New To Betting? Here's Some Important Advice

Beginner bettors often make the mistake of thinking that all they need to do is pick a winner to make money from betting. Betting is not that simple. To succeed at betting, you need to have a sound strategy. Almost every successful bettor has a strategy that they follow. There's no surefire way to pick winners 100% of the time, but having a solid strategy can help you increase your chances of winning in the long run. Here are some important pieces of advice for those new to betting:

1. Have a Strategy

Having a sound betting strategy in place is crucial for long-term success. There are several different betting strategies you can use. Some popular strategies include value betting, arbitrage betting, and matched betting.

Value betting is when you bet on an outcome you believe is more likely to occur than the odds suggest. For example, if you think there's a 50% chance of a team winning, but the odds are only 2.00 (1/1), then there's value in betting on that team.

Arbitrage betting is when you bet on all possible outcomes of an event to guarantee a profit. For example, if you think Team A has a 50% chance of winning and Team B has a 50% chance of winning, you can bet on both teams and be guaranteed to make a profit no matter which team wins.

Matched betting is when you bet both for and against an outcome using free bets and bonuses from bookmakers. Check out a guide to matched betting for beginners, so you know how to take advantage of bookmaker offers. This is how many people make a risk-free profit from betting.

2. Manage Your Bankroll

Your bankroll is the amount of money you have available to bet with. It's important to manage your bankroll carefully. Many beginner bettors make the mistake of betting too much money on each bet. This is a surefire way to lose money in the long run.

It's important only to bet a small percentage of your bankroll on each bet. This is known as flat betting. For example, if you have a $100 bankroll, you should be betting $10 per bet. This gives you a lot of room for error and ensures that you won't go broke if you have a losing streak.

3. Shop Around for the Best Odds

One of the most important things to do when betting is to shop for the best odds. Bookmakers all offer different odds on different events. By shopping around, you can ensure you get the best possible value for your bets. This is easily done online. Several odds comparison websites allow you to compare the odds from different bookmakers. This makes it easy to find the best odds on any given event.

4. Stay disciplined

It's important to stay disciplined when betting. Many beginner bettors make the mistake of chasing their losses. They will increase their bets to win back the money they've lost. This is a surefire way to lose even more money. If you are on a losing streak, it's important to stick to your betting strategy and not let your emotions take over. Chasing your losses will only lead to more losses in the long run.

5. Know When to Walk Away

It's important to know when to walk away from betting. This is especially true if you're on a losing streak. It can be tempting to keep betting to win back your losses, but this is often a recipe for disaster.

If you consistently lose money, it might be time to take a break from betting or switch to a different strategy. There's no shame in admitting that you need help. Several professional bettors and handicappers offer their services online. For a fee, they will provide you with picks or advice on improving your betting strategy.

6. Take Advantage of Promotions and Bonuses

Bookmakers are always offering promotions and bonuses to try and attract new customers. These offers can be very lucrative if used correctly. Many bookmakers offer sign-up bonuses, giving you free money to bet when you open a new account.

There are also several ongoing promotions that you can take advantage of. For example, many bookmakers offer cashback deals, which refund your stake if your bet loses. There are also reload bonuses, which give you a bonus when you deposit more money into your account.

By following these five pieces of advice, you'll be well to becoming a successful bettor. Always research, manage your bankroll carefully, and exercise caution when betting online. And most importantly, be patient. You can make a lot of money from betting on sports with little time and effort.

Tips for Getting Over Writer’s Block

Writer’s block is a common issue for musicians, and it’s like pressing “pause.” This slight issue can hit at any point in the creative process, whether you’re a musician or not. Getting over it may be a long process, but we’re here to help you through it. 

In this article, we’ll give you a few tips on how to get past writer’s block and start making music!

Check Your Gear

Here’s a situation you might be familiar with: You’ve decided to skip the lyrics and try some chords first. So you pick up your guitar, set up your audio interface, and get strumming. You record a few measures, then listen to the playback. But there’s too much interference in the recording to make something workable.

One look at your trusty audio interface shows you the problem: It’s old and worn-out! Not to worry, because an audio interface upgrade is completely normal. Your audio interface and other tools are essential for making music, so it would be ideal to check them for any age-related problems. Functional gear is essential to make something worth listening to!

Slow Changes

One of the more insidious issues of writer’s block is how long it can take to pass. The longer it lasts, the more time you have to start questioning your own musical abilities. But before getting to that point, try revisiting your main musical inspirations.

Any musician will take inspiration from somewhere, and it’s advisable to write what you know. So try this exercise out: Take one of your favorite pieces from your favorite artists, and break it down. Chords, melody, verse, bridge. Change something small from one of the parts, then play the song again.

Maybe you changed the chords earlier. This time try changing the speed of the tempo, and add that to your new chords. As you keep going, the song will eventually become unrecognizable from its original form, and you’ve made a sort of homage to your favorite artist. Now you’ve made the song your own!

Work Piecemeal

One thing that holds songwriters back is the idea of creating a song entirely from scratch. It feels like trying to take on a mountain. But no one says you have to start and finish a song in the same sitting, so don’t look at it like that!

Break up your creative process a bit. Instead of setting aside a few hours to write a few verses, write a line or two in a few minutes. Then you can get back to it the next time you’re free. Working on your song piece-by-piece will let you tweak it as you go along and give yourself time to look at it from a more objective point of view. With more time to think and time away from the song, you might find yourself better able to write and finish the process.

Keep At It

Just like any other skill, writer’s block can be overcome with consistent practice. One of the root causes of writer’s block is the pressure you subject yourself to in order to sound incredible. However, no one’s going to start out as a virtuoso. Even masters of the craft have off days, so why can’t you?

If you feel as if you’re not making progress for today, stop for now. Don’t force yourself if nothing’s happening. Revisit your projects at a later time with fresh eyes, and maybe you’ll be able to make something with a new perspective. 

Get Some Distance 

Some songwriters hedge their bets on a single song and refuse to let go, even when it’s slowing down their process. You don’t have to stay with a song if it’s not going anywhere. Drop your half-finished chorus first and take a walk. Start another song while you’re at it. 

Don’t let the idea of a single song consume all your waking hours, because you’ll end up prolonging your writer’s block. Try to get away from that one beastly song and create something else that’s small in the meantime. After spending some time on a different project, come back to your first song. Hopefully you’ll have the inspiration and clarity you need to finish it. 

Change Spots

This tip is specifically for when you have most of a song but can’t quite seem to finish it. You’ve got every verse written down and the melody worked out, but the arrangement has you in a bind. Try moving what you’ve designated as the “chorus” into where the “verse” should be.

You might find that the song just flows better this new way. Of course, these different parts will be different lengths, so you might have to do some cutting down after the moving. But the song will change one way or another, and you might prefer the new arrangement!

Write Free of Judgment

There’s a concept from literature that’s applicable here: “The Author is Dead.” Instead of reading a work and trying to find a great meaning that the author has sprinkled in, look at it through your own interpretation as the reader. 

Now we can take this idea and move it to music. Instead of scrutinizing everything about your song as you write it, get the chords down first, or the melody, or the first few lines. Once it sounds good to you as a listener first and a writer second, then you can continue to build on it. 

The main idea here is to let yourself put some pen to paper first instead of judging everything as it comes. Your writer’s block might be caused by how you look at your own work. So try not to judge yourself too harshly. 

It may be difficult, but try to look at your writer’s block separately from your creative ability, and don’t let the struggles you’re having with this song get you down. Writer’s block isn’t a sign that you’re incompetent; It just means you’re going through a slight rough patch. You’ll get through it eventually.