If Gambling is 50/50 Why so many losers?

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have it your way if you like your answers neat and simple, but...

"Money management" and addictive/obsessive gambling behaviours have everything to do with losing in sports betting, besides the vig, aka house edge.

As for anything in excess being addictive and detrimental to oneself, firstly, not everything is as addictive or bad for you, i.e. eating too many tomatoes can't be as bad as doing a whole lot of crack right?, secondly some "things" are more addictive in and of themselves, i.e. home carpenting is surely less addictive then alcohol, or gambling say.

And let me quote your truly here: "Even the best gamblers can and are ruined because of the addictive and "degenerative" so to speak nature of gambling."
 

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OK, you're smart Jack Dee.

Here's the threads title: "If Gambling is 50/50 Why so many losers?"

Now explain how money management is involved with this question? Please be sure to point out WHY gambling is a 50/50 proposition, and how proper money management can effect the outcome.

An addiction to shopping can be just as financially harmful as an addiction to gambling, as could an addiction to fatty foods be just as physically detrimental as an addiction to crack. Just because society deems crack cocaine an illegal drug, doesn't make it any worse than other forms of 'legal' addiction as far as negative effects on someone.

The vast majority of betting money doesn't come from the addicted gambler, it comes from the non-addicted, non-chasing, non-poor money managing, casual, recreational gambler. Gamblers lose because the odds are STACKED against them. That's a fact. So in answering "IF GAMBLING IS 50/50, WHY SO MANY LOSERS?" the answer is,

"Gambling is NOT 50/50"

Write that down and put it in your pocket.
 

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I think alot of you miss understood the question.
He basically wanted to know why people pick so many more losers then winners when you really have a 50-50 chance of picking the right side.
This is what he wanted to know, not why people lose money, which is easy to figure out "THE JUICE" overtime will eat you away the same way compound interest makes you money in the bank.
Honestly i believe that if you let most people bet without even having to pay juice, they would still lose.
I wonder this same question myself many times, a bet that is basically 50-50 but for some reason there is always more losers then winners. Only answer i can come up with for this question is i truly believe some people are just luckier then others and they were meant to win gambling, while others no matter what they do will lose.
 

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I think alot of you miss understood the question.
He basically wanted to know why people pick so many more losers then winners when you really have a 50-50 chance of picking the right side.
This is what he wanted to know, not why people lose money, which is easy to figure out "THE JUICE" overtime will eat you away the same way compound interest makes you money in the bank.
Honestly i believe that if you let most people bet without even having to pay juice, they would still lose.
I wonder this same question myself many times, a bet that is basically 50-50 but for some reason there is always more losers then winners. Only answer i can come up with for this question is i truly believe some people are just luckier then others and they were meant to win gambling, while others no matter what they do will lose.
majority of public bettors( becoause of human nature) bet favorites and overs. the books know this.
 

MrJ

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a bet that is basically 50-50

It usually isn't. Books can gain a nice edge by taking advantage of betting tendencies, as Mikey suggested.

Only answer i can come up with for this question is i truly believe some people are just luckier then others and they were meant to win gambling, while others no matter what they do will lose.

I believe in probability, not some aura of luck floating around people. Perhaps there is something governing the outcomes of events that is influenced by the individual, but I consider that to be extremely unlikely.
 

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This is the true answer. Yes it is 50/50. The games are played normally the first half. During this Las Vegas is calculating all of the money and seeing which side it is on. Now at half time, Vegas calls up the owner of the team and tells him to sell the game. This explains the reason why games played first half are always close to the spreads. Then at second half its a totaly different game. Vegas sees who it is heavy on and then makes the opposite happens. RIGGED!!!
 

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This is the true answer. Yes it is 50/50. The games are played normally the first half. During this Las Vegas is calculating all of the money and seeing which side it is on. Now at half time, Vegas calls up the owner of the team and tells him to sell the game. This explains the reason why games played first half are always close to the spreads. Then at second half its a totaly different game. Vegas sees who it is heavy on and then makes the opposite happens. RIGGED!!!

:monsters-
 

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Pointspreads have nothing to do with making a bet a 50/50 prop. ZERO relationship. Lines are set for the most part to distrubute the money somewhat evenly on both sides of a game. They are not designed to give you a 50-50 chance.
 

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Pointspreads have nothing to do with making a bet a 50/50 prop. ZERO relationship. Lines are set for the most part to distrubute the money somewhat evenly on both sides of a game. They are not designed to give you a 50-50 chance.

:103631605
 

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Let me correct one thing. There isn't anything like "you will go 50-50 on the long haul blah blah" A good handicapper can achieve %58-59 on the long run.

Why %97.6 gamblers are losing? Juice/Wig is not the main reason. The most important reasons are 6-team parlays, poor money management and lack of discipline. There's almost 1 million article on earth about money management but not everybody have the will and discipline to make it.

Also, I think juice/vig think is overestimated. I'm using Decimal Odds. So there isn't 100/110 thing for me. I'm betting 10 units flat. If the odds are 1.66 (-150) then I will win +5 units. If the odds are 2.30 (+130), then I win +13 units. I'm betting on soccer as well. No problem for me so far and my record is %58 +490 Units since 2007 (you can check at fcbet.com)

It's not mathematically possible to achieve above %55 on the long run blah blah


Come on, there isn't a such thing.

Discipline + Will + Money Management + Picking Correct Winners = Winning

Have a good weekend everyone..
 

Rx .Junior
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I found this article insightful...

MONEY MANAGEMENT





If you follow these guidelines you will earn more money then you’ve ever won in sports wagering.



Only 2 to 3% of people who wager on sports are long term winners. For the most part it’s not because the losers are bad handicappers, or using poor handicapping sources. IT’S BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO CONCEPT OF WHAT A BANKROLL IS, ANY RESPECT FOR IT, OR HOW TO USE IT.



If you are interested in maximizing your earnings and minimizing your losses using a disciplined, unemotional system, then read on…if not, do everyone a favor, especially yourself, and find yourself a hobby other than sports investing.



There are three factors to successful sports investing:

1. Handicapping the games proficiently.

2. “Shopping lines” to get the best value.

3. Employing a disciplined money management program.



You can do above-average with the first two but fail (financially) if you do not manage your money correctly. But you will never do poor, financially if you successfully manage your bankroll.



One of the most difficult things to do is follow instructions. If you are able to achieve the PATIENCE and DISCIPLINE to follow these rules you will become more financially successful than you have in the past. If you aren’t willing to follow instructions or lack patience, read no further. For those of you who have the discipline, prepare to be more successfully wagering than ever before.



STEP 1 – DEFINE YOUR BANKROLL. This is a sum which, if you were to lose the entire amount, would not alter your current chosen lifestyle. Use a separate bankroll for each sport (for example, College and Pro Football use separate bankrolls). Don’t be embarrassed if this amount is small. With proper discipline and money management it will grow large!



STEP 2 – (A) WAGER A CONSTANT PRE-DETERMINED PERCENTAGE OF YOUR BANKROLL

IN EACH GAME. For example: 3* - 3%, 5* - 5%.



(B) NEVER WAGER MORE THAN 5 GAMES PER BETTING PERIOD. This insures that never more than 25% of your bankroll is exposed at a given time.



STEP 3 – CONTINUE TO WAGER A PERCENTAGE OF YOUR ORIGINAL BANKROLL PER PLAY UNTIL YOUR CURRENT BANKROLL EITHER INCREASES 50% OR DECREASES 50%.



STEP 4 – If your bankroll decreases 50%, reduce your wager 50% until your bankroll returns to its original level. THIS IS IMPORTANT because it keeps you from “chasing” during a cold streak. “Chasing” is the most common mistake of the average player and the surest way to “tap out”. By reducing your wager 50% it guarantees you to stay in action until you have either regained your momentum or lost 30 units (zero bankroll) in which case you definitely need a new handicapper or avocation. The only sure thing to send you to the poor house sooner is playing parlays or teasers. They are a "Bookies Dream". You deserve to lose every cent you bet if you play them. “Square”, “Sucker”, and “Loser” are too kind to describe your mentality if you play parlays or teasers.



STEP 5 – ON THE POSITIVE SIDE. Let’s assume that good handicapping skills have ballooned your bankroll by 50%. Step to the next window and increase your wager by 50%. (For example, if you had been wagering $100/game, increase your wager to $150/game). Should your winning ways continue and your original bankroll doubles, you would then wager twice your original amount (now $200 in our example). Continue to increase your wager 50% with every 50% increase in your bankroll,



STEP 6 – TAKING PROFITS AFTER LOSING STREAKS! This thinking is taken directly from the Triple-Stack Method. Anytime you have more than doubled your original bankroll, then lose back 1/3 of your bankroll, take profits and return to your original bankroll. (Example: Your original $1000 bankroll has grown to $2400. But a losing streak reduces it to $1600. The $800 difference from your high point represents a loss of 1/3 of your bankroll. But the $1600 in your bankroll still represents $600 of profit. Take that $600 profit and return to your original bankroll of $1000). You’ve cut short a losing streak and taken profits.



STEP 7 – TAKING PROFITS AFTER WINNING STREAKS. During the course of the season we all are subject to winning streaks which are mostly the result of a number of close pointspread wins. It’s at these times that we feel like we’ll never have another losing day! WRONG! So, I’ve devised a method to lock in profits from these great times. It’s based on years of tracking winning streaks by length of streak and percentage of streak. The rules are as follows:



Rule #1 – TAKE PROFITS from a current winning streak any time you have won 80% or more of your

Most recent 20 plays (16-4 or better). You are “unconscious” if you’ve done this. Take the

Profit and return to your bankroll level before the 20th game hot streak began.



Rule #2 – In a similar way, TAKE PROFITS any time you have won 75% or more of your most recent

30 plays (23-7 or better). You are only “semi-conscious” if yo’ve done this. Again, take the

profits and return to your bankroll level before the 30 game streak began.



By having the discipline to follow these directions you’ll find yourself increasing your wealth in winning seasons and saving losses in tough times. WHAT YOU SAVE IS WHAT YOU EARN! For those of you who have read this far, please feel free to give me a call at 817-379-0413 should you have any questions regarding this material
 

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Why so many losers when it's so called " 50/50" ?

1A - People can't pick winners
1B - Bad Money Management
3 - Not getting the best line available

I dont see it as 50/50 at all. If everygame was a PK and the book had each team at -105/107 you still have to pick the winner over 50% of the time to make money.
 

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Here is your answer college boy...

Based on 1,000 dollar bets..

If a player goes 51-49 he loses 2900
If a book goes 51-49, he wins 7100

___________


If a player goes 52-48, he loses 800
If the book goes 52-48, they win 9200

_______

If a player goes 53-47, he wins 1,300
If a book goes 53-47, he wins 11,300

________

If a player goes 56-44, he wins ONLY 7600
If the book goes 56-44, he wins 17,600

____

If the player goes 59-41, he wins 13,900
If the book goes 59-41, they win 23,900

__________________________________
_______________________________

So as you see, when the book has an identical record to you, they kick your ass big time by winning way way more than the player, and the ONLY reason for all this, and the only reason why 97.6% of players lose, besides the chasing, the bad money management, and so forth.. is the vigorish.. (the juice) It just adds up and adds up.

It is just about mathematically impossible to overcome the juice for the average gambler over the very long haul

Great answer. Probably the best response I ever seen to this kind of question.
 
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Breaking even..

I bet 100 basketball games 1 year. My record was 60-40.I broke even.
 

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People lose because they have to pick the winner..the human element along with betting with your heart sinks lots of gamblers..remember your team can win the game but they may not cover!!
 
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The correct answer is because it is not 50-50.

That is just a myth that people believe and that is the perception of human nature.

If you want to win 100% of your bets...bet when the odds are a 100% in your favor...if you want to win 80% of your bets...bet only when the odds are 80% in your favor...

99.99999% of the gamblers make bets over 50% of the time that they have only a 35 to 40% chance of winning or less.

now i know 99% of you will not comprehend this...but this is the correct answer to this question.
 
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The correct answer is because it is not 50-50.

That is just a myth that people believe and that is the perception of human nature.

If you want to win 100% of your bets...bet when the odds are a 100% in your favor...if you want to win 80% of your bets...bet only when the odds are 80% in your favor...

99.99999% of the gamblers make bets over 50% of the time that they have only a 35 to 40% chance of winning or less.

now i know 99% of you will not comprehend this...but this is the correct answer to this question.


Pretty fucking smart...arn't I...:dancefool

here is to all you white man haters.......:dancefool
 

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