I agree, you'd only determine whether you did the right thing to go against the crowd favorite or not, once the game is over. Just because majority is in favor of a particular team, doesn't mean it will guarantee winning unless it is obvious perhaps the opponent's team is at disadvantage in terms of player match up. Much better to place a bet not considering whether to oppose the crowd favorite or to go along with them, but to choose depending on your analysis about the match. Everything will still fall under your luck but atleast you could minimize the risk of losing if you know your actions. Consider checking on statistics of the team or a player or if superstars are present during the game if it is a team sports. Or if you're being unsure of the possible outcome, just sit and enjoy watching. I do skip some games than to suffer from huge loss in order to avoid stress as well.