I was once in a meeting with esteemed US sports betting guru Kenny White and we were discussing the attributes required to be a successful sports bettor with delegates from a major European betting company. When asked what the key component was, we both answered simultaneously: selectivity. Put simply, the bookmaker must price up tens of thousands of events per year if they are to provide the long tail of betting competitions and markets which their customers have come to expect.

 

But, as their customer, you don't have to bet on a large number of these events, selectivity really is a key weapon in a punter’s armoury. In my time on the other side of the counter, I have seen a huge number of accounts who placed smart bets as a matter of course. However, the money they made from these wagers was squandered by an inability to resist placing additional bets which represented bad value. A good rule of thumb would be that if you’re unsure as to whether to place a bet and are going back and forth, leave the selection unbacked. The bet may win but over the course of a year, such bets are unlikely to be profitable.