What to Do About a Losing Streak

Losing isn’t fun to talk about, but it is inevitable that sooner or later you are going to have to deal with several losses in a row.  As a beginner, this sort of thing may actually happen quite often (which is why it is a very good idea to bet on paper before you bet with real money!).  Even if you become a successful bettor, however, you will have to face the occasional losing streak. 

When losing streaks happen, there are a lot of different emotions you might experience.  At core though is usually a feeling that you have lost control and that you no longer have the power to bring in winning bets.  This can lead to panic.  At that point, you might feel tempted to stop betting altogether, or even to bet more money or with greater frequency to try and chase your losses. Both are poor ideas which will only make things worse.  Instead, here is what you should do:

1.  Ask yourself whether the losing streak is abnormal or not.  No system will perform at a success rate of 100%, and odds are you have calculated that you can expect losses every now and again.  Is the losing streak you are dealing with unusual in that respect?  If not, try and bet as you normally would and wait for a correction.  If it is, though, it is a good time to stop betting and figure out what is going on.

2.  Have a look at your betting strategies and try and figure out if you are doing something wrong, like breaking your system rules.  Alternately, has anything changed in the sports world which could explain why your strategies are no longer working?  Do you need to adjust your techniques to adapt to these changes? 

3. Are you the reason for your losses?  Are you betting without discipline or betting while you are emotional or in the wrong frame of mind or environment?

4. Ask for help online if you need to.  Other sports bettors in the community have been where you are right now and can give you great suggestions for turning your losses around.

5. Try testing some adjustments to your betting strategies.  Do this on paper only at this point and wait until you get profitable results before you go back to betting live with real money.

6. Start betting again.  If you can, bet only about 50% of what you normally would until you are feeling comfortable again.  At that point, go back to your standard percentage.

With those simple steps, you can get back to a place where you feel like you are in control.  Remember, in a business of risk like sports betting, you are never 100% in control, but as long as you are betting responsibly, you can manage your risk and win consistently—even with the occasional losing streak.  So try not to let you get it down; everybody has one sooner or later!