If you usually stick to match result or Both Teams to Score betting, you may have seen the Draw No Bet market but never really paid it much attention.

But, this can be a great insurance bet if you believe one team in a football match really doesn’t have any chance of winning but could be good enough to nick the draw.

Draw No Bet Betting

The Draw No Bet market provides bettors with an insurance bet where they can bet on an outcome in a football match, albeit at shorter odds than on one outcome in the match result market, and receive their stake back if the match ends in a draw.

Even though the betting odds will be shorter, this type of bet lessens the risk and increases the chance of a winning bet. If you bet on the away team in the match result market and the game finishes level, you will lose your stake. In the Draw No Bet market, you will get your stake back and be level with regards profit and loss.

Lets look at an example.

Using odds from Betfair for the Netherlands vs England Nations Cup Semi Final, we can see Netherlands priced at 19/10, England at 31/20, and the draw at 21/10 in the match result market.

With draws between the teams a regular occurrence in recent years, there was a big possibility of a drawn game. But, as a punter, you believed England would win.

If you backed England in the match result market with a stake of 100, and they won, you would get back a total of 255. This is a profit of 155. But if the game ended in a draw, you would lose 100.

In the Draw No Bet market, Netherlands were evens and England were priced at 8/11. So, backing England in this market gave you the possibility of only 72.73 profit, which is 82.27 less than in the match result market. But, if the game ended in a draw you would receive your stake back and not lose a single penny.

Obviously, if the Netherlands had won the game you would lose in both betting markets.

 

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Bookmaker Doesn’t Offer This Market

Most bookmakers, especially the more popular and well known ones, will offer Draw No Bet markets for football and possibly some other team sports where a draw is a possible outcome.

However, if you find the market isn’t available at the bookie you use or for a certain match, you can create your own.

To do this, you need to convert the odds into decimal either by selecting this option at your chosen bookmaker or by using a website which shows you the different odds in fractional, decimal, and moneyline.

So, we will take Netherlands as our selection from the above example. Their price of 21/10 converts into decimal odds of 3.1, with the draw now at 3.3 (23/10).

In order for you to create your own Draw No Bet bet, you must divide your stake by the decimal odds for the draw. Which is 100 / 3.3 = 30.30. So, you would place 30.30 on the draw to guarantee your stake, or pretty much all of it, back if the game finished level.

You then place the rest of your stake on your chosen selection. So we would place 69.70 on Netherlands at odds of 3.1. Meaning that if Netherlands won, you would win a total of 216.07.

Again, your bet would lose if the selection you didn’t choose went on to win the match.

 

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?

Most people who place a bet are unsure of the best stake to place. Sometimes, the risk and reward doesn’t match up and people end up staking far more money than they should. That’s where the Kelly Criterion is a useful thing to understand, as it helps punters work out the ideal stake in relation to potential returns and their own betting bankroll.

What is the Kelly Criterion?

In 1956, a scientific researcher by the name of J.L Kelly discussed a formula he had come up with which would go on to become a popular staking method among sports bettors and stock market investors.

The aim of the Kelly Criterion is to help place the ideal stake in relation to your bankroll, by using your own probability of an outcome and the actual betting odds available. It sounds rather complicated, but it isn’t when you understand it and see it in action.

Bet Using the Kelly Criterion

Some people will recommend you always stick to staking the same percentage of your betting bankroll regardless of the chances of a particular outcome. So, you would bet say 3% on every bet you place whether you believe the selection has a 50% chance or a 10% chance of winning.

Betting using the Kelly Criterion looks at things a little differently, as using the formula tells you the ideal percentage of your bankroll to stake every time. It is claimed that this method can help you to make a better long term profit and enables better money management.

Kelly Criterion Calculator

The formula for the Kelly Criterion staking system is:

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

So, lets take a look at how the Kelly Criterion works using an example of a selection priced at 11/4, which is decimal odds of 3.75 and an implied probability of 26.7%. But, by doing your calculations, you believe the true probability of the selection winning is 30%.

We need to look at everything as a decimal in order for the formula to work. So, 30% is 0.3 and we use decimal odds instead of fractional. Which gives us something 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

We then multiply the result of the formula, 0.045, by 100. This gives us a recommended ideal stake of around 4.5% of our total bankroll. If our bankroll is £1,000, our ideal stake would be £45.

If the result of the Kelly Criterion formula is 0.00 or a minus number, then it’s recommended to not bet on this selection at all as the risk far outweighs the reward.

 

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Fractional Kelly Criterion

Obviously, nothing is certain in sports betting and some people may over-estimate the probability of a certain outcome for an event. To the more cautious bettors among us and to those who believe their calculations gives a selection more chance than they actually have, there’s the fractional Kelly staking system.

The fractional Kelly system allows you to bet a fraction of the percentage calculated using the Kelly Criterion formula, as shown above. Most bettors will usually go with a “Half-Kelly”, which is half of the recommended percentage. But any fraction can be used, depending on how cautious a bettor you are.

The formula for this is exactly the same as above but you multiply the total by your chosen fraction, which looks like:

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

If you want to bet half of the total Kelly amount, you would use the fraction 0.5. So, using the same numbers as in the example above, we get a final sum:

• 0.045 * 0.5 = 0.0225

Multiplied by 100 to get a percentage, we get 2.25% of our total bankroll.

This means that we will stake £22.50 from our £1,000 bankroll instead of the £45 from the original formula.

Using the fractional Kelly method lessens the risk of losing a lot of money fast, so gives you more bets from your bankroll. However, it will mean any winnings will be reduced by half as well.

Betting £45 on an 11/4 shot will pay you total winnings of £168.75 if the selection does win, whereas betting £22.50 will only give you total winnings of £84.38.

We recommend looking at it in terms of your total bankroll and how experienced you are at using the Kelly Criterion.

It’s entirely up to you how you bet using this system but if you are starting out using this formula, you should maybe stick to the fractional Kelly system for a while. Keep a note of your bets using this system and how good your calculated probability of a certain outcome is.

If you find that your predictions are good, and you have a decent sized bankroll, then go on to the full Kelly Criterion system.

 

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?

Football can be extremely unpredictable, with surprise results, top teams dropping points against lower opposition, and far too many variables which turn what looks a dead cert into an uncertainty.

There is an increasing number of punters who look to take advantage of these variables by betting using the Double Chance market.

What is Double Chance?

In football, or other team sports such as rugby, there are three possible outcomes in the match result market. These are:

• Home Win
• Away Win
• Draw

As mentioned, it can be difficult to predict a result so a double chance bet may be the way forward. This is especially the case in a match where the clear favourite is resting players or has injuries/suspensions to contend with. The underdog has more chance of picking up at least a draw in these circumstances. It can also work well when a higher placed team are playing away and you believe they will not lose but may struggle to get the victory.

A double chance bet increases your chance of placing a winning bet as it enables you to back two of the three possible outcomes in a single bet, albeit at shorter odds than in the match result market.

The possible bets in the double chance market are:

• Home Win or Draw
• Away Win or Draw
• Home Win or Away Win

If you back Home Win and Draw, your bet will be successful unless the away team win. Backing Away Win or Draw will give you a winning bet unless the home team wins. And if you wager on Home Win or Away Win, you will win as long as the match doesn’t end in a draw.

 

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Advantages of Double Chance

There are obvious advantages to using this market.

• More chance of a winning bet due to backing two out of the three possible outcomes. Your chances go from 33.3% to 66.6%.
• Chance of finding more value by backing the underdog, especially when they are playing a team with forced team changes or with their eye on more important upcoming games.
• Able to back higher placed teams playing away against teams with a decent home record. You may fancy the bigger team but are wary of the home team securing a draw.

Obviously, there are a couple of disadvantages to this market as well. The odds will be shorter in this market than they are in the match result market. So, backing a clear favourite to win or draw will not provide you with much profit potential.

The double chance market is really for those who like to back the underdog when they are confident of them at least getting a draw from the match. It also works well in tight matches between two evenly matched teams at decent odds.

Double Chance vs Two Separate Bets

Some people may insist it would be more profitable to just split their total stake money in half and back two separate outcomes instead of using the double chance market.

Lets give you an example to disprove those claims, with the following odds.

Match Result odds:

• Home Team 1.53
• Draw 4.00
• Away Team 6.00

Double Chance odds:

• Home/Draw 1.14
• Away/Draw 2.60
• Home/Away 1.25

So, if you staked 100 on any of the double chance outcomes your winnings would be:

• Home/Draw 114
• Away/Draw 260
• Home/Away 125

This is a profit of 14 if backing home/draw, 160 if backing away/draw or 25 if backing home/away.

If you split your stake into two bets of 50, you would make a total profit loss of -24.50 if the home team were successful, +100 if the game finished in a draw, and +200 if the away team won the match.

As we have mentioned already that the double chance market is mainly for those who like to back the underdog, the likely double chance bet placed would have been away/draw. If this was the case, the only way the punter makes a bigger profit placing two separate bets is if the away team were victorious.

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?

There are a plethora of betting markets available for sports such as football with one of the most popular being the correct score market. This is despite the fact it is an extremely difficult market to regularly gain a profit from.

What is Correct Score Betting?

Correct score betting is a market for bettors to wager on what they think the full time score will be in a football match, with set odds given by the bookmaker.

Most bookmakers vary with the limit on what scoreline they will give odds for, with most then offering a standard price for “other scores”. This means that if your chosen score isn’t available in the correct score market, you can then bet on the other score market.

The chances of the actual result not being available in the betting market are extremely small. This is because bookmakers will take bets for pretty much every plausible scoreline.

For example, a bookmaker such as Sky Bet will offer odds on the following scorelines.

• 1-0
• 2-0
• 2-1
• 3-0
• 3-1
• 3-2
• 4-0
• 4-1
• 4-2
• 4-3
• 5-0
• 5-1
• 5-2
• 5-3
• 6-0
• 6-1
• 6-2
• 0-0
• 1-1
• 2-2
• 3-3
• 4-4

Obviously, the match result scoreline is available to bet on for either team with the odds altered to reflect the chances of that being the actual final result.

The odds for correct score betting can be very good, with a range from around 4/1 for the likeliest scores up to 250/1 for the least likely.

It can be a difficult market to correctly predict and make a regular profit from, and it can be extremely frustrating if you place a bet on a score such as 2-0 and the opposition nets the first goal. Or if you believe two low scoring teams will draw 0-0 and there are several goals early on.
But, using an analytical approach with knowledge gained can provide you with a decent profit if predicting the correct score.

For example, if you placed a 50 bet on a team to win 4-0 at odds of 40/1 you would walk away with a total win of 2050 if that was indeed the final score. Even predicting a more likely score such as 2-0 is usually available for odds of around 6/1 and would give you winnings of 350 from your 50 stake.

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Correct Score Group Betting

A way of improving your chances of placing a winning bet in the correct score market is to use the correct score group betting that is now widely available.

Correct score group betting usually gives you three scores grouped together at set odds, such as the betting favourite to win 1-0, 2-0, or 2-1. The odds available for the group will be significantly lower than the individual scores but provides you with three possible outcomes to give you a winning bet.

However, the lower odds can still provide you with a bigger profit if you place one bet instead of three separate ones.

For example, if you placed 50 on each of the above scores at odds of 4/1, 6/1, and 17/2 respectively you would stand to win a total amount of either 250, 350, or 475.

If you put the three stakes together and placed a 150 bet on the group betting market at odds of 6/4 you would win a total of 375. So, only the final result of 2-1 would give you a bigger payout if betting separately.

Anytime Correct Score Market

Another correct score market that is growing in popularity is the anytime correct score market, where the punter will predict a scoreline and wins their bet if that score occurs at anytime during the match.

For example, if the punter placed a bet on the away team 1-0 in the anytime correct score market they would win their bet if the away team scored the first goal.

This market is only available with select bookmakers and is a lot more difficult to win on than it looks.

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?

Although match result, or 1X2, is still perhaps the most popular market when it comes to football betting, Both Teams to Score (BTTS) is not far behind.

In fact, some bettors will only gamble their money on Both Teams to Score markets as they believe they have a better chance of making a profit.

What is a Both Teams to Score Bet?

It sounds pretty self-explanatory but a Both teams to Score bet is one where the punter will wager whether he/she believes both teams will or will not score in a football match.

If the bettor believes both teams will find the net, they will bet “yes”, and it’s “no” if they believe neither or only one side will score during the 90 minutes.

Winning this bet is simple. If you backed “yes”, your bet will come in as soon as both teams have scored. If you bet “no”, your bet will win as soon as the full time whistle blows as long as only one side has scored or the game finishes 0-0.

Advantages to Both Teams to Score Bets

Well, the biggest advantage a bettor has by placing a bet on a Both teams to Score market is that they do not have to predict who will win a match. As long as both teams find the net, if they bet “yes”, the bet is a winner.

This also means that the bet stays alive until full time. If you bet on the match result market, your team may be trailing by a couple of goals at half time or two or more teams may be losing in your accumulator. With a Both teams to Score bet, unless you bet “no” and both teams have scored, you’re never actually behind until the whistle goes to signal the end of the match.

You could have three matches in an accumulator with teams trailing by several goals, but as long as those sides manage to find a consolation goal from somewhere it will give you a winning bet.

It’s also an extremely good bet for those bettors who like to take advantage of cash-out features. Many people will place an accumulator bet of maybe six or seven selections, and have four or five in at half time. This is a great opportunity to cash out and take what the bookmaker is offering you. Especially if one or more teams who are yet to score haven’t been that great going forward or managed many shots on goal.

 

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Tips to Making a Profit with BTTS Bets

When at the research stage before choosing your selections, you don’t really need to look at form figures or league position. You simply look at the amount of goals each team has scored and conceded.

The best tips we can give you are:

• Pay attention to those teams who both score and concede on a regular basis
• Look for higher placed teams playing away at a supposedly lesser team who still score several goals at home.

Two teams to use as an example of the first our first tip is Hull City and Preston North End. During the 2018/19 Championship season, Hull scored 66 and conceded 68 in their 46 league matches. Preston netted 67 and conceded 67. These are two teams who concede the same or a similar amount to what they score.

So, it would be a good bet to back “yes” in the BTTS market when they faced each other. It proved to be the case as well, as the first meeting ended 1-1 and the second was a 2-1 victory for Hull.

For our second tip, we need to explain further. Do not just bet BTTS on any high placed team player lower opposition. Look at the stats first.

Make a note of teams high up in the table who haven’t conceded many goals during the season, but who have a relatively high BTTS record on their travels. Then look at the lower placed home side and how many of their matches have seen both teams score.

For example, Liverpool conceded just 22 goals in the Premier League during the 2018/19 season but had a 53 % BTTS statistic in away matches. Southampton struggled towards the foot of the table all season but had a 79% BTTS record at home in league matches.

When they met with Southampton as the hosts as the season drew to a close, both teams found the net despite Liverpool finishing the match as clear winners.

Alternative BTTS Markets

As well as your traditional yes/no Both Teams to Score market, there are a few alternatives offered by most bookmakers.

• BTTS & Match Result – You combine a yes/no bet with a bet in the 1X2 market. For example, you may have selected “yes” and Liverpool to Win when they played Southampton away in the above example. If you did that, your bet would have been successful. This market usually offers relatively good odds as well
• BTTS & Over/Under – This market requires you to predict if both teams will score and whether or not there will be over or under a certain amount of goals in the match. The odds for this market can offer more value in matches with two high scoring teams than each individual bet would give you, and can be very good if you bet “yes” and under 2.5 goals and it comes in.
• BTTS in Both Halves – This bet requires you to bet on a match where both teams will score in both halves. So, the home team must score in the first half and the second half, and so must the away team. This is an extremely difficult market to bet on, as even high scoring games can see one team fail to score in either half, but with odds averaging around 10/1 it can be profitable if you get it right.

 

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?

Bitcoin technology has seen a rapid rise in popularity in recent years, with many more people using the cryptocurrency.

Bookmakers latched on to the growth of Bitcoin and some now allow it to be used as a method of deposit and withdrawal for bettors. With it being anonymous, charging relatively low fees, and pretty much instantaneous access to your funds, it has become popular among bettors all over the world.

What is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is a form of electronic money, known as cryptocurrency, which can be sent from person to person without the need for approval from a central bank or other intermediaries.

Anyone can open a new Bitcoin account without approval and every transaction is accepted, with checks made just to determine the legitimacy of the transaction.

Creating a Bitcoin Wallet

The first thing you need to do is create a Bitcoin wallet, which can be done by choosing the right wallet for your needs from the numerous ones available.

You can download an app to your mobile phone or other handheld electronic device, or you can decide to have a wallet on your laptop or home computer for online payments from these devices. Either way, the choice is yours and once you know what you need it for the choice of wallet is simple and quick.

Once you’ve chosen which wallet you want to use, you will need to sign up. This is usually just a short form asking you for an e-mail address and password. You may have to then activate the wallet by confirming your e-mail address.

After these steps, your Bitcoin wallet will be ready to use.

You can also link your wallet to your phone if you desire, and some wallets may require you to complete the registration process by verifying your identity.

Buying Bitcoins

After choosing your wallet and signing up, you will have to register a payment method in order to purchase Bitcoins. Although credit and debit cards can be used by some Bitcoin wallets, it is probably easiest to set up direct bank transfer. This can be done using an IBAN along with a SWIFT/BIC code and the details of the bank you use.

Once you’ve registered a payment method, you can now purchase Bitcoins.

In order to do this, you go to the purchasing screen on your chosen wallet and select either the number of Bitcoins you wish to purchase or the amount in your own currency which you wish to spend. It should automatically update the other option to the one you are using anyway.

So, if you choose to add the amount of your own currency you wish to spend, it will update the number of Bitcoins you will receive.
You then complete the purchase and will receive a confirmation message to tell you your purchase has been successful.
 

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Betting with Bitcoins

Now that you have some Bitcoins in your wallet, you must find a decent and reputable sportsbook who accept Bitcoins as a payment method. The top bookmakers who accept Bitcoins, and the ones which we would recommend, are:

• Betcoin
• Nitrogen
• Cloudbet

Registering with a Bitcoin bookmaker is similar to signing up with a normal bookmaker, except for the fact it’s more anonymous. Bitcoin bookmakers will usually just ask for an e-mail address, password, and date of birth.

To deposit funds, you must copy the Bitcoin address given to you by the sportsbook and then add it to your own wallet as a Bitcoin address you want to send money to.

You do this by copying the Bitcoin address given to you by the bookmaker, opening your Bitcoin wallet, going to the send/request page and copying the bookmakers Bitcoin address into the recipient bar. You then choose an amount you wish to deposit and send funds.

Again, you will receive a confirmation message once the transaction is successfully complete.

Placing a Bet

This is no different to using a normal bookmaker with normal currency.

Bitcoin bookmakers will have full betting markets available and you place a bet in the same way you would at a normal bookmaker, by choosing a selection or selections, adding a stake, and placing the bet.

Withdrawing Funds

If you manage to make a profit and you wish to withdraw funds from the bookmaker into your wallet, you simply follow a few simple steps.

First of all, you need to go in to your Bitcoin wallet and copy your own Bitcoin address. You then need to head back to the bookmaker you’re using and select “withdraw”. You will get a screen that asks for your Bitcoin address, which you can paste in, how much you wish to withdraw and the fee you will be charged. The fee should update automatically depending on how much you are withdrawing.

The good thing about withdrawing with Bitcoins is that the funds usually take less an hour to reach your wallet after requesting a withdrawal.

Once you have done this, and the funds have reached your wallet, you can go back to your wallet and convert funds into your chosen currency in order for you to then transfer funds out of your Bitcoin wallet into your own bank account.

 

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?

The 1X2 betting market is the most common, and perhaps most popular, market in sports betting.

Also known as Match Result, Full Time Betting, or Three-Way Bet, the 1X2 market is used in all sports with two teams or competitors as long as there is a chance of a draw being the outcome.

Although football is the most common, sports such as hockey and cricket are growing in popularity among sports bettors who use the 1X2 market.

1X2 Betting

The 1X2 bet is a match result bet where a bettor will gamble on one of three possible outcomes.

• Home Win (1)
• Draw (X)
• Away Win (2)

You may also find these three possible outcomes in alternative markets, such as half time result and some handicap betting markets.

Here’s an example to help you better understand this market, if you are completely new to sports betting or have never placed this type of bet before.

Using an international match between Croatia and Wales, we can explain fully which team is which and how the bet works.

Croatia are the home team, and the first in the betting order, so will be represented by the 1. Wales are the away team, so are 2, and the draw is always represented by X. We don’t need to look at the odds to describe the bet.

Basically, if you bet 1 (Croatia) you will win your bet if they win the match. But, you will end up losing your stake money if the game finishes as a draw or if Wales win. The same way you would lose if you bet X (Draw) and either Croatia or Wales were victorious after the 90 minutes, or if you bet 2 (Wales) and Croatia won or the game was a draw.

Winning a 1X2 Bet

As this is a relatively easy betting market to grasp, it’s also one of the best for making a profit if you know what you’re doing and approach every bet analytically.

Carrying out full research on team form, injuries/suspensions, home advantage etc. will give you more of a chance of predicting the correct outcome.

It’s also one of the best markets for finding value bets, where you believe a team has a higher chance of winning. If you research the last say ten home matches for the hosts, and the last ten away matches for the visitors, you can calculate your own probability. Comparing this to the implied probability set by the bookmakers odds can help you find value.

One thing to always pay attention to when using this market is that you always make analytical and informed betting decisions, made after thorough research has led you to the selection. Betting blind in this market can see you lose a lot of money quickly.

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?

 

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST ONLINE BOOKMAKER?

One of the most popular markets in sports betting is the Over/Under market, also known as the totals market in some American sports.

Over/Under Goals Betting Explained

The Over/Under betting market is where the bookmaker sets a certain amount of goals or points for a sporting event, such as 2.5 goals in a football match or 22.5 games in a tennis match. The punter then bets on whether the final outcome will be over or under this amount at pre-set odds.

For example, a match in the Women’s World Cup had decimal odds of:

• Over 2.5 Goals – 1.67
• Under 2.5 Goals – 2.1

This means that if the bettor places a bet of 100 on over 2.5 goals they would win 167, a total profit of 67, if the match ends with three or more goals. If there are two or under, the bet would lose.

If the punter bets 100 on under 2.5 goals, they would win 210, profit of 110, if there are two goals or fewer. The bet would lose if there are three or more goals.

Some over/under or totals market may give you a whole number, for example 2. This means that if there are exactly two goals in the match, there is a push and the bettor will receive their stake money back as no money can be won or lost as there was neither over or under the amount set by the bookmaker.

Alternative Set Amount

Most bookmakers, especially actual betting shops, will have a certain set total for all of their over/under betting. This is likely to be 2.5 goals in football, for instance. But, pretty much all online bookmakers will offer alternative markets with differing odds to reflect the chances of there being over or under that amount.

Using the above example, with odds of 1.67 for over 2.5 goals and 2.1 for under 2.5 goals, we can look at alternative set totals and see how the odds differ.

• Over 1.5 Goals – 1.2
• Under 1.5 Goals – 4.33
• Over 3.5 Goals – 2.63
• Under 3.5 Goals – 1.44

As you can see, the odds of there being one or fewer goals in this match are quite generous with a total win of 433 for a 100 stake. But, you would only win 144 for a 100 stake if you bet on there being under 3.5 goals.

Alternative Over/Under Goals Markets

Most people will assume over/under betting is just for the number of goals or points at the end of a game, but there are several different markets on offer which punters can bet on.

With the rise in popularity of over/under betting, bookmakers now take bets on half time goals over/under, each team number of goals/points, first quarter points in basketball, first set number of games in tennis, over/under the number of points per frame in a snooker match.

The markets are seemingly endless and offer punters with a fantastic opportunity to make a profit without having to predict who will win a sporting event.

It also allows punters the chance of their bet staying alive until the end of a match, if they bet on full time over/under markets. If betting on a team to win, your bet could be pretty much over if that team ends up trailing early on in a match. But, it doesn’t matter with over/under betting because who wins isn’t important. Just how many goals or points are scored.

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?

Many moons ago, bookmakers in America only offered moneyline markets for Major League Baseball games and therefore failed to garner enough interest among bettors. The match result odds offered in moneyline markets were either too short or didn’t offer enough value.

By looking at what was popular among bettors of other sports, such as the NFL or NBA, bookmakers soon realised that introducing something akin to a points spread betting market would help increase popularity and interest for people betting on MLB.

So, the MLB Run Lines market was created.

What is a “Run Line” Bet?

The Run Lines in Major League Baseball are a handicap market where one team will start with a minus (-) handicap and the other with a plus (+). This is to try and bring the teams closer together. It also creates a market where the favourite is available at better odds, or the outsider has a better chance of returning a winning bet.

The run line is usually set at -/+ 1, although some bookmakers do offer alternative run line markets with the odds altered to reflect the chances of a bettor winning their bet.

Basically, the favourite in the moneyline market will be available at a run line of -1. This means they have to win by two runs or more to return a winning bet. The outsider in the moneyline market, the team available at longest odds, will be available at a run line of +1.

Lets look at an example from a real life match between the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians.

In the moneyline market at one bookmaker, the favourites Boston Red Sox were priced at -225. The outsiders, Cleveland Indians were +188. This means that bettors would need to bet $225 on the favourites to win $100 or they would win $188 for a $100 bet on the outsider.

The run line market has both teams priced at -110, with Boston Red Sox on -1 and Cleveland Indians on +1. So, betting $110 on either team would return you $100. You would need Boston Red Sox to win by two runs if you backed them, or Cleveland Indians to either win or lose by just one run if you bet on them.

How to Bet on MLB Run Lines

Bookmakers didn’t introduce run line markets as a way of giving bettors more chances of taking their money. They created them as a way of increasing their profit margin.

So, you must be careful when betting on MLB run lines otherwise you will end up giving your money away to the bookmaker.

Here are a few tips to help prevent you making too many mistakes when betting on MLB run lines.

Be Careful Betting Favourites

One-run victories in Major League Baseball are a more common occurrence than many bettors would be led to believe.
So, backing the favourite in the run line market to get better odds than the short price available in the moneyline market isn’t the value bet it sounds like.

You must study form, win margins, etc. before deciding to back a favourite in the run line market. Just because they’re a short priced favourite in the moneyline market doesn’t mean they are going to dominate the game and win by a big margin.

Only by being analytical and intelligent about your betting strategy will you give yourself the best chance of winning in the MLB run line market.

Do Not Ignore the Outsider

Most people, especially those who always back favourites, will ignore the outsider. This is because they believe they will lose anyway, so backing them in the run line market will be hoping that they lose by exactly one run. The percentages game shows a low probability of that happening, so the outsider gets ignored.

But, that outsider may actually be good enough to win the game. Betting on them in the run line market is betting on them to either win or lose by less than 1.5 runs. This is where many casual bettors go wrong, because they write the outsider off before studying all of the available statistics.

Do Not Use Run Lines Too Much

Many casual bettors will make the mistake of over-betting on run line markets, because they think they are getting more value on the favourites. In truth, all they are doing is giving most of their money to the bookmaker.

As already mentioned, one-run victories are more common than many people believe and the bookmakers know this. They also know that most people will ignore statistics and factual information because they are swayed by a price.

We recommend that bettors carry out full research and only bet the run lines in games they truly believe will give them a potential of profit.

Pay Attention to Park Effects

Different ball parks have different influences on the rate of scoring in a MLB game. Most bettors, especially those casual bettors who largely forget about facts and stats, will ignore this.

Before betting a run line, it is important to look at ball park statistics and pay close attention to them. It’s pointless betting a favourite to win in the run line market if the majority of matches finish 3-2 or 4-3.

Find a Strategy That Works

Finding a betting strategy and sticking to it can be the difference between profit and loss when betting on MLB run lines.

Some bettors will bet on the favourite in the run line market when the game is at a ball park that usually sees high scoring games. Even the closest and most competitive of games can end up having a two or three run margin at the end.

However, it is always dangerous to bet the favourite when the game is at a low-scoring ball park. This is because there is a bigger chance they just out scrape a victory by one run.

This isn’t a fool-proof strategy but it works for some people. Find your own strategy and stick to it.
 

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?

 

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST ONLINE BOOKMAKER?

With thousands of games played every year, Baseball is a sport which provides plenty of opportunity for bettors to make a profit. Especially those clever punters who adopt an analytical approach and only bet when they are confident of making a profit.

Baseball – The Basics

Basically, Baseball is a game played with a bat and ball. Two teams play in a game, with each taking turns to bat and field.

When fielding, one player known as a pitcher will throw the ball and the player on the batting team will attempt to hit it. If they succeed in hitting the ball and keeping it within bounds, the player becomes a runner and attempts to get to the safety of a base. A run is scored when a runner manages to safely make it back “home”.

If a player on the batting team makes it to say first base, they can then attempt to run further during a teammates turn batting. The job of the pitcher and the fielding team is to get a player on the batting team out.

Teams take turns to bat, with three outs constituting an over and a switch from batting to fielding for a team. A game usually lasts for nine overs apiece, with the winner being the team with the most runs at the end of the game. If the scores are tied, extra innings will be played until there is a clear winner.

Baseball Betting Markets

There are three main betting markets in Baseball, with alternative lines available from some bookmakers as well as futures or outright betting markets. Those three main markets are:

Moneyline

The moneyline is similar to a match result market, with bookmakers offering odds on who will win a game. For example:

In a game between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians, the Indians are betting favourites at moneyline odds of -200 and the White Sox are the underdog at a price of +163.

This means that bettors would have to place $200 on Cleveland Indians to win $100 profit, while betting $100 on Chicago White Sox would pay a profit of $163.

Run Line

The run line is a handicap betting market, with the spread usually set at 1.5.

Using the game mentioned above, we can see how the run line market works.

At a handicap of (-1.5) the Cleveland Indians are priced at -120, with the Chicago White Sox at +100 with a +1.5 handicap. This means that for the purposes of the bet, Chicago White Sox start 1.5 runs ahead.

If you bet Cleveland Indians, it would cost you $120 to win a profit of $100 and you would need them to win by two cor more runs in order to win your bet. Backing Chicago White Sox would cost $100 to make a profit of $100 but they have the advantage of starting 1.5 runs ahead. This means that if they win or lose by just a run, they return you a winning bet.

There are alternative run lines available from some bookmakers, with markets such as a reverse handicap where the + and – are changed around and the odds adjusted accordingly. There are also alternative spreads available, with 2.5 or 3.5 being an option for some games.

Run Totals

The run totals betting market is the same as an over/under market in other sports, where bettors place a bet on whether there will be over or under a set amount of runs scored.

For example, using the same game as above between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians, we see that the odds are +105 for under 8.5 runs in total and -120 for over 8.5 runs. This means a bet of $100 would return a profit of $105 on under, and $120 would return a profit of $100 on over.

There are alternative totals available to bet on with some bookmakers, offering totals from between 6.5 up to 10.5.

Another way of betting on run totals, and only available at certain bookmakers, is each team over or under a set total. For example, Chicago White Sox to score over/under 4.5 runs. The totals on this usually vary from anything between 1.5 and 5.5 with the odds altered to reflect the probability of the team scoring higher or lower that number of runs.

How to Bet on Baseball

Many sports bettors believe Baseball to be the easiest sport to make a regular profit from, although it remains one of the least bet on sports in the world. In order to help you improve your chances of a profit, here are a few tips to follow.

Get Ahead With Research

Research will not only teach you about the sport but it will help to give you an edge when it comes to placing bets. You can study historical trends, recent form of teams, and other information.

Initial research will give you a head start but you need to ensure you remain analytical and stay up to date with whatever statistical information is available, as well as keeping an eye on player injuries etc.

All of this will enable you to make better decisions when it comes to placing a bet which has the best chance of returning you a profit.

Back the Underdog

Baseball is one of those sports where regularly backing the underdog can return you a decent profit. Even if you win around 40% of your bets, if they are on a plus-money favourite you are still likely to have gained a small profit.

At the end of the day, you only lose your stake money if you lose your bet but you gain a tidy profit if you win. Whereas betting on the minus-money favourites can cost you a lot in stake money and a couple of losses will have you chasing money.

For example, lets say you placed a bet of $100 on only teams priced at +150. If you won four out of ten bets, you would still break even. If you only backed teams at +160, you would have made a $40 profit after the ten matches if you won 40% of the time.

Underdogs do win regularly in Baseball and the clever bettor will make sure they have their money on them when they do.

Know Pitcher Statistics

The pitcher is perhaps the most important player on the field in determining the chances of a team winning, as well as how many runs will be scored.

Researching and studying pitcher statistics will help you make better decisions when it comes to betting. And do not just stick to information related to the starting pitchers. Knowing the bullpen is key to making a profit here.

When studying pitcher stats, make sure to note down the number of innings pitched, runs conceded, and other useful information.

Ball Park and Weather Influence

Some ball parks will historically play host to high or low scoring games, which is information every intelligent bettor should know. By finding out historical trends related to different ball parks, we can make more informed decisions on what bets to place.

For example, if a ball park generally plays host to low scoring games, we probably won’t bet on there being a high number of runs in the totals market.

Weather plays a big part in Baseball too, especially if it’s windy. Get to know what impact, if any, different weather conditions have on games and change your betting strategy accordingly.