Newbie questions

[RAVENSFAN]

Hi Guys, I'm new here so move this thread mods if it doesnt belong. But it is solely related to NFL handicapping as that's the only sport I bet and have been looking for a place to get some answers/feedback and thoughts.
So, with that being said here is the 2 biggest questions I have;

1) Bankroll Management? - What's the best way to bet football, as in should I just be betting on each game seperately? That seems to be what I see a lot and I'm not sure what the best way to bet is. Ie: how many parlays per week? Or How many games per week should I bet? And then last thing to go along with this topics is - What percentage of my bankroll should I bet on each game and on a Sunday for example. Note: current roll is about 240 bucks.

2) sportsbooks - I'm in Canada so the only book I know a lot about and always use is: Sports Interaction. And they LOVE to screw ppl like me who are just learning, ie: yesterday I lost over 180 bucks profit between two tickets. They had Houston at 4.5 the whole week and also had Colts as 3.5 the whole week. As you read above my bankroll is only 240ish so that would have meant substantial increase if I had of got these picks at -4 on the texans and -3 on the colts. So where should I be playing at? Or what sportsbook is Canadian friendly and trustworthy to withdraw from that would give me some other lines to look at at least?

Thanks in advance. I appreciate any information you guys could provide here and I love this forum!

[RAVENSFAN]

Bump

any help out there now that MNF has wrapped up? Thanks to everyone who said 1H under. That lucky fumble put me just over 300 now for a roll.
Thanks

[frizzelli]

Bookmaker, TheGreek and 5dimes and your a fellow canuck so pinnacle 4 good choices.
Cheers

[frizzelli]

My hatred for SIA is what lead me to this forum.

[RAVENSFAN]

lol THANKS man! I HATE them for sure. Ill look into all 4 and see what the lines are like for this upcoming week and swing half my money to each of the top 2 that I like. Any tips for the bankroll management question?

[RAVENSFAN]

Tuesday crowd? Bankroll management help?

[CHAZ]

Most people like to keep there bets to about 10% of there bankroll. You don't want one bet to kill your other winners or your whole bankroll

[D3 Mighty Ducks]

Welcome I'm from Canada to and I use a local book but a sportsbook thats trustworthy I would recommend Pinnacle. As to answer your money management when I first started betting years ago I started with 300 bucks, close to what you have. A lot of "newbies" if thats what you want to call it rely on parlays to try to double, triple their money but thats not how to suceed. Before you know parlay after parlay you'll realize you won't have anything to bet with.

Best way to turn your $240 into some serious cash is by playing smart. Parlay bets are sucker bets period! Straight bets are the way to suceed in this business and if you don't feel comfortable playing big juice on moneylines then be smart and pass on the game. If you are going to play parlays then don't bother putting more then 2 teams/totals, its just stupid. Tail the right people on here and you could be rich in no time

[RAVENSFAN]

Thanks Chaz. Also MD thanks to you too. I just signed up for Pinnacle after reading some good stuff about it and seeing that even to start the week off they have my Ravens at -13 and not -13.5 like the old Sports Interaction. Last week I got screwed on "the hook" as I've learned. I like the straight bet idea tho and I think I'll just bet $20 per straight bet on maybe the top 5 games I like with one small $10 2-3 team small parlay. I already have your thread bookmarked. Could you PM me or post here if you're not shy to let me know who the Top 3 ppl to tail are? Thanks again man!

[hubie69]

The Bankroll thing, well, you'll get several different answers on here and they're probably all quasi right. It's a personal thing. I usually do 5-10% of my bankroll, typically closer to 5%. If I have a game I love I'll go sometimes as high as 10%. I don't usually have one of those but once every couple of weeks.

If you're smart with your money and where you bet it, that 300 bucks can go a long way. Stick with one thing, and do it well. Be it spreads, ML's, O/U's, NFL/NCAA, etc. You'll find it's much easier to start that way.

--Big daddy Hubz

[RAVENSFAN]

Thanks Hubie, I really like the idea of 5% always and then 10% on strong bets kinda thing. I just keep hearing UNITS everywhere and know ppl that are say a $100 bettor would count their units in $100 increases so I wasn't sure what % a UNIT would be of my bankroll. I think I'll start by just focusing on sticking to the 5% rule and most I'll do is 10% on maybe one STRONG lean. I am definitely just sticking to NFL and gonna tail some good guys on here and see if my thoughts=their thoughts. And I think I'll just stick to the spreads to begin with unless I'm getting really good value on a ML I like that = my thoughts on the game.
Thanks

[RAVENSFAN]

The other thing I wasn't sure about was HOW MUCH of my bankroll should I be betting on a Sunday for example. Obv the biggest day in NFL betting so If I use the 5% rule thats currently $15 per game straight betting like I'm going to. Should I limit myself to only picking 5 games I like and keeping 75% of my bankroll behind? Thanks all again

[rsnnh12]

I agree with what these guys have said. 5-10% is reasonable. It won't get you rich quick, but you won't be broke after a loss or 2 either. Slow and steady wins this race.

Parlays are fun to throw a couple dollars on, but not good to throw big percentages on. Teasers can be useful if you are not 100% sold on a game, but keep them to 4 teams or less.

Best piece of advice I've gotten from this site is- don't chase! If you lose a few games, take a couple days off. Don't try to win all of your money back with a last minute bet. Take a few days to regroup, and step away from betting. You need to bet with a level head to win money, and chasing will crush you.

Good luck with your bets.

Sincerely,
A Patriots fan

[rsnnh12]

The other thing I wasn't sure about was HOW MUCH of my bankroll should I be betting on a Sunday for example. Obv the biggest day in NFL betting so If I use the 5% rule thats currently $15 per game straight betting like I'm going to. Should I limit myself to only picking 5 games I like and keeping 75% of my bankroll behind? Thanks all again

Only bet the games you are comfortable with. If you only like 3 games, bet on them. Don't worry about betting too much on a day, as long as you are confident with your bets. If you feel really strongly about 3 bets, but still want more action, maybe toss together a parlay for those 3 teams, or a small teaser on underdogs/parlay on ML faves. Most important thing is, not betting big just to bet. A couple dollars on a parlay or teaser won't break you, and fills that need to have some action.

[dataz722]

Thanks Chaz. Also MD thanks to you too. I just signed up for Pinnacle after reading some good stuff about it and seeing that even to start the week off they have my Ravens at -13 and not -13.5 like the old Sports Interaction. Last week I got screwed on "the hook" as I've learned. I like the straight bet idea tho and I think I'll just bet $20 per straight bet on maybe the top 5 games I like with one small $10 2-3 team small parlay. I already have your thread bookmarked. Could you PM me or post here if you're not shy to let me know who the Top 3 ppl to tail are? Thanks again man!

First off just let me say that I am a huge diehard ravens fan as well but I would avoid taking them this weekend against Buffalo. I don't by any means think they will lose but I am not very confident that they will cover. In fact, if I could bring myself to bet against Baltimore I would probably take Buffalo this week.

The other thing I wasn't sure about was HOW MUCH of my bankroll should I be betting on a Sunday for example. Obv the biggest day in NFL betting so If I use the 5% rule thats currently $15 per game straight betting like I'm going to. Should I limit myself to only picking 5 games I like and keeping 75% of my bankroll behind? Thanks all again

Just bet however many games you like that week. If you go in saying I am betting 5 games but only like 3 or 4 you will end up just taking some other games just for the hell of it. That isn't a wise bet. Other times you might really like 6 or 7 bets and wouldn't want to limit yourself to only 5 of those.

[RAVENSFAN]

Hey thanks Data. I like what you said about not going for a certain # for the hell of it but just going for the games I LIKE. My main concern is not betting too much of my total bankroll on one day, but it seems as though there is no real # for how much TOTAL of ur roll u should have on the table in one day. It's just more of a confidence thing in the games you really like. Gotcha!
Thanks

[Ca$hfloW]

Doing 1% o bankroll per unit is the smartest thing to do if you want to continue to grow your account for the long run, I know it's frustrating to bet this small but this is the smartest way until you further your bankroll

[RAVENSFAN]

WOW thats surprising to me. I dont mind takin it slow and steady but just 1% seems low. however i guess if you use that as your units then doing a 5 unit play as my top pick would make more sense and not hurt my roll near as bad. lots of good things to think about here. Thanks Ca$hflow