The 10 commandments of sports betting in Kenya

There are several rules you need to follow when sports betting [Courtesy]

It is important to bet with your head and not your heart. To do so, you must learn to adhere to certain rules.

Well, here are the rules you need to follow religiously to succeed in sports betting:

Thou shalt not bet when bored

When you do something out of boredom, it usually leads to unwanted side effects. If you bet when bored, the best case scenario is you’ll lose money. The worst-case scenario? You’ll bet to relieve boredom, which strips away all the fun.

Thou shall have fun

If you ever get to a point where you’re no longer having fun, you should stop placing bets immediately. It should be something you enjoy doing, like a hobby.

Thou shalt not bet while drunk

We’re not saying one for the road as you do your stuff is bad, but look at it this way; you’re not supposed to drive while high or drunk because drugs and alcohol impair your ability to think and react. If that’s the case, why the heck would you bet while intoxicated? If you can’t think or react, chances are you’re going to do something stupid – like blowing your rent money on betting.

Thou shalt not bet without knowing the rules

The first thing to learn before diving into betting is to understand the rules. You must know what odds mean for instance.

Thou shalt not place a bet with money you don’t have

In other words, don’t bet with money you’re supposed to use for something else – such as paying your rent, buying food or fare.

You might win or lose. So, knowing that, why would you risk money that’s supposed to put a roof over your head, food on the table or get you from point A to B?

Thou shalt not bet to recover losses

Betting to recover losses is silly. There’s a reason you lost your money in the first place. But, for some reason, people get it in their heads that the next time will be different. Or that they only have to get lucky once. Or, that they have this new foolproof strategy.

For that reason, you should view every shilling you spend as money lost. If you win some money, great, but seriously never lose sight of the fact that every shilling wagered could go.

Thou shalt not bet if you must lie

Do you have to lie to people about whether or not you bet? You don’t have to lie.

Thou shalt not place bets without limits

If you have an unlimited source of funds, you’re super rich or a successful land-grabber somewhere, you can ignore this rule.

Otherwise, every smart bettor must set up a betting limit. It makes it easy to spend only what you can afford to lose and keep you honest.

Thou shalt not bet without taking breaks

Betting for too long without taking a break can put you at risk of doing things you might not otherwise do, like chasing losses, betting with money you don’t really have, or making avoidable mistakes in your predictions.

Take a short break. People are different, but we recommend at least a one-week break.

Thou shalt not bet all your winnings

It’s sweet to win a jackpot. And the sweetness should last longer! So, never stake all your winnings for a fresh bet. You could lose everything!