The day after the Super Bowl is a rough one for a variety of reasons. Not only does the realization hit that we won’t have any football for roughly six months, but also all of the build-up and the anticipation is gone. I’d liken it to getting married, where you do all this planning, all this prep work, all the stressing and then the big day is over in the blink of an eye.
Rather than dwell on the negative, let’s turn it into a positive. Here are a few things that I believe all bettors should do post-Super Bowl:
1. Evaluate your NFL season: The easiest way to get better is to take a long, hard look at what you did well and what you didn’t do well during a season. Hopefully you’ve been tracking your bets and results so you have something to refer to, but you can also just think about what you learned and what you did differently that helped with either your process or your record. Think about the bad bets and the good bets. Think about how you allocated your bankroll and if you made smart decisions.
2. Invest time into getting better: You should never be satisfied as a bettor because you can always do better. If you aren’t big on college basketball or just have more time available with football season over, do some reading and some research. Study up on Josh Appelbaum’s Sports Betting 101 serieshere at VSiN. Pick up some books that are out there on the subject. Try to learn about different sports betting markets while you have the chance. Get into discussions on social media and try to learn from other people. Do what you can to soak up as much knowledge as possible.
3. Distance yourself a little bit: That show you’ve been wanting to watch on Netflix? Do it. Been putting off the new Spider-Man move? Go see it. Easy to say since today is Valentine’s Day, but go out on the town with your significant other. Show no mercy with your kids at board games. Yes, March Madness is coming and you want to be ready, but betting on sports 365 days a year is a tough thing to do. Sometimes a mental refresh will help sharpen your skills and give you a different perspective.
4. Start thinking about the upcoming season: You don’t have to fire away on any futures or make any bets and tie up your money (though there are some Super Bowl LVII futures I like), but do some digging on the next NFL season. Look at available cap space and team opponents. Try to figure out where some free agents might end up or simply figure out who the free agents are. Look at the NFL Draft order. Just plant some seeds in your mind so that you aren’t playing catch up when news starts to hit in a couple months.
Lastly, I want to thank all of the readers and subscribers that have supported VSiN this NFL season. I’m proud to be a part of a great team and I’m happy to say that we did the Big Game justice this year. Personal thanks to the readers that have reached out about my work and those that I have bantered with in emails. Bring on March Madness!
