If you’re looking to become a sports betting pro, then congratulations – you’ve chosen one of the most potentially lucrative and exciting careers there is. Sports betting can be truly thrilling, especially when matches go down to the wire and you’ve placed a particularly interesting bet. You can work from home, you’ll be constantly engaged with your job, and you’ll make some pretty good money to boot (if you’re skilled, of course).

That said, there are things you’ll need before you enter the world of sports betting. It’s not easy to get started in this industry, especially since competition is fierce and everyone wants to try it out. If you want to stay ahead of the pack, you’ll need to be armed with knowledge, skill, and patience, among other things. If you stay dedicated and keep on track, you can’t lose. Here are 7 things you shouldn’t be without if you want to be a sports bettor.

  1. Knowledge

Whether it’s the ins and outs of accumulator bets, the best strategies to use for victory, or the teams you need to keep in your radar, there’s nothing more crucial to sports betting than knowledge. Before you begin, you should be reading up on different sports, different rules, and different types of bet. It’s also worth bearing in mind that not all websites for sports betting are created equal. Some are better than others; some will give you better odds, while others have better new-player bonuses for you to enjoy. If you want more advice on how to choose your website for sports betting, click here. There’s no time like the present to get started!

  1. Money

Only a fool starts betting without a reasonable pool of cash. How much you need will depend entirely on what level you intend to bet at. If you’re just getting started, you probably only need enough to cover a few bets. If you’re thinking of going big-league, you’ll be laughed out of town if you don’t have a couple of thousand (or even tens of thousands) in your bank so you can cover losses and make some serious money. This is betting, and there’s a chance you will lose. You can minimise that chance with skill and practice, but you could still lose even if you’re trying your best. Having money covers you against this eventuality.

  1. Time

You could, of course, simply bet on sports while you’re away from work. If you’re planning to become a sports better as a second job, you’ll need to learn good time management. If you’re thinking of taking it up as your main career, then time management is even more important. You’ll also need to be free around the time of big matches and sporting events because that’s where you stand to make the most money if you’re smart. A lot of sports betting is watching tables and fixtures as they happen, especially if you’re betting live. If you don’t think you have the time to devote to sports betting, it’s not worth taking it up.

  1. Versatility

You could conceivably become a sports better with nothing but football. If you’ve got an in-depth, insider knowledge of a sport, then you’re uniquely poised to reap the rewards from that knowledge if you bet on it. Most people, however, would benefit from “diversifying their portfolio” a little bit. Even if you’re not an enthusiast for other sports, make sure you learn their basic rules and a little bit about their tournament structures. Who’s the best player right now? Which players aren’t good assets for betting? These are helpful things to know in every sport, not just in the sport you personally like.

  1. Lack of bias

Every sports fan has a team that is close to their heart. They’ll go to bat (no pun intended) for this team. They’ll step up and defend them to the hilt in heated bar debates. The fact is, though, that no matter how much you love your team, if they’re consistently losing this season then you could stand to lose a lot of money if you bet on them to win. You’ll need to throw that bias away if you want to become a sports bettor. You could, of course, always bet on your team to lose; that’s an option, and it could net you a significant amount of cash if you’re right. Just make sure you’re playing the field and looking at other teams while you bet.

  1. Perseverance

Don’t get us wrong – if you’re consistently losing and you’re never seeing any gains, it might be time to switch up your strategy. Don’t just give in, though. Betting can be a somewhat changeable industry, and that’s true in sports betting, too. Your team could simply be underperforming, or you could just be on a run of bad luck. If your strategy has been successful in the past, that tells you one of two things: you need to change your strategy to keep up with the changing market, or you’re simply in a slump and it’ll pick up. Whichever is the case, giving up is the worst thing you can do. When you’re in the money, you’ll be glad you stuck it out through the difficult times and came out the other side.

  1. Adaptability

There are many different sports betting strategies, and they all work in different situations. If you’ve been running back and lay bets on various teams and it’s stopped paying dividends for you, it’s time to switch. Maybe you could start running accumulators or go for a last-minute goal system if that’s what’s been happening in games. Adaptability is key for sports betting, because matches are changeable and dependent entirely on what the people playing the sport are doing. Stats and predictions can get you so far, but they won’t carry you to victory; your strategy and your intelligence will do that.