1) What is your favorite sport to bet on and why ? On the flip side, what sport do you think is the easiest to handicap ?
I bet on Football, Baseball, and Soccer as a general rule. I also bet on other events if I see a value somewhere, or current events.
I dont think any sport is easy to handicap. All of them are a grind for me in their own way - and Im not being evasive about the question. I am not gifted enough to "cap" at 60%+, so I find small edges in volume rather than big edges in particular spots. I guess the difference between walmart and Saks, both can be profitable, but in different ways.
My gambling "portfolio" is made up of multiple potential income streams, I buy and sell lines, speculate on line moves, arbitrage, and make offers (at mb), and live bet - all of which overall hopefully is profitable. So if my "capping" is down, hopefully one of the others is up, my goal is to squeak out a living overall. Im sure I will get in to this in to detail later in the thread....
I made more on soccer this calendar year than I did on any sport in any year, so I guess right now soccer is my fav.
2) What do you consider a good "betting year" ? Or do you go by year ? Or is there a different schedule you may be on when determining success or not. Do you quit after making a certain amount of money ? Or do you bet all year round ?
A good betting year is one in which I reach my goals. My method is heavily goal oriented, so different years and seasons have different goals which are modest. The goals are not in terms of winning percentages, they are in terms of PROFITABILITY - that is the only thing that matters to me - overall profitability.
There are often times that I quit a season once a goal is met, or when a stop gap is hit on the downside. If I feel like something has changed where I no longer have an edge, or my model is not working - I will stop. It is never because "I have enough money to pay my mortgage this year", it is only when I no longer feel I can be profitable doing a certain sport - or where I have gone off the rails and need to recalibrate. It happened last year in NCAAF football, I quit in about week 8 because I was consistently missing the mark, so I just tried to realize where I had gone wrong and adjust. There is always next year.
3) Do you gamble for a living ? If so, how long have you been doing it and how did you start ? Did you start off as a hobby ?
I do gamble for a living (knock on wood). I had a job and career that I quit about 10 years ago. It was a good career, and I was a very young VP at a small electronics firm. But I hated every minute of it. I started shooting craps in the bathroom in 3rd grade, and booked a super bowl for every friend (and one teacher) in 5th grade (made 7 bucks I think). Luckily, I have found a way to make it work so far and have saved up a good chunk of change. Enough that I am no longer reliant on the market and conditions - and why I have been considering lately about how much this costs me, the risks, and if it isnt the smartest thing to take a break until something happens politically for the better. More to come on that later Im sure.....
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