Most sports fans will at least dabble in betting at some point in their adult lives. But, like any hobby, there are right ways and wrong ways to go about wagering on games.
It's often just as imperative to know what not to do as it is to know what to do. Humans tend to learn from their own mistakes, but we also learn from the mistakes of others. So, why make the same mistakes countless bettors before us have made if we can avoid repeating history?
Here's 10 common betting mistakes new bettors should know about, and how you can avoid them as you embark upon your sports betting journey.
Why new bettors often make mistakes
Sports fans think it's an easy transition to betting
Any fan of a league who wants to get into sports betting needs to reframe their approach to the action they typically watch.
Just knowing sports by itself does not guarantee success in betting on sports, which is itself its own universe that relies on public markets and private numbers trading.
As with any new hobby, preparation matters. Getting to know how to place bets and understand the process is essential. It's not just betting on your favorite team to win.
Dreams of getting rich quickly
'Oh I'll just hit a few long-shot parlays and cash out!'
Novices do not realize how difficult it is to hit even just one multi-legged parlay, let alone several that would require numerous large bet sizes and/or ridiculously unlikely scenarios to build the perfect set of these betting traps. (Read more on this below.)
Even placing big bets -- entirely bankrolls -- on simple moneyline bets does not provide a clear pathway to immediate wealth, especially if you keep pressing your luck with little preparation.
Ease of signup, start
Sports betting marketing peppers the web and airwaves with new-customer welcome offers to kick-start your bankroll.
Their messaging often implies that jumping into sports betting is easy. It is, if we're talking about just placing your first few bets.
Beyond that, managing your wins, losses, and general approach requires much more meticulous planning.
Common betting mistakes to identify and avoid
1. Not understanding the odds and value
If you don't understand how odds work, you won't be able to understand value. If you can't determine which bets yield value, you're going to lose your money sooner than later.
Learn how to read odds — the AllSportsPeople has plenty of resources that will help familiarize you with American, decimal and fractional odds. Betting without knowing about odds is like driving without knowing a thing about how cars work — it won't end well!
2. Betting with emotion instead of logic
Don't bet too much on your childhood or hometown team. Avoid overexposure on your favorite players. You need to be efficient, not reactionary.
Use sportsbook lines, information, betting data, and objective game analysis to make your decisions.
It's easy to follow your heart and emotions with your relationship decisions, but you want to follow your head and logic with your financial and sports betting decisions.
3. Chasing losses
When bettors chase losses, they're trying to make up for incorrect wagers by laying down new bets, which all too often can compound losses and throw off any betting budgeting plans previously laid out.
Though they may stem from short-term frustration or new information that proceeds that bet, the timing of these chasing patterns directly after losing a bet can often signify underlying signs of problem gaming -- especially if noted for an extended period.
The commonly repeated phrase, "Bet with your head, not over it" addresses this exact situation.
It's always best to take a breath -- 10 minutes, an hour, half a day or more -- after a loss to perform a clean break from the situation. This is of course a simplistic manner in which to handle these situations, but identifying instances when you shouldn't chase losses will go a long way in at least recognizing whether you need help with a gambling issue.
Downswings will happen. That's nearly guaranteed. It's how you respond to them that will dictate how logically and successfully betting should remain a part of your recreation.
4. Ignoring bankroll management
Chasing losses and ignoring bankroll management too often work hand-in-hand.
Every new bettor should consider making some personal rules before embarking on their sports wagering journey. Countless lives have been ruined by sports gambling addiction, so it's vital to keep yourself in check and always be in control of your bankroll.
Here's some helpful tips to help you preserve your bankroll and not lose too much too fast.
- Set a budget: How much can you afford to lose each week?
- Put limits on your account: Don't let yourself go on tilt and chase your losses. Put a limit on the amount you can bet per day, week and month. You can also put limits on the size of bets you can make.
- Limit yourself to 1-2 units per bet: Don't overdo it just because you feel good about a certain wager. Stick to smaller bets, 1-2 percentage of your total bankroll. Betting is a marathon, not a sprint.
If you think your knowledge of sports will help you strike it rich in the early days of your sports betting journey, you've got another thing coming. Betting is actually quite difficult for even the most seasoned sports fans, and pro sports handicappers are some of the smartest minds in the entire sports universe.
The experts making the odds and lines know more about stats, trends and the individual games you're wagering on than most diehard fans. Their job is to post odds that will entice the bettor but also not overly expose the sportsbook to liability. And, if you beat the sportsbook 60-70% of the time, you will be a massive success (newsflash: you probably won't).
Understand that making money off sports betting will not be an overnight result, if it ever consistently happens.
Have patience, bet within your means, and learn the dos and don'ts through trial and error. Diving in the deep end too quickly can be an exercise in futility.
5. Overvaluing favorites
Many sportsbooks allow you to see the betting handle reports and betting ticket percentages — check them. If 75-80% of bets or money bet are on a certain team to cover, you might want to consider betting on the other outcome or at least avoid making the same wager as the masses.
An old expression comes to mind: "Sheep go to slaughter." The sportsbooks, as we have mentioned many times already, have expert oddsmakers who hook bettors with enticing lines and then wipe them out when they take the bait.
How do they always know exactly what spread to set!? Because their full-time job is to take your money.
Also, why bet a side that's less favorable than -150? There's little to gain from your efforts at that price, and it's more than efficiently priced to not help you unless as part of a parlay with many riskier legs.
6. Not shopping for the best line
First off, though it might seem dauting, you should open accounts on multiple sportsbook apps. Consider it window-shopping for sports betting.
Cross-reference many different sportsbooks before placing a wager so that you get the best possible odds and highest potential payout. Going through one book exclusively is like not ever price-comparing groceries and just letting one grocery store dictate how much money you spend week in and week out.
Sites like OddsChecker.com help you easily find the best values on every possible bet. Utilize these resources, or prepare to cheat yourself out of money in the short term and long term. It only takes an extra few seconds to find the best odds and increase your potential winnings.
The best value usually comes right when lines open. By game day, the lines have been shifted by the betting public and all the value might be lost. Check out the early odds and capitalize on the books not paying as much attention to details as they will be when the action ramps up later on down the line.
7. Betting without research
Don't just bet on a game because you plan to watch it and you want a proverbial horse in the race. Bet on value, not on games you're planning to watch. If you find odds that yield value, go for it. If you don't see any value bets, just avoid making the bad action.
Most casual bettors get crushed by primetime games because they just want to get some money in on the standalone action everyone will be watching. Unless you're doing thorough research on a game, you should avoid betting just to bet.
8. Over-betting parlays
Most young bettors love parlays, because of the same core issue as our No. 2 most common mistake: you can make big money off them quickly. However, what many new bettors don't realize is that parlays are the biggest money-maker for sportsbooks. That's why many sharps call parlays "suckers' bets."
Your odds of winning single bets and building your bankroll up are far, far greater than your odds of boosting your bankroll through parlays. Having to get all the legs of a parlay bet correct is like trying to guess an ATM pin — it's not a particularly fruitful exercise. Try to win individual bets and avoid putting your money into the parlay money pit — your wallet will thank you later.
9. Forgetting about the vig/juice
Connecting back to point No. 1, not every side of a wager is created equal.
A key part of any bet is the reward you would win on top of your original stake. Your winnings are determined by the vigorish, or "juice," that's listed next to your side of the wager.
Note the (-110), (-124), and (+106) below that complement the spread and moneyline listings of this NFL bet at FanDuel Sportsbook.
FanDuel Sportsbook (Nov. 2025)
Whether it be a moneyline, spread, or total side, the juice offered is a simple proposition:
- The favored side will have negative juice, which means your winnings will be less than double your original stake.
- The underdog side will have positive juice, meaning you will receive double or more your initial stake as winnings.
Maximizing the juice -- betting at a line as close to positive juice as possible -- is crucial in getting the most value out of your bets. Sometimes, a bet that has overly negative "juice" means you should just simply avoid the line; there may not be enough value there for you to care.
Juice should immediately reveal whether your bet reaches optimal value. If you're betting on a favorite, say, close to -200, that probably isn't worth your time in most cases.
10. Betting without a strategy
Diving in blind without plotting your moves as a bettor could leave you stalled at the beginning.
Knowing how to bet, why to pick a side, and when to place your wager will make your betting journey much more informed and careful.
Reading as many guides as possible and taking notes as you bet will provide a wealth of practical, usable, actionable information as you improve your process.
Even finding the best ways to use any welcome-offer bonus bets plays into how to best use your funds and self-identified edges on the market.
Final tips for avoiding beginner betting errors
Avoid making the above 10 mistakes when starting your betting journey. In addition, keep these smart betting tips in mind:
- Budgeting your betting bankroll should be your first step. Know what you're willing to lose.
- Set a standardized time each week to assess your betting record and strategy. Identify pain points. Celebrate and incorporate strategies that work.
- Track opening lines however you can, whether it be through a third-party app or your own spreadsheet management. Getting the complete perspective of line movement can at least provide useful data points and potentially help you recognize patterns.
- Familiarize yourself with responsible gaming resources, and if you're seeing warning signs, let your family and friends know. It's better to know them but not need them, then need them but not know them.