While I'm new to posting on here, I'm certainly not new to taking advantage of the great info from the site and you bloggers. So I'm giving back what I can.
Hopefully this is obvious or common sense to most of you, but I'm certain we all fall victim to this from time to time. It's what I refer to as "sh*tfinger". This affliction can affect each of us at one time or other and it's the exact opposite of the Midas touch. Where every pick you make turns to sh*t and you're suddenly in the driver's seat of an awful losing streak. You went from 11-5 on the season to 1-6 last week and 0-5 this week. You get in your head and start doing the opposite of what you THINK you should bet. If you like the over, you take the under. You like the dog, so you bet the favorite. Still you find a way to lose.
This piece of advice is loosely based on Mike Caro's poker advice but applies to all methods of gambling. When you're riding a serious losing streak it becomes very easy to get numb to the losses and continue to ride that train. An example would be a $100 bettor that typically throws down 3 wagers a weekend. Worst case is they are down $300 on a bad weekend, right? Well, wouldn't you know they went large and found themselves down $600 instead of their max of $300. This is the danger zone. They are already $300 (or 100%) beyond their comfort level. It is very easy to say "Screw it, I'm already beyond my max, what's another $200, or $100, or whatever?" Well kids, this is real money, it isn't Monopoly and streaks tend to continue. Just like you might get up from the blackjack table after losing 5 hands in a row, it's important you show some restraint and WALK AWAY at times from the book. Take a week off. Find an activity away from the TV next week. Start tracking your picks without actually wagering until you get back on track. Etc. That numbness can suddenly lead to monster losses that will have you in a deeper hole financially and emotionally if not kept in check.
In any case, hopefully you're already aware of this and have control of the good and bad weekends, but maybe at least one person will benefit from this reminder.
Good luck this week and by all means avoid those plagued with sh*tfinger!