Staying level headed throughout the course of your betting career is a bona fide key to success. Day in and day out, even the wisest and most experience sportbook gamblers lose their lock bets. No matter how many times you shift through weather reports trying to determine the outcome of a game or use that exclusive, insider information they may claim to have - losses are always foreseeable on the horizon. In gambling, you must realize one thing - nothing is ever a surefire bet. The worst team in the league can massacre an all-star assembled lineup. Remember, Las Vegas would be bankrupt if everyone was smart and made the right plays.

Every now and then, seasoned veterans are subject to horrendous losing streaks. Losing streaks, besides causing a dent in your bankroll, can leave you nerve wrecked and impatient to win the next game. The stress is catapulted to new levels when the team you bet against on performs an amazing comeback. For example, you´re a Denver Nugget aficionado and you chose them on a -7 spread against the Dallas Mavericks. They have a cushy lead of 21 points with 3 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and you´re lounging back on your chair waiting to log on to your Bodog account waiting to see your new earnings. What happens? Dirk Nowitski knocks down a 3 pointer, steals the ball from Kenyon Martin on the next play, throws down another 3 pointer - and sparks his team on an amazing 18-0 run. When the buzzer sounds, the Mavericks manage to escape with a victory. Question is: what should you do? You might shout and throw an apple at the screen, but in the end - bowing and accepting your defeat gracefully is the best choice. Games like this are bound to happen, you say.

Avoiding these types of close losses requires savvy in shopping for the best lines. Many of these close call games are decided by a point or less. By shopping for the best lines and retrieving your valued half point, you have a good possibility of winning your bet. Keep in mind, lines shift throughout the course of a day in response to the public´s selections - if one team is heavily favored upon, Las Vegas will move those lines from -6 to -7 (per se) to encourage betting on the other side. Sometimes, it is important to pick your bets early after going through different sports books - in case the line goes against your favor within the next couple of hours before game time. The utter reality when betting on sports books is that you will lose. Whether it´s a blowout against you or a very close game, it is still a loss. The best thing to do is to move on. Remember, don´t blow away half of your bankroll on the next wager. As discussed before, the rule of thumb is to wager no more than 5% of your bankroll - no matter how sure you are on a game. If you accept the reality that comes with sports book wagering, betting on sports will produce better experiences in the long run.