The Bet Life “Scale” - Understanding the Value Put on Picks

Offering picks on games only makes sense if you’re also telling your audience how much you like one pick versus another. The only real way to do that is to give a dollar amount that you would wager on each pick. And the only way that means anything to the audience is if they know your “scale,” as I’ve been calling it. In other words, they need to know, for example, if a $100 bet on a football game is a typical wager or a big time bet. I’m going to attempt to give readers a sense of my scale in this article on the off chance anyone is actually following my picks.

Football is the driving force behind sports gambling, so I’ll use that as my foundation. Early in the season, I generally keep my picks very small for obvious reasons – no one truly knows enough about the teams. College football doesn’t have a preseason, and the NFL has rendered its preseason meaningless. I’ll pick games as low as $5 to $15 in the opening weeks of football.

The rest isn’t “rocket science,” but may be helpful for clarity. As I get familiar with teams each season, and depending on how I’m doing, I’ll raise my basic pick to $20 to $25. It’s still a minor step up, suggesting I at least think I have a better feel for a game.

From there, I’ll generally “raise the bar” to $50 on a pick I really like and have a “line of logic” that I’m following. For example, I’ve actually seen a team play and have confidence in them. Or I picked up a detail such as the opponent’s offensive line is banged up – an underreported and extremely important factor in a game. I might think the spread is way too low for a team with a high-powered offense.

A $100 pick has essentially been the “max” for me over the years. (It’s not the most I have ever bet, although it may be the most I’ve ever put on a pick on a blog.) I’ve watched the team, I generally think the spread is totally undervaluing the team I’m picking, and I have a “line of logic” that I’m convinced will play out.

Finally, my football parlays are typically for small amounts – back to $5 to $15 – as I look for low risk bets with high rewards. Honestly, I need to work on my parlay strategy. I’ll often parlay games I “kind of / sort of” like, instead using games I really like to try to push payouts a little higher. Teasers have been pretty rare for me, but I generally think of them the same way I described single game picks, though I think $50 is the most I’ve ever put on one.

I have a much lighter scale for basketball and baseball, the other sports I’ll bet. A $5 pick in both sports is fairly common. In January, as football winds down, I might pepper college basketball picks around just to get a feel for what teams are doing – it forces me to focus on teams as opposed to just looking at scores. I don’t generally put much more than $10 to $15 on a game. I might do some more parlays to actually “save money” in my mind – I’ll get a look at 3 or 4 teams without risking $5 on each team, and at least have a chance at a larger payout. I’ll also use “money line” bets more with basketball and baseball, especially with parlays. By March, I might do some more long-term bets in college basketball tournaments (or NBA playoff basketball), going as high as $50 to rarely $100. For instance, I might make a Final Four pick (winners of each region) early in the NCAA tournament. A few years ago, I was doing triple digits on NBA playoff games, but I had a big bank roll at the time. Baseball is about the same, but it’s very rare I put a lot on a pick because the sport, I think, is really tough to bet.

Most of this is based on $100 deposits in the betting sites I’ve played on over the years and is contingent on how I’m doing. Obviously, none this is etched in stone. I’m merely trying to give readers a feel for what my dollar amounts mean on a pick. I also realize my wager amounts are very low. If $100 on a pick is chump change for you . . . you’re probably not reading The Bet Life, but if you are . . . add a “0” or two.

I actually entered the 2025 football season with my biggest bankroll ever – $1k in my gambling account and out. All profit. And, I have to admit, a few larger bets got me there as opposed to “hot streaks.” Currently, I’m trying to make $1k my “floor” and push my minimum and max bets higher. But I’m trying to be smart about it. I’ll write more about my betting strategy and money management soon. Feel free to let me know how it’s really done by following @TheBetLife on X and Facebook to offer your thoughts and picks.