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Collaboration with Newmarket Hockey Club

 

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We’re absolutely delighted to announce our partnership with Newmarket Hockey Club, a prominent sports media outlet and educational platform. Our collaboration aims at enhancing knowledge sharing and educational opportunities within the sports industry. Together, we’re striving to make trustworthy and accurate sports information and news more accessible to all. Our mission remains unchanged: to motivate, educate, and equip anyone entering the dynamic world of sports.

By uniting, Newmarket Hockey Club and our platform aim to synchronize our common objectives. We’re set to provide sports enthusiasts, athletes, and professionals with the necessary tools to navigate and understand the rapidly evolving world of sports.

Collaboratively, we’ll introduce improvements to our media platforms to make it simpler than ever to get the insights you need. By pooling our resources and content strategies, we plan to considerably broaden the depth and quality of materials for our readership.

We’re incredibly excited about this collaboration and the positive impact it’s expected to have on our audience. We’ll stay committed to delivering the most accurate, timely, and useful content about the sports industry.

We strongly believe that our combined efforts with Newmarket Hockey Club will take our offerings to new heights and rapidly spread knowledge of these breathtaking sports developments.

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Most Common Betting Mistakes – Guide for Beginners

In sports betting there are many betting terms which are not easy to understand for a person who has never bet before.

It’s very complex and almost impossible for a bettor who has just discovered betting/online betting not to encounter difficulties.

Most Common Betting Mistakes – Guide for Beginners

To make it easier, we have written a guide that will explain betting terms and make them more understandable for the less experienced bettor.

In this article we will explain what the most common betting mistakes are and how to avoid making them, so new bettors can get the most from sports betting.

What are the Most Common Betting Mistakes?

Betting mistakes are something that inexperienced and casual bettors make all the time, often without realising they are actually making a mistake. These mistakes can be extremely costly for the person making them and negatively impact any chance they have of making or sustaining a long term profit from sports betting.

Here is a list of some of the most common mistakes made in sports betting and below this list we will explain in more detail how the mistakes are made and how to avoid making them.

1. Poor money management
2. Emotional and impulse betting
3. Not carrying out proper research and analysis
4. Always betting on the favourite
5. Not keeping a betting record
6. Chasing losses
7. Ignoring the importance of value bets
8. Not shopping around

So, let us explain our points in a little more detail so you do not fall into the same trap as so many new betters before you.

Poor Money Management

Most new bettors start off casually by placing the odd Saturday afternoon football accumulator or backing a horse in a big race such as the Grand National. But, bettors who want to bet more regularly and make a profit must have some sort of money management system in place.

So many new bettors ignore this, bet big on the wrong kind of bet and end up losing more money than they can afford. A way to avoid making this mistake is to adopt a money management system and stick to it.

There are several money or bankroll management systems you can choose from but the simplest is to work on a points system. To do this, you must set yourself a budget and a time frame for this. It could be that you give yourself a budget of 100 every month to begin with, if you have other monetary responsibilities, but it can be whatever you can afford to lose.
Once you’ve set this number, you must then work out the value of one point. This is the equivalent of 1% and can be figured out by using the following formula.

• Total Bankroll / 100 = 1 point

We would then recommend you stick to 2-3% for each bet and maintain this. If you win, your total stake will go up but still remain the same amount of points or the same percentage as always. On the other hand, the stake size will decrease if you go on a losing streak.

You must do the above calculation before every bet to work out the stake for each wager you place.

The advantages of proper money management is that you will not go bust after one or two bets and this in turn increases your chances of making a long term profit.

Emotional and impulse betting

You must always avoid using emotions as a way of driving your betting strategy and never bet on impulse.

A lot of people bet after a few alcoholic drinks, they place a bet after an argument with their significant other, or just place a bet out of boredom. These mistakes can ultimately cost you a lot of money and make you feel worse, possibly leading to more bets and a possible long term problem.

Sports betting should be fun and done only by those who can afford to bet and who keep a clear head at all times. You will make this mistake if you fail to keep a clear head, find yourself betting angry, or placing a wager on an unheard of team playing a sport you know nothing about at three o’clock in the morning.

Another form of emotional betting that many casual or inexperienced bettors partake in is that of betting on the team or player they support. This is heart over head betting and is another thing that could lead to losing a lot of money.

Not carrying out proper research and analysis

If you only place a bet once in a blue moon, this isn’t for you. But the fact you are here looking at a guide of the most common betting mistakes probably means you wager more often than that.

So, in order to increase your chances of a long term profit, you must remain analytical at all times.

• Only bet on a sport you have knowledge of
• Carry out full research before an event, including studying facts, stats, and any other useful information
• Analyse all the information you have gained in order to make better and more informed betting decisions

Betting without knowledge of what you’re betting on is a sure-fire way of going broke.

Always betting on the favourite

Perhaps the biggest mistake made by inexperienced and casual bettors is always backing the favourite. Regardless of what sport or what event, backing the favourite just because the bookmaker has implied it has the best chance of winning is something to avoid.
There are many reasons that a certain selection is made betting favourite. It could be a team at the top of the Premier League football table playing a team fighting relegation, it could be a horse who has won its last couple of races in what looks a relatively poor handicap, or it could just be that there has been a flurry of bets on a certain selection.

How to bet withpot mistakes

But, the team at the top of the table may have been hit by an injury crisis or are resting key players. The horse on a winning streak may have incurred a weight penalty or an increased handicap rating for those recent wins and may be carrying too much weight to perform as before. And the last point there could be due to a poor tipster, misinformed bettors, or just rich people with nothing better to do than throwing their money away.

Do not throw your money away. Back the favourite, by all means, but only do it if you have concluded it has the best chance of winning following your own research.

Not keeping a betting record

Again, this will not mean much to you if you are only betting occasionally. For those of you who want to improve your betting strategy and increase your chance of profit, you must keep a record of your bets.

This record should include:

• Betting selection
• Betting odds
• Stake size
• How the selection performed
• Outcome of the event
• Profit/loss made on that selection

By keeping this record you will be able to look back and find any betting patterns that have emerged which could show you winning/losing streaks, selections that have earned you a healthy profit or dealt you a big loss, and help you improve your chances in future by identifying winning opportunities.

The mistake made by new bettors is that they rarely remember the bets they place. They do not keep a record of previous wagers and therefore fail to identify future opportunities.

Chasing losses

This is a mistake made by bettors all over the world, whether they are brand new to the world of sports betting or if they have only just started out placing wagers.

When someone suffers a tough loss, through a last minute goal, disputed decision, or some other form of “bad luck”, they can sometimes attempt to recover the lost money by placing a bigger bet on a “dead certainty” a few moments later.

This is a form of emotional and impulse betting, which the person is making without a clear head and causes a situation that often escalates.

The person may have lost 100 on a favourite in a horse race which got beaten in a photo finish. That person feels that placing a 200 bet on a shorter priced favourite in the next race may recover that lost 100 and possibly add a small profit. If that bet loses, the person will place an even bigger bet because they are trying to recoup 300 now. Before they know it, they could be several hundreds or even thousands down and may risk personal possessions or their own welfare to try and claw back at least some of what they lost.

The way to avoid making this mistake is to walk away after a loss, no matter how hard it was to take. Remain focused and analytical, as well as sticking to your previously adopted bankroll management system.

Ignoring the importance of value bets

One of the more complex betting mistakes made by new and inexperienced bettors is that they ignore or do not understand value in betting.

It’s not difficult to see why though, as betting on value can sometimes mean betting against a selection your head tells you will win. But, identifying and betting on value bets can increase your potential of making a long term profit.

A value bet is basically where your research and analysis gives a selection a higher probability of winning than the implied probability given in the betting odds.

Every one of the odds given by a bookmaker reflects an implied probability of that selection winning. But, for example, you have worked out the selection has a 45% chance of winning where the odds have only given it a 40% chance. Here, there is a 5% swing in your favour and is classed as positive value.

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New bettors look at value as something completely alien to them and they will not adopt a value betting strategy when they do not understand it. But it gives the bettor an edge over the bookmaker and it increases the chance of long-term profit.

You can read more about this topic in our guide to value betting odds, where we give you tips on how to identify value in sports betting and how to make the most of it.

Not shopping around

Many new bettors sign up to a certain site or sites based on the promise of a welcome bonus, free bets or something similar. What they do not do is compare betting odds for selections they are sure will win.

This means that they may make a profit if the selection wins, although it will not be a profit as big as it could have been. Therefore, this is a mistake that costs the person making it a potential bigger win.

You should always make a note of selections you have made and look for the best price for each by checking several online betting sites. Obviously there are betting odds compare websites but actively looking through each site may give you the opportunity of finding price boosts as well as better odds in general.

How Does Understanding the Most Common Mistakes Help to Increase Profit?

Understanding the most common mistakes in sports betting will hopefully prevent you making them and will increase your chances of making a profit. It isn’t guaranteed, as nothing is in sports betting, but it increases the potential.

If you are making the above mistakes, you will likely be spending far too much money, betting on selections that have little or no chance of winning, placing wagers without the relevant knowledge, and looking for that one big win instead of several smaller wins.

These mistakes will cost you money, so avoid making them by paying attention to our guide and making a list of all the things you shouldn’t do when betting on sports.

CRITERIA WE USE TO CHOOSE THE BEST BOOKMAKERS

  • Odds quality
  • Market coverage and selection of bets
  • Betting limits on that sport
  • Live streaming
  • Sport specific bonuses and promotions

 

INFORMATION WE LOOK AT FOR ALL BOOKMAKERS

  • Website quality and usability
  • How easy is to deposit and withdraw funds?
  • How good the customer service is
  • Can you trust this bookmaker?

What is Point Spread Betting – Guide for Beginners

In sports betting there are many betting terms which are not easy to understand for a person who has never bet before.

It’s very complex and almost impossible for a bettor who has just discovered betting/online betting not to encounter difficulties.

What is Point Spread Betting

To make it easier, we have written a guide that will explain betting terms and make them more understandable for the less experienced bettor.

In this article we will explain what point spread betting is and how it works, so new bettors can get the most from it when betting.

What is Point Spread Betting?

Point spread betting is a form of handicap betting that is extremely popular among those who like to wager on American sports, such as basketball or baseball.

The point spread is basically a number set by the bookmaker, along with a plus (+) or minus (-), which acts as a way of levelling the playing field with regards betting.

Sometimes, betting on a sporting event in the moneyline or match result market is pointless due to extremely short odds. These short odds increase the risk compared to the reward on offer. So, the bookmakers decided to create a point spread market to attract more bettors.

Lets look at an example to show you exactly how a point spread bet works and how it alters the odds on offer in the moneyline market.

A Major League Baseball match between Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers has the following moneyline odds.

• Philadelphia Phillies +163
• Los Angeles Dodgers -225

This means that a bet of 100 would make you a profit of 163 if you bet on Philadelphia and they won. However, you would need to stake 225 on LA Dodgers to make a profit of 100. As mentioned before, this increases the risk compared to the rewards on offer.

If you fancied Los Angeles Dodgers to win comfortably, you could instead look to back them at better odds in the point spread market. The odds on offer here are:

• Philadelphia Phillies (+1.5) +100
• Los Angeles Dodgers (-1.5) -137

The 1.5 in brackets is the point spread, meaning that effectively Philadelphia start with a 1.5 head start for betting purposes. So, Philadelphia would win the bet if you backed them and they lost by just one run. Los Angeles Dodgers would need to win by two runs for them to return a successful bet.

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But, the odds reflect this. Philadelphia now have more chance of returning a winning bet, if they can manage to win or lose by just a single run. Now you would only need to place a stake of 137 on Los Angeles Dodgers to make a 100 profit and a bet of 100 on Philadelphia would return a profit of 100.

Because most baseball games are won by smaller margins, you will see the underdog in the match betting can become the favourite by just raising the point spread by one point.

• Philadelphia Phillies (+2.5) -150
• Los Angeles Dodgers (-2.5) +120

This is where shrewd bettors can cash in by spotting those games where the betting favourite has the potential to win by a wide margin.

One thing to be aware of is that some bookmakers will set the point spread as a whole number, such as +4 or -2. This means that if the team with -2 in the point spread won by exactly two points this becomes what is known as a push. The bettor gets their stake money back because they have neither won or lost the bet they placed.

How Does Point Spread Betting Help to Increase Profit?

Points spread betting in itself doesn’t help to increase profit but it does increase the potential to win more money when betting on favourites, or indeed win more bets when backing the underdog.

As you can see above, the odds are higher for the favourite to win by two runs than they are for them to win by just one. This increases the amount of profit you can make by decreasing the stake you must place when using American odds.

If using fractional or decimal odds, you will notice the odds are higher in the point spread market. Although you will also notice the market will usually be called handicap instead of point spread outside of America.

Tips for Point Spread Betting

Point spread betting is different to moneyline betting as you don’t need to know who will win the actual event. You can believe a team will win an ice hockey game but still back the other team at a point spread of +4.5.

How to Point Spread Betting

In order for you to become successful at point spread betting, you must first carry out research and only bet when you truly believe you have a chance of winning based on analytical thinking.

Here are a few tips before you even think about placing a point spread bet.

1. Understand the sport you’re betting on
2. Study statistics
3. Create your own point spread before looking at betting odds
4. Take home advantage into consideration
5. Shop around for the best odds

Looking at our list of tips above may give you more questions than answers, but we can explain.

1. Understanding the sport you are betting on is key regardless of the betting market. You must have knowledge of the league format, the teams involved, who the better teams are, etc. Finding out and understanding as much as you can about the sport you are betting on will give you a higher chance of placing a winning bet.
2. Studying statistics will give you the information required to formulate your own points spread. Look back at past results for each team, note down every result, look at previous meetings between the teams involved, and note down any other interesting or useful stats.
3. Creating your own point spread is relatively simple once you have the information required. List down results for each team, work out how many runs/points/goals scored and conceded and then calculate the predicted score in the upcoming match. More about this further down the guide.
4. Home advantage can play a big part in American sports and it’s something you must consider before placing a bet. The away team may have the better record overall but they may struggle to win against a team with a solid home record.
5. Shopping around for odds will enable you to find the best way of increasing your profit. Even if one bookmaker enables you to win just five more pounds or dollars than another, it’s still a bigger profit.

Now, a bit more on setting your own point spread. One little tip for this is just to pay attention to home stats for the hosts and away stats for the visitors. You could first use overall stats and then spot the impact of home advantage, if there is any.

Use the following formula for working out your own points spread.

• (Home points scored + Away points conceded) / Total games = Predicted home score
• (Away points scored + Home points conceded) / Total games = Predicted away score
• Then deduct the lowest score from the highest to create your own point spread

So, using some recent baseball stats for two unnamed teams we can translate that into:

• (62 + 54) / 20 = 5.8
• (54 + 39) / 20 = 4.65
• 5.8 – 4.65 = 1.15

Our calculations predict that the home team will win by 1.15 points, so for the benefit of point spread betting we would probably back the away team at -1.5 even though we think they will lose.

 

CRITERIA WE USE TO CHOOSE THE BEST BOOKMAKERS

  • Odds quality
  • Market coverage and selection of bets
  • Betting limits on that sport
  • Live streaming
  • Sport specific bonuses and promotions

 

INFORMATION WE LOOK AT FOR ALL BOOKMAKERS

    • Website quality and usability
    • How easy is to deposit and withdraw funds?
    • How good the customer service is
    • Can you trust this bookmaker?

Value Odds – Guide for Beginners

In sports betting there are many betting terms which are not easy to understand for a person who has never bet before.

It’s very complex and almost impossible for a bettor who has just discovered betting/online betting not to encounter difficulties.

how to value odds

To make it easier, we have written a guide that will explain betting terms and make them more understandable for the less experienced bettor.

In this article we will explain what value odds are and how they work, so new bettors can get the most from them when betting.

What are Value Odds?

Value odds are those odds whose implied probability is lower than the actual probability of a wager winning. This is known as positive value because there is a greater chance of the selection winning than what the odds on offer suggest.

We can use a simple coin toss to explain this further.

A coin has two sides, a head and a tail, and there is an equal probability of either landing when the coin is tossed. There’s a 50% chance of head and a 50% chance of tails. So, the decimal betting odds for each selection should be 2.00. This means that if you bet 100 you would win 200, thus doubling your stake.

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But, if a bookmaker offered odds of say 2.50 for heads and 1.60 for tails we can see both positive and negative value odds on show.

To work out the implied probability for each selection, based on the decimal odds, you can use the following formula.

• (1 / decimal odds) x 100 = Implied Probability Percentage

So using this formula shows us that there is an implied probability of 40% for heads and 62.5% it lands on tails. As we already know there is a 50% chance of the coin landing on either, we can see that heads represents value odds because the implied probability of those odds is lower than the actual probability.

The 62.5% for tails represents negative value as the implied probability is greater than the actual probability.

Using this newly gained knowledge of positive and negative value in betting odds can help you to make a profit when it comes to sports betting.

How Does Identifying Value Odds Help to Increase Profit?

Understanding the concept of value and how to identify this in betting odds will increase the chances of you making a long term profit.

Going back to the odds above for our coin toss, if you placed 100 bets you should expect to win 50 of them. If you placed a stake of 10 on each toss, you would stake a total of 1000. You would then make a loss of 500 for the 50 lost tosses, but every time you win you would get 25 back. This means that after the 100 tosses you would have won 1,250 and lost 500. Giving you a profit of 750.

Obviously, you cannot win every bet but by identifying value odds in the market you increase your chances of making a long term profit because at least some of these value bets will win at some point, at greater odds than you believe they should be.

Identifying Value Odds in Sports Betting

Finding value odds in sports betting is a lot harder because there are several factors to take into consideration. A coin toss only has two possible outcomes, with an equal chance of either winning. Sport is different because quality of opponents differs, as well as other variables.

In order to find value we must carry out extensive research, looking at recent form figures. Using a football match as an example, we would look at the last ten or fifteen matches for each team. Home form for the hosts and away form for the visitors.

We find that the home team has won 9, drawn 3, and lost 3. The away team has won 6, drawn 3, lost 6.

The form figures would suggest the home team has the best chance of winning and we can confirm this by adding the home wins to the away losses, draws together, and the home losses to away wins. We then divide the result of each by the total number of matches (30 in this case) and then multiply that result by 100 to get a percentage.

From our calculations, we have worked the actual probability of each winning.

• Home Team – 50%
• Draw – 20%
• Away Team – 30%

So, the betting odds should look like this:

• Home – 2.00
• Draw – 5.00
• Away – 3.33

But, lets say the actual odds were:

• Home – 1.67
• Draw – 5.00
• Away – 4.00

This gives the home team a 60% chance of winning, the draw is the same at 20% and the away team have been priced with the implied probability of 25%. As we can see form looking at our actual probabilities, the home team offers negative value, the draw is 0 value, and the away team offers positive value because there’s 5% more chance of them winning than the odds suggest.

Although your research has shown the home team to have the advantage, it’s the away team who offers the positive value. Whilst most casual punters and beginners will find it impossible to understand why they are betting on the outsider, when they believe they have little chance of winning, the more experienced bettors will know they offer the most value.

Value Odds

Value betting means sometimes placing a wager against your judgement. Just because you think a team will win, doesn’t mean they will increase your chances of a profit and definitely doesn’t mean they offer any positive value in the market.

If you placed ten bets on teams at odds of 4.00 with a 100 stake and won just three of them, which is the 30% actual probability we worked out earlier, you would walk away with a total profit of 600. Winning just two bets from the ten would still give you a profit of 100.

But, just because we said you would likely have to bet on the less popular selections most of the time doesn’t mean you ignore the favourites completely. Even short priced favourites may offer positive value, so make sure you research fully and analyse those results to find the best value bets.

Tips on Finding Value Odds

As we mentioned before, it is extremely difficult to identify which odds offer positive value and which do not. But, we have a few tips to help you on your way.

• Stick to a sport you know
• Narrow down your options to a certain league/division/tournament
• Give yourself plenty of time for research
• Include variables in working out actual probability
• Calculate actual probability before looking at betting odds
• Shop around because one bookmaker may offer greater value than another

Conclusion

Finding value odd can be an extremely time consuming and monotonous task but it is well worth it in the long run. Studying sporting events from sports you know, selecting a certain league, division, or tournament, and trusting the fact that finding positive value gives you an edge over the best bookmakers can earn you a decent profit.

CRITERIA WE USE TO CHOOSE THE BEST BOOKMAKERS

  • Odds quality
  • Market coverage and selection of bets
  • Betting limits on that sport
  • Live streaming
  • Sport specific bonuses and promotions

 

INFORMATION WE LOOK AT FOR ALL BOOKMAKERS

  • Website quality and usability
  • How easy is to deposit and withdraw funds?
  • How good the customer service is
  • Can you trust this bookmaker?

Effective Research and Analysis – Guide for Beginners

In sports betting there are many betting terms which are not easy to understand for a person who has never bet before.

It’s very complex and almost impossible for a bettor who has just discovered betting/online betting not to encounter difficulties.

How to research and analyse effectively

To make it easier, we have written a guide that will explain betting terms and make them more understandable for the less experienced bettor.

In this article we will explain what effective research and analysis is and how it works, so new bettors can get the most from it when betting.

What is Effective Research and Analysis?

Betting on sports is an easy process, regardless of your level of expertise or experience. You create an account online or head to an actual bookmakers, choose your selection, pay your stake money and place a bet. Simple as that.

What isn’t so simple is winning and being successful at sports betting.

In order to do that you have to put effective research and analysis into place. Which basically means you must find out everything you can about particular sports, teams, players, and anything else that will increase your chances of making a profit from sports betting. You then must analyse all the information you have gained in order to find what can and can’t help you with regards betting.

Research and analysis is done in the lead up to an event you may be interested in placing a bet on. To make it effective you must study all available information, such as recent form figures, injuries/suspensions in team sports, and even how the weather may impact the event in question.

Why is Effective Research and Analysis Important in Sports Betting?

There is no point betting on a whim using only the sports knowledge you have in your brain. Even if you believe you know a lot about a certain sport or team, it may still not be enough to place a winning bet and make a decent profit.

In order for us to make informed and improved betting choices, we must arm ourselves with as much information as we can. You decrease your chances of profit if you do not gain enough information through effective research and analysis. It will effectively mean you are betting blind and chances are you are wasting your money.

Lets use a brief example to show you how effective research and analysis works.

A Premier League football match is taking place on a Sunday lunchtime with a team in or around the top six of the table playing away against a team battling at the lower end towards the relegation zone. Most casual punters would immediately opt for the higher placed team to win.

But, if you want to be successful and make money from sports betting you must turn off your emotions or what you think you may know because only an analytical approach can give you an edge over the bookmakers.

In order to make the most informed betting decisions for this match, you must look at:

• Recent results
• Team news
• Fixture lists
• Head to Head records
• Home and Away form figures
• Other key information, such as weather conditions, referee officiating the match, and day/time of the match

All of this information is vital.

Looking at recent results will show you which of the teams has the better form, which players are playing well or poorly, and also how the team performs depending on the quality of opposition. Some top teams drop points against lower opposition due to lack of motivation, over-confidence, and having their eyes on bigger prizes.

Talking about having eyes on bigger prizes, this is why we must look at fixture lists and team news.

If the bigger team had played a key European tie on the Wednesday before this match and had a rearranged fixture against a team one place above them in the league the Wednesday after, they may look to rest key players who may be fatigued. This, along with injuries and suspensions could give the smaller team a bigger chance of earning a positive result.

Studying home and away form is important too because some teams have much better form at home than they do away, or vice versa. A match may be between two teams several places apart in the league table but the higher placed team may have a horrendous away record whilst the lower team is solid at home.

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Head to Head records not only give us a better chance of picking a winner but can also help us to find decent bets in alternative markets. Look at previous fixtures between the two teams, note down how many goals were scored, percentage of matches where both teams scored, number of bookings in each match etc. Stick to matches within the last few years to give you a better chance of finding winning bets.

Other information is also vital. Teams may have a poor record in Sunday lunch time kick offs. Teams who like to play a slick passing style may come unstuck in heavy rain and wind against a team who likes to play a route one game.

How Does Effective Research and Analysis Help to Increase Profit?

Well, this is pretty self explanatory really. If effective research and analysis provides us with more information to make improved betting decisions, it increases our chances of making a profit.

But another reason effective research and analysis can help increase profit is by helping us to find value bets in the market.

A value bet is where we believe an outcome is more likely than the implied probability given to this outcome by the bookmakers.

Effective Research and Analysis

For example, a team may be priced up to win a match with an implied probability of 25%. After carrying out effective research and analysis, studying all the vital information we need, we have concluded that this team in fact has more like a 30% chance of winning.

Therefore, we are finding value because the odds given by the bookmaker are higher than what we believe them to be. If this team is successful, it increases the size of the profit we think we should have won.

Types of Effective Research and Analysis

Unfortunately, there isn’t any right way to carry out research and analysis. It can be effective as long as you do it, regardless of how you gained the information. You can find useful information on sports statistics websites, other media such as sport TV shows or newspapers, social media, and sporting blogs. It is up to you which of these you use, although stats websites are extremely useful.

We do, however, have a few tips on how to get the most out of your research.

1. Allow Plenty of Time – You must give yourself plenty of time in order to gain the most information you can relevant to your chosen sport or event. You cannot just click on one website, take a couple of notes and expect to know everything. Giving yourself plenty of time will enable you to search thoroughly through statistics and other vital information.
2. Plan your Research – It will serve you well if you plan your research by pre-deciding which information you want to gain. Make a list of everything you feel is vital to improve your betting decisions and tick them off when you have gained enough knowledge for it to be helpful.
3. Get and Unbiased View – Looking at team specific blogs, websites, or social media can give a very one-sided view and this information will not be helpful with regards your betting. Fans on a team specific website may dislike a player, but he may have a fantastic goal scoring record against a specific team. Look at unbiased sites, finding factual information that can be backed up by statistics.
4. Look at the Bigger Picture – While statistical information is vital, we need to look deeper into this information in order for it to be relevant for us. A football team may have won their last five matches and are playing a team who have lost their last three, but the team on a winning streak may have played much lesser opposition or been lucky to win thanks to things such as poor officiating, players being sent off, or penalties being awarded. Always look at the bigger picture before deciding if information is useful or not.
5. Use Reputable Sources – Always make sure the sources you are gaining information from are reputable and only print unbiased and factual information. A less popular or unknown site may not be as well run as a bigger and more reputable site, which can lead to statistical errors and incorrect information which claims to be fact.

Conclusion

As you can see from our guide, effective research and analysis can enable us to make better betting decisions, remain analytical, and increase our chances of making a profit.

But, keeping a record of your own betting can also be a key thing. If you maintain a detailed betting record you will see your wins, losses, and which selections give you the biggest profit. Add that to effective research and analysis and you may increase your chances of winning even more.

CRITERIA WE USE TO CHOOSE THE BEST BOOKMAKERS

  • Odds quality
  • Market coverage and selection of bets
  • Betting limits on that sport
  • Live streaming
  • Sport specific bonuses and promotions

 

INFORMATION WE LOOK AT FOR ALL BOOKMAKERS

    • Website quality and usability
    • How easy is to deposit and withdraw funds?
    • How good the customer service is
    • Can you trust this bookmaker?

What is Over/Under Betting? – Guide for Beginners

In sports betting there are many betting terms which are not easy to understand for a person who has never bet before.

It’s very complex and almost impossible for a bettor who has just discovered betting/online betting not to encounter difficulties.

What is Over Under Betting? - Guide for Beginners

To make it easier, we have written a guide that will explain betting terms and make them more understandable for the less experienced bettor.

In this article we will explain what Over/Under betting is and how it works, so new bettors can get the most from it when betting.

What is Over/Under Betting?

Over/Under betting, also known as totals betting, is where the bettor will place a bet that a sporting event will have either over or under a set limit for different occurrences. This can be goals in a football match, points in a basketball game, or even number of birdies in a golf tournament.

This type of betting is the second most popular form of wagering there is, behind the match result or moneyline market, and offers people the chance to win without the need to predict who will win a certain sporting event.

For example, a football match between two teams close together in the league table and who have similar form statistics can be hard to predict. There’s always the possibility of a draw but if both sides draw a low percentage of their matches it isn’t a smart move to back the game finishing level. There will likely be a winner but the bettor cannot decide who it will be.

Instead of placing a high risk wager in the match result market it makes sense to look for an alternative market, which will increase your chance of making a profit. It also decreases the amount of research required before the event. This is why the over/under market is so popular.

The bettor can research stats such as goals scored, goals conceded, average number of goals scored in matches involving both teams recently, and even number of goals in previous meetings. This will allow you to work out roughly how many goals should be expected in the next match between the two.

Most over/under markets for football in the United Kingdom have a set number of 2.5, so you will bet on whether you think there will be more or less than 2.5 goals. But, there are alternative over/under markets available with most online betting sites that change that set number. This can be anything from 0.5 up to 6.5 and the betting odds are altered to reflect the probability of that number of goals being scored.

Research for Over/Under Betting

As mentioned above, it doesn’t matter which team has the better winning record or who the betting favourites are to win. All that matters is the statistics for goals scored and conceded.

The best way to work out an average is by looking at the hosts home record for goals scored and conceded and the same for the visitors away stats.

For example,

The home team has scored 13 goals and conceded 11 in their last ten home matches, whereas the away team has netted 14 and conceded 17 in their last ten games on the road. So, we need to do a couple of calculations.

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First, we add the number of home team goals scored to the number of away team goals conceded.

• 13 + 17 = 30

Then, we divide this by the total number of matches, which is 20.

• 30 / 20 = 1.5

So, 1.5 is the expected number of goals the home team should score.

We then repeat the process for the visitors, which gives them a goal expectancy of 1.25.

Adding the home teams expected number of goals to the away teams will give us an expected number of goals for the match.

• 1.5 + 1.25 = 2.75

These stats show, using recent statistics, that there is expected to be more than 2.5 goals scored in this match but it isn’t really a match goals expectancy that would fill us with a lot of confidence.

Perhaps though we would be more inclined to place a wager by using an alternative market such as over 1.5 goals.

Doing this research can allow us to work out which matches are worth betting on and which ones have far too much risk compared to the reward on offer. Although you need to be aware that these stats can be misleading, so you must look further into them to see if they represent a true average.

How to bet on over under

By this, we mean that if a teams goals scored and conceded are evenly spread out it is a true average we will gain by doing these calculations. If the home team who had scored 13 in ten games had netted six of those in one match, we then go to stats of seven scored in nine games. This drastically alters the average and the expected number of goals.

There are a couple of alternatives.

You can look at the percentage of games involving these teams that has had over 2.5 goals. If the home team has a percentage of say 76% and the away team has 53%, this shows that over 2.5 goals should be a good bet here. But, you may want to bet under the 2.5 or leave the match well alone if the percentages are low.

Looking at head to head stats can also help bettors make improved decisions for this market. By adding up the number of goals scored in previous meetings, we can work out an average and determine if games between the two sides are generally high scoring affairs.

Using the results of all three of these methods together will give us the best chance of finding the right bets for the over/under market.

Types of Over/Under Betting

Obviously, the types of bets available for over/under betting are sport specific but as we have been talking about football here we will stick with it.

The over/under number of goals in a match is the most popular market for this type of bet with football, but alternatives include:

• Half time over/under
• Number of corners
• Booking points
• Team to score over/under
• Player/Team shots on target over/under

As mentioned, this is just for football and other sports will offer different alternative markets.

Different betting companies will offer different but some you may find include:

• Number of wickets for a bowler in cricket
• Number of boundaries in a cricket match
• Number of 100+ check out shots in darts
• Number of century breaks in snooker
• Number of knock downs in a boxing match
• Number of Birdies in a golf tournament
• Number of aces in a tennis match

Several Ways to Win

As you can see, over/under markets are plentiful and offer bettors several alternative ways of making a profit from sports betting.

Remember, it is important to bet responsibly regardless of the market you are betting on and always adopt an analytical approach before placing a wager. Effective research and analysis can give you the information you require to make informed betting decisions, and using this information can help you make a tidy profit from betting on over/under markets.

CRITERIA WE USE TO CHOOSE THE BEST BOOKMAKERS

  • Odds quality
  • Market coverage and selection of bets
  • Betting limits on that sport
  • Live streaming
  • Sport specific bonuses and promotions

 

INFORMATION WE LOOK AT FOR ALL BOOKMAKERS

  • Website quality and usability
  • How easy is to deposit and withdraw funds?
  • How good the customer service is
  • Can you trust this best bookmakers?

 

Understanding Odds – Guide for Beginners

In sports betting there are many betting terms which are not easy to understand for a person who has never bet before.

It’s very complex and almost impossible for a bettor who has just discovered betting/online betting not to encounter difficulties.

Understanding Odds – Guide for Beginners

To make it easier, we have written a guide that will explain betting terms and make them more understandable for the less experienced bettor.

In this article we will explain how to understand odds and how they work, so new bettors can get the most from them when betting.

What are Betting Odds?

In order for you to understand betting odds you must first know what they are, what they represent, and how much profit you can make when placing a bet.

There are three main types of odds you will encounter when placing a wager on sports betting, depending on the betting site you use and where in the world you are. These are:

• Fractional Odds
• Decimal Odds
• Moneyline / American

Fractional odds are shown as a fraction, such as 2/1, 11/8, or 10/11. This fraction shows how much you must stake (the denominator) to win the number shown as the numerator if your bet is successful.

For example, 2/1 means you must place 1 to win 2. Your total winnings is the fraction added together. So, in this case, you would win a total of 3 because you receive your stake money back.

Placing a bet of 8 on an 11/8 would give you winnings of 11, meaning you would receive a total of 19 back. If you were betting 100 on an 11/8 you would then need to divide the numerator by the denominator to work out your exact return, then multiply it by your stake.

So, here it would be:

• (11 / 8) x 100 = 137.50

Essentially the fraction then becomes 137.50/100.

Decimal odds are shown as a decimal number, such as 3.00, 2.38, or 1.91. This shows the exact total you will receive for every 1 you stake, including your stake money back.

So if you placed a wager of 100 on a bet at odds of 2.38, you multiply the stake by the decimal to work out your total winnings.

• 100 x 2.38 = 238

Your total winnings would be 238, meaning a profit of 138.
Moneyline odds, also known as American odds are a little different. These are shown as numbers with either a + or a – in front of it. The + number, such as +150 is how much profit you would make from a 100 stake. Moneyline odds with a -, such as -130, shows how much you need to stake in order to win 100.

So, if you placed a bet of 100 on a bet at odds of +150, you would win a total of 250. If you placed a bet of 130 on at odds of -130, you would win a total of 230.

Why are Betting Odds Important in Sports Betting?

Betting odds represent the implied probability of each result in a sporting event. In order to understand betting odds properly you must also understand probability.

Every bookmaker will set odds based on the implied probability for each selection. So if they believe a team has a 50% chance of winning a football match, they will set the odds at evens (1/1), or 2.00 in fractional odds.

How to understand odds

There are several sites out there which offer betting odds calculators to convert odds into probability but there are also simple mathematical formulas to do this.

For fractional odds, we can use the formula:

• denominator / (numerator + denominator) = probability %

So, for odds of 11/8 this would become:

• 8 / (11 + 8) = 0.42

We then have to obviously multiply the answer by 100 to get the percentage. In this case, there’s a 42% chance of the selection winning based on implied probability set by the bookmaker.

For decimal odds, the formula is:

• (1 / decimal odds) x 100 = probability percentage

Odds of 2.25 makes the formula look like this:

• (1 / 2.25) x 100 = 44.44%

There are two different formulas for moneyline odds, with different ones for the plus or minus odds.

The plus moneyline odds formula is:

• 100 / ( + moneyline odds + 100 ) = ?

The answer is then multiplied by 100 to give you the implied probability percentage. Using odd of +150 we can see how the formula works.

• 100 / (150 + 100) = 0.4

Multiplied by 100 gives us implied probability of 40.

The minus moneyline formula is:

• – moneyline odds / (- moneyline odds + 100) = ?

So, for -130 odds the formula looks like:

• 130 / (130 +100) = ?
• So, 130 / 230 = 0.565

Multiplying the result by 100 gives us a percentage of 56.5%.

How Does Understanding Odds Help Increase Profit?

By understanding how betting odds work, you can clearly see which selection in a sporting event is the favourite and which is the outsider. This will help to see which selection the bookmaker believes will win and, by converting into probability, you can see how wide the margin is believed to be between the two selections.

Understanding odds also helps to identify value betting opportunities, which is how having knowledge on this subject helps to increase the chances of you making a healthy profit.

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Value odds are basically when you have carried out research and analysis to work out your own probability of a selection winning, and then you find the bookmaker has priced the selection up with a lower implied probability than what you gave them.

For example, after carrying out research, you have given a selection a 60% chance of winning.

When looking at the odds, you find the selection priced at 4/5 (1.8 decimal). Using the formula given above, or by looking at a betting odds convertor, you find this gives implied probability of 55.6%.

This is 4.4% lower than the probability you give the selection and therefore represents positive value in the market.

Finding value bets is recommended as a way of giving you an edge over the bookmaker and increasing your potential of a long-term profit.

Conclusion

Understanding betting odds is a key element of placing a bet and is something all beginners should strive to do before parting with their money. It’s not a difficult process and hopefully our guide has given you all the information required to increase your knowledge of the subject.

CRITERIA WE USE TO CHOOSE THE BEST BOOKMAKERS

  • Odds quality
  • Market coverage and selection of bets
  • Betting limits on that sport
  • Live streaming
  • Sport specific bonuses and promotions

 

INFORMATION WE LOOK AT FOR ALL BOOKMAKERS

  • Website quality and usability
  • How easy is to deposit and withdraw funds?
  • How good the customer service is
  • Can you trust this bookmaker?

 

What is Money Management – Guide for Beginners

In sports betting there are many betting terms which are not easy to understand for a person who has never bet before.

It’s very complex and almost impossible for a bettor who has just discovered betting/online betting not to encounter difficulties.

What is Money Management – Guide for Beginners

To make it easier, we have written a guide that will explain betting terms and make them more understandable for the less experienced bettor.

In this article we will explain what money management is and how it works, so new bettors can get the most from it when betting.

What is Money Management?

Correct money management, or bankroll management, is the process of a bettor setting themselves a set budget and using a system to increase their potential of a long-term profit whilst also eliminating the chances of going broke too quickly.

In order for a money management system to work, bettors must:

1. Set themselves a budget solely to use when betting. To do this, bettors must take into consideration their overall incomings and outgoings and then set aside a certain amount of money for betting within a set period. For example, they could set an amount that is designed to last them twenty-eight days. The time frame used will usually depend on when the person gets paid from their job.
2. Choose a correct money management system which will set the amount the bettor can wager on each bet, by using percentages or points. There are different money management systems available, with the more simple ones explained further along in this article.
3. Gamble responsibly, stick to the chosen money management system, always approach betting with an analytical mindset and refuse to allow emotions to get in the way of the system adopted. The whole point of money management systems are to give long-term profit and prevent an empty bank account, so adopting and sticking to a system is key.

Why is Money Management Important in Sports Betting?

Correct money management gives bettors a set limit they can wager on an individual bet. This means they will stick within their budget, be able to place more bets within a given time period and prevent them from spending all of their money too quickly.

It can be far too easy, especially with inexperienced bettors, to allow emotions to get in the way or place more money on a shorter priced favourite in order to increase profit.

What they fail to look at is any profit is still a profit regardless of how large or small. It is better to make a small profit than a complete loss. So, if a bettor was restricted to betting say 3% of their overall bankroll on an individual bet but spent 15% and it lost. They have just used up five bets worth on a single bet and lost, which spends the money quicker and decreases profit potential.

The main reasons correct money management in sports betting is important are:

• To prevent emotions getting in the way and chasing losses after a few losing bets. If we get angry and frustrated after a sure-thing has let us down, it can be easy to place a higher bet in an attempt to regain those losses. Correct money management ensures we stick to a set limit.
• It also prevents becoming over-confident and staking too much when in the middle of a winning streak or lucky period.
• Bettors can go through a losing streak and still continue to bet, knowing they will not go completely bust too soon because they have a set limit on how much they can bet.

Types of Money Management Systems

There are two main staking systems we would recommend for inexperienced bettors who are either new to the world of sports betting or to using a proper money management system.

These are either a fixed staking plan or a variable staking plan.

Fixed Staking Plans

Fixed staking plans give the bettor a set amount they can wager on each bet, by taking their total bankroll into consideration and breaking it down into individual betting stakes.

There are two types of staking plans within the fixed category, which are level staking or percentage staking.

A level staking plan basically means that the bettor will break their overall bankroll down at the beginning of a set time period and stick to the same sized stake throughout that period.

For example, a bettor who has a £500 budget for the month may break it down into £5 stakes for each bet. This is just 1% of their overall budget and would give them 100 bets for the month regardless of how many bets they win or lose, then they will pocket their profit at the end of the time period and start all over again the following month.

The biggest downfall to a level system is that the stakes remain the exact same throughout the month, not taking any wins or losses into consideration. So, if we continue to lose but still bet £5 it starts to represent a bigger percentage of the bankroll remaining and likewise it will be a smaller percentage after a few wins.

A better fixed staking plan, in our opinion, is the percentage system. Some people prefer to use this system by breaking their bankroll down into points, but it works the exact same way.

To do this, the bettor must first break their bankroll down by using the following formula.

• Overall bankroll / 100 = 1 point or 1% of bankroll

So, if a person has a bankroll of £1000 they would divide it by 100 to give them a value of 10 per point or percent.

The bettor then chooses how much of their bankroll they are willing to wager on each individual bet. We recommend between 1% and 5%, with the ideal stake being around 2% or 3% to give you the best chance of making a long term profit.

You then have to multiply your individual points value or 1% by the chosen percentage, so 2 or 3 if using our ideal staking percentage.
This method of staking means that the size of stake remains the same with regards percentage of your overall bankroll but the amount will differ.

Using a staking system of 3%, we would bet £30 on each bet with a £1000 overall bankroll. So, if our first bet won at odds of 2/1, we would add £60 to the total. This means our overall bankroll for our next bet is £1060.

How to manage money

We then use our formula, dividing it by 100, to get 1% of £10.60. So our next bet would still be 3% but the total amount of money wagered would go up from £30 to £31.80.

With this system, we take into consideration our wins and losses and our wager size increases or decreases to reflect this whilst still sticking to our system.

What it doesn’t do, it consider the odds of each selection and each stake will be based on a percentage regardless of whether you are backing a short-priced favourite or an outsider at long odds.

Variable Staking Plans

Variable staking plans work a little different to fixed plans. This is because, although they still work in relation to our overall bankroll, they take into consideration the odds and likelihood of the bet winning.

There are several ways to use a variable staking plan.

Firstly, the bettor could rate their bets placed on confidence levels and adjust their stake accordingly. If they are extremely confident, they will bet say 5%. It would be 1% for those bets they aren’t quite sure about, and 2.5% for the bets they have medium confidence for.

Another way is to look at potential return and try to give ourselves a similar sized profit for every bet regardless of the odds. So, if we are backing a short-priced favourite our stake would be higher than if we were taking a punt on a bigger priced selection.

Both of these plans are perfectly okay, although a great deal of knowledge is required to bet based on confidence levels.

One system which takes into account all variables, such as confidence level and odds, is the Kelly Criterion system.

 

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Around since the 1950’s, the Kelly Criterion is a formula designed to give bettors the ideal stake based on how likely the bet is to win and the odds for that selection. It has a lot of critics but there are several professional gamblers who swear by it, so it couldn’t help to at least give it a try.

The Kelly Criterion works by using the formula:

• [(Probability * odds) – 1] / (odds-1)

If our selection is priced at decimal odds of 3.75 it means it has an implied probability of 26.7%. But, we believe the selection has a 30% chance of winning after studying recent form statistics and taking an analytical approach.

We would then use the Kelly Criterion formula to work out the ideal stake, which looks like this:

• [(0.3 * 3.75) – 1] / (3.75 – 1)
• Which goes to (1.125 – 1) / 2.75
• Which is then 0.125 / 2.75
• = 0.045

After multiplying this number by 100, according to the Kelly Criterion, our ideal stake for this particular selection is 4.5% of our overall bankroll.

If you get a result of 0.00 or a negative value it is recommended to not place a bet on this selection as there is more risk than reward.

It is possible to use what is known as a Fractional Kelly, for those who don’t fully understand how it works or want to give it a try without risking too much of their bankroll on something they have little knowledge of.

The bettor must decide on a fraction to use, lets say half of the actual Kelly Criterion amount. To work this out, you convert your fraction into a decimal of 0.5. You then use the total result from the original formula and multiply it by your fraction.

So, using the above example, you would use the formula:

• 0.045 * 0.5 = Fractional Kelly stake

In this case, after multiplying the answer by 100, the recommended stake would be 2.25% of your overall bankroll.

Conclusion

As you can see from our guide, there are several different money management systems available to use and are all designed to increase your long-term profit potential and decrease your chances of going bust too quickly.

Choosing the system which suits you and your gambling needs is a decision that can only be made by the individual using it and it can always be changed if you feel a different system would work better for you.

Whether you are brand new to the world of sports betting or an experienced bettor, it’s never too late to adopt or try a new money management system in order to give you a better and more profitable betting experience.

CRITERIA WE USE TO CHOOSE THE BEST BOOKMAKERS

  • Odds quality
  • Market coverage and selection of bets
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INFORMATION WE LOOK AT FOR ALL BOOKMAKERS

  • Website quality and usability
  • How easy is to deposit and withdraw funds?
  • How good the customer service is
  • Can you trust this bookmaker?

Handicap Betting

Handicap betting, also known as a spread or points spread, is a popular sports betting market which can be profitable to those who use fully understand it and use it as part of an analytical approach to betting.

What is Handicap Betting?

Handicap betting markets are used to level up the playing field in a sporting event, giving one selection a virtual advantage over the other.

Handicap Betting

For example, the betting favourite in a football match would start with a -1 handicap while the underdog in the match would start on +1. The betting odds would then be altered to reflect the handicap, with the draw still a possible outcome.

The decimal odds in the match result market for a match are:

• Team A – 1.62
• Draw – 3.5
• Team B – 4.75

Team A, the home team, are clearly the favourites to win this match here and will receive a -1 start in the handicap betting market. This means that if you back them, they must win by two or more goals to give you a winning bet. If you back the draw, you would be hoping for Team A to win by exactly one goal. You could also back Team B, with a +1 handicap, meaning they would give you a winning bet if the match finished in a real life draw.

As mentioned above, the betting odds offered will differ to those in the match result market. The handicap market with Team A on a -1 handicap look like this.

• Team A (-1) – 2.8
• Draw (Team A -1) – 3.25
• Team B (+1) – 2.2

You can see that the odds for a draw are pretty much the same, which suggests the bookmaker believes Team A will win by exactly one goal in the actual match.

 

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Asian Handicap

Normal handicap betting offers three possible outcomes, a home win, away win, or draw, with one team receiving a -1 or +1 handicap. Asian handicap betting is slightly different as you cannot bet on a draw.

However, a push may come into play depending on the set handicap which may mean a punters stake being returned if the scores are level after the handicap has been applied at full time.

The way the possibility of a draw is eliminated is by the use of half-goals, so the handicap is set at +0.5 or +1.5 etc.

This means that there is no chance of a draw, because if a match finishes 1-0 to a the side with a -0.5 handicap they would still win for the purposes of the bet.

If the handicap is a whole number in Asian handicap betting and the scores are level at full time after the handicap has been applied, the push will be used instead of taking bets on the draw pre-match.

How to bet on handicap

In Asian handicap betting, you may come across certain selections with a 0 handicap. This means that if you back a team with a 0 handicap, they must win the match in real life to give you a winning bet. A draw in the match would result in a push.

A 0 handicap is effectively the same as placing a bet using the Draw No Bet market, although you may find the odds to be slightly different for the two markets depending on which bookmaker you use.

If you ever notice a quarter handicap, such as 0.25 or 0.75, this represents a split handicap bet. Meaning your stake would be split into two with half placed on the half number above or below and the other half placed on the whole number above or below.

Lets say a team had a -0.75 handicap. In this instance, half your stake would go on -0.5 and half on -1.

If the match finished 1-0 to the team with the minus handicap, the result for your bet would be 0.5-0 for the first part of your bet and 0-0 for the second part. Meaning you would win part of your bet and receive your stake back for the second part.

League Handicaps

Some bookmakers may offer handicap betting on the final outcome of a league table, for example the English Premier League.

The team priced as betting favourite in the outright market would start on scratch (0), and the other teams would be given a points handicap depending on their chances based on betting odds. This maybe would be something like +4, +7, +9, +14 etc.

At the end of the season, every team will have their actual points added to their handicap value and the table will be altered accordingly. If the team you backed finished top of the table after every team had their handicap applied, you would win your bet. Place bets are usually available for this market as well.

 

CRITERIA WE USE TO CHOOSE THE BEST BOOKMAKERS

  • Odds quality
  • Market coverage and selection of bets
  • Betting limits on that sport
  • Live streaming
  • Sport specific bonuses and promotions

 

INFORMATION WE LOOK AT FOR ALL BOOKMAKERS

  • Website quality and usability
  • How easy is to deposit and withdraw funds?
  • How good the customer service is
  • Can you trust this bookmaker?

Goalscorer Betting Markets

There are several betting markets when it comes to football, and some of the more interesting and which are ever growing in popularity are the goalscorer markets.

Goalscorer Betting Markets

It gives bettors with less knowledge of the sport a chance to win by only having to concentrate on player goal scoring stats instead of team performance and other statistics that most people need to study before placing a bet.

What are Goalscorer Betting Markets?

Goalscorer betting markets are available for those bettors who want to place a bet on which player will score a goal, or more than one goal, in a football match.

There are several different markets available, which are:

Anytime Goalscorer

The anytime goalscorer market is where you select a player who you think will score a goal any time during the duration of a football match, up until the final whistle. This market generally doesn’t include extra-time or penalty shoot outs in tournament matches.

You will win your bet if your chosen player scores a goal, that is officially awarded to them, at anytime during the match. If you place your bet and the player you chose does not take part, you will usually receive your stake money back.

As expected for a market such as this, the betting odds are rather short when backing a player who is in good goal scoring form or a teams top scorer. However, it can provide a decent profit if you can become successful at betting on this market.

Some bookmakers will offer a combined bet of anytime scorer and team to win, which will usually boost the odds considerably.

 

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First Goalscorer

The clue is in the name here as this market requires you to correctly predict the player who will score the first goal in a football match.

Odds for this market usually range from between around 5/1 for in-form goalscorers and strikers up to over 66/1 for defenders and players who rarely get on the score sheet. There is also an option for “No Goalscorer” if you believe there’s a chance of the game finishing 0-0.

How to bet on goalscorer

If the player you selected scores the first goal in the match, as officially recognised, your bet will be successful. It’s worth shopping around when it comes to first goalscorer betting as some bookmakers may offer money back offers if your selected player scores the second goal in a match.

Last Goalscorer

Similar to the first goalscorer market, and with odds that are usually the same in both, the last goalscorer market is where bettors place a bet on which player they think will score the last goal of a match.

If your selected player scores the last goal in a match, your bet will be a winner. Again, there will be the option of no goalscorer.

It can be incredibly profitable if a game finishes 1-0 and you bet on the same player to score first and last but the chances of this happening are pretty slim.

Multi Scorers

This market is for those bettors who believe a player will score more than a single goal in a match, with options for 2+ and 3+ usually available.

Worth checking out if a player is in red-hot goalscoring form and if a top team is playing a lesser team who concede a lot, as prices can be very good. You may get between around 6/1and 12/1 for even an in-form player to net twice, with odds between 33/1 and 100/1 regularly available for a player to score a hat-trick.

Obviously, the standard of opposition will dictate the size of the odds but an analytical approach and knowledge of the game will help you if you want to bet on this market.

Both Players to Score

A market which gives you two pre-selected players, at pre-set odds, and bettors can choose to wager on both of these players scoring in the same match.

It’s a pretty difficult market to be successful on but in matches with two in-form strikers, and defences who concede regularly, it can provide bettors with a decent profit.

CRITERIA WE USE TO CHOOSE THE BEST BOOKMAKERS

  • Odds quality
  • Market coverage and selection of bets
  • Betting limits on that sport
  • Live streaming
  • Sport specific bonuses and promotions

 

INFORMATION WE LOOK AT FOR ALL BOOKMAKERS

  • Website quality and usability
  • How easy is to deposit and withdraw funds?
  • How good the customer service is
  • Can you trust this bookmaker?