The start of a new year always marks an opportunity for improvement in any facet of your life. Resolutions are made and while some seem destined to fall by the wayside, others are worth the added effort to fulfill. If you happen to be a recreational sports bettor looking for a better return on investment in the coming year, then improving your current betting strategy is a great place to start.

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The harsh reality for any sport bettor, even the pros, is the fact that you are going to lose more bets than you care to. It can sometimes be a vicious cycle between winning and losing streaks. If it all adds up to a winning percentage greater than 55, you will remain in the black. If that percentage dips below that number, you are probably in the red for the previous year.

The first betting tip for improving your overall performance is to ‘know your numbers’! You should be tracking every single one of the sports bets you place. The goal is to create a complete picture of your overall effort.

You should know your winning percentage by individual sport, type of bet and units bet. The more detailed the approach, the better off you will be when it comes to understanding what is working and what has failed. For example, you may find that you cashed in 60 percent of your total line bets for NFL games when betting three units. You may also find that 60 percent of your three-unit, three-team NFL parlay plays were off the mark.

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The whole goal of this tracking exercise it to try and pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses. By placing a greater emphasis on those strengths while minimizing or even eliminating the weaknesses, you are taking a positive step towards improving your overall winning percentage.

Tweaking the actual amount of your sports bets is another great way to enhance your overall return. You might find that your winning percentage for five-unit bets is actually lower that your return on three-unit bets. This does not mean you should bump up all your bets to the five-unit level. What it does mean is that you need to do a better job at evaluating the criteria you are using to bet the games in the first place.

There are many outside factors that could be influencing your betting decisions. Some are obvious and others may be very subliminal. If you are betting five units on a game because the general consensus is leaning heavily in your favor, that practice should immediately be eliminated. If you trust your own handicapping skills, then the units bet should always be dictated by your confidence level in predicting the correct outcome. If you feel strongly about a particular bet, then go with three units. If you absolutely love a certain pick, then bump the units up accordingly. If there are any lingering doubts, do not bet that game.

Successful sports betting is more about common sense then it is about reading stat pages, researching recent betting trends and pouring over the updated injury list just hours before the game. If something does not make sense to you or sit right in your mind, take a step back and save your money for the next game. Never try and force things when it comes to betting on sports. Just because you want to put together a three-team parlay for Sunday’s early NFL games does not mean you have to.

It is far more productive to let things fall into place when betting on any sporting event. You need to take a completely objective approach to breaking down any matchup and then bet accordingly with your predicted level of success.