1. Confirm the event
Check the competition, start time, venue and format, then confirm whether the market you are looking at is pre-match or in-play. A friendly, a cup replay and a league fixture can look identical in a headline and settle completely differently.
2. Check what can move the line
Lineups, injuries, rest, travel, weather, surface and schedule density all move prices. Note the timestamp on any information you use. A team-news item from this morning may already be reflected in the number, or may already be stale.
3. Define the market precisely
Know whether you are comparing a moneyline, a spread, a total, a prop, a draw-no-bet, an Asian handicap or an alternate line. Two bets on the same match can settle differently, and the difference is almost always in the market definition rather than the result.
4. Set the limit before the price
Decide a fixed stake and a session boundary in advance. Never increase a wager because a team is behind, a market has moved, or a previous ticket lost. The stake is the only part of the outcome you control.
5. Write down the reason
A one-line note — what you think, why the price is wrong, and what would change your mind — turns a bet into a reviewable decision. Without it, every result is just a story you tell afterwards.