Your relation to sports betting and gambling in general

Keep it entertaining, fun and bet intelligently. A 'Future' bet is possibly one of the most profitable bets if you posses knowledge of the sport that you are betting on, and a good sense of judgment. Play it whenever you can.

If you have an 'hunch' or 'nose' for particular game with risky odds (at least at first glance risky) go for it - follow your 6th sense, don't let it go down the drain! Ask yourself how many times you 'knew' the outcome of the match but you didn't place your bet and wasted another chance to grab some cash? Go for it, and play it as single! A single bet is simple and not too difficult to win.

Follow the favorites and decide when it's time to play on them and when against them, same for outsiders or underdogs. Be selective - don't bet on anything or everything.
Limit your selections and betting money. Playing too many selections is gambling against high odds or simply - waste of money.
Look for likely winners and good odds. If you keep looking for them, you will learn to find them quickly.
It is good idea not to risk your winnings, at least not immediately. When you win, put some money aside and follow your rutine, don't get greedy!

How to win?

After having opened accounts with several bookmakers, first of all decide on what are you going to bet. Follow certain leagues or teams, check out the latest news about the team - are they fit? Exhausted because they played 5 tough matches in last 10 days? How is the injury list, how is the 'bench' - is it long or short? What are the weather conditions? All this matters!

Many times I have spotted that a 'must' win of a certain team (to qualify for something or just to step over a concurrent team on the league table) is a kind of decoy - it just don't happen - sometimes the pressure is too high - or the stars are not at the right position in the sky. Avoid those matches, specially if the favorite team is facing underdog that desperately needs points.

Before checking the odds just take a look at matches offered and follow your instinct - make your list without looking at the odds or consulting the statistics. Then check the odds between bookies, and find the best value for your bet. Shorten your list and decide about the bet you are going to place.

Remember, statistics can be helpful but they are bit over-rated, don't made your decisions based on league tables! It's a common mistake and it is proofing again and again! Use statistics wisely, just as information.

When to bet and on who?

At the start of the season there is a tendency that stronger teams, or favorites, are not playing so well due to various reasons - these teams are buying and selling their players or coaches and management a lot and they need time to 'fine tune' between themselves - usually couple of first rounds are enough for such team to get in to the shape - and start playing.

For newly promoted teams it is quite opposite - they are eager to prove themselves and at first couple of rounds they can surprise with the result! Avoid heavy betting at the start of the season, wait and see what is going on for a couple of rounds. In the mid season the results are more predictable, the favorites are steaming up and wining regularly, while promoted teams are getting less spectacular results.

This is a common scenario in 'Big 5' leagues - England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. England is the hardest to predict, but slight advantage is given to the big clubs, especially at home. Italy is well known as home win league, where home terrain is an advantage. Local derbies are most likely to end with a draw, because neither of the teams want to lose important game, therefore the motivation is not to win, but not to lose. Germany is the easiest to predict - the strong are strong and they win in most of the cases.

The most problematic time to bet is the end of the season when it is time to settle the bills - teams under pressure are most likely to lose or draw, depends of the stake - mid table teams are most likely to win in that period - they don't have a weight on their shoulders. Avoid favorites at that time if the odds are low - it is better idea to risk small amounts of money on underdogs - the teams that are to relegate, but still have a chance to stay in the 'high society'. Sometimes two teams only need a draw to qualify for a championship, or to avoid relegation. Watch for those situations! A "fixed" draw is typical for the Italian league, but will rarely happen in England. It's a must to bet on these games!

Avoid betting on National Cups, they are not so important to big clubs and the often lose from smaller teams. Big clubs tend to rest their players during such games and usually a 'B' team is playing. Sometimes it is wise to put money on 2nd league top team to win or draw against big club.

The best way to bet

Watch the form of a certain team: Form is the major criteria used by bookies to decide prices and key factor for you when placing a bet. Teams in good form (favorites) are always recognized/followed by bookies, and the prices reflect this. Team that have won last 6 matches will not get a good odds on another win. You must spot a team in form as soon as possible, in order to get good prices before the bookie finds out. Often you can assume a change in form, not necessary based on results, but on reports on how the team has played, even if results haven't been that good. During a season teams can be hit with periods of extreme luck, and periods with really bad luck. Team can play bad for a while, then a change in tactics turn things around and the team starts winning... You have to spot these periods early, before bookies get aware of it!