Betting on sports can be a fun way to make watching sporting events even more exciting than they already are! When done correctly, it can also be a way to generate some extra pocket change. Occasionally I will place wagers on other sports, but my bread and butter has always been on the NFL. There are a couple of things I like to keep in mind when I'm wagering. First and most important is to stay within your means, it's no fun when you are gambling with money you need. Next don't chase a loss: if you make a losing wager it is tempting to just bet on the next game and catch up. Whenever this comes up for me it usually leads to making a bad play on a game I don't feel strongly about. And the last thing I like to do is try to avoid making parlay bets. Parlays are tempting because you can win a lot by wagering a little and there is a reason for that! In the coming weeks I will use this forum to share some plays I am making and offer some insight on the picks I make.

First, here is a little recap on plays I've made so far this season. I have made 4 total wagers so far and have hit on 3 out of the 4. The first play I made was on the Chargers +1 at Buffalo in week 3. The public's opinion on the Bills was inflated after their victories over the Bears and Dolphins so I jumped on San Diego. Generally speaking whenever a home team is favored by less than 3 points it means they really aren't favored. Next I won betting on the Lions -1 against the Jets. That one was pretty simple for me, the Jets can not score enough to beat the Lions. Then I made an error: I tried to run up my roll too quickly and decided to bet the Saints -3 in Dallas on Sunday Night Football (as it was the only game left to bet on the day). Generally I will try to avoid betting on a road team in a prime time game when there isn't a wide disparity in talent. Finally most recently I won on the Packers -10 Thursday night over the Vikings. That line opened at Packers -9, and when Christian Ponder was announced as the Vikings starter I knew I would have to bet the Packers at home and was willing to take on the extra point.

This week there are three games on my radar for placing a wager. I like the Bears to bounce back getting 3 points vs. the Panthers. I think they will win outright with the Panthers down to their 3rd running back. Matt Forte should be able to have a good day against the Panthers who haven't stopped the run yet this season. Next I've been told by a trustworthy source that the Eagles have an 82% chance to cover 6 points against the Rams at home. Currently the line is set at -7 so if I place a wager on this game I probably will buy one point. Lastly I think the Patriots getting 2 points at home on Monday night will be a good bet. The Bengals are good this year, but you can never count out the Pats. I think they will have a strong performance in prime time and silence some doubters.