your first sport bet is waiting for! Yes, finally the time has come. Initially, we have explained the basics in the first chapter, so that you will find your way around in the world of sports betting and do not feel like everything is Greek to you right from the beginning. After reading the second part, you are very well informed about what else should be taken into account with respect to sports bets: From the betting tax to valuable tools. Additionally, the second chapter gives you practical decision guidance to find yourself the best bookmaker. The third section with the title “Advice and Risks: First Steps in Online Betting” manages the seamless transition from previous chapters. It will accompany you during your first active steps in the world of bookmakers and sports bets. Chapter three is divided as follows:
3. Advice and Risks: First Steps in Online Betting
3.1 Bonus including: How do bookmakers lure people onto their websites?
3.1.1 Bet bonus for new customers
3.1.2 Malice of bonus-requirements
3.1.3 Bonus-requirements step by step
3.1.4 Bookmakers’ best bonuses
3.2 Own Interests: On which events should I bet?
3.2.1 Sports bets, which are not worth it
3.2.2 Sports bets which are worth it
3.2.3 Specific features of special bets
3.3 Study before you try it: How to correctly analyse bets
3.3.1 Analysis of statistic
3.3.2 Analysis of team
3.3.3 Analysis of frame conditions
3.4 Threats are everywhere: The risks of sports bets
3.4.1 Is it wise to place live bets?
3.4.2 When are breaks recommended?
3.4.3 Can sports betting become addictive?
3. Advice and Risks: First Steps in Online Betting
If you paid close attention to the first section of the previous chapter 2.1. Valuable tips: How to find the best bookmaker for you? you might already have started your search for an appropriate bookmaker and shortlisted one or the other of these candidates. Way to go! However, before registration you should internalize the following section3.1 Bonus including: How do bookmakers lure people onto their websites? in advance.By doing this, you might be able to avoid loosing lucrative money, which your bookmaker gave you.
Now, if you are aware of the requirements for a bonus and have also made your final decision about choosing one or more bookmakers, chapter three will lead you from the status of a beginner to the status of an ambitious player in the sport betting sector, with the help of detailed assistance. And this third part of our edutainment-module is also meant to save you from ending your bet activities with feeling resentful or even worse, in a financial disaster. In chapter three you will learn about the following in particular:
- How to avoid blundering in the “bonus traps” of some bookmakers right from the start
- How to push your interests as well as your time during betting to maximum limits
- How to avoid stress, frustration, and financial trouble
3.1 Bonus including: How do bookmakers lure people onto their websites?
By now, you certainly have looked at different bookmakers and their websites. Then you must have noticed the colourful, flashing boxes, filled with catchy advertising phrases and teasers. Pretty much every bookie uses them and tries to win new customers for his/ her offers. The keywords are: Bonus for new customers, welcoming bonus, cash back, or free bet. Hopefully, you still remember our chapter about the basics of sports bets and how the bookmakers’ business model works. Every bookie wants to make a profit, so do not get tempted by these offers, but rather check the big promises. We will help you doing this!
3.1.1 Bet bonus for new customers
The rule is that bookmakers reward the registration of new customers with a so-called bet bonus. But the rule is also: That is not always the case. Just as not every bookie penetrates the visitors of his/ her website with it. The first logical step for you should be: Check, if the bookmaker of your choice provides new customers with a bonus, in whatever form. By doing this, you already are a good step ahead.
Anyway, most bookmakers promise such bonuses to new customers. Basically, two models are to be differentiated:
- The bonus for new customers as well as welcoming bonus
- Free bet, sometimes also called cash back
With a bonus for new customers – or welcoming bonus- you will receive a certain bonus-amount on your customer account from your bookmaker. You can place this money on sport bets. With a free bet or a cash-back offer, the bookie will refund you the wager of your first bet up to a certain amount and, therefore, grants you kind of a “cash back”.
However, registration alone will do nothing for you, at least at the beginning. Whether there is a bonus for new customers or a free bet: Initially, and to be blunt, bookmakers want to see cash. That means: After registration you will also have to transfer money onto you customer account. You will learn about how that works and what you have to pay attention to in chapter 4.1 How do I get my money into my customer account? You should also give careful consideration to the decision how you would like to deposit money, because new customer bonus can be very lucrative. However, only if you have the appropriate amount of money available and are also prepared to transfer a larger amount of money into your customer account with the respective bookie. For those who consider this too much money, a free bet might be the better fit. That is why we introduce you to the conditions, which bookmakers expect for an offered bonus, in the following section. These are just conventional bonuses for new customers, but based on the concepts, you will soon find your way when you want to snatch a bonus in form of cash back.
3.1.2 Malice of bonus-requirements
Before concretely stating the single bonus requirements one important tip in advance: Please take your time to read these requirements carefully. Most of the time you will already see them in the bonus area of the website itself via a link, however, in some cases you have to look them up under general terms and conditions. Good bookies explain bet bonus in their help section or among their FAQ (frequently asked questions). Some of them even demonstrate them with sample calculations. And as a second tip: Pretty much every bookmaker pays the bonus for new customers only once and makes it contingent on the first deposit, which you will pay into your customer account. Therefore, if you want to test the bookie in advance and transfer £10, you might give away a bonus amount, which could be a lot better.
Initial information, which bookmakers offer you with the bonus is only meant to attract new customers and lead them to registration. Often, this information are incomplete advertising messages. You should check the exact bonus requirements in advance, no matter what. Why are there bonus requirements at all? Money, which you receive from your bookmaker in addition, should be seen on a virtual basis only, at least in the beginning. Frankly: it is “play money”. So that this play money will turn into real money at the end, and you can withdraw it as your profit, these requirements just have to be met.
With the requirements for a bet bonus more factors come into play:
- The maximum amount
- The provisioning rate
- The turnover from betting
- The minimum rate
You should also bear in mind that some bonuses are subject to a time limit. Sometimes the requirements are that the period between registration and deposit should not exceed 7 days. The time frames during which bonus requirements have to be met are limited (usually bet. 30 and 90 days) in most cases. Because these numbers are self-explanatory, we do not go into more detail at this point.
3.1.3 Bonus-requirements step by step
Instead, let us move on to the four most important requirement factors for bet bonuses. We explain it step by step:
Betting bonus and maximum amounts: Usually on the bookmaker’s website you can find out how high the offered maximum amount is. It is not unusual to receive up to £100, and sometimes there are special offers of £200 as bonuses for new customers. This means in turn, that the bookie only has to pay £50 of bonus money, sometimes even less. The next important step is to check the
Provisioning Rate: A bonus amount of£100 is very nice but if the bookie has a provisioning rate of only 50% this means: To receive the maximum amount- in this case £100 bonus- you would already have to transfer £200 as initial payment. Afterwards, you will be given £100 (50% of the £200) as bonus. However, many bookies offer 100%, so that you can double your initial deposit. You can place the total amount, including the bonus, on various sports bets, until you will be able to withdraw the won money, with the help of the bet amount, as profit. The bookie controls when exactly this will happen under the keyword
Turnover from betting or just turnover: You should read this section very carefully. The bookmaker requires from you to turn over the received bonus money multiple times. For example, itmight be required to turn over the bonus 6 times and if you received a bonus of £100 in advance, then you have to place bets of a total amount of £600. Only then you have met the requirements. Sometimes the bookmakers hide this part of the requirements, by asking you to turn over the bonus amount only 3 times, but then want you to turn over the amount of the initial deposit another 3 times. At a provisioning rate of 100% and an initial payment of £100 (and therefore a £100 bonus) this would result in a turnover of £600, for instance. Last but not least bookmakers like to mention qualified bets in their requirements. This means, that only these sports bets count to the calculation of the turnover, which meet the
Minimum odds. Some bookmakers expect a minimum odd of 2.00 – others only expect a minimum odd of 1.50 or less, so that bonus requirements will be met. Others, in turn, require a minimum odd of 2.00 for single bets, while there is a 1.50 minimum odd permitted for combo bets. Then again there are other bookmakers who only want odds of at least 2.00 for the first bet and then decrease the odd to 1.50 afterwards. You should pay attention to that and also to other possible regulations for a qualified bet: Are system bets part of that or are only combo or maybe just single bets permitted? Bookies like to make regulations about that, too. At the end, another reference to the
Deadlines, which bookmakers like to impose. Gather information about how much time you have to meet the bonus requirements: Just 30 days, maybe 60, or even 90? To collect the bonus amount immediately before going on vacation or just being offline for a few days might not be the smartest thing to do.
3.1.4 Bookmakers’ best bonuses
Surely, now you want to know from us which bookmaker offers the best bet bonus. But such a thing does not exist, because how recommendable (or not) a bet bonus is, depends on your own ideas – and last but not least also on your financial possibilities. Of what use is it, to suggest you a bet bonus from bookmaker x, who offers you a £100 bonus amount with a required turnover of only 4 times, when at the same time the provisioning rate is at 50% and therefore you would have to pay the full bonus amount of £200 – only that you tell us afterwards: I do not want to invest that much money at once?
For you, as beginners, maybe just the following tip: Pay attention so that requirements for bet turn overs are not too high and adjust your initial payments, if necessary. That means, to be too greedy and go after the last penny, because turning over £100 bonus amount into cash is not that easy. Compare different offers of different bookies and calculate for you how much money you want to invest and how difficult it might be to turn over the whole bonus. Anyway, we wish you good luck for it!
So let’s summarize it:
- Initially, a bet bonus is virtual money
- Before paying, check the maximum amount and the provisioning rate of the bonus
- Do not disregard required minimum odds and bet turn overs
3.2 Own interest: On which events should I bet?
You have found the bookmaker of your choice. You also think this bookmaker’s offered bet bonus and his requirements are perfect. Now you are about to start with sports betting. But how do you manage to stay on top of things? Especially, when a lot of bookies offer a selection, which seem to be inexhaustible. For some bookmakers there is no event that does not exist. It is not unusual that betting options go beyond sporting events, and for instance, bets for popular TV shows, such as “Schlag den Raab” (Live German Game Show) are offered. When choosing the right events, there are a lot of things you should pay attention to. We will tell you in this chapter what these things are. And we help you, to avoid rookie mistakes.
3.2.1 Sports bets which are not worth it
Because there are sports bets, which are recommended in particular, of course there are sports bets, which should better be avoided, but they are offered by bookmakers just like every other bet, too. So if you look more closely at your bookmaker’s offers, the following question will arise: What is that? Whenever you have to ask yourself that question about a bet better leave it alone.
When you watch a football match live in the stadium or on TV, you cannot help but notice the people who carry those elongated items and who gather behind the advertising panels. These people are sports photographers with their professional equipment and special wide-aperture lens. What has this got to do with sport betting? Simply put: only showing off their impressive lenses does not do the job for these photographers. They have to know how to use them. This applies to the technique, but also to the sport activity itself. Whenever sports photographers attend events, they should be familiar with the rules of that particular sports activity. They should know the preconditions under which the game is happening, at least to a certain extend. Additionally, they should develop the ability to read the future course of play. Sports photographers do not show up at an event being unprepared. They have charged the batteries, took a second memory card, and gathered information about rules, starting situation, teams and players in advance. They know what they are in for.
Of course it is also possible for the less prepared photographers to take the perfect picture. Just like you could be right with your tip even though you just placed a bet at a venture. However, in the long run, that strategy will not work out and you will eventually fail. After all you are betting with real money. And nobody can give away money like it is no big deal. Rule of the thumb is: Keep your hands off sports activities you do not understand, whose leagues and teams you do not know and which you do not follow on TV or other media, in particular at the beginning of your career in sports betting. There is no point! That does not mean that a marginal sport such as water polo ball would not be worth considering. On the contrary: If you are an active water polo ball player yourself, you follow it intensively in the media and you are very familiar with the frame conditions, these could be the best sports bets for you.
3.2.2 Sports bets, which are worth it
Everybody, who wants to place bets successfully in the long run, has to know on what to place bets. You have to create the frame conditions for a successful bet. Either you have already acquired corresponding knowledge for a certain bet or for more bets. Or you have to acquire it now. In the following chapter 3.3 Study before you try it: How to correctly analyse bets you will learn about important questions as well as about parts of a good tip’s analysis.
The most important frame condition for successfully placing a bet in a certain sports category is your own interest in that sport. Because: if you find a certain topic interesting, you are willing to sacrifice a little of your free time to delve deeper into the matter. And that is absolutely necessary for sports bets. That even applies to football, a sport of which a lot of fans think they could do a better job than Joachim Löw in coaching the german national team. So let us stay with Germany’s most popular sport, football. The second frame condition: Do not overestimate your knowledge! Do not be content with a certain amount of information too fast. A glance at the current table is not enough. There is a little more search to do.
That would bring us to the third frame condition: the interest is there, as well as the certainty to be on top of current information and, equally, to be eager to do so? Then pay attention to factual analysis of your favourite sport. You know the following from private betting games:
- “I don’t like FC Bayern, I hope they’ll lose.”
- “The HSV is my favourite team. They’ll beat Werder.”
You have every right to have such an opinion. Football and sports in general live by emotions. However, they are no good when placing sports bets! For that reason, try to switch off all your enthusiasm despite the passion, whenever you want to bet on something. Use your intellect instead. Objectivity and dispassion are your best friends now and should call the tune – then you are on the right path to place successful sports bets.
3.2.3 Specific features of special bets
Some last words about various bets, which do not have anything to do with sports. Bookmakers like to offer bets for the entertainment sector, for example. In this chapter, we have mentioned several times, that information, knowledge and good analysis are the main part of successful bets. We will also go into detail about that in chapter 3.3 Study before you try it: How to correctly analyse bets. For that reason, we cannot recommend the special bets offered by bookies. At least not, if you want to be serious about sports betting.
Of course: If somebody wants to risk £5 just for fun, they should be allowed to do so. Some fun and change are reasonable. However, do not apply this way of betting to your ambitious project. Why? In most cases it is a mere game of chance. A simple example to show you the difference between a football and an entertainment bet: From time to time you can find bets for “Schlag den Raab” (Live German Game Show by ProSieben) and people like this type of competition. The attraction lies in particular in the infinite ambition of all-rounder Stefan Raab. Now, you can bet in advance, if Stefan Raab will win or if the candidate will beat him. There is only one thing you cannot do: A targeted analysis.
With doing some search you might find the information that Raab wins about 2/3 of his battles against candidates, but that is pretty much all you will find out. You do not know the games, which the opponents have to complete. You do not even know the candidate, because the television audience chooses the candidate. You see: Such a bet cannot be seen as a serious tip. And the situation is not any different when it comes to bets about the winners of the “Eurovision Song Contest” or “Deutschland sucht den Superstar” (Germany’s Pop Idol). So we want to give you the following advise: Only use such bets, if you do not necessarily expect to win and ideally just want to have some entertainment, because bookmakers sort them into this category, too.
Let us summarize it:
- Only place bets on sport activities which you know a lot about
- Being up-to-date before placing bets is a must
- Avoid emotions, subjectivity, and entertainment bets
3.3 Study before you try it: How to correctly analyse bets
By now, hopefully we could give you some idea about how important it is to avoid coincidences when placing sports bets. You will succeed in doing this by choosing only sports events, contests and single matches, which you are most interested in and know a lot about. Let us go into detail. How do I carry out a good analysis? For the purposes of the following examples it is assumed that the HSV (Hamburger Sport Verein) and Werder Bremen play against each other in a local derby, simply because football is one of the most popular sports and the Bundesliga (German football league) is one of the most popular leagues, too. However, most of our advice can be easily transferred to other sport activities.
“Do not trust any statistic unless you have faked it yourself”, Winston Churchill once remarked. Of course you can draw your conclusions with the help of various statistics about a certain match, however you can understand the above-mentioned quote as a warning: In general, nothing about any sport is safe and football in particular is very unpredictable. Why do you think is the DFB Cup such a popular contest? Because there are always surprises involved. And this applies to other sport activities as well.
You have already learned, that odds mean a certain probability which event will most likely take place in the end. With the help of statistics this probability can be better analysed. We have already told you in chapter 2.2 Little helpers: Which helpers support sports bettors? which tools and resources you can use to carry out an analysis. At this point, we tell you the most important statistics:
- The table
- The home strength and away strength
- The direct comparison
The “mother of all statistics” is the table, mostly in form of obtained points, which mirrors the current on-going contest. Hence it summarises the most important facts of one season at once. You can read from the table, and should pay attention to the following:
- Which team has been successful so far?
- In what positions are both opponents?
- How many places are between the two teams?
By checking these questions you can get a first impression of who might be the favourite and who might be the outsider. Additionally, the table usually shows each team’s score, how many goals have been scored by each team, but also how many goals have been scored against them. And you should also check in the statement, the number of victories, ties and defeats, which have happened so far. This will help you to determine which of the two opponent teams has played more tied games.
In a lot of cases you will find two special forms of tables besides the overall table, which present facts in a special way. They are called home table and away table. Only those games, which are played at home or away, are listed in these tables. You should look at the above-mentioned questions again and apply them to HSV (home team) and Werder (away team).
The third major part of a games statistic is the so-called direct comparison.
That is why you should also check the following points:
- How does the record of both teams look like when you compare them directly?
- How does the home record look like for the HSV compared to Werder?
- Does one of the teams have a harder time than the other during the local derby?
At this point we have to say that you also have to look at the direct comparisons in this local derby because these results are of high significance. If the HSV had not lost against Werder Bremen 10 times in a row in the 80s, this would mean a remarkable success. However, this would not play a major role, if Bremen had won the 3 of the last 4 games. You should keep this in mind as well as this question: has one of the two teams scored and if so, how much? And did the other team score more? Now, you are done with the first step of your analysis.
The statistics are of informative value already, and the last results of both teams against each other gives you an idea on which outcome you should place a bet when both teams play against each other. However, tables, home as well as away strength and the direct comparison only provide a first insight, because the following factors, which could also influence a game, should be taken into consideration, too:
- Do teams’ scores show positive or negative trend
- The current team
- Moral of the team
In the last section we have already looked at both teams (HSV and Werder) and directly compared them. However, what about the positive or negative trend in respect of scores? In order to be able to find that out, you should at least look at the records of the last 5 games. How often did each team win or lose? Are there certain patterns to be recognized – for instance, did Werder not win any of the last 5 games or just scored very little? Or did the team even win every of the last 5 games? Just like you should pay attention to the table you should also look at the positive or negative trend of the opponents very closely. Afterwards you should look at the trends, which just apply to home games or to away games because you might be able to see a certain pattern within that, too.
The next step would be to gather information about the current team members because these eleven players decisively influence each game. Not all personal news are important. If a player, who has only had short playing periods, cannot play anymore due to a pulled muscle, that are news which you can ignore. On the other hand, if one of the top players cannot play anymore, those are very important news. For this reason you should answer the following question when doing your analysis:
Which players are key figures of each team?
- Which players cannot play due to a red or yellow card?
- Which player cannot play because he got injured or just returned after an injury?
If you have collected all your answers, you are almost finished with your analysis. One last aspect you should also pay attention to is the moral of the team. Were there some heated discussions? Does one player consider transferring to another football club? All this factors influence the moral of the team. And: Every team handles these situations in a different way. Some might be more anxious about it than others. You should not disregard the above-mentioned factors.
3.3.3 Analysis of frame conditions
To bring your analysis to a great end, we would like to introduce another four factors, which do not necessarily play a major role, but could definitely influence the game. If you would like to analyse very precisely, do also consider the following aspects:
- Expectations of fans
- Starting position
- Coach
- Weather
Whenever the HSV plays against Bremen, there are a lot of emotions involved. Not every sports bettor likes these derbies, because they are especially unpredictable. Even if one of the teams has a very negative trend: a derby could release new energies. On the other side, there are the expectations fans have. How supportive are they of their team? Do they cheer even if the team is behind, or does the atmosphere in the stadium changes quickly?
The starting position before every match is important. If the Bundesliga is coming to an end, it is then or never. It is the last chance to avoid relegation, to get qualified for the European Contest, maybe to win the championship. Does the team have strong nerves? How do they react to pressure? On the other hand, you have to know if one team does not have any real chance anymore. If one match is of no greater significance for one team, because it could not make the situation better or worse, you should reconsider if you even want to place a bet on such a game. A game like this is more like a friendly match and there might be a lack of motivation or coaches might give inexperienced players the opportunity to play. This means that the amount of factors, which are hard to estimate, increase and a bet becomes much more risky.
Another point you should look at is a possible change of manager. Not always does this result in the intended effect; nevertheless, you should keep that in mind. And the weather is important, too! Rain is more common in the north of Germany, how do different teams handle that? Probably those teams, which know how to fight. Technically orientated teams might have a harder time with wind, bad weather and rain and this could turn out to their disadvantage. Thinking about tennis, for example, a similar factor would be even more important: The surface of the field and if players are known as specialists for handling these situations.
With the help of this chapter, which descriptively presents that placing a sports bet could be done very easily, you now know that a lot more comes into play if you want to become a professional bettor. Those things that you should avoid will be explained in the next chapter 3.4 Threats are everywhere: The risks of sports bets.
Let us summarize:
- Analyse the table and the teams’ home and away strength
- Analyse the direct comparison, the positive or negative trend, the team
- In case of doubt, do not place bets on matches which are not important
3.4 Threats are everywhere: The risks of sports bets.
Hopefully, our “navigator” in form of this edutainment-module for sports bets has brought you on course to end your sports bets in the most successful way possible so that you can be happy about your winnings at the end of the day. Nevertheless, dangers are everywhere. You should avoid these pitfalls in order to stay on the right track. At this point, we are talking about diversionary techniques, about your very own state of mind and last but not least also about the danger to ruin yourself. Please take the following advices to heart!
Before we start to look at live bets and examine what conditions are best for placing them, one well-meant tip: in the last chapter we have brought you closer to the right steps of a successful analysis. One of the factors we mentioned was the so-called starting position before matches begin. However, for that purpose we always assumed the on-going contest, in which the players fight for a title, the qualification for other contests like the Champions League or for avoiding relegation. In contrast, friendly as well as test games are not called like that without good reason. The analysis often fails, by the sheer fact that nothing is at stake – except for the coaches who can test and try a lot. So please stay away from bets which involve friendly games and the like.
3.4.1 Is it wise to place live bets?
One quick advice, one quick win: That is the appeal of live bets. Bookmakers are very well aware of that fact and broadly expand their offers more and more. Good bookies are known to have nothing, which you cannot place a bet on during live games. This third section dealt with the right analysis of sports bets. And you noticed very fast: The proper evaluation of an event requires a lot of time. Time, which you do not have when it comes to live bets.
Odds in real time are offered during live bets. They change as quickly as the result or the game itself can change. It is open to dispute, how much you can minimalize the risk for normal bets with the help of a targeted analysis. However, during live bets this process is a lot more complicated and bets remain very risky, most of the time. The reason for that is, that you just cannot precisely analyse, which team gets the next corner kick. In most cases, offered bets are a 50:50 chance. For instance:
- Which team scores next?
- Is the number of scored goals even or odd?
- What tennis player wins the game in the second set?
Summing up, you could say: go into the casino and place bets on red or black! Now you could argue, that team A is absolutely superior and close to scoring the next goal. Sure, there will be tendencies. Nevertheless, to place a bet on a single action in one match is a whole new ballgame-compared to placing a bet on a whole match, in which chances are still higher that the result will be “corrected” in your favour. During live bets everything happens at a fast pace. This can get chaotic, which is another reason why we do not advise beginners to place live bets.
That does not mean, that live bets are completely pointless, to also play them successfully in the long term. However, the basic requirement is: If you actually have the chance to follow the event live. And the best situation would be if you could follow it on TV. The live stream is always an alternative, which a lot of bookies offer for selected games. However, the connections are not always stable. Be careful and if the connection gets lost, you should cancel the live bet. Under no circumstances should you get lured by rudimentary tickers or statistics. The second requirement to play live bets actively and specifically: You have already analysed one specific event in advance. This might lead to a successful live bet.
The optimal scenario for a successful live bet
To illustrate this, here is another example: Granted that you have analysed the derby between HSV and Werder in detail prior to the game and can follow it live on (pay) TV. The requirements would be met for now. Now, Bremen scores and takes the lead after 10 minutes into an away game. But your analysis showed, that the HSV did not lose their 5 last games and turned around two games in which they were behind. The team’s moral seems to be great and the HSV did not lose any of their 8 games at home this season. Also, the home team still has another 80 minutes to change the score. Additionally, Werder has to play without one of their most important players because he is injured. Viola! After gathering all these information you will get the following result: The HSV will win this game in the end. The 10 minutes less playing time are a calculable risk. The positive side effect of a live bet after being behind like that: the odds for a home victory have increased and are significantly higher than they would have been during a “normal” bet.
With the help of this scenario you can see: It is wise to place live bets – at least to a certain extend. Under certain circumstances, of which you can take care of in advance. And under these circumstances, which happen during the game. If they are also correct, a live bet could be very lucrative. Or as a counter example:
If the HSV takes the lead with all these mentioned factors instead, the odds decrease significantly. You will make a lot of profit, however, you can use this preliminary result of a live bet and can see it as an additional protection, if you concluded that a home victory would be the result of this derby anyway.
Bottom line: We want to recommend live bets only to players who have some experience under the mentioned conditions. All other players, especially the beginners, should concentrate on the bookmakers’ “normal” offerings.
3.4.2 When are breaks recommended?
You have searched for hours, written down a detailed analysis and think, you have three dead certain tips on your betting slip, which will lead you to a winning? That is good, if you took care of your homework. The appeal of sports is that results happen, which nobody can foresee. Anything else would be boring. It can happen to lose a bet and that should be part of your master plan. Also, your analysis could play out great, but your team just does not seem to have a chance to score.
No panic, it happens! You will never be able to bring all your bets to a successful end, and you can carry out the perfect analysis and will still fail. If your betting slip is a losing deal, you should avoid the following: to hurry to the next bet, without properly analysing it! Frustration, which emerges after losing a bet, is your worst enemy! Just listening to your gut and risking a fast tip will only result in anger. And when you place bets on high odds, which promise a high winning with little prospect of success, it is high time to take a break.
For this reason: Watch you and your reactions carefully, during all your activities on the websites of a bookmaker. You know yourself like no one else does. Admit it: bets can be lost. Use your time, to start the next precisely prepared analysis, instead of searching for good odds without plan and which you cannot play. Listen to your gut instead of the frustration and take a break. You will only place successful bets objectively in the medium term or in the long run, without emotions and especially without the negative influence of the recent bet you lost. But avoid the contrary as well, and do not let yourself get carried away by a win and the euphoria, which comes with it. This could lead to placing a bet without analysis and you would not want that. You will not be successful. Also, do not place any bets if you are ill because you have to be in a clear state of mind and feel fit for betting.
3.4.3 Can sports betting become addictive?
This question could not be answered more clearly in our third chapter about advices and risks related to online betting. And the answer is: Yes, sports betting can become addictive! That is why respectable bookmakers refer to Responsible Gaming. Of course, every player wants to win money with his/ her bets.And of course, this can be achieved with the help of our information and advice in this edutainment-module. Nevertheless, sports bets belong to the gambling sector. And that is the way you should look at them, regardless of all your meticulous analysis and money management. Every player is vulnerable to a certain extend and in danger of becoming addicted.
The following signs should catch your attention:
- You do not stick to the breaks we recommended to you
- You “hunt” the next win after losing (or winning) a bet
- You only bet to distract yourself from other problems
- You neglect your analysis
- Instead, you thoughtlessly risk higher wagers
If you find yourself in one of the above-mentioned situations, you should be warned. Because when that happens, you have already diverted from the path on which we wanted to lead you on. We have not only advised you against these attributes, we have excluded them until now and will continue doing so, because they do not lead to the successful placement of bets. If you lost your way despite all our advice, here is the last most important tip: Get professional help! Almost all bookies will offer their support and if one bookie will not help you, do not get discouraged. Instead, try to find another bookie. Some online providers of sports bets even offer a so-called BBGS-test: a biosocial rapid test to test your own gambling behaviour. Additionally, you will find direct contact addresses when asking bookies and you can contact them.
Let’s summarize it:
- Only place bets, which you have prepared for in advance
- Avoid bets with frustration being your only motivation
- Watch and control your own gambling behaviour
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