Football season is back! Plus that means gambling season is back! For me anyway.

I like to have a little sweat on the games as much as anyone, but I’ve found that I’m TERRIBLE at any other sport. Basketball, baseball, hockey, rugby, Tour de France, whatever. The only place where I come out a winner or break even (which is just as good as winning) is football. Both college and the NFL. Plus it’s awesome how mainstream and socially acceptable the REAL great American pastime has become.

So what I do every year is set aside a small bankroll. An amount that definitely doesn’t sting if I punt the whole damn thing (which I probably will). Never bet more than 5% of the roll on a single game, avoid parlays and teasers, and that has always gotten me through a full season of recreational sports betting fun. If you’re unsure about how betting works, learn to bet on sports at FanDuel. They provide a really helpful guide on how it all works. I learned a thing or two myself!

And that’s what it is. Fun. Win-lose-or push. It’s a great way to have an extra incentive to stay in tune with the game. There are lots of betting articles on this site that’s available to the publish so do your research. NFL has many different betting props and those articles go through each and everyone of them so that you’re not betting with a blind eye. Keep in mind that sports betting requires a strategy and frankly, it just feels REALLY good when a game you did some work on plays out according to Hoyle. Albeit rare.

So that’s my advice on the vice of sports betting. Don’t be stupid. Don’t make it an issue. Have fun with it. And it you punt, that’s it.