“Dave” was thrilled.  It was Sunday night and he was down $300 for the week betting sports.   Weird.  He was happy being down sports betting?  Was he a glutton for punishment?  Possibly.  But Dave was right to be happy and had adopted the Sharp Approach.

Dave was stuck $900 Sunday morning as a few strong hockey plays didn’t go his way (shootout losses, bad bounces in 1 goal games, etc).  He entered the NFL Sunday in a poor head space, feeling ‘unlucky’.  He thought he was due to win and thought about pressing (increasing) his bet size to get even.  But, he didn’t, he stuck to the Sharp Approach – level headed wagering.  He saw value in only one NFL underdog.  He bet $300 ATS and $135 ML at 2.25-1 – the same amounts he usually bet on what he deemed to be solid value plays.  The dog won (in a close game) and Dave won $600 total.  His net weekly loss was now ‘only’ $300.

Unlike “Mike” (see article “It’s a Lock”), Dave didn’t let his emotions get the better of him and didn’t act on the urge to get even.  He made a strong value play and caught the break of winning a close game.  Dave is focused on the long term and understands losing $300 in a wk is 3x better than being down the $900 he had been down.  He isn’t thinking ‘had I bet more I’d be even’, he’s thinking ‘I was down a lot, stuck to my Sharp Approach and am now down a little and grinding away’.

Going forward, “Dave” can methodically bet his favourite value plays without emotion.  He is not likely to chase and should enjoy more success than “Mike” long term.

Last modified: March 18, 2023