Click Away for Free Picks from the Nations Best   2003 $mart Bettors Know Discipline - Big Al McMordie   With college football starting up this weekend and the NFL regular season on the horizon, this is a good time to take an accounting class. That is, in the world of sports wagering, successful handicappers know how to control their minds and their money. It's easy to handle winning. Anybody, with the possible exception of Mike Tyson, can handle a budget when they're on a roll and the money is rolling in. Sports betting hot streaks happen all the time, and it's relatively easy to not go overboard when you're hitting the games like this: Loss, Win, Win, Win, Loss, Win, Win, Win. But there are times when you don't get the breaks. Last season in Week 10, Carolina was a 4-point home dog against New Orleans. Trailing 27-24 and with the ball, the Panthers fumbled on the game's last play and the Saints scored on a 34-yard touchdown. That stunning play didn't cost the Panthers a win, but it did turn winning tickets on Carolina at +4 into losing ones. Now let me ask you: Was taking Carolina a bad play? Of course not. It was the right side, really, as the Panthers out-gained the Saints 296-248 for the game and led 24-20 in the fourth quarter. They had the cover all the way, until a crazy fluke on the final play. It was just plain bad luck, which also intervened in Week 1 when Cleveland's Dwayne Rudd threw his helmet and cost his team a win (40-39, Kansas City). The Chiefs' field goal at the buzzer shocked Cleveland fans and many sports bettors, who had the Browns anywhere from a 1-to-2 point favorite. Yes, it ain't over 'til it's over, and anyone who bets on sports regularly has a story like that. But the important point is: How do you handle it? If you want to be successful in sports wagering, here's how you should handle it: Clench your teeth, shake it off and move on--immediately! It's easier said than done, of course, but it's very important to learn to do this and understand what is happening. The psychological part of sports betting separates the contenders from the pretenders. Here's what amateur bettors do when Lady Luck throws them a bad curveball: whine, cry, curse, complain, curse some more, and then decide to put everything they just lost on the next game kicking off. "I've got to hurry up and get my money back," is their thinking. It's also a recipe for the poorhouse. You can get away with it on occasion, but eventually that kind of thinking will wipe out your wagering bankroll, and then some. The point of sports wagering is not to win every bet--because that's impossible--but to pick your spots and grind out a profit. This is more realistic and very possible. This means you must grasp the importance of managing your money. If you bet $100 on small plays, for example, $300 on bigger plays and $500 on the games you rate the highest, then stick to it. You won't make your retirement savings in one season, but that formula will guarantee you success over the long haul, which should be the point of every serious sports bettor. Head coach Dick Vermeil once told his team before a big late-season game, "We've lost some this season we should have won, but we've won some games we should have lost, too. We're right where we're supposed to be." His point was to get his team focused for the game, but it's also a smart rule for sports bettors: Yes, you will lose some heart-breaking games you should have won, but don't look back because you're also going to win some games you should have lost. Over the long haul, luck evens things out. But smart sports handicappers don't let luck determine whether or not they turn a profit. Financial discipline is the difference. So don't panic or get frustrated and try to double up at the betting window when a few bounces don't go your way. The faster you learn financial discipline, the better you will be as a bettor. Good luck as always this season, and don't miss any of my Guaranteed Winners at picks2bet.com, or my free daily plays. I've won 10 of 11 years in football, and was 7-0 on my NFL Sides/Totals Games of the Month last season, and I'm 19-2-1 on my last 22 College 5* plays.  Be sure to join Big Al McMordie for his NFL Guaranteed Picks Remember you are never charged if you do not WIN!!!  Owned and operated by Alliance Sports Media  Any information furnished by this site is for information and entertainment only and is not to be used in violation of any federal, state, provincial or local laws - Privacy Policy Contact Servus - Picks2bet.com