Sports Betting

Chapter 4

After selecting my lucky four numbers, I decided to go to sleep. I was drunk and tired, yet the conviction to change for the better still burned brightly within me.

"WAKE UP, IT'S 6 AM! Wake up, it's 6 a.m. WAKE UP!"

When I heard the alarm ringing at 6 a.m., I wanted to wake up, but something held me back.

'Do I really need to get up and work? Do I even need to look for a job?'

This line of thinking prevented me from rising. When I finally woke up, it was noon.

"Ah, this is the first time I've truly enjoyed my sleep," I said while stretching out on the bed. The hangover was almost non-existent after waking up so late.

I hurried into the bathroom to take a bath and brush my teeth. Once done with these simple hygiene tasks, I decided to sit at my study desk to brainstorm money-making ideas.

But before doing so, I checked to see if I had won the lottery yesterday. Surprisingly, only one number had failed me, which was 25. The numbers drawn were 24, 11, 20, and 23.

"Hahahahah, how ironic." I wasn't dissatisfied by the outcome; rather, I was quite happy that I had taken the first steps toward greatness.

With that behind me, I now knew what to do to make money quickly: sports betting. I believed this method was faster than stock trading, especially if one could consistently win.

As my classmates often said, "Football is mathematics." And fortunately, I was good at math.

I took out my phone and registered on a betting platform, then looked through the matches scheduled for today.

Luckily, it was Saturday, which meant there were plenty of games to bet on.

On the platform, I saw Tottenham playing against Aston Villa and decided to examine the betting market. I knew a lot about football but had never gotten involved financially; however, it seemed I would be breaking that rule today.

I was aware that Tottenham had been defensively poor recently but was still potent upfront, a sentiment that could also be applied to Aston Villa, who were looking to prove themselves as one of the best.

Therefore, I opted for the 'over 2.5 goals' in the game, meaning there would be three goals or more. The selection had odds of 1.64, which seemed quite good to me. I decided to add another match to boost my odds to over 2.

I was prepared to stake $100 on the slip, which could double my investment in less than 24 hours. So, I looked through the matches and saw Brighton playing against Nottingham Forest. This match was intriguing because I knew both teams were likely to score against each other.

Nottingham always aimed to score against teams outside the Big Six and also tended to concede goals against any team with a strong attack. Fortunately, Brighton had that capability. For this selection, I chose the 'Both Teams to Score' option, which offered odds of 1.83. After finalizing my analysis and reviewing my selections one last time, I placed a $100 bet on the slip.

With my $100 wagered, I now had only $875 left in my bank account.

"This bet really needs to win," I told myself as I stared at my phone.

Tottenham vs. Aston Villa

Over 2.5 goals: 1.64

Nottingham Forest vs. Brighton

Both Teams to Score: Yes, 1.83

Stake: $100

Total Odds: 3.1

Bonus: $32

Potential Win: $342

As I continued to gaze at my potential winnings, I eagerly awaited the final whistle. But I had to relax and attend to other matters. I had promised myself that I would change.