My 10 rules to stop chasing losses (realistic, not preachy)

[GlasgowGrinder]

Chasing losses is not a personality flaw. It’s a control failure. You don’t fix it with motivation. You fix it with rules that still hold when you’re angry. Here are mine. They’re boring. They work.

Rule 1: No “get it back” bets. If the reason is recovery, it’s a forced bet. Forced bets lose.

Rule 2: After any loss bigger than your normal stake, you take a mandatory 24-hour pause. No exceptions.

Rule 3: You set a daily max loss before the day starts. If you hit it, you’re done. Closing the app is not optional.

Rule 4: No live betting when you’re down. Live is where emotion goes to hide.

Rule 5: Flat staking until proven otherwise. You do not increase stake size to “fix” a day.

Rule 6: No pub bets. Alcohol plus betting equals bad decisions. If you’re drinking, you’re not betting.

Rule 7: Write the reason before you bet. One sentence. If you can’t explain it simply, don’t bet.

Rule 8: No second chance markets. If your pre-match loses, you do not immediately jump into “next goal” or “over 0.5” to soothe yourself.

Rule 9: Track everything. If you stop tracking when you’re losing, you’re lying to yourself.

Rule 10: Your biggest win is stopping. Not winning the next bet. Stopping is the skill.

If you’re reading this thinking “I could never do that,” pick one rule and start there. The goal is fewer stupid losses, not perfection.

 

[DublinDegen]

this is annoyingly good and i hate that it’s grinder who wrote it because now i have to admit he’s right, rule 4 is basically my entire downfall. nothing makes me feel more like i’m “doing something” than live betting while im down and nothing empties the wallet faster either

also the one sentence thing is humbling because half my bets would be like “because i’m raging and i need to feel alive” which is probably the sign to log off

 

[SharpEddie47]

This is the correct framing. Chasing is not “bad luck.” It’s behavior. I’d add one mental reframe that helped me: the next bet is not connected to the last bet. Your brain insists it is. That’s the trap. Chasers treat the sportsbook like an ATM that owes them money. It doesn’t. Each wager is a separate investment decision with its own expected value. If you can’t evaluate a bet as if you were up on the day, you shouldn’t place it.

 

[TaffyTipster]

Rule 6 is the life saver.

I’m not even joking butt.

Two pints and suddenly you fancy things you’d never touch at home.

And the one sentence rule is class because it stops you doing that “well they’re due” rubbish.

Also, the 24-hour pause sounds harsh, but it stops you doing the midnight meltdown bet.