Betting after a few drinks: a plan for the night

Some bets are placed late, after a few drinks, often during a game at a bar or with friends. The plan you made in the morning feels less important by then. So make it before you start.

Before you go out

1. Leave the cards at home. Bring cash or one card for the night, not the one saved in a betting app.
2. Log out of every betting app. Better still, self exclude or block the sites before the weekend.
3. Tell the person you are with. "If I pull up a betting app tonight, take my phone."
4. Set a stop time for the phone. A reminder at a set time: phone in pocket, no new bets tonight.

During the night

• If you want to bet, wait until morning. Write the bet in your notes. Decide tomorrow.
• Step away from the screen with the odds on it. Go outside, get food, switch seats.
• Open your card before the app. Thirty seconds with your own reason on the screen.

The morning after

If you bet, do not try to win it back today. Read chasing losses and what to do after a slip.

Pause before the next bet

Hold The Bet is free with no account. It shows your own number and reason and holds a 30 second pause before you bet.