For the first time in probably ever, I had a bad day of sports betting. It started out okay, I had a couple of small wins, but then everything went downhill from there. By the end of the day, I had won only about $500, which is actually quite a bit less than I usually make in a day. I went from being on a winning streak to a losing streak. It wasn’t a total loss though, because I did end up winning $60 on the NBA odds, which I calculated will probably add up to about $1,000 once all the bets are settled. My heart felt bad for losing all that money. I didn’t know what happened, but something must have gone wrong. It was almost as if the spirits were against me or something. My friends and family all know how much I love sports betting and how much I am usually encouraged by my wins. It was strange to have a day where I felt so low, even considering all my previous losses. In some ways, it felt like the start of a bad period or a dry spell. I’ve had a few of those in the past year and it always makes me feel better to win a bunch of money and end up breaking even or even making a small profit. It’s almost as if the bad luck only affects me and only when I win money, which is actually a fairly common theme among gamblers. When I lose, I feel like it’s a personal attack, as if I’ve offended someone or something. That never happens though, my bad days are just bad days and there’s nothing personal about it. To make matters worse, I had a big winner’s circle celebration planned for later that night. I was looking forward to it, but my mood was nowhere to be found. I wanted to go to sleep and wake up as soon as possible so I could get back to my routine. I didn’t feel like socializing with my friends and family, which is unusual for me. Normally I would have had a blast, but this time I just wanted to be alone. When my friends and family saw how down I was, they tried to cheer me up. They knew how bad I usually get when I lose, so they wanted to make sure I appreciated the good days as much as I could. One of my friends invited me to a basketball game, which is my favorite sport. It is the perfect way to lose weight and stay fit too. Weighing the pros and cons, I decided to go. My friend’s team was playing against a rival team and it was a good chance to get some cheering advice from other people. At the end of the day though, I wasn’t in the right mood and the advice probably wouldn’t have helped. Going to the bar to meet some new people and have a couple of drinks wasn’t going to solve anything either. I ended up chilling at home that night, by myself, which is what I usually do when I lose. It wasn’t an ideal way to end the day, but at least it’s better than losing all my money and being upset about it. I don’t know, I just felt like I needed to vent or something. Maybe it was the start of a slump or a rough patch in my betting career. I’m not really sure, but I do know one thing; it wasn’t the first time, and it certainly won’t be the last. Hopefully next time it will be a little different and I will bounce back sooner rather than later. I love my friends and family, but sometimes they just aren’t enough. Sometimes you need a little bit of help from beyond.
A Lot of Preparation
To avoid this kind of situation, I make sure to prepare myself for the bad days. The night before, I usually sit down and calculate what I’ll need for the day. I’ll look at the spread and the overall theme of the game and I’ll work out all the odds and ends, so it’s not as much of a surprise when things turn out badly. On this day, I had everything written down. I knew exactly what I was betting on and I had all the lines written out. I knew the general theme of the game and the spreads, so it wasn’t hard to figure out what I needed. What I usually do is look at the spread and see which team is favored and which one is not. I’ll use that to decide whether or not to bet on that game. There are a lot of variables, but usually it’s either a home team or an underdog that is favored in most cases. The general rule of thumb is whoever is favored to win usually wins. Another thing that helps a lot is having good friends and family. They can sometimes give you an extra boost of confidence, when you’re feeling low or down. Sometimes the smallest things can make a difference. Having faith in the goodness of people and things is also comforting. I’m not sure if it’s because I believe in an afterlife or what, but when things go wrong, it’s always easier to put your trust in others. The day of the game, I took my time getting ready. I had my hair and makeup done, so I looked as good as new. I wore a suit and my favorite pair of shoes. A little makeup here and there, a new suit and a nice pair of shoes and you’re good to go. I had everything planned. My friend’s team was playing at 4:00 pm and I wanted to be there by 3:00 pm, so I had some time to spare. We arrived about 15 minutes early, so I headed to the bar to get some drinks. Once I had my drink, I headed over to my friend’s booth. When I got there, they were already going through the coin toss. We walked down the court to watch the game. There were a lot of people there, but it didn’t matter, for the most part, everyone was having a good time and cheering on their teams. The atmosphere was great. The game wasn’t too bad, it was close but my friend’s team won. At the end of the game, we headed over to the bar for some drinks. It was then that I realized I had forgotten to bet on the game, which was a big oversight on my part. This is when things started going wrong. We had made a quick stop at the bar to get some drinks, when all of a sudden, the place went nuts. People started jumping up and down and screaming. At first, I didn’t know what was going on, but then I realized that our team had just won the game. This was followed by an even bigger rush to the bar, where everyone was celebrating. In the meantime, I had been sitting quietly at the bar, waiting for everyone to calm down. When the last of the celebration died down, I decided to head back to my friend’s booth to see if they needed help walking home or wanted me to stay longer and celebrate with them. They didn’t want me to stay, they were just sitting there with their friends and family, having a good time. I didn’t want to ruin what they were having, so I left them alone to enjoy their night. I drove home slowly, savoring the moment. I was going the right way, which is the best way to feel. When I got home, I checked the NBA online scoreboard. I had bet $10 on the game and won $60. I would have liked to have doubled that up, but I didn’t have enough money for another bet at that time. I checked the NHL online scoreboard and noticed that the Habs were playing the Avalanche that night. I hadn’t watched or listened to any Avs game all season long, but I figured why not? It’s the hockey off-season and I’m sure some of their top players are resting or on their way back from injury. I watched the game, it was okay, nothing amazing, but it was another win for my friends’ team. Going to sleep that night, I felt like I had won the lottery. Finally, after so long, I had had a good day of betting. The following week, when I checked my NBA score, I noticed that the Habs had lost three straight games, which is when I knew my good luck had to stop. To this day, whenever I lose, I make sure to check the NBA schedule, just to see if my luck is going to change that night. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. I’ll keep trying but sometimes the best thing to do is accept things as they are and move on. There’s no use in worrying about something that’s not going to change. I’ve had days, where I’ve won and days where I’ve lost, but the average is always somewhere around even money. Every once in a while, I’ll hit a streak of either winning or losing, but it doesn’t happen very often. One day, maybe I’ll finally catch some good luck and end up winning a huge sum of money. Until then, I’ll keep on dreaming. It’s all about having fun and making sure you’re prepared for the down times too. That’s what matters in the end. Having fun, while still being able to provide for your family, is what makes a real life superhero.