How are you guys faring in your betting?

[GrantSorenson]

Started betting late 2015 with a $50 deposit using $5 units. Took me until Sept 2016 to gain enough confidence and a big enough bankroll to use $10 units. Started to take it more seriously around then and it's taken off since.

2016 ending BR: $1200
2017 ending BR: $7846
2018 current BR: $52198

Hope to have $1000 units by this time next year

Nice. Few questions.

Is it just MMA you bet or some other sports too?

How many hours per week would you say you spend watching fights?

Have you not been restricted by many books?

 

[Sadistics]

Nice. Few questions.

Is it just MMA you bet or some other sports too?

How many hours per week would you say you spend watching fights?

Have you not been restricted by many books?

Purely MMA. Probably spend about 30 hours a week watching fights if you include the live events. Been restricted at many books, currently using about 9 separate books and have found ways to create new accounts at certain books when needed. Luckily I have Pinnacle and Bookmaker available to me so limits will never be a big issue.

I've been treating it like a full time job this year while working part time to see if it's a realistic career path. If I can hit 100k within the next year I'm likely going all in.

Thanks for the kind words @t6p, always respected your opinions and admired your betting style.

 

[Reign Supreme]

I was profiting the last 3 weeks up until this past weekend. I stupidly bet on Hunt who looked like he could care less in his fight.

I also took a hit betting NFL yesterday. Thought the Pack was going trounce the Cards and they end up losing the game?! smh

 

[MMAOracle]

I was profiting the last 3 weeks up until this past weekend. I stupidly bet on Hunt who looked like he could care less in his fight.

I also took a hit betting NFL yesterday. Thought the Pack was going trounce the Cards and they end up losing the game?! smh

I bet on hunt as well but since i had little confidence,i went in 1u. So no biggie. I think that shin damage really immobilized him.

 

[PolarBearPaulVarelans]

I used to bet from 2006-2010, although I wasn't meticulous about writing down descriptions of fights and fighters and constantly learning about the sport, nor was I as knowledgeable. Still, I made a nice profit back then.

After not having followed MMA closely for 8 years, I started seriously watching again in May of this year. I then made a deposit October 11th or so this year, and now, 7 weeks later, I've already doubled that money.

 

[Social Distance Warrior]

Has anyone here had recent withdrawals through 5dimes or your particular bookie? Problems? Issues?

I've just heard some horror stories with off shore accounts.

 

[SalvadorAllende]

I bet small and just for fun. I put $ 200 in july or august. Reached $ 300 thanks to MMA, then I had a rough patch specially for betting on soccer and went under $ 200.

Now Im just focused on MMA and I think I have around $ 278.

Honestly if you avoid emotions and dont chase loses you will do fine... oh, and dont bet on soccer or live sports or shit when you are bored. I would be on the $ 500 range if it wasnt for that LOL.

Just dont bet on big favorites and dont do parlays and you will be just fine.
I dont bet on every fight and I dont watch tape. I bet against my favorites fighters without giult.
Also tail some sherdoggers with "live" dogs.

 

[MMAOracle]

I bet small and just for fun. I put $ 200 in july or august. Reached $ 300 thanks to MMA, then I had a rough patch specially for betting on soccer and went under $ 200.

Now Im just focused on MMA and I think I have around $ 278.

Honestly if you avoid emotions and dont chase loses you will do fine... oh, and dont bet on soccer or live sports or shit when you are bored. I would be on the $ 500 range if it wasnt for that LOL.

Just dont bet on big favorites and dont do parlays and you will be just fine.
I dont bet on every fight and I dont watch tape. I bet against my favorites fighters without giult.
Also tail some sherdoggers with "live" dogs.

Man...i must be a gambling degenerate. Anything less than 100 usd return seems almost meaningless. P
I think playing at the casino often has left an indelible mark in how i treat money lol.

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

Purely MMA. Probably spend about 30 hours a week watching fights if you include the live events. Been restricted at many books, currently using about 9 separate books and have found ways to create new accounts at certain books when needed. Luckily I have Pinnacle and Bookmaker available to me so limits will never be a big issue.

I've been treating it like a full time job this year while working part time to see if it's a realistic career path. If I can hit 100k within the next year I'm likely going all in.

Thanks for the kind words @t6p, always respected your opinions and admired your betting style.

Insane returns, but also at the cost of a significant time investment.

It's a bit like the stock market. If you put in the time and have proper discipline, you can rake in good numbers.

YOur returns are out of this world, though. Happy for you.

 

[Tyrrax]

I started gambling about 5 years ago, mostly just stuck to MMA, was up to like +18k all time early last year when I made the mistake of starting to bet on sports I know nothing about (foolishly tailing people in the pick of the day thread on reddit) got up to +30k aaaand then lost about 40k in a short period of time.

Took a break from gambling (since I couldn't afford it) and then started up again with a tiny bankroll at approx -10k a few months ago, sticking to mma/boxing/kickboxing only.

Currently +14652$ all time on gambling and pretty much doing it for a living now, trying to be smarter about it and while I'm still a fucking idiot sometimes, it's going great.
Wish there had been less luck and crazy risks involved in my current success, but I can't say I've been particularly smart.

Trying to learn from my MANY mistakes and be smarter now.

 

[MMAOracle]

I started gambling about 5 years ago, mostly just stuck to MMA, was up to like +18k all time early last year when I made the mistake of starting to bet on sports I know nothing about (foolishly tailing people in the pick of the day thread on reddit) got up to +30k aaaand then lost about 40k in a short period of time.

Took a break from gambling (since I couldn't afford it) and then started up again with a tiny bankroll at approx -10k a few months ago, sticking to mma/boxing/kickboxing only.

Currently +14652$ all time on gambling and pretty much doing it for a living now, trying to be smarter about it and while I'm still a fucking idiot sometimes, it's going great.
Wish there had been less luck and crazy risks involved in my current success, but I can't say I've been particularly smart.

Trying to learn from my MANY mistakes and be smarter now.

you should make an excel spreadsheet. From my analysis, I lost a quarter of my bankroll due to emotional betting. It was indeed difficult to climb back up.

 

[Roads55]

Deposit by credit card is 7.5%. Withdrawal is 80usd.

change books and never use them again, i can't fathom why anyone would use a book like that.. there has to be better options for you, spend a few hours looking at other books and you'll save hundreds or thousands. I assume your US based?

Yup. Martingale(doubling up after a loss) is dangerous. But a good strategy to make a quick come back.

as @GrantSorenson said it's never a good strategy.

 

[Roads55]

I'm doing pretty well atm, i think this will be my best year ever but have been hampered over the last few years by spending my winnings travelling rather than growing my bankroll. I've now got an actual job for the first time in 4 years to live off while i focus on growing my bankroll. 1 thing that I would do differently is focus very hard on limiting exposure when i started full time, along with trying to be mindful of the possibility of making big mistakes occasionally, rather than focusing a lot of time on milking an extra couple % profit.
Getting comfortable with your system takes time and trying to force progress too fast can leave you open to mistakes that we all make but often take a long time to stop for the most part. cutting down on mistakes that have caused me big losses this year has made me a lot more profitable so far, and takes pressure of yourself, and has saved me a lot of time trying to look for extra bets to try and make up for the losses.

Another important thing people can overlook is stress, managing stress is critical, it's good to take some time off at times, looking for good lines so you can bet a little less to win the same amount, hedging to limit exposure on larger bets i do a lot, even if it might be taking a tiny bit of value off your position it's irrelevant to me if it saves me a lot of stress when the fight is on, taking a minuscule haircut saves a lot of stress and potential degen plays. stuff like this, im sure you can think of others as well.
Being emotionally balanced and not being emotionally attached to your bets is a necessary also, it curbs the temptation to chase losses, and being balanced can also not make you overconfident and playing bets you wouldn't normally bet if you are coming of a big win ( this especially is underappreciated imo as most ppl try not to chase losses but overlook their change in emotions when they are winning)

Always be alert for those precious huge opportunities that sometimes come along. many times I've been too unorganized and missed chances of making a lot of money with little risk, for example not having cash in the right place to make a deposit to a certain book for big line movement or an opener, or freezing in the headlights during an obvious LB you should take, point being you never know when these opportunities will come along so always keep your eyes peeled.

 

[GrantSorenson]

Always be alert for those precious huge opportunities that sometimes come along. many times I've been too unorganized and missed chances of making a lot of money with little risk, for example not having cash in the right place to make a deposit to a certain book for big line movement or an opener, or freezing in the headlights during an obvious LB you should take, point being you never know when these opportunities will come along so always keep your eyes peeled.

This is a good point for sure. I think it ties in with my mentality of letting the right bets come to you rather than searching out for bets. If you see a fight card you might automatically think that one fighter is a good bet to win. Tape study can back that up or make you decide not to bet on it. One thing I learned is that there are always going to be fights where you get a feeling that the line is off and you feel like it's a good opportunity. It can happen at any time and it's guaranteed to happen so it's good to be ready at all times for that. I find that when I start seeking out bets it's not good.

 

[Deleted member 448575]

Started betting on MMA about 5 years ago when I was studying at University. Never had proper bankroll management and at times displayed compulsive behavior. Now I have a well-paid job and I'm a lot more cautious with my money. I don't spend a lot of time watching tape but I do place a bet maybe once or twice a month when I see a line that I like. Trying to make a few extra k per year. Have started investing in the stock market as well and I spend more time on that than on betting.

 

[Ryan Kelly]

Up 80.9 units since July when I started keeping meticulous records. I did decently well during first half of this year but I don’t know exactly how well. I suspect I was profitable during 17. Massive loser from ‘15-‘17.

 

[wessnipes]

Hi guys,

I'm a UK based sports bettor. I bet on all sports as an income for the last 10years+. I'm not a winner on MMA though, just a big fan, so I dip in here occasionally to see what the opinions are.

In general though, in terms of being successful long term in sports betting I echo some who have said paying 7.5% to deposit and fees to withdraw is nuts. If you thought you had an edge, you've lost it there already.

Also its weird to see some people saying they are doing well after just 1-6 months. Its a loooooong game and variance is a massive rollercoaster. Short term results are much of a muchness. Encouraging, perhaps. But nothing to write home (or forum) about.

People over estimate picks and under estimate price. Price is key. I bet on sports I have no idea about successfully, just based on understanding this. I know its greatly restricted at the moment in the US, but betting in just 1 place is a bad idea (which is why parlays are technically losing propositions, although fun) as you absolutely must shop around. In Europe we can use at 1000's of betting sites and betting exchanges (Pinnacle and Marathonbet are must have accounts), but the idea remains the same....someone you would pass on at +250 becomes a massive bet at +350 for example, and that can be the ranges on offer between companies.

Would be interesting to hear from people who have a bit more of a long term background and understanding of betting here though.

Congrats to @Sadistics and those who put the hours in with this. Good to see you getting returns for your work, hope it continues!

 

[PolarBearPaulVarelans]

Hi guys,

I'm a UK based sports bettor. I bet on all sports as an income for the last 10years+. I'm not a winner on MMA though, just a big fan, so I dip in here occasionally to see what the opinions are.

In general though, in terms of being successful long term in sports betting I echo some who have said paying 7.5% to deposit and fees to withdraw is nuts. If you thought you had an edge, you've lost it there already.

Also its weird to see some people saying they are doing well after just 1-6 months. Its a loooooong game and variance is a massive rollercoaster. Short term results are much of a muchness. Encouraging, perhaps. But nothing to write home (or forum) about.

People over estimate picks and under estimate price. Price is key. I bet on sports I have no idea about successfully, just based on understanding this. I know its greatly restricted at the moment in the US, but betting in just 1 place is a bad idea (which is why parlays are technically losing propositions, although fun) as you absolutely must shop around. In Europe we can use at 1000's of betting sites and betting exchanges (Pinnacle and Marathonbet are must have accounts), but the idea remains the same....someone you would pass on at +250 becomes a massive bet at +350 for example, and that can be the ranges on offer between companies.

Would be interesting to hear from people who have a bit more of a long term background and understanding of betting here though.

Congrats to @Sadistics and those who put the hours in with this. Good to see you getting returns for your work, hope it continues!

All true statements. I'm in the US, but if I continue to make money and this becomes more viable as a revenue source, I will seriously consider ways to open up an account on Pinnacle.

 

[thehighking]

Awful. Seem to be losing every fight I bet on. Still waiting for that big win so I can quit gambling on a high

 

[MMAOracle]

well guys, I am finally dead even. my winnings paid for the 7.5% deposit fee as well as the 80 withdrawal fee. I hope I can continue to do well. here is the weird thing tho...I keep on winning on parlays... from my rough calculation, my parlays ROI is around 40%