Pace yourself
It’s a long tournament: 67 games over three weeks. You don’t need to try to get rich in the Round of 64. So many games are happening at once that it can be tough to effectively handicap all of them. There’s no rule saying that you have to bet on every game.
Instead of going for maximum action, know what you can handle and give yourself the best possible chance of success. There’s nothing worse than having an empty wallet heading into the second week of the tournament. It’s life-or-death for teams to win every game they play. Be sure you don’t put yourself in the same situation.
Don’t fall in love with your bracket
Heading into the tournament you are almost certainly going to fill out a bracket or two. Is there anyone in the country who doesn’t? For bettors, though, it is crucial to separate your bracket from your wagering.
If you’re too tied to your bracket, then you have a preconceived notion of how things will turn out in a given game. That means you will be betting with a bias, and that’s no way to bet successfully. Every game in the tournament is an individual event and needs to be viewed as such. Teams that look ahead past the immediate game in hand almost always get themselves into trouble. Don’t fall into the same trap.
Watch the public
Public interest in college basketball is dramatically higher for these three weeks than at any other time. That means that there’s a whole lot of dumb money thrown at games. For well-informed bettors, that can create tremendous opportunities.
If a high-profile, public team plays a lesser-known squad then the action is almost certain to be skewed. That doesn’t mean you should bet on the unknown blindly, but it could indicate the best value spots in the tournament. There’s no better way to effectively manage your money than to invest in strong value.
Be disciplined
There are few events more exciting than the NCAA tournament, and few that require so much focus from bettors over an extended period. It’s far too easy to get carried away by that excitement, and to let that empty your wallet. You need to establish a firm plan before the tournament starts - the size of your tournament bankroll, unit size, vig you will accept, and so on.
Once that plan is in place, you need to revisit it regularly to be sure you’re sticking to it, and be willing to walk away from betting on the tournament if things go poorly and you have reached your limits. Discipline is the single biggest factor to successful money management in all betting, and that is especially true during March Madness.
