I have known a professional sports bettor for quite some time now. I call him a professional because that's his main source of income and that he's been consistently winning in almost every sports that he bet on. I asked him about the importance of learning the bettor's lingo, stuff like odds, handicap, college football lines, and more. His reply was short.

"Learn them if you can. But remember, they're just words," he said.

I was immediately confused. I thought that isn't it important that you learn all the terms that are used in any profession or hobby that you are considering of getting into? A phrase like college football lines can be quite daunting to any newcomer. He probably saw the confused look on my face because he was quick to follow it up.

"I'll teach you what I consider as the basics that any first-time bettors should learn if he wants to consistently win in any bet," he said. I was just glad and thankful for the free advice. So here are the top three tips that he gave me that day. I just summarized what he said and left out the rest of our conversation.

1. First of all, learn the terms such as handicap, college football lines, so on and so forth. It's hard to place a bet when you don't understand the words or terms that you're using. Learn the lingo. But remember, these are just names. Saying them makes you sound professional. A term or concept like college football lines can get you so far ahead of the game. In short, learn the talk before you can walk the walk.

2. Be extra passionate about the sports. Yes, we are all in it for the money but you must also learn to love it, to be passionate about it. Be extra sensitive to whatever is happening to the teams. If you have a favorite team, and yes, you must have a favorite, learn about each player, the coaching stuff and the management. These are factors that have a great impact on the outcome of a game.

3. Place your bet on your favorite team. This is practical advice because it comes hand in hand with what I told you about being passionate about the game. If you have a favorite team then it means you follow them closely. That you are always updated on whatever is happening on that particular team. You know their stats, their level of morale and everything else that there is to know about your team. If you have all of these knowledge, it will be easier for you to understand the handicaps or college football lines of the time you're in favor of.

Those are the three wonderful pieces of advice that this professional sports bettor imparted to me. I have placed bets before and I have won some but also lost some. But I haven't heard of his advice then and right now I'm following every letter of his tips. I've been learning about college football lines, handicaps, odds and more. I've also been learning more about my favorite teams and I'm confident that I will be a professional and successful bettor in the next couple of months.