There are lots of ways to approach sports betting and it’s important to remember that there are millions of sports bets being settled as a winner every day by the bookmakers.
While only a tiny percentage of sports betting customers actually make enough money from wagering to earn a living, it doesn’t stop you from enjoying your betting and generating profit on a long-term basis and we show you in this article ten ways to beat the bookies.
- Choose the Right Betting Markets
You will have noticed that there are over 100 pre-match betting markets so how do you choose the right options when it comes to the latest football game? Some markets such as First Goalscorer or Correct Score have lots of potential winners although we wouldn’t advise going down this route in search of a profit.
It’s often best to start with the basics and that includes Full-Time Result, Both Teams to Score and Over / Under 2.5 Goals. The Full-Time Result is a simple case of choosing which team will win their game, while BTTS and the Overs are two-way markets which immediately narrow down the options.
- Back Your Strong Opinions, Not Your Weak Ones
The easiest thing in the world is to bet on a football match just because it happens to be taking place and you might not have a strong opinion when it comes to what might actually happen.
Ultimately, you should reserve your betting pot for the football matches where you can see the right way forward in terms of betting market and the option that lies within that market.
- Take Advantage of Free Bets and Promotions
Virtually every betting site under the sun will offer you some kind of welcome bonus to get started. This might be a deposit bonus or a free bet when you have placed a first bet at certain odds. The important thing is to try and take advantage of these offers.
The same applies to any promotions that might come your way. If you want to place a football accumulator, look out for offers such as an Acca Boost or Acca Insurance.
- Compare the Best Bookies to Get Biggest Odds
It’s absolutely true that the difference between a long-term profit and a loss can come down to whether you’re comparing betting odds or just sticking with one bookmaker when it comes to online sports betting.
Every bookie offers different betting odds and there’s clearly a big difference between backing at 13/8 and 11/8, so make sure you have plenty of bookmaker accounts.
- Tread Carefully With In-Play Sports Betting
In-Play betting might be fun and exciting although we know that the bookies tend to increase their margins when it comes to customers betting on the live sports odds and that can make it harder to beat the bookie.
While some customers are able to take advantage of In-Play betting odds, we would recommend treading carefully as the prices are always changing and the bookies usually have a strong handle on them.
- Consider Your Approach to Cash Out
Why do you think the bookmakers have introduced Cash Out? They might say it’s because they want to make things more flexible to betting customers although the bottom line is that Cash Out is a way of reducing their chances of a maximum payout if your bet is going well.
Therefore, think carefully before you commit to cashing out your bet. There’s nothing worse than taking the money early only to find that your original bet goes on to win.
- Figure Out a Staking Plan on Your Bets
If you are serious about making a profit from sports betting, then you need to figure out a staking plan. This means placing different amounts of money on your bets according to the odds and how strong your opinion happens to be.
If you have found a bet that you really like, then that might be your maximum bet, especially if it’s trading at relatively short odds. Similarly, there might be some big-priced fancies where you’re prepared to commit only smaller amounts.
- Use Stats to Back Up Your Betting Judgement
A stats-based approach can at least help you to justify your sports bets moving forward. After all, if both teams have scored in the past five Arsenal games, then you might be able to justify BTTS Yes when it comes to their next match depending on the odds.
Stats can be easily found and we often start by looking at the league table and weighing up the form guide to understand which way to bet. You can also compare home and away form along with goals scored and conceded.
- Take a Long-Term View Not a Short-Term One
Losing a sports bet is sadly an inevitability. You cannot win every time if you bet on a regular basis and sometimes you can experience some bad luck such as a controversial refereeing decision or alternatively a player getting a red card can change things.
We would therefore urge you to remain upbeat if you happen to experience a few losses. Providing that you are still confident in your own judgement, then it shouldn’t be too long before the next winner.
- Don’t Increase Your Stake After a Profitable Run
If you are winning lots of sports bets, there’s a temptation to bump up the stakes in search of a bigger profit. However, there is also the possibility that you will lose larger amounts so this should be weighed up carefully before you consider ratcheting up the stake size.