Originally Posted by
Number Freak
Pokerjoe,
Would you agree it is possible to assemble data and perform math calculations without using a DB/program?
Would you also agree that "instinct" is graded on an individual basis?
I naturally tend to agree with your high regards of math over instinct. I'll tell anyone who will listen that numbers (or tracking) will tell you more than just going by "instinct", or what you think you know. The catch is, there are different levels of instinct. Instincts are formed by observations. We all do not observe with the same degree of skill. Regarding sports (in-game or between games), if you're an especially perceptive person that notices things the average guy doesn't, and you've followed sports for a long-enough time to assemble a large sample size of "observed experience", there's no doubt you can achieve a profitable edge on instinct alone, assuming your fundamentals are sound. Instinct can also help you identify which team is more motivated better than data can. Motivation is huge. You also need good money management, discipline and patience once you realize these +EV situations may not surface every day.
When you get several situations to line up for the same event, i.e. the Lakers getting blown out in Game 4 in Houston, the body language and general reaction to the loss by the Lakers players, Magic Johnson calling Kobe and the rest of the team out on ESPN saying they disgraced the organization, him, fans, the city, etc., it all adds up to a strongly motivated effort in the next game. I also realized Houston was playing on emotion in that Game 4 after losing Yao for the rest of the year and that they would likely not sustain that in the next game. A good friend of mine called me on Monday and I told him to take the Lakers despite the -12. I said they would win by 25. I undershot it by 15. No math or numbers were going to tell me what my senses did. I'm just saying there's no universal method except for using ALL methods that are useful.
The players on the field, court, ice, whatever, use data to formulate a gameplan but when it comes down to crunch time, motivation, skill and instinct usually take over and make the difference. Sports betting can be an extension of that to some degree. You need to build the perfect beast of data, skill, instinct, MM, and discipline and there are varying degrees of each quality. The more it all comes together, the better (or "bettor") we'll be.