As we sit here, in the double-digit countdown to the 2025-2026 NFL season, I can’t help but reflect on the inaugural season for Black Dog Bets. This all started on a whim based on a “trick” I taught my dog Jamie. I had hoped that he would be a more successful gambler than I was at the time of the first Black Dog Bet of the Week but that wish has yet to be fulfilled. I learned a lot over this past year and change but wanted to highlight some of the results from the bets that I put out over the 2024 season.

Best Bets

I set a goal of hitting 60% of the Best Bets that were published. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach that goal but we came out on the positive side of the 52.4% win rate that it takes to turn a profit in the long run. Our Best Bet win rate ended up at 54%, which meant that we turned a profit. I researched these bets by looking at each matchup for the week and combing through the various bets for each game.

Jamie’s Bets

Jamie did not fare so well this year. He ended the year with a 5-13 record for the year. He started to show a left leaning bias. About halfway through the year, we did upgrade from the handwritten index cards to the actual pennants for each team, so this will at least upgrade the visual as he makes his picks. To finish the season on a strong note, he was able to pick the Eagles to win the Super Bowl when I had him pick the entire playoff bracket. We’ll work ion his picks this year but until further notice, #Fadethedog lives.

Wins/Loss Summary

• Best Bets: 71-60 (54%)
• Jamie Picks: 5-13 (28%)
• Season Previews: 14-18 (44%)
• Biggest Win: +1976 -National Tight Ends Day Parlay

A Look Ahead to 2025-2026

Before the 2025 season kicks off, I will be publishing a preview of the win totals for each team. This will once again be broken down into each division. I will be including a summary of the roster moves. the odds to win the division, and my prediction for whether the team will win more or less than their expected win totals.

Once the season starts, I will be providing a Best Bet for each primetime game (Thursday, Sunday, Monday, and Holidays) and a handful for the Sunday game slot. On an average week, this means that I will be providing 6 Best Bets. While the goal is to win every bet, I hope that by carefully researching these picks, I can win at least 4/6 each week to maintain the 60% goal. I will continue with my same process of finding a bet and running analysis while continuing to look for ways to improve.

I occasionally added Parlays into my weekly write ups and will continue to do so this year. As parlays are typically not profitable in the long run, I will only ever advise placing them if you are awarded a sweat free token by one of the books. Our goal is to provide winners and remain profitable. Parlays are fun and enticing but they are usually just donations to the sports books.

On that note, I will be adding in some posts about effective gambling strategies. These topics will range from “Understating Betting Odds” for beginners to more complicated topics like ‘Closing Value Lines”. I plan to post these on the days where football is not taking place (looking at you Wednesdays). Hopefully anyone who is reading these posts will take some lessons on how to become a profitable and responsible gambler.