Do you find yourself regretting bets? If we’re being honest, we’ve all made bets in the past that we regret.
But the trick is to learn from those mistakes and avoid making those kind of bets again.
Everything in this list might sound fairly basic, but it’s actually beyond important. If you stop regretting bets, it means you’re not making silly or unintended bets. You’ll save, time, money and most importantly heartache/that feeling that you should’ve been a bit smarter…
Remember the relationship between regretting bets and mental health
If you’re feeling bad, be that for a sustained period or time or even temporarily, you’re not going to be making great decisions. When you’re decision making abilities are impaired, it is the exact time you’ll start to regret bets. So before you start betting or playing poker, why not ask yourself how you’re feeling. If you’re angry, sad, tired, hungry, don’t do it. Just walk away and come back to the games when you’re feeling more yourself.
Before you make a bet or buy into a tournament, take a step back
One of the things that the smartest people do to avoid regretting bets, is to give themselves some breathing room to avoid making snap decisions. So next time you’re buying into a tournament, decide you’re going to do it. Step back from the computer for a few minutes. Then reassess. If you still want to do it, go for it. The same principle applies to sports betting, especially big wagers.
Don’t overspend
When people find themselves regretting bets, often it’s because they’ve overspent. Sometimes they might realize just after they’ve made the bet. Sometimes they’ll only figure it out much later. But either way, it’s a bad look.
Everyone who bets, whether that’s once in a blue moon or regularly, needs to figure out their gambling spending limits. If you haven’t already, there’s no time like the present. Work out the maximum you want to spend in a specific time frame and also in each session.
Worried that you’re addicted to gambling?
If you think that you have or are at risk of developing a gambling problem, or that a loved one is, those tips to avoid regretting bets aren’t designed for you. Instead, you need to stop betting completely.
Doing that might sound daunting. And it is, of course, a big task. But you won’t be alone in trying to face it. There are organizations all over the world whose sole purpose is to help people overcome gambling addictions. Here are some of the ones you can turn to in different regions:
- USA: National Council on Problem Gambling website or phone line (1800 522 4700)
- UK: Be Gamble Aware website or phone line (0808 8020 133)
- Australia: Gambling Help Online website or phone line (1800 858 858)
- New Zealand: Gambling Helpline website or phone line (0800 654 655)
Here are some other international organizations that you can contact, if your location isn’t listed above.
You may also be interested in these other responsible gambling articles:
