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Soccer Betting- Bankroll Management

In order for a betting undertaking to be successful and to result in profits, two basic criteria need to be satisfied: firstly, the bettor needs to be able to secure positive expected value on his wagers. This is easier said than done, but skilled bettors are quite capable of achieving this through handicapping, reverse handicapping and hunting for the hidden value. The second criteria is to manage one’s bankroll properly. Because the positive EV one is capable of securing through the above said means is quite minute, it takes time to show up in the actual results of the bettor. Meanwhile, the variance will have a devastating effect on every improperly managed bankroll.

When it comes to bankroll management, the advice available out there is diverse and often quite puzzling. The other day I read around and found something on one of the dime-a-dozen soccer article websites about how one should set him/herself a weekly/monthly target winnings-wise. The article recommended that when the set target was reached, the player should stop betting to avoid losing his/her bankroll. This thing doesn’t make any kind of sense on any level. If you’re winning, keep at it and ride the tide for as long as you can. Variance is a female dog and it will indeed be back to bite you in the rear quarters, but if you’re working with positive EV, you should definitely be making as many bets as possible. Of course, all this goes out the window if you’re working with negative EV, but I’m not discussing that possibility because I assume that if you’re not capable of securing EV+, you’re simply not playing. It doesn’t make any kind of sense to play with EV-, you may as well be giving away money.

Bankroll management isn’t about setting yourself limits on the number of bets you place, but rather about setting limits on the amount of money you wager on a single match-up. This is where most players get it wrong. They go on short winning streaks and they get greedy and post more money on individual games thinking that’s the best way to ride the streak. One should never – as a general rule – wager more on a single game than 2-3% of his overall bankroll. Sharps may go as high as 5% on games about which they feel strongly, but never more than that. This 2-3% ratio is best suited for weathering the winds of variance. Remember: successful soccer betting isn’t gambling. It’s a cold-blooded calculation backed by a solid mathematical model, which requires a certain kind of execution. If you’re gambling with your wagers, you’re not doing things right.

Now you may ask me how on earth you will be able to find EV+. After all, the bookie’s vig will pretty much defeat any kind of thusly directed move and in the case of Asian handicapping bets, one can’t even dream about such a thing. The answer goes a bit like this: steer clear of Asian handicapping and look for the hidden value. If the hidden value approach works in NFL betting, it will work in soccer betting too. Look for online bookies which offer their players sign-up bonuses and loyalty deals like the poker heaven rakeback. Some online bookies treat their players like prop sites treat poker props. These sites get poker props by giving them fabulous rake rebate percentages.