Author: Christine (Christine Orford)

Home / Christine

March2March 2, 2023

7 Ways You Can Avoid Making Stupid Bets

Want to avoid stupid bets? We’re with you on that front too.

Betting on darts can be fun. But there are loads of times that you might find yourself making stupid bets that really, you could’ve avoided.

We’re going to help you on your quest to stop betting in a silly way. Once you avoid stupid bets that you regret making, you can make sure your betting sessions are a little smarter and safer.

1. Think twice

It’s all too easy to just press a button online and make a wager. But one of the most useful pieces of advice we’ve ever heard is to pause before making every single sports bet. Decide what you want to bet. Then take a step back. Make a tea, have a look out the window. Think about it. If you still want to make the bet after a few minutes, then go for it. If you’ve decided it’s not for you, then that’s great. That’s one stupid bet avoided!

2. Don’t bet under the influence

Whether your poison is alcohol or any other mood or mind altering substance, you should certainly not be under the influence while you’re betting. Betting when you’re drunk is going to lead to you make stupid decisions.

3. Always stick to your budget

Your gambling budget should be at the heart of every decision you make at the bookies, whether that’s online or offline. Once you go over your daily, weekly, monthly or yearly limit, every bet you make after that is definitely not worth it. Even if it comes in, it’s not smart to overspend on your gambling budget.

4. Never try to make up money you lost

You made a bet. Things didn’t go your way. What can we say, it happens. The worst thing you can do is try to rectify that situation by betting more. The subsequent bets you make to try and replenish your funds are undoubtedly going to be made out of desperation not out of a sports savvy. Betting more is probably just going to result in your losing more!

5. Keep your mental health in check

If you’re annoyed, stressed out or anxious, you’re probably not going to be thinking straight about anything, let alone betting. Avoid stupid bets by making sure that your head is straight when you’re enjoying a flutter. But as an aside, if you find that betting itself is making your feel anxious (or if you feel bad when you don’t bet), this is a warning sign you might have a gambling problem and you should get help.

6. Don’t spend too long betting

If you don’t keep an eye on the length of your gambling sessions, they can get too long without you even noticing the time go. The longer you bet, the sloppier you become. You’ll get tired, you’ll be less focused. So to keep yourself sharp and avoid stupid bets, you should take a look at limiting the time you spend gambling.

7. Know how gambling works

Sometimes understanding the mechanics of gambling can help you navigate the world of making smart bets a little better. Arming yourself with more knowledge, especially the fact that sportsbook’s main goal is to make money off punters, puts you in a much better position than sticking your head in the sand.

Getting help for a gambling problem

No amount of advice to avoid stupid bets is going to help you if you’re battling with a gambling problem. You need to stop gambling entirely to overcome addiction. And in order to give yourself the best chance, you should get external help. UK-based Be Gamble Aware is a really important resource that you can turn to for practical advice and support.

Here are a few more responsible gambling articles that you might find helpful:

January12January 12, 2023

Frequently Asked Questions: Protect Yourself From A Family Members’ Addiction

By ChristineIn

All About Darts Darts Betting Tips

How do you protect yourself when a family member is addicted to gambling?

Gambling addiction can be all consuming for both the person suffering with the addiction and for those around them. If you have a close family member with a gambling addiction, it can be life altering in so many different ways.

We’ve tried to think of some helpful answers to questions you might have on how to protect yourself when a family member is addicted to gambling. Because as much as you should be supporting them to overcome their addiction, it’s of the utmost importance that you keep your mental health and financial well being in check too.

Protect yourself when a family member is addicted to gambling: FAQs

Do I need therapy if my family member is addicted to gambling?

The answer to this depends on the person and the situation. But if you find the worry of a family member’s gambling addiction affecting your daily life, you should get support.

There are lots of different types of support you can get. You can get one-on-one counselling or therapy, or you can group support. Usually group support involves meeting people whose family members are also affected by gambling addiction.

It might take time to find the right type of therapy for you. But it will always be worth it once you do get it.

How do I protect my finances if my loved one is a gambling addict?

Gambling addiction and financial problems unfortunately often go hand-in-hand. Sometimes people who are addicted to gambling can run up huge debts. And they may even result to stealing to feed their addiction.

Limit access to cash, credit cards and debit cards as soon as you can. Keep your passwords and pin codes secret. And you should put in extra protection to your joint accounts.

It’s also a good idea to monitor the post coming into the house to make sure they’re not applying for loans or credit cards.

Take control of the household budget and make sure you keep a close eye on the outgoings.

Can small things help me deal with the addiction of my family member?

Doing small things for yourself really can help you in the day-to-day. Here are some ideas of straightforward things you can do that might help:

Talk about how your feeling to a trusted friend and confide in them about the addiction. It might not be your addiction, but it is your life and it’s important that you share what’s going on
Establish boundaries with your loved one. Have a frank conversation about what behaviour you will not put up with
Take some time out regularly for yourself and your hobbies. It might be taking some exercise, drawing a bath or even just going to the cinema. But this will help you get your head straight

Getting help for a gambling problem

If you’re worried about gambling addiction for either yourself or a loved one, you need help from someone else. Be Gamble Aware is an excellent UK-based organisation full of advice and places to get more help.

Here are some more responsible gambling articles you might find helpful:

November23November 23, 2022

How To Limit The Time You Spend Gambling

By ChristineIn

All About Darts Darts Betting Tips

It’s a good idea for everyone and their sister to limit gambling time to a certain extent.

There are only so many hours in the day and we’ve all got responsibilities, interests and hobbies. There’s no way anyone can spend all their time gambling.

But having said that, it can be easy for time to pass us by fast when we’re engrossed in something like gambling. And before you know it, your quick session has turned into several hours. You’re tired, you’re frustrated and you’ve wasted your time (and quite possibly money).

Why should I limit my gambling time?

As we touched on before, gambling for a prolonged period of time can have negative impacts on a lot of things. It can simply mean you have less time for other things, including other hobbies, relationships, family time, study time and even work.

Losing track of time spent gambling can be really annoying. But another major element of it is that you are more likely to spend more money. Gambling isn’t free, after all. And even if you are sticking to your gambling budget, it can still be annoying.

Plus, when you gamble for a long time, you’ll start to get sloppy. You might get tired, you might get frustrated, perhaps you’ll start wanting to chase your losses… All of that leads to bad decisions and, quite often, bets that you regret.

Ways to limit your gambling sessions online

Most decent gambling websites make it relatively easy for you to limit your gambling time online. You can set up pop-up notifications to remind you when you’ve spent a certain amount of time gambling. On some online gambling sites, they’re called reality checks. You can change them to be more frequent at any time. If you’d like them to pop up less frequently, usually you’ll have to wait 24 hours for that to come into effect. However, they don’t always cover poker. So if you’re a poker player, look into other ways to limit your play there.

Another option is to set up time outs. These are short breaks from online gambling, which can last up to 30 days. You can set a time out to last the duration of a holiday period, for example. Or just if you feel like taking a break. Alternatively, you can set custom time outs and, if you like, make them recurring. For example, some people don’t like to gamble during the working week. Time outs are perfect for that.

For a more long-term break, there’s also the option to self-exclude. These breaks can last from a couple of months to forever.

Limit your gambling time in person

If you’re going to a betting shop, a casino or a card room, sometimes it can be more difficult to regulate the time you spend gambling. But there are a few ways you can do it.

For example, if you’re going with a gang, agree a time you’ll all leave together. It’s easier to leave when everyone has a set time.

You could also set an alarm on your phone to go off at a certain time, to remind yourself to leave.

And if you’re leaving via taxi, how about pre-ordering one? That way, when the taxi comes, it’s time to leave. No ifs or buts about it.

Getting help for a gambling problem

Of course, setting a limit on gambling time isn’t really going to help if you think you have a gambling problem or you suspect a loved one does. It’s important to get help from an external organisation who are specialised and trained to support you.

Visit Be Gamble Aware for support groups and detailed advice that you can use to overcome your problems.

And if you’re interested in our other responsible gambling articles, you can find more of them here:

Underage gambling
How gambling works