Get Set Up at Home for Sports Betting
Maybe you don’t need to go fancy-fancy, but we’ll get right into what you should be doing!
While this is being written, it’s coming up at the end of 2023. In fact, we’re fairly close to 2024!
Naturally, we’re at a great time where just about any Online Sportsbook you visit will offer up Mobile Betting as a stand alone option, but did you know that most punters still refer to wager at home? If you really think about this you may start to realize just how much sense this makes. Sure, there are some advantages to being able to place your bets while you’re out and about! Maybe you’re on the train doing some commuting. Maybe you’re sitting by yourself waiting on a coworker to join you for lunch… the scenarios are endless. But for the most part, betting at home still makes even more sense!
You see, if you are really serious about your sports betting, you’re going to want to make sure that you have the right kind of setup to maximize all of the advantages of betting at home, and that’s going to be the focus of this article that we’re going to dive right into.
Why Bet At Home?
You probably started wondering from the very beginning why it is that Home Betting is superior to Mobile Betting. I’m going to go ahead and just list some reasons right away here:
- There Are Distractions On The Go
When you are out running around doing your daily stuff (especially in public), whether or not you admit it, the environment is totally outside of your control. Think about how chaotic some of the locations are where you’re likely to encounter a usable wi-fi network.
Now, you may think to yourself, “I don’t need a wi-fi signal, I’ve got a great carrier“, and maybe that’s true. But let’s look at an example here. Let’s say you’re done with your day job for the day and waiting for your train. You may find yourself worrying about your commute instead of focusing on your betting which means that you might also have some internal distractions. Once again, the examples I could come up with are almost infinite.
- Your Home Network Is More Stable And Secure
Touching up on the previous point, if you find yourself in need of a wi-fi access point, think about the quality of the networks you may have dealt with in the past. Do you really want to be trying to take care of your wagers on a signal that drops in and out, possibly cutting you off at that critical moment when you’re trying to place a Live Wager?
And with this, we can bring up the security aspect. Do you want someone to get access to your betting account and financial information because you were just trying to place some bets on an unencrypted connection? When you’re at home on your own network, you can set up a password, your own encryption, all the safety you want, as well as enjoy far more stability and speed as you’re placing your bets.
- Options Are Better On The Full Version Of Most Sites
The overall functionality of almost all mobile betting sites is generally much lower than it is for the full version of the same sites. This means that you have fewer options available to you while you’re on the go.
You’re almost always going to be “okay” if you’re looking to place some of the more popular wagers, but if you really want to dig around to find some great bets that can possibly win you more money, you will almost always be denying yourself some wagers.
Betting at home will give you access to the most opportunities.
- Refresh Rates Are Faster On The Full Version Of Betting Sites
This really should go without saying.
If you want to take your betting seriously, faster refresh rates are going to be a must when you’re a sports trader!
- API Applications Are Less Restricted On Your Desktop Or Laptop
If you want to get the most out of your experience as a whole, you will probably end up downloading quite a few API applications. This is third-party software that’s compatible with your betting site of choice and allows you to set stop-losses for sports betting, automate your bets, and more.
The whole point is this: You’ll find there’s a lot more valuable information to you when you’re on your desktop or your laptop than you’ll find on your mobile device.
Also, is betting even allowed in the state you live in? Find out more here!
Okay, So Now What?
Now you’ve got a lot of good reasons to do most of your sports betting at home. Mobile Betting on the go can be useful if there happens to be an event you really want to bet on when you simply cannot be at home, but you now know that you should be aiming to do as much betting as you can while you’re sitting at home on your computer.
It doesn’t matter if you live in suburbia, the city, the country… if you do your betting at home you’re going to have a lot more control!
Steps To Take To Streamline Your Home Betting Setup
First come the steps:
- Figure out how to stream matches
- Set up a device to bet on
- Have backups in place
- Get your checklist and logs in front of you
- Eliminate distractions on your computer
- Reduce distractions around your home
- Make sure you are ready
Now, as for the details about each of these steps:
Figure Out How To Stream Matches
So how does one come up with an optimal home betting setup? The first step is going to be to figure out a solution for streaming matches and events.
What you’ll need to focus on here is finding the best Live Stream you possibly can. You’re going to want to keep in mind the fact that when a stream says that it’s “Live” whether it’s online or on television – no it’s not. There’s always going to be some kind of a delay. Sometimes the delay will be just a few seconds, but other times it might be quite significant, possibly half a minute or so!
The longer the delay, the harder it’s going to be for you to make smart betting decisions and that’s especially true if you’re placing Live Bets. If a stream is a half minute behind and you make a decision based on what you just saw on the screen, you’re actually placing a bet based on information that’s already thirty seconds out of date! For all you know, the situation has already reversed and if that’s the case, you may have just thrown some money away!
So how can you find the fastest streams that are available to you? Here are a couple of pointers:
- Stick with online streams rather than television
- Check FAQs for live streams offered by sportsbooks
- The legality of Courtsiding
Yes, television broadcasts may be more enjoyable to watch for some people, but they also tend to lag further behind. Not only are you “waiting” for the info to come to you from the TV, but they’re “waiting” for it as well on their end.
You should be able to find out what approximate delay you could expect on the “live streams” that may be offered by your sportsbook of choice. If you cannot find this information, contact their customer service department. That’s what they’re there for!
You may scoff at the idea of paying to live stream events, but it may be well worth it if you are getting a faster stream. Besides, most betting sites live stream the majority of sporting events completely for free. Those that do charge, (usually the racebook, for horse and greyhound racing) generally charge very little. In fact, you’ll quite often just have to place a minimum bet, ($1 at most sites).
After you’ve been betting for a while, you may notice that there are other gamblers that seem to know what’s going on faster than you do. This is sometimes the result of “courtsiding“. This is where a gambler or their representatives are actually present at an event in question and there themselves, somewhere in the stands. Either they’ll use that information right there to place their bets, or at least transmit it to someone else remotely that does the same.
The legality of courtsiding will vary from one jurisdiction to the next. In some countries, this isn’t a problem at all. In others, it actually is illegal and could hypothetically command a prison sentence.
In any case, courtsiding is probably not something you will be able to engage in unless you either have the money to travel to the events you bet on or have the money to hire someone else to do it for you. The bottom line of this is that there are pros out there that are going to be acting on pertinent information before you even get access to it. Even a few seconds can give them an edge over you.
Once you figure out where you want to stream your matches, you’re going to need to figure out which devices you want to watch them on. You can use a computer monitor for this and if I were you, I’d stick with a full-sized monitor, not a tablet or other mobile device so you can actually see what’s going on.
You may also be able to use your TV. Remember that even if you’re streaming online, you can still transmit that stream to your television screen if you have a compatible streaming media player for doing so. This is a fantastic compromise if you want something that is faster than a TV broadcast but still easier on the eyes than staring at a smaller screen!
Set Up A Device To Bet On
If I sold computers for a living, I would demand that you bought one of these super-bad-boys!
So you’ve figured out your personal live streaming solution, good for you! Now the next step is going to be to set up a device for your betting!
For this, I again recommend sticking with a device that has a full-sized screen, this way you can use the full version of your betting sites and not the mobile version which may not offer as much in the way of functionality.
If need be, you can purchase a second monitor and link both up so that you have an expanded desktop. This would give you plenty of room to work with and makes it possible to display your stream on one screen and your betting interface on the other while just using one device.
Something else you could do is to just use a second computer, BUT, before you try this make certain that you’re allowed to be logged in from two devices at the same time! Once again, this is one of those things where if you have any questions about that go ahead and contact your site’s customer service department and ask them about their policies in that aspect.
If it turns out that this is against their policies but you still want to use two devices, you could consider betting on a different site than the one you’re using to stream events.
Have Backups In Place
Now we’re going to talk about what you need to consider if something were to go wrong with the device(s) that you’re using. Even if nothing were to “go wrong” with your device(s) itself, let’s say your internet connection went down. In both cases, you’re going to want to have backups at the ready!
This is where your mobile device could finally come in handy, even at home. If your desktop or your laptop has a problem, you can always grab that and switch it on instead.
What if there was a problem with your internet connection? Again, this is another way in which your mobile device can come to the rescue. While not ideal, if you have a hot-spot on your phone (which most do), you can connect through that if it’s just your connection that goes down and if you really had to, you could then use that connection on your desktop or laptop.
Now let’s consider another scenario. What if you don’t have a problem on your end, but rather, the sportsbook does? While this is very unlikely, it’s also not unheard of and if something goes wrong with the site itself, you could find yourself in a tight spot!
Sometimes that could result in an unavoidable loss of sorts, but a lot of issues can be circumnavigated if you were to simply open accounts at multiple betting sites. You can use these as your backups should something go wrong at your “main” site.
Besides, you should be opening accounts at multiple sites anyway, this would come with many advantages! You can compare and shop the odds with ease this way, switch between live betting streams, and so on. Remember, live betting streams may also experience issues where some streams are going to be faster on some days and slower on others, so if you find yourself dealing with that kind of variance, access to backup streams is going to be important!
Get Your Checklist And Logs In Front Of You
Now the technology end of things is all taken care of, but that’s not all there is to a complete home betting setup!
If you’ve got any serious consideration of making any money, you are doubtless going to be following a pretty complex set of procedures that are (hopefully) streamlined into a checklist. This is especially important if you face any challenges with executive functioning skills.
You should also be keeping a log of your activities while you are betting and recording all of your outcomes. For this, you may have a spreadsheet, a journal, maybe a combination of the two (I would actually recommend both).
I suggest that when you sit down to bet, you get your checklist and open it up right in front of you. Open the document on your computer, load it on your phone, print it out and tape it to the wall, whatever you like. Just make sure that it’s in plain sight so that you don’t forget the important considerations or steps in your process.
It’s also useful to have your journal and/or spreadsheet open so that you can take notes while your bets are in progress!
Eliminate Distractions On Your Computer
You may have everything you need to bet, but now there’s an important aspect to consider when it comes to your setup and that’s going to be, getting rid of everything you don’t need.
You can start out by checking for distractions on your computer. These days, a lot of us have various apps that are distracting to us. This may include chat applications, file and folder sharing services, desktop notifications, the list goes on and on.
Close out as much as you can! Exit out of the chat apps and temporarily disable notifications while you are betting. Don’t even check your email!
Your desktop should be as clean as possible, this way you have nothing pulling you away from your betting.
All of this has nothing to do with your web browser itself, which you obviously cannot get rid of and that may be a problem in itself. Facebook? Reddit? Whatever your personal addictions, you’re going to want to make sure that you kick them while you’re in a gambling session.
Reduce Distractions Around Your Home
Okay, so you can’t get rid of all your distractions!
Of course there are going to be distractions off of your computer as well and this is one of the best reasons to bet in your home environment. It’s an environment that you have a reasonable amount of control over.
Many distractions that you’ll come into can be reduced or flat-out eliminated in advance. If it’s possible, take the following steps:
- Turn off the ringer on your cell phone so that you will not be tempted to take phone calls.
- Tell anyone who lives with you that you are busy and do not want to be interrupted for the duration of the time you will be betting.
- Close the door so that you do not have to deal with noise and movement from the rest of your home.
- Pull the drapes on your windows if you get distracted by outside activity.
Basically, treat your home betting setup like a home office. Try and create some division between the time you spend betting and everything else in your life.
Make Sure You Are Ready
Lastly, here comes something that can be surprisingly easy to forget but is arguable the most important aspect of a proper home betting setup.
Making Sure That You Are Ready
If you don’t have your own mental house in order, you’re likely to blow it with your betting, no matter how great the rest of the setup is! Even though this is intangible, it’s just as vital as every other aspect.
You have got to take care of yourself and evaluate your mood before you ever sit down to make some bets. Make sure that you’re ready to focus and make smart decisions before you start handing over your hard-earned cash!
Before you start to get into a gambling session, go over this list here to make sure that you’re in the right space:
- Get Yourself Well Fed And Hydrated
- Do Not Bet When You Are Drunk
- Make Sure That You Are Physically Well And Mentally Alert
- Check Your Emotional State
Don’t sit down to bet on an empty stomach if you’re like most people and can be distracted by the thought of food. If need be, bring a snack with you, but if this snack is distracting, make sure beforehand you’re good to go.
And then there’s also the people that find it hard to think if they’re going on a full stomach! You would do well to just admit it if you’re one of these people and then avoid a large meal before you go to place some bets!
And this also goes for “if you’re under the influences of anything else”, or even just hungover.
You may be surprised to learn what a temptation this can be for some people, yet I can still not stress it nearly enough.
Do not do this. Not ever.
Under the influence of alcohol or anything else, your judgment may be compromised and at the time, you may not even be aware of it! You can already see what a horrible idea this would be!
As to a good old fashioned hangover, well, talk about a major distraction!
If you happen to “come down with something” or you’re otherwise in pain, you may want to hold off on your betting action unless you’re already skilled at concentrating and making smart decisions while under severe physical stress.
You may also be like many people in that you have days where you’re mentally sharp and others where it feels like you’re just lost in a mental fog. If you find yourself on one of these “down slopes”, you might want to wait until your mind is more clear.
It’s not going to be the right time to bet when you’re compromised by fear, anger, overconfidence, really any other overwhelming emotion. At the least, you should take a moment to become cognizant of your mood and how it affects you. This way you can consciously deal with it instead of letting those emotions take the reigns.
You can also note your mood in your betting journal that was discussed. Over time you may discover that some emotions and situations will disrupt your betting more than others. This will help you figure out when you can bet profitably and when you should back off.
The more you monitor your physical and psychological state when you are betting, the more you will learn about not only betting, but about yourself as well! Over time this will not only prevent you from betting on a day that you really should be taking off, but it will also help you to gain more control over your moods and make better, more profitable decisions.
Don’t think you’re going to be placing the best bets you can if you’re not mentally prepared!
Conclusion
This is the strongest takeaway here:
The Right Home Betting Setup Can Significantly Increase Your Profitability In Sports Betting
If you don’t currently have an optimized home betting setup, you may be unnecessarily losing money through mistakes that are completely avoidable that are caused by distractions, tech glitches, or any other inconveniences. Once you have your home betting setup optimized, you will be able to tune into the fastest streams. You’ll have backups in case of malfunction. You’ll be placing your wagers with no distractions. All of this means fewer mistakes, and higher profits!
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