PROJ SoccerBet | $100 to $6000

A Wealth of Soccer Statistics

2011-11-14T00:18:00.000-08:00

Another wonderful website which give you lots of statistics that you can spend your day going through. The fasinating thing about this site is the wealth of leagues that you can access, from the popular English Premier League to my local S-League. No matter which country you are in, you are bound to be able to find information about it. Enjoy! www.wsn.com

Make Money Betting - Beat the Bookies

2008-09-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked to help make a review on a method of betting called Matched Betting. What is it about? In short it is a way to win money off any betting exchange or bookmaker giving out free bets or bonus. I have gone through the whole process and find it confusing at first. Reading it through a couple of times really help to get the idea across. The key to making this profitable really emphasize on patience and really doing your homework. Loads of information can be found on the website itself. Go read through a few times and see if this way of betting suits you.

Earn Free Money in 8 Steps
1. Do your research
2. Join a cashback website
3. Join a betting exchange
4. Choose a free bet
5. Find the best odds
6. Place your qualifying bet
7. Place your free bet
8. Collect your winnings

The Gambler's Fallacy

2008-09-18T00:04:00.000-07:00

The biggest gambling myth is that an event that has not happened recently becomes overdue and more likely to occur. This is known as the "gambler's fallacy." Thousands of gamblers have devised betting systems that attempt to exploit the gambler's fallacy by betting the opposite way of recent outcomes. For example, waiting for three reds in roulette and then betting on black. Hucksters sell "guaranteed" get-rich-quick betting systems that are ultimately based on the gambler's fallacy. None of them work. If you don't believe me here is what some other sources say on the topic.
A common gamblers' fallacy called 'the doctrine of the maturity of the chances' (or 'Monte Carlo fallacy') falsely assumes that each play in a game of chance is not independent of the others and that a series of outcomes of one sort should be balanced in the short run by other possibilities. A number of 'systems' have been invented by gamblers based largely on this fallacy; casino operators are happy to encourage the use of such systems and to exploit any gambler's neglect of the strict rules of probability and independent plays. -- Encyclopedia Britannica (look under "gambling.")
No betting system can convert a subfair game into a profitable enterprise... -- Probability and Measure (page 94, second edition) by Patrick Billingsley
The number of 'guaranteed' betting systems, the proliferation of myths and fallacies concerning such systems, and the countless people believing, propagating, venerating, protecting, and swearing by such systems are legion. Betting systems constitute one of the oldest delusions of gambling history. Betting systems votaries are spiritually akin to the proponents of perpetual motion machines, butting their heads against the second law of thermodynamcis. -- The Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic (page 53) by Richard A. Epstein

From The Wizard of Odds

How to be rich through soccer betting - Part 1

2008-09-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

Everyone who do bet on soccer or other sports will definitely at some point in time ask themselves this question. Can I get rich by gambling? Can I one day depend on gambling(whatever form it may be) as a source of stable income? Seriously try asking some people out there how do they view gambling they would tell you it is a form of entertainment which serve more as a spice to life or to watching a soccer match. But can it be otherwise?

Is investing any better than gambling?

2008-09-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

Gambling is a form of risk taking, the odds are laid out before you on the possibility of each outcome and based on your judgement, instinct or calculation placed your bet on the most possible outcome. What is investing then? I thought about it for quite some time but could not fathom how to put it across so I did what most internet-savvy people would do and did a GOOGLE on it. Here is the most appropriate answer I think best describe the term Investing.

"Investing is when you use your savings to buy something you think will earn a decent amount of income and/or go up in value over time."

Quoted from http://www.aarp.org/money/personal/articles/investing.html

See the key words? Investment is not risk-free, in today's stock market, thinking and predicting which stock will go up or down even with detailed analysis will not necessary bring you a handsome profit.

A rather famous saying from my army days really hit the bulleye

"You think, I thought, Who confirm?"

Everything starts fresh

2008-08-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

The first week of the English Premier League has passed. I was deciding whether to bet on the very first week of the competition since results does not usually reflect the teams' strengths and weaknesses so early in the season. But we do see Chelsea going into a flying start with a 4-0 win over Portsmouth and Man Utd managing just a draw with the Magpies. It will be interesting to see how this season is heading in terms of the top 4 finishing but all that said, the main objective of this site will be as what the title suggest - How to make $6000 from a starting capital of $100. The capital will start again from $100.

Who will be your starting 11?

2008-08-01T03:04:00.001-07:00

No, you cannot choose all the Ronaldos and Torres as you only have a fix budget of £115 millions to buy your top 11 players. Pretty decent comments on each player. Why not give it a try? http://fantasyfootball.sg.msn.com/default.aspx

My Team

Just one more time...

2008-07-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

How many times have you say that to yourself when you lose a bet in soccer or which ever form of gambling you may choose? Many a times, most of us do not realise we are becoming addicts to gambling similar to what a drug addict is addicted to drugs. The symptoms may not be exactly the same but somewhat are similar in some ways.

Drug addicts often know they are doing the wrong thing(taking drugs) but are unable to drag themselves out of the pit when the body and mind crave for the kick out of taking drugs = Gambling addicts often know they are doing the wrong thing(gambling) but are unable to drag themselves out of the pit when the mind crave for the kick out of gambling.

Drug addicts usually die from poisoning from drugs or complications developed from taking drugs = Gambling addicts usually go bankrupt or commit suicide from gambling losses or complications from gambling losing streaks.

Drug addicts usually are able to recover from drug addiction through support from family and external help = Gambling addicts usually are able to recover from gambling addiction through support from family and external help.

Drug addiction can be cured if treated and acknowledged = Gambling addiction can be cured if treated and acknowledged.

Countdown to the New EPL Season

2008-07-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

As the new EPL season draws near, all the teams in the EPL are looking to strengthen their squad. The odds are out and for the next 2 weeks before the season starts. We can try to sort out who to put our money on to be the champions at the end of the season.

Are you addicted to gambling?

2008-02-20T17:34:00.000-08:00

What is Problem Gambling?
Problem gambling or gambling addiction is a progressive condition similar to addiction to alcohol or drugs. Persons with a gambling addiction have difficulty controlling their gambling behaviour, even when it has serious negative consequences for them and their families. Their gambling behaviour increases over time, both in frequency and amount wagered.

What Are The Three Stages of Gambling Addiction?
Problem gambling develops from social gambling and a person typically goes through 3 stages in developing an addiction:

The Winning Phase
The person starts gambling as a social pastime, experiences the euphoria of winning and this fuels further gambling behaviour.

The Losing Phase
In this phase the gambler starts to lose control and becomes impulsive. He tries to win back his losses. If losses accumulate, he will lie and cover up to escape detection.

The Desperation Phase
At this phase, life is out of control as losses become unmanageable. Gamblers feel powerless, remorseful and desperate.

What Are The Signs of Problem Gambling?
How does one know if he is merely gambling socially or has he fallen into gambling addiction?

These are some signs to look out for:
Gambling longer than intended
Gambling until the last dollar is spent
Thoughts of gambling losses cause stress e.g. loss of sleep, depression or even suicide
Using income or savings to gamble while letting bills go unpaid
Repeated but unsuccessful attempts to give up or control gambling
Borrowing money to finance one’s gambling needs

The above is taken from National Council on Gambling Problem, Singapore.

3 Tips to ensure a sure win soccer betting season

2008-02-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

1) Make 1 bet per week
Many punters bet on several matches every weekend hoping they can win most of the matches but the truth is the more matches you place your bet on, the more matches you have to win to cover your capital and most winning bets are usually less than the bet amount which means if you place 2 bets, winning 1 match and losing the other will likely mean you still lose some money. So the best thing to do is to place just 1 bet per week.

2) Prepare a Staking Plan and stick to it
Let's face it, most of us are working class who draw a monthly salary. Most of us do not have endless cash to plunge into soccer betting. Staking without any planning will eventually suck you dry when you come up against a bad patch. Decide on an amount you want to set aside and divide it into 5-7 bets. Say if you have $600 as your capital for the month. You can divide it by 30 which means you will use $20 as your starting bet, next bet will be $40, $80,$160 and $320. This gives you 5 bets to play with if you stick to placing 1 bet per month. The staking plan can be flexible depending on how much risk you are willing to take.

3) Have discipline and stick to 1 bet per week
No matter if you lose the bet for the week, tell yourself there is always next week to fight back. I think this is the most important part which most of us fail to follow. We try to recoup our losses and in the end the anxiety will just cloud our judgement and we end up losing more on the same night or week. The season is long and there are 38 weeks of soccer to bet on. If you can win 10% of your bet for 30 bets out of 38 bets say if your starting capital is $500, you will net yourself a nifty sum of about $16000!!! How about that!

Soccer Advice of the Day - Bet against the majority

2008-01-31T17:03:00.000-08:00

There is a chinese saying that is relative to the views and reality of any form of gambling - 十赌九输 and translated means "For every 10 bets you place, 9 bets will be lost". It is very true in the sense that not many gamblers can making gambling profitable. Take for example for every $10 you bet on you are bound to lose $9 and for the $1 you won, the odds might only be 2 to 3 times your bet amount which means you only got back $3. If this is true for all punters then for every soccer match 90% of the people who placed bets are likely to lose the bet. Going by this theory does not really help us to pinpoint which match is going to turn out that way. But there is a way, every now and then there are bound to be lopsided matches which small clubs meet big clubs and come up with a good result. The odds are good but basically every 10 lopsided matches there will be 1 match where money can be made.

Are you addicted to gambling?

2007-12-18T20:25:00.000-08:00

Below are a list of questions to ask yourself to see if you have a addiction problem.

1. Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling?
2. Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?
3. Did gambling affect your reputation?
4. Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
5. Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties?
6. Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
7. After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses?
8. After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more?
9. Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone?
10. Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?
11. Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
12. Were you reluctant to use "gambling money" for normal expenditures?
13. Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?
14. Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned?
15. Have you ever gambled to escape worry or trouble?
16. Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?
17. Did gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
18. Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?
19. Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
20. Have you ever considered self destruction or suicide as a result of your gambling?

If you answer Yes to 7 or more of the questions above. You could be a complusive gambler and might need some help.

Email to: isomain@gamblersanonymous.org if you need advice.

Risk Free Betting - Progress so far

2007-12-12T17:09:00.000-08:00

It has been 3 months plus since the English Premier League(EPL) season started and it has been that long also when i started this little project to prove a point that we can win money in soccer betting with proper staking, fairly good forecast and a little bit of luck. 3 months later, if you have been following my progress i have almost triple my $100. It may not be much to some of the punters out there but a point can be drawn from here. If you have looked through my track record you will find that my forecast is actually fairly average so far, littered with losing streaks and a couple of winning streaks. Basically i can say my winning picks and losing picks are 50-50. Then why am i able to get from $100 to $300 till date? It is the staking plan i adopted and the systematic way to distribute the bets to ensure that I will be able to endure a losing streak and ride on a winning streak.

Customizing your own betting plan

2007-11-30T21:06:00.000-08:00

There are a few questions you have to ask yourself when you want to start your own little soccer betting expedition. There is no right or wrong methods to use when it comes to betting or gambling. It is just a matter of the amount of risk you have to manage for the kind of goals you have set. Below are a few questions which i think is essential to ask yourself when you come up with your staking plans.

1) Decide on how much starting capital you can put aside to start your soccer betting season. The money you set aside MUST be surplus which means it is money you can afford to lose. List down your monthly expenses. Get a clear picture of your financial situation 1st before you allocate your budget. Remember, this is the 1st and most important step.

2) Decide on what you intend to play. 1X2, parlays, asian handicaps, over/under. There are so many different kinds of bets you can make in a single match, do your analysis and decide what kind of bet you want to bet on(I will cover the analysis portion some time later) and stick to it throughout the season.

3) Decide on a goal or target. Give yourself a achievable winning goal. Say you intend to start with $100. A realistic target will be to make $100-$500 more in a month with that capital. Setting yourself an achievable goal will help to keep implusive betting in check and at the same time helps to gauge your progress for the month easily.

4) Decide when to stop. This point goes hand in hand with the 1st point of this post. Once you get a clear picture on how much you can afford to feed your soccer betting needs a month. When you lose this amount on the 1st week of Nov, there will be no soccer betting until Dec starts. I know this sounds difficult but trust me this is very important.

England to qualify for Euro 2008? Is it a conspiracy?

2007-11-21T19:16:00.000-08:00

Russia was beaten by Israel yesterday in a match which could have already decided England's fate in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. Instead, England now will only need a draw at home against Croatia to ensure they get a place in next year's Euro 2008. Strange as it may seemed but this has been England's way of qualifying for big tournaments and that is in their last game. Judging by the popularity of the English Premier League around the world, there is undoubtedly plenty of England fans, would a Euro 2008 Finals without England unthinkable, i guess that is a yes. If all goes as planned we can expect England to get at least a draw against Croatia to scrap through to qualify for the Euro 2008 Finals

WHAT KIND OF PUNTER ARE YOU?

2007-11-18T23:24:00.000-08:00

Many people love to gamble and bet in soccer. It is fun and adds excitement when you are watching a match. You and I are punters too. But what kind of a punter are you? Read on and help me do a poll on it. Thanks!

LEISURE PUNTERS
Punters in this category do not believe they can make a living out of betting. Placing a bet is more likely just to add a little bit more excitement to watching a 'live' game. Winning is a matter of treating someone an extra pine of beer, losing just means beer is on someone else.

Sign: Always goes for the favourite team
Age group: 18yrs to 25yrs
Bet per match: $10-$50

CAREFUL PUNTERS
They are the ones who have really limited budget and to them every dollar they bet count. They will only look at matches where 2 teams are evenly matched, which means the payout is $2 and above. Losing is not in their dictionary.

Signs: They are the ones you see standing looking at the odds when you go for lunch and they are still there when you go for dinner.
Age group: 50yrs to 75yrs
Bet per match: $5-$50

HARDCORE PUNTERS
Usually they are the ones just getting their hands in soccer betting. A couple of lucky wins get this group hooked on betting. Hardcore punters aims to make money out of betting. They usually think they got every match that day figured out and end up placing bets on most of the matches despite knowing that will lower their winning probability and increase their risk of losing more money. They have plenty of weird theories and like to share news, comments and discuss bets at online forums.
Signs: Having money on all Premiership games this weekend and playing parlays to get a higher payout
Age group: 25yrs old to 35yrs old
Bet per match: $100-$1,000

RECKLESS PUNTER
This group of people believe they can win in soccer betting and usually go for any insider's tips or friends' sure win tip without thinking. They will increase their stack when they lose and think they will go on a winning streak and win back what they lost in all the years in betting in 2 weeks' time.

Signs: Doubling bet amounts to win back losses
Age group: 25yrs old to 40yrs old
Bet per match: $100-$2,000

UNDERDOGS PUNTERS
Younger punters are usually in this group as they aim for fast money. They believe they can win big with just a small capital. They ae the ones hoping for a giant-killing feat, upsets and huge scorelines to happen every week.

Signs: Betting on underdogs and betting on parlays
Age group: 20yrs old to 30yrs old
Bet per match: $10-$100

SMART PUNTERS
These are the group of people who really do their homework before deciding who they want to bet on. Team form, injuries, team news and even down to the pitch conditions are criterias to consider before they make their bet. They will only bet only if they are confident after all the analysis. If the conditions are not ideal, no bets will be made.

Signs: Money in their bank is gradually increasing
Age group: 25yrs old to 40yrs old
Bet per match: $100-$2,000

PROFESSIONAL PUNTERS
They treat betting as their main source of income. They are a elite few who really can make a living out of gambling. Very disciplined and only bet to win. Everything is thought out properly, from staking plan, projected income and contingency plan to ensure that they are in a position to win consistently to make a living.

Signs: Usually very low profile. He may be the person next to you but you do not notice.
Age group: 30yrs old to 50yrs old
Bet per match: $1000-$5000

Sure Win Soccer Tip!!! - Is there such a thing?

2007-10-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

When i started to try my hands on soccer betting or i should say sports gambling. I would visit sports forums, search for sites that provided or have headings such as "Sure Win Tips", " Guaranteed Predictions", well you know the kind of tips which you hope will eventually win you money week in and week out. But is there such a thing? I realised that websites or fellow punters who post their tips do have winning streaks which may looked impressive at that point in time. But sports betting or more specifically in our case soccer betting is like the stock exchange where the market will never be forever having a bull run. A bear run is bound to set in at some point in time in a long season and wipe off whatever you have won for the past few months. What then? You curse and you swear at the so called "Sure Win Soccer Tip" and go in search of another site that promise you "Guaranteed Soccer Tips" and the cycle continues. My point is many websites do offer good forecasts and predictions for soccer matches. It is the combination of these good forecasts, a good staking plan, plenty of discipline and a little bit of luck to allow a very minority of soccer punters to laugh all the way to the bank at the end of a soccer season.

Viral Linking - It is about Community Bonding

2007-10-17T02:28:00.000-07:00

Viral Linking is a unique concept which i think whoever came up with it is a genius. It works like reciprocal links but even better because as the Viral List gets larger, the backlinks that follows to the people in the list will be even greater. Everyone in the list will benefit and that is why it is also called a love list. So go ahead and spread the love! :)

1.) Write a post on Viral link - How it works, why it works or whatever relating to it. Make sure you put it in your own words and don't copy everything from here.

2.) Add your link to the top of the list given below. You can add other friends' links as well just make sure it it not more than 5 links including yours.

3.) Encourage and invite others to do the same and soon you will see the results.

4.) Make sure your fellow bloggers know about the "nofollow" on blogger and blogpress. Make sure they know how to make their blogs to be DO-FOLLOWable.

5.) Let every fellow bloggers you have added that you have them on your list and they will gladly do the same for you.

My Viral List is as below

My Adds: Project SoccerBet

Project SoccerBet Text Unlimited Startup Entrepreneur Money Gio’s Blog Hot MySpace Layouts A Great Pleasure Top Commercial Videos Top Music Videos Virtual Entrepreneur Bowflex-Store Best-Cybershot NafaSg Search Useful Articles Revellian.com For Tony Redgrave IAmSearchingFor Adventures of aLionheart TechCruser Process of a Miracle Adsense Movie Me! Disjointed Intelligence emilayusof.com New WordPress Themes NuoviBusiness Guadagnare online Feedget New WordPress Themes Career Strategist Guadagnare Online Nervousness Can I Have A Kiss The Auto Writer Make Cents Online Mariuca Yard Sale Review Shakyal Adsense free eBooks Vanessa Unplugged A.D.D.Chick Bollywood Hot Actresses Tollywood Hot Actresses Tote Bag Confesses Hollywood Beauties Wired PR Works Blogger Whale Tips On Blogging My Murphy’s Law Wildheart’s Works She Rambles On Vlujunbaga G2Bgreen SoccerOverload PoliticalRogue Top Funny Videos The Process of a Miracle Learn about e-Learning Tekabhi Make Money Online AtYourService AAA Copywriter Viraltags Unlimited Static ThinkBox PHT Viral Tags Green Founders Cafe New WordPress Themes 3legs2dimensions All About Advertisements P Morrow’s Online Money Resource Economics The Millionaire Secrets Boyd Greene Art Tech Guru MyLifeInVegas ProBlogger BlogBlogBlog

Definition of terms:
Anchor Text - Also known as Link Text, the clickable text of a hyperlink. Anchor Text can be your site or blog title or any words that would decribe your site or blog.

Types of Staking Plans

2007-10-16T00:38:00.000-07:00

There exists many different kind of staking methods with rather elaborate names so to speak. Basically, they all follow a staking method which can be divided into 4 catagories.

1) fixed staking
2) variable staking
3) percentage staking
4) progressive staking

For fixed, or level, staking, every bet placed is assigned the same stake size, regardless of the betting odds. Level staking forms the benchmark staking strategy against which all others should be compared for profitability and risk evaluation. Many punters see weaknesses with level staking and prefer to vary the size of their bets according to various criteria, including their strength and their odds. A bettor, for example, may choose to standardise the amount he wins for every successful bet. Where all the odds are the same, this will amount to level staking. Where the odds differ, the stake sizes will vary. This strategy might suitably be called the fixed profits staking plan.
Percentage (bank) staking, like level staking, standardises the size of the stake, but as a percentage of the size of the current betting bank at the time the bet is placed, rather than as a fixed number of points proportional to the initial bankroll. Kelly staking, which goes further than simple percentage bank staking by seeking to optimise the stake size according the odds and the edge the punter has estimated he has over the bookmaker, is a hybrid of percentage and fixed profits staking.
Finally, progressive staking involves increasing or decreasing the stake size after each bet, according to whether it won or lost, with a view to recovering earlier losses or enhancing gains whilst on a winning run. The Martingale and Pyramid staking plans are two examples of loss chasers. There are other, more complex staking progressions, but basically they all share a common goal.
A common misconception amongst less-experienced punters is that some staking strategies, in particular the progressive staking plans, can turn loss-making systems into profitable ones. This is impossible and represents a misunderstanding of the mathematical principles that underlie such strategies.
The problem, from a statistical perspective, is that to test any staking strategy one needs to have a reasonable number of results with which to work. To examine its exposure to risk, it is not simply good enough to analyse your own betting record, since this just represents one permutation of all possible betting histories due to the inherent randomness or noisiness in the way sporting results sequence themselves. A profitable record cannot, on its own, define the chance its underlying strategy has of failing. Similarly, an unprofitable record is not necessarily evidence of a flawed betting system, although the punter will be very tempted to give it up. To circumvent this difficulty, one must resort to a statistical analysis of the staking plan. The best way to achieve this is to simulate it using a computer model.
The most suitable staking strategy for a punter will depend extensively on his attitude to profit making and risk taking. A short-term gambler may prefer to stake large and risk more in an attempt to make a quick and sizeable profit. Conversely, a long-term fixed odds "investor" will prefer to employ more a more conservative staking strategy, where staying in the game is more important than making fast money. A punter who acknowledges and understands the uncertainties inherent in fixed odds sports betting, however, will be better able to choose a strategy best suited to his risk-reward preferences.

This article is taken from 1x2betting.co.uk

Good news - A new shorter domain!!!

2007-10-03T01:49:00.000-07:00

Hi all, i have just changed my long winded domain name from www.soccer-tips-picks-predictions.blogspot.com to a shorter easier to remember name - www.projectsoccerbet.com. I apologise to all who had a hard time remembering the previous super long URL and hopefully you have less trouble with the new one :)

Drogba & Lampard to leave Chelsea???

2007-09-21T00:08:00.000-07:00

News is trickling from Stamford bridge that all is not well after the shock sacking of Jose Mourinho as coach. The 1st in line to voice his displeasure was Mourinho's prized striker Didier Drogba. He is said to be furious at the way his mentor was treated by the Chelsea's management and he is unwilling to don the Blues' colour anymore. He will hand in his transfer request and try to leave the club during the January's transfer window. Lampard seemingly was shocked at the recent events and is unlikely to stay on too long at Chelsea. It is yet to be seen how the Chelsea's managment will handle the issues but Chelsea's title challenge this season seems to be over.

Jose Mourinho waves goodbye to Chelsea

2007-09-20T18:32:00.000-07:00

The Special One has left Stamford Bridge after being loggerheads with his Russian boss since the arrival of Shevchenko and the lack of funds for new players. It was after a string of poor results from the last 4 games that gave Abramovich reason to "ask" Mourinho to leave. It has been a fulfilling 3 years in charge for Mourinho winning 2 back-to-back Premiership titles and a Carling Cup. His departure could come at the worst time since Chelsea's next match will be away to defending Champions Man Utd. Newly appointed Coach Avram Grant will have only 2 more days to settle his squad down and try to get ready for a showdown with the Red Devils at Old Trafford.
..............................................................................

The Last Quote from the Special One:
'It is omelettes and eggs. No eggs - no omelettes! It depends on the quality of the eggs. In the supermarket you have class one, two or class three eggs and some are more expensive than others and some give you better omelettes. So when the class one eggs are in Waitrose and you cannot go there, you have a problem' - Shorn of the likes of injury victims Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Ricardo Carvalho and Didier Drogba, Mourinho cooked up a surreal analogy ahead of Tuesday's fateful draw with Rosenborg.

How to stay disciplined in soccer betting

2007-09-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

95% of all gamblers lose money in the long run. I can say that most of you who are reading this article belong to this 95%. The 5% of the gamblers who do win after a long season have a unique quality that the 95% do not have and that is discipline. This lack of discipline will have to be addressed before you can be successful and be profitable in soccer betting. I have listed down a number of points as guideline. Follow these guidelines and you will see a difference.

1) No favourite team is allowed. Many of us have favourite teams that we support and when we bet we tend to place our money on these teams which is wrong. Your favourite team may not be the best bet that will earn you a profit. Remember it is your hard-earned money you are putting on the line here. Look for another bet if you do not wish to bet against your favourite team.

2) Know your league(s) well. It is important to know the league you are betting on like the back of your hands. Keeping track of too many leagues may not be feasible. Know 1 or 2 leagues very well. Teams' news like injuries, dressing room bustup and 1st eleven selection for a match etc.. will serve you well when you pen your bet.

3) Have a staking plan. Always have a staking plan to follow strictly when placing your bets. A single bet of 3-10% of your capital or bankroll should be the way to allocate your bets. Never chase a lost. If you lose a bet of 10% of your starting capital in 1 match, the next match's bet will be 3-10% of your remaining capital, remember the season is so long. The bankroll will snowball eventually and you will see profit.

4) Bet only when you are confident. There may be times when you have no confidence in staking a bet after all the homework you did. In that case, DO NOT BET, wait till you come across a match which you are confident. You have nothing to lose by not betting for a few days.

5) Trust yourself. After all the analysis you have done, you have decided to stack on a particular team, your friend comes along with a insider's tip that say otherwise. My call is to stick to your own bet and trust yourself. Even if you do lose, you will still have your staking plan to ensure you have the capital for the next bet.

Betting Staking Plans - Why you must have one

2006-10-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

I remembered a few years back when i was betting in Major League Baseball(MLB). I started with $300 and i was playing parlays since it gave me a higher payout than the normal single bet. It started out with a mere $10 per parlay but it seemed that lucky star was smiling at me. In only 1 month, my starting capital of $300 turned into $5500! I was feeling a sense of invincibility that whatever bets i made will win(Big big mistake). I started to bet big bets $200-$500 per parlay. In the end $5500 was gone in a matter of 2 weeks. What happened? My winning streak clouded my judgement and as i lost my bets, every next bet was aimed at recovering what I have lost which further clouded my forecasting and analysis of each match. This episode taught me an important lesson and the best way to guard against this dangerous type of euphoria is to have a proper staking system to which you MUST fall back on whether you win or lose.