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.

 

[CoachTony_Bets]

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.

This is excellent stuff, Grinder. Really practical approach that doesn't rely on willpower when you're in the moment - it's all about systems that work when you're angry or frustrated.

Rule 7 is underrated. I actually use something similar with my players - if you can't explain why you're running this play in one clear sentence, you probably don't understand the situation well enough to make the call. Same applies to betting. "I think this team is good" isn't a reason. "This team is 12-3 ATS after a loss with their starting QB healthy" is a reason.

The 24-hour pause after big losses is critical. I've coached kids who wanted to get right back on the field after a bad game to "prove themselves" and it almost never works - you're operating on emotion, not clear thinking. Same with betting. That cooling-off period isn't punishment, it's protection.

Rule 4 hits home because live betting is where I've seen the most damage. There's something about watching a game slip away that makes people want to "fix it" with an in-game bet. But you're not fixing anything - you're adding risk when your judgment is already compromised.

The flat staking until proven otherwise is smart bankroll protection. Too many bettors think they can stake their way out of a hole, but increasing bet size during a rough patch is the fastest way to blow up your account. I tell my guys the same thing about playing time - you don't get more minutes by forcing bad shots when you're cold, you get more minutes by staying disciplined and waiting for your spots.

Good reminder that stopping is actually winning sometimes. Not every day needs a bet, and not every loss needs to be immediately recovered.