How I Survived a 23-Bet Losing Streak Without Going Broke

Last April, I went 0-23 over 19 days. Not 0-23 on some wild parlay attempts—0-23 on straight bets that I genuinely thought were good plays.

The first ten losses didn't worry me too much. Bad variance happens. I've been betting long enough to know that even a 55% bettor will have stretches like this. Math doesn't care about your feelings.

By loss fifteen, I started questioning everything. Was my research method flawed? Had the market changed in ways I didn't understand? Should I take a break?

By loss twenty, I was in a genuine dark place. Not financially—I'd stuck to my unit sizes, so I was down about $1,100 on a $5,500 bankroll. Painful but recoverable. The darkness was mental. I felt like a fraud. Like I'd been lucky before and was now being exposed.

Here's what saved me:

First, I refused to increase my bet sizes. Every fiber of my being wanted to double up and chase those losses. I physically wrote "STAY THE COURSE" on a sticky note and put it on my monitor. The best bettors I know have all told me the same thing: bet sizing discipline matters most when it's hardest.

Second, I went back to my historical data. I looked at my entire betting history—over 2,000 bets across four years. I found that I'd had three other streaks of 15+ losses. Each time, my subsequent 100 bets returned to my average win rate. The losing streaks weren't signals of decline; they were statistical inevitabilities.

Third, I talked to other bettors. I'm part of a small Discord group of serious sports bettors—no touts, no picks sellers, just regular guys who take this seriously. When I shared my streak, I got back stories of their own disasters. One guy went 4-31 in March 2024. Another lost 19 straight totals bets. Knowing I wasn't alone helped enormously.

Fourth, I took a three-day break from betting but not from research. I still watched games, still tracked lines, still did my analysis. I just didn't put any money down. This helped me confirm that my process was sound even when my results weren't.

On day twenty, I finally won. Cardinals over Brewers. Then I won two of my next three. Then I hit a 12-4 stretch that almost made up for the entire losing streak.

The lesson: Variance is real, and it will test you. The only way through is to trust your process and manage your bankroll so that no losing streak can wipe you out. If you're betting correctly sized units, you can survive anything.