The Life of a Full-Time Professional Sports Bettor

Ever wondered what it’s like to bet on sports for a living? It sure beats working a 9-5 or greeting customers at Wal-Mart, that’s for sure. But it’s also more stressful and requires some mental toughness, organization and skill. This isn’t an occupation for everyone. Most people lose at sports betting. So I wanted to give you an idea of what a day in the life of a professional sports bettor entails. After reading this, you can decide if the occupation is right for you…or if you’re better suited for working for The Man:

Watching and Analyzing Ballgames

We all love sports, right? This is the fun part. If you don’t reside in Nevada, perhaps it would be a smart idea to get the DirectTV sports packages so you can watch as many games as possible. While your friends spend their workdays creating boring Excel spreadsheets, answering calls from angry customers or flipping burgers, you will spend your days watching sporting events. That doesn’t suck.

Searching for the Best Odds

Whether you live in Nevada and have access to local sportsbooks or bet online, you need to research the sportsbooks with the best odds. This includes parlay and teaser odds, as well as lines on individual games. Also, make sure you’re aware if the sportsbook considers ties a loss. Successful professional sports bettors don’t limit their bets to one sportsbook. They shop around to find the best odds. If you’re getting the Jets at –3 at, say, BetOnline but the line is –2.5 at Carbon Sports, doesn’t it make sense to place your wager at Carbon Sports? That half point makes more of a difference in the long run than you might think.

Waiting to See How the General Public Bets

You have to pay attention to the line right up until game time. Sometimes, you will find a favorable line right away and will want to jump all over it. Other times, you will wait to see how the general public bets. Why? Because the general public is clueless. So if they bet heavily on one team because they perceive that team to be great, you can find some steals betting against the general public. The lines fluctuate based on how the gamblers are wagering. Waiting for the public to bet on teams you think are overrated will make you money.

Managing Your Money

Bankroll management is crucial. You absolutely must be good with money. You need to know exactly where your bets are placed, how much you have on the line, how much you could potentially win, how much your expenses are and how much money you have in the bank. You need to set a monthly budget to determine how much you can afford to wager each month. An irresponsible sports bettor is a broke sports bettor. After setting your monthly budget, you must break it down even more. Determine how much you can afford to bet per sporting event. Never exceed this amount or, again, you’ll end up broke fast.

Sports betting is fun. But if you want to turn it into a profession, you need to have money in the bank to cover living expenses for a few months. You will hit some bad stretches along the way. It’s all part of the game. This is a high stress occupation but it’s entertaining and potentially highly rewarding…if you’ve got game.