If you want to make sports betting easier and more fun, then follow these simple guidelines that will help you focus your resources and hopefully win you more in the long run.
1. Don't bet the favourite. Yes, favourites win often but so do the dogs. By limiting yourself to the dogs only, you're challenging yourself to make a difficult pick. This will result in less picks over time, reducing the house edge applied to yourself. Furthermore, most +EV situations come in on less-favourable 'dog' teams so this will hopefully help you discover more.
2. Don't bet the public team. There are certain teams that you should simply NEVER bet because of their perceived value. If the public is in love with a team, there are corresponding bets being made. This skews the line and puts the opposite team in valuable territory.
3. Don't bet props, alternate lines, parlays, teasers, etc. Until you are making money and able to fully utilize these tools, stay away from them. They are sucker bets for 99% of people and will simply confuse you in the long run. The juice is way too high anyways.
4. Don't take a stale line. Before you make any bet, check Covers' "Line Moves" to make sure you're getting the best possible number. This means, if the number was at anytime better than the number you have, don't bet it. This will also help train you in line movement analysis. This will chop a lot of your games out, especially if you're betting close to game time as the line has likely experienced some movement by then. A lot of people may disagree with this but let me ask you this: if someone got a product yesterday for $5; do you really want to pay $10 for the same product today? Even if you know the product is going up to $15 tomorrow, I'm the kind of the guy that's sour he didn't get in at $5 and may scoff at $10 in spite. Call it stupid or ignorant, but it will limit your plays which is a good thing for anybody. Also, if you never take a stale line and always predict the movement correctly then you'll always have the best number... then you're really #winning.
5. Bankroll management. Use percentages so your bets vary as your bankroll does. Anywhere from 1 to 5 percent is fine. Always vary your wager size by the edge you have on that game and not anything independent that has happened in the past (like losing your last few bets). Never gamble anything you can't afford to lose. Max 3 bets a day. And be responsible, it is your own hard-earned money after all.

*Disclaimer*
I understand that there is a time to bet the favourite and there may be +EV situations on public teams or what have you; but from a general perspective, these are great guidelines for beginners and veterans alike who find themselves constantly losing money or making errant picks. Also, feel free to add in anything you like.
1. Don't bet the favourite. Yes, favourites win often but so do the dogs. By limiting yourself to the dogs only, you're challenging yourself to make a difficult pick. This will result in less picks over time, reducing the house edge applied to yourself. Furthermore, most +EV situations come in on less-favourable 'dog' teams so this will hopefully help you discover more.
2. Don't bet the public team. There are certain teams that you should simply NEVER bet because of their perceived value. If the public is in love with a team, there are corresponding bets being made. This skews the line and puts the opposite team in valuable territory.
3. Don't bet props, alternate lines, parlays, teasers, etc. Until you are making money and able to fully utilize these tools, stay away from them. They are sucker bets for 99% of people and will simply confuse you in the long run. The juice is way too high anyways.
4. Don't take a stale line. Before you make any bet, check Covers' "Line Moves" to make sure you're getting the best possible number. This means, if the number was at anytime better than the number you have, don't bet it. This will also help train you in line movement analysis. This will chop a lot of your games out, especially if you're betting close to game time as the line has likely experienced some movement by then. A lot of people may disagree with this but let me ask you this: if someone got a product yesterday for $5; do you really want to pay $10 for the same product today? Even if you know the product is going up to $15 tomorrow, I'm the kind of the guy that's sour he didn't get in at $5 and may scoff at $10 in spite. Call it stupid or ignorant, but it will limit your plays which is a good thing for anybody. Also, if you never take a stale line and always predict the movement correctly then you'll always have the best number... then you're really #winning.
5. Bankroll management. Use percentages so your bets vary as your bankroll does. Anywhere from 1 to 5 percent is fine. Always vary your wager size by the edge you have on that game and not anything independent that has happened in the past (like losing your last few bets). Never gamble anything you can't afford to lose. Max 3 bets a day. And be responsible, it is your own hard-earned money after all.

*Disclaimer*
I understand that there is a time to bet the favourite and there may be +EV situations on public teams or what have you; but from a general perspective, these are great guidelines for beginners and veterans alike who find themselves constantly losing money or making errant picks. Also, feel free to add in anything you like.