In the world of sports betting, clean sheets are ones that don’t burn a lot of money. They are the results of smart and calculated betting, where you make money even when your team loses. While it’s normal for sportsbook operators to make money even when their teams lose, it’s not exactly how they want to operate. They prefer to earn money only when their bets pay off, which gives them a better chance of hitting their targeted profit margin.
In general, clean sheets are quite rare in sports betting. The majority of the time, your team will wind up losing. Even so, occasionally a team will score a lot of runs in a game and cover the spread, resulting in a profit for the day. But such occurrences happen rarely, and it takes a lot of luck to produce them. In most cases, you’re better off taking the money and running, or using a service that lets you bet on multiple games simultaneously, in which case you have a better chance of producing a profit with more frequent wins.
How Big of a Factor Is It In Today’s Sports Betting?
The use of clean sheets in sports betting goes back a long way. In the 1800s, long before the invention of the computer, bookmakers relied on their ‘judgment’ to get the best possible outcome in a particular game. They would place bets on the basis of what they ‘thought’ would happen, and whether or not they were right, they would either win or lose. They would then ‘adjust’ their betting line based on their previous winning performances, which is where the phrase ‘clean sheet’ comes from, meaning they had no previous losses to adjust for.
Even with the invention of the computer, which allows for much faster processing of bets, bookmakers have stuck with the use of clean sheets, using algorithms and data to ‘make their magic’ happen. The difference nowadays is that the Internet has allowed for the creation of bookmaking services that utilize technology to automate the entire process, which in turn has made it much quicker and easier for ordinary people to get involved.
The use of clean sheets in sports betting isn’t a new phenomenon, and it certainly isn’t a modern invention. It has been around for a very long time, and in most instances, it still applies. Today, clean sheets are a rare occurrence in sports betting, which is a good thing, because it means you’re doing something right.
Why Are Bookmakers Afraid of Losing?
So you’ve got a bet going and your team is behind by a large margin. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, one of your players hits a home run and it suddenly becomes a much closer game. The point being, without wanting to get too bogged down in these hypotheticals, is that it is in the best interest of a bookmaker to keep you betting as long as possible, because the longer you stay in, the more money they make, regardless of what happens. If they get lucky and one of their teams wins, great! But if not, then they make money either way because you’re still betting.
In the first instance, where your team lost and the ball bounced your way, you would not want to show any signs of losing faith in your team or the game, otherwise they might not be inclined to give you another chance. So while you want to bet on games you think your team can win, you also don’t want to bet against them either, for the same reason.
How Much Damage Can A Bookmaker Do To Your Bankroll If They Play Dirty?
It is in your best interest as a sports bettor to avoid wagering with a bookmaker that plays by the ‘rules’ less than their competitors. Sometimes, in a moment of weakness, a bookmaker may resort to methods that are not at all legal, or that they could get penalized for using. So if you’re ever in doubt as to whether or not a bookmaker is cheating, or if they are just taking advantage of the fact you’re new to betting and don’t know any better, then it’s usually best to avoid them. Better to be safe than sorry, as they say.
While it’s good to get a good reputation as a sports bettor, it is also important to avoid doing anything that would cause you or your bookmaker to be banned from sports wagering. The truth is, nobody is perfectly honest in all aspects of life, and it’s likely some of your teammates don’t either. Being realistic about human nature will keep you out of trouble, and allow you to focus on the games without any distractions.
What Can You Do As A Bettor To Try And Avoid Overwhelming Losses?
As a sports bettor, you can do several things to avoid losing your bankroll, and having your season or even your whole career as a bettor be a massive drain on your financial resources. The following are some tips that just about any sports bettor can follow, to help ensure their financial future:
Create A Regular Budget.
A regular budget is important in any aspect of life, but it is especially vital if you are going to be regularly throwing your money away on gambling. By creating a budget and sticking to it, you are forcing yourself to think about where your money is going, and it’s a good way to find out if you need to cut back or increase your spending. In the case of the latter, it usually means you’re winning, and in need of more cash to keep up with your extravagant lifestyle.
Watch Out For Unwelcome Advances.
From the moment you started following sports betting tips, you have probably noticed that some sports bettors are much more generous with their betting tips than others. While this might seem like a good idea at first, betting on advice is often a surefire way to lose your money, because the person giving the advice makes money off your misfortune. If you see something fishy going on, it’s usually best to walk away. Remember, the only people who make money off your sports betting are the house. If they think you’re an easy mark, they’ll keep on coming at you, trying to trick you into continuing your wagering activities.
Don’t Bet Impulsively.
Most people who bet, either on sports or otherwise, do so because they lose control when they gamble. If you want to be a successful sports bettor, you need to learn to control your betting impulses. Betting on impulse isn’t just a bad idea in general, but in particular when bettors do it, they often lose large sums of money. Learning to wait for your betting instinct to kick in, and following it through, is a good way to approach betting, and much less likely to cause you to lose money. Waiting for your bet to settle down is also essential if you want to be a successful sports bettor.
Learn From Failures.
One of the biggest mistakes a bettor can make is to throw away all of the information they have gathered from previous experiences, and start from scratch with each new wager. This is often done when they are feeling particularly lucky, and want to roll the dice and see what comes up. However, when you do this, you often start to lose money quickly, because you aren’t taking advantage of all the information you have gathered over the course of your career. If you experience a loss, don’t be afraid to admit that you were at fault, and don’t be afraid to learn from it. Trying to hide your losses is often the cause of larger problems down the road.
Look For An Established Source.
When you are first getting involved in sports betting, it is quite tempting to search for the ‘best’ online source to place your wagers. After all, the more reputed the source, the more likely you are to win. While this might seem like a good idea at first, it can quickly turn into a trap. By searching for the best sites, you inadvertently place your wagers on places with a poor reputation, due to fear of losing your money. Reputable online sportsbooks usually put in place procedures and security measures that make sure your funds are safe, and allow you to gamble as worry-free as possible. If you want to keep your money in the long run, it’s usually best to avoid betting on unknown sites.