Superstitions in sports betting: Do you have any?

[ParlayPrincess_88]

Okay this might sound dumb but I'm curious if anyone else has superstitions around their betting. Like things you do or don't do because you feel like it affects your luck even though you know logically it probably doesn't matter.
I've noticed I have a few weird habits that I've developed. Like I always place my bets from my couch, never from my bed or anywhere else. I don't know why but the one time I bet from my bedroom I lost like three bets in a row and now I'm scared to do it again lol.

I also never bet on games involving teams I actively dislike. Not because I think it's bad strategy but because I feel like my negative energy toward that team will somehow curse the bet. Which I know is completely irrational but I can't help it.
And if I'm on a winning streak I try to wear the same clothes when I'm watching the games. I had this one weekend where I wore the same hoodie for three days and won every bet, so now that hoodie feels lucky to me.

I know Eddie is probably going to tell me this is all nonsense and I should only focus on the data and analysis lol. But I feel like a lot of people have little superstitions even if they know they're not real. It's just a psychological thing that makes you feel more comfortable.
Does anyone else have betting superstitions or am I the only one being weird about this?

 

[SharpEddie47]

Princess predicted my response correctly. Superstitions are completely irrational and have no place in serious betting. The location you bet from, the clothes you wear, the rituals you perform, none of these things affect the outcome of sporting events in any way.
The reason superstitions develop is because of our brain's tendency to see patterns in random noise. You wore a hoodie and won three bets in a row. Your brain creates a causal connection between the hoodie and the wins even though the correlation is completely spurious. The wins were either because you made good bets or because you got lucky. The hoodie was irrelevant.

The danger of superstitions is not that they're harmless quirks. The danger is that they can lead to genuinely bad decisions. If you refuse to bet on teams you dislike because of bad energy, you're eliminating potentially profitable betting opportunities for completely irrational reasons. If the data says Team X is a good bet but you hate them and won't bet them, you're leaving money on the table.
Superstitions also reinforce the wrong mindset about betting. Betting should be about cold analytical assessment of probabilities and value. When you engage in superstitious behavior, you're treating betting as if it's about luck or karma or energy, which is fundamentally wrong. Betting is about math, not magic.

That said, I understand why superstitions develop psychologically. Betting involves uncertainty and humans are uncomfortable with uncertainty. Superstitions give us the illusion of control over outcomes we can't actually control. They're a coping mechanism for dealing with variance.
But the healthy way to deal with variance is to understand it mathematically and accept that short term results are largely random regardless of your skill level. The unhealthy way is to develop superstitions that give you false comfort while potentially interfering with good decision making.

My recommendation is to actively work to eliminate superstitious thinking from your betting. When you notice yourself engaging in superstitious behavior, consciously recognize it as irrational and make a different choice. Bet from different locations, wear different clothes, bet on teams you dislike if the value is there. Prove to yourself that the superstitions have no power.
This is part of developing the disciplined rational mindset required for profitable long term betting. Professional bettors don't have lucky clothes or lucky locations. They have systematic processes that they follow regardless of recent results or arbitrary environmental factors.

Trust the process, not your gut.

 

[CoachTony_Bets]

Eddie's analysis of why superstitions develop is correct and I agree they should be minimized. But I want to add some nuance because I think there's a difference between harmful superstitions and harmless rituals.
I have a routine for my betting that some people might call superstitious. I do my analysis on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at my desk. I place my bets on Thursday mornings before work. I review my results on Monday evenings. This routine is consistent and it helps me maintain discipline.

Is that a superstition or is it just a systematic process? I'd argue it's the latter. The specific days and times don't matter, but having a consistent routine helps me avoid impulsive betting and ensures I'm doing my analysis when I'm fresh and focused.

Where I draw the line is when the routine interferes with good decisions. If I identified a great betting opportunity on Friday but refused to bet it because I only bet on Thursdays, that would be superstition interfering with good process. But as long as my routine supports good decisions rather than preventing them, I think it's fine.
Princess your examples are interesting because some are more problematic than others. Wearing a lucky hoodie is harmless as long as you're still making good bets. It's just a comfort ritual. But refusing to bet on teams you dislike could cost you money if those teams are good betting opportunities.

The location thing is probably harmless too unless it's preventing you from taking advantage of good opportunities. If you're at a friend's house and you see a great live betting opportunity but you won't bet it because you're not on your couch, that's superstition interfering with profit.
I think the key is self awareness. If you have rituals or habits that make you feel comfortable and don't interfere with good betting decisions, that's fine. But if your superstitions are causing you to avoid profitable bets or make unprofitable bets, you need to work on eliminating them like Eddie said.

As a coach I know that athletes have all kinds of superstitions. Lucky socks, pre game rituals, specific routines. Some of these help them get into the right mental state for competition. Others are genuinely harmful because they create anxiety if the routine gets disrupted. The same applies to betting.

 

[FadeThePublic]

I don't have superstitions about betting but I'll admit I have patterns that might look superstitious to an outside observer. Like I almost always bet on weekday mornings, rarely on weekends. That's not superstition though, it's because I'm more rational and less emotional during the week when I'm in work mode.

The reason I avoid weekend betting is because I've noticed I'm more likely to make impulsive decisions when I'm relaxing and watching games. So my pattern of weekday betting is based on self awareness about when I make better decisions, not on any belief that weekdays are luckier than weekends.

I think that's the distinction Tony is getting at. Routines based on self knowledge about when you think clearly are different from superstitions based on magical thinking about lucky clothes or locations.
Princess I'd challenge you on the team dislike thing specifically. That's costing you money because there are definitely going to be times when a team you hate is a great betting opportunity. If you can't overcome your emotional reaction to bet on teams you dislike, that's a real weakness in your betting approach.

The hoodie and the couch location stuff is probably harmless unless it's creating anxiety if you can't follow the routine. But emotional biases against betting certain teams is a legitimate problem that will reduce your profitability over time.

One exercise I'd suggest is intentionally break your superstitious patterns to prove to yourself they don't matter. Bet from your bed or from a coffee shop or from your car. Wear different clothes. Bet on a team you hate if the value is there. When you do this and your results don't change, you'll realize the superstitions were never real.
It's like exposure therapy for irrational beliefs. You have to confront the fear to overcome it. The fear in this case is that breaking your routine will cause bad results. When you break the routine and your results are random like they always are, the fear loses its power.

 

[StatManDave]

Does anyone else have betting superstitions or am I the only one being weird about this?

You’re definitely not the only one.
Even in more “serious” betting circles people have little rituals – lucky mug, same playlist, same chair, whatever. Sports bettors are no different.
From a pure numbers point of view, we both know this already:

• Couch vs. bed doesn’t change the odds.
• The hoodie isn’t affecting expected value.
• Your feelings about a team don’t change how many shots they take.

But from a psychology point of view, it makes sense:

• Rituals reduce anxiety and make you feel more in control.
• Our brains are built to spot patterns, even when they’re random (three losses from the bedroom = “bed is cursed”).
• We remember the times the superstition “worked” and forget the times it didn’t (confirmation bias).

I’m not immune either. I usually do my main card review at the same time, same desk, same coffee. If I rush bets on my phone while I’m busy, results feel worse – not because of luck, but because the decision quality is worse.
For me the key thing is this:

• Harmless ritual (couch, hoodie, same seat at the pub) = totally fine, as long as it doesn’t change your staking or make you think you’re “protected.”
• Harmful superstition = when it makes you skip clear value, chase losses, or bet bigger because you feel “on a lucky run.”

On not betting teams you dislike – that’s actually pretty sensible. If you know your emotions are going to bias you (either fading them too hard or refusing to back them when the price is good), then just staying away from those matches is a decent bit of self-management, not weakness.
If you ever want to “test” your rituals a bit, you can always:

• Track couch vs. non-couch bets for 50–100 wagers.
• Do the same for hoodie vs. no hoodie.

I’d be very surprised if there was any real edge there once you look at a proper sample.
So no, you’re not weird. You’re human. Keep the rituals as background comfort, and let the stakes and selections be driven by logic rather than hoodies and furniture.

 

[ParlayPrincess_88]

Okay I knew Eddie was going to say my superstitions are irrational lol. And you guys are probably right that I should work on eliminating them because they don't actually affect anything.
The team dislike thing is interesting because I never thought about it as costing me money. But you're right that if the Raiders or whoever I hate is a good bet and I won't bet them because of my feelings, that's leaving profit on the table. I need to work on separating my emotions from the analysis.

I think Fade's idea of intentionally breaking my superstitious patterns is good. Like I should force myself to bet from different locations or wear different clothes to prove to myself that it doesn't matter. That way I can see that the results are random regardless of these arbitrary factors.

Tony's point about routines versus superstitions makes sense too. Like having a consistent process for when I do my analysis is different from thinking my clothes affect the outcome. One is about discipline and the other is about magical thinking.
I guess what I'm realizing is that I developed these superstitions because I'm uncomfortable with the randomness of betting. Like I want to feel like I have some control over whether my bets win or lose. But the reality is I can only control the quality of my analysis and my process, not the actual outcomes. The outcomes are going to be random in the short term no matter what hoodie I'm wearing.

That's kind of a depressing realization but also helpful because it means I can let go of these silly superstitions and just focus on making good decisions.

 

[SharpEddie47]

Princess you just articulated exactly the right insight. You developed superstitions because you want control over outcomes you can't actually control. Recognizing that is the first step to eliminating superstitious thinking.
The only things you can control in betting are your process, your analysis, your bankroll management, and your discipline. The outcomes of individual bets are determined by a combination of your skill in identifying edges and random variance that no one can control or predict.

Professional bettors accept this reality and focus entirely on process. They know that if they follow good process consistently over thousands of bets, they'll be profitable. But any individual bet can lose for random reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the analysis. That's just variance.
Superstitions are an attempt to deny this reality. They're a way of saying I can control outcomes through rituals or lucky objects. But you can't, and the sooner you accept that and let go of superstitious thinking, the healthier your relationship with betting will be.

Tony's distinction between routine and superstition is valid and important. Having a consistent process for when and how you do your analysis is rational because it helps you maintain discipline. Thinking your clothes affect outcomes is irrational and should be eliminated.

One more point about the emotional bias against betting teams you dislike. This is actually a very common problem that costs bettors a lot of money. People can't bring themselves to bet on their rival team or a team with players they dislike, even when the value is clearly there.
The solution is to consciously practice emotional detachment. When you're analyzing a game, pretend the team names are Team A and Team B. Look only at the matchup and the numbers. Once you've concluded that Team A is a good bet, then look at which actual team is Team A. If it's a team you hate, bet them anyway because the analysis says it's the right play.

This takes practice and discipline but it's essential for maximizing your profitability. Money doesn't care about your emotions or your team loyalties. Good bets are good bets regardless of which teams are involved.

Trust the process, not your gut.

 

[CoachTony_Bets]

I want to share one more perspective from my coaching experience. Athletes who rely heavily on superstitions often struggle when their routines get disrupted. If they forget their lucky socks or the pre game routine gets interrupted, they panic and perform poorly because they've convinced themselves they can't succeed without the superstition.
The same thing can happen with betting. If your superstition is betting from your couch and one day you're traveling and can't be home, you might panic and make a bad decision or skip a good betting opportunity. Or worse, you might rush home just to maintain your superstition which is letting the superstition control your behavior.

The goal should be to develop confidence in your process that's independent of any environmental factors. You should be able to bet from anywhere, wearing anything, at any time, and still follow your systematic approach. That's true mastery and it requires letting go of superstitious thinking.
Princess I'm encouraged by your willingness to recognize these patterns and work on them. A lot of bettors never examine their superstitions because they're comfortable with the illusion of control. The fact that you're thinking critically about this suggests you'll be able to overcome it.
Start small. This week, intentionally bet from a different location than usual. Notice that your results don't change. Next week, bet on a team you dislike if the analysis supports it. Notice that the bet wins or loses based on the game, not based on your feelings about the team. Gradually you'll prove to yourself that the superstitions were never real.

 

[FadeThePublic]

One more thing I want to add. Sometimes what looks like a superstition is actually your subconscious picking up on a real pattern. If you notice you make better bets during the week than on weekends, that's not superstition, that's data. Maybe you're more focused during the week, or maybe weekend betting involves more drinking or emotional factors.

The key is to distinguish between spurious correlations that are truly random and actual patterns in your behavior that are worth paying attention to. Your hoodie doesn't affect your bets, that's superstition. But your mental state when you make bets does affect your decisions, and if certain contexts consistently lead to better or worse mental states, that's worth tracking.

Princess if you really think you make better bets from your couch, test it. Track your bets made from the couch separately from bets made elsewhere. If there's no difference over 50 or 100 bets, it's superstition. If there is a difference, maybe the couch creates a mental state that helps you focus. Same with any other pattern you notice.

Data distinguishes superstition from genuine patterns. Without data you're just guessing and your brain will see patterns that aren't there. With data you can identify what actually matters and what's just noise.

 

[ParlayPrincess_88]

Fade that's a really good point about testing whether my patterns are actually affecting my results or if they're just superstitions. I should track where I bet from and see if there's actually a difference in my win rate.
I'm guessing there won't be any difference and I'll prove to myself that the location doesn't matter. But if there is a difference maybe it's because I'm more focused and comfortable when I'm sitting at home on my couch versus when I'm betting from my phone while I'm out somewhere.
Same with the team dislike thing. I should force myself to bet on teams I hate when the analysis says it's a good bet, and then track whether those bets do any worse than my other bets. I'm guessing they won't and I'll realize my negative feelings about a team don't actually curse my bets lol.

This has been really helpful for making me think about superstitions more critically. I came into this thread thinking my superstitions were just harmless quirks but now I see they could be holding me back from being more profitable. Time to work on eliminating the irrational ones and testing whether any of the patterns are real.

 

[SharpEddie47]

Princess that's the perfect plan. Test your superstitions with data and you'll discover what's real and what's not. My prediction is that almost all of them will turn out to be spurious correlations with no predictive value.
The broader lesson here applies to many aspects of betting. Our brains are pattern recognition machines that see connections that don't exist. The only defense against this is systematic data tracking that can distinguish real patterns from noise.

Superstitions are just one example of this phenomenon. People also see patterns in referee assignments, uniform colors, day of the week, phase of the moon, all kinds of things that have no actual impact on game outcomes. Without rigorous testing, these false patterns feel real and influence our decisions.
The professional bettor's mindset is to question everything and test every assumption with data. Don't assume your superstitions are harmless. Don't assume they're real. Test them and let the data tell you the truth.

Trust the process, not your gut.

 

[RedMerseyMind]

Yeah I’ve got a couple, but I treat them like comfort habits, not “luck.” Same time of day for placing bets, same notes template, and I try not to bet when I’m half-asleep or rushing - because that’s when I make dumb picks and then blame “bad luck.” If a superstition keeps you disciplined, fine. If it makes you chase or change stakes because you feel “hot,” that’s when it becomes a problem.