Originally posted at FanShots
I love gambling on sports, it’s one of my favorite vices. I wish I could afford to do it more (or better). And I decided that I wanted to see how everyone felt about the subject so I posed the question on Twitter: “alright kids, question time: how do you feel about betting on sports w/ friends?”
The very first answer I got didn’t surprise me at all: “@shankell: @phjoshua awesome, when I win. :)”
I searched the internet for pieces about betting with friends, I wanted to see if anyone had written about their experiences losing money to or taking money from their friends. I’ll be honest, I’d never thought about it before.
My gambling with friends “career” started young. I’m not ashamed of it, I never let it get out of control and I even won a little bit. Not a bad way to be introduced to the world of gaming.
I won my first “pick ‘em” NFL pool in the fall of 1995 when I was in grade 8. I don’t remember how many games I picked right, but I remember that I collected $5 each from the 9 other guys in the pool. It was the only win I had for the season, but it paid for me to play most of the year as well. And winning is like your first hit, you’ll chase it forever.
Later in that same school year I gave out my first point spread to a classmate when Kentucky beat Syracuse in the 1996 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game. I collected my money. I didn’t feel bad about it. She was the one who accepted the bet; I even gave her more points than Vegas gave. I was that sure about the bet, I was right.
My favorite gambling with friends night came in 2002 when the New England Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams 20-17. That night we sat in a group at a table at the campus bar and drank cheap beer and ate bad nachos from kick-off to the last whistle. $1 beers were on the line all night long as we wagered on the coin toss, length of the National Anthem, first pass, first touchdown and I think the final score. That was a good night. Nobody lost every bet. Nobody lost too much money. And nobody lost any friends.
In fact, I’ve never felt bad about a bet that I’ve made with a friend. I’ve felt bad about losing, but I don’t bet my money unless I believe that I have a chance to win. That’s just common sense. I’ve also never let myself be bullied into a bet that would embarrass me. I don’t mind making non-monetary wagers, but when the loser has to do something that they aren’t comfortable with, nobody really wins. That’s when hurt feelings and resentment come into play. Not fun.
This brings me to my next point, don’t bet if you can’t afford to/ handle/ deal with losing. There is always, ALWAYS, a chance that you are going to lose your bet. It doesn’t matter what the odds are or how certain you are, you could lose. And if you lose you need to be prepared to honor your bets. That’s the way it works. If you agree to a wager you need to be gracious in victory and defeat. That’s not to say that you can’t be happy about winning and even brag a little bit… that’s half the fun, but don’t be a dick about it.
So, who wants to make a bet?
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