Whether it?s a hobby, a lifestyle or even a career, betting certainly has its up and downs. The risks are higher yet insignificant in regards to the rewards?if you can win that is. With endless opportunities to bet, it is just as easy to blow your winnings mere minutes after gaining them, as it is to double up your bankroll with the spin of a wheel, the draw of a card, or the press of a button. So what makes a winning bet?

Well, firstly, a winning bet requires confidence. There is simply no point in taking risks if you don?t have the confidence in your ability to pick a winner. After all, worrying about outcomes of things you have next to no control over is not only a damaging trait, but one that is bad for your health, so it?s best to be sure in your own judgement. Once you are confident in your selection and believe you have picked a winner, you are already halfway to winning the bet, although it would be wise to only bet what you can afford, even if you think your particular selection is a certainty.

The next step to earning yourself a winning bet is to decide your stake. Some bets could look incredibly tempting, but the odds are simply too big for you to consider making the bet. This would be possible however, if you had a bigger betting bankroll to distribute, and if that selection wins, then the larger stake means you are likely to see more money coming into your pocket when the dust has settled. So, determine an affordable amount of money you can afford to stake before considering your bets, because if you have more money, you are likely to target selections that have a better chance of returning as a winner.

The next way to find a winner is to be patient. Particularly in sport, anything can change in the build-up to your selection going live and betting odds can fluctuate in a significant manner due to these changes. When it comes to football betting, for example, waiting to hear the starting line-up of a particular team could bear a significant effect on how much you choose to stake and what odds you will get when doing so.

The final tip when betting is to avoid chasing your losses. This means that when you are out, you are out and the temptation to buy back in or to bet again, simply to recoup some of your lost money, should be avoided. Many people bet on selections with the knowledge they can always win or bet again, but if you go into the selection with the mind-set that a loss means you are out of the game, you will likely take a great deal of care in your selection, that could prove vital when it goes live.