The Rainman's Rules are must reading material for anyone who wagers on sports. A condensed version of the Rainman's Rules was first published several years ago when I wrote an article for The Sports Betting Guide. Money management and self discipline are the most important parts of sports betting. Read these rules, think about them, and then read them again. They won't guarantee you success, but they will give you a much better chance in a game where the odds are normally stacked against you. Every suggestion made here is based on over 30 years experience as both a sports gambler and a professional handicapper. Some very hard lessons were learned during those 30 years. I'll share the experience with you for free.
Sports wagering is unlike almost any other type of gambling in this country in that you actually have an excellent chance of success, provided you are well prepared, well disciplined, and well informed. As opposed to most casino games, where the outcome of your wager is based entirely on chance and the odds are always in the house's favor, the odds on sports wagering are not inherently in the bookmaker's favor because you can choose either side of the bet, and you know the line before you place the bet.
There is, however, a right way and a wrong way to wager on sporting events. The vast majority - let me say that again - the vast majority - of players lose money wagering on sports because of three basic mistakes: 1. They lack the self discipline required to follow the "rules" which can make them successful, 2. They do not understand money management, and 3. They are inadequately informed as to injuries, line moves, and weather conditions. Our "Tips on Successful Sports Wagering" covers those three problem areas, and several others, with basic guidelines that have proven to be successful over many years of sports wagering.
Following these guidelines certainly will not guarantee success, but it will guarantee a much greater chance of success, and it will put you in control of the wagers you make instead of being controlled by the losses most players incur.
1. Have at least 3 places to play, and check the lines at all 3 before you place a bet. It has always amazed me that a person thinking about buying a car, a major appliance, a new suit, or even in some cases a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk, will shop different stores, compare prices and take the best deal available, but that same person will wait until the last minute to place a bet and take whatever line the bookmaker gives him. Having more that one place to play gives you the opportunity to get the best line available. While the actual betting line only comes into play on about 30% of the games, over the course of a football season, a 1/2 pt. or 1 pt. difference in the line you get can make the difference between winning or losing 4 or 5 games, and for a 0 player that is an 800 to 1000 swing in your season results.
2. Once you've established your 3 places to play, get your betting limit set at 2 or 3 times the amount you intend to bet on each play. If you're a 100 player, get your limit set at 300 per play. There will be times, although seldom, when a play may also want to be able to make a larger play than you normally are comfortable with if you are significantly ahead, and playing with "the other guy's money". We'll discuss that possibility a little later under money management.
Establish your own personal goals for your sports wagering. Determine whether you want to wager just for fun or for profit. There is a tremendous difference between wagering for fun and wagering for a living. Never, never underestimate the importance of those differences. Once you have determined which way you want to play, don't try to mix the two. You can only do one or the other. For instance, if you start off just playing for fun, say per play, and you decide you'd like to up your bets and try to make some money, you'll have to make some serious changes in the way you play. You must know exactly what you expect from sports wagering, and then you must play accordingly.
Now that you've got 2 or 3 places to play, you've established your limits at 2 to 3 times your normal play, and you've set your own personal goals that you're comfortable with, we can go on to the guidelines covering the three areas we pointed out earlier that keep most players from being successful.