Betting Strategies
No gambler places a bet in the hope of losing his money. However, it is common knowledge that betting favors the bookie. That said, there is a way you can increase your chances of winning. Now, this is where betting strategies and systems come in. Before you dive in headfirst, remember that each strategy works if it aligns with the right market. Read on to learn how the different betting strategies work and how you can execute them.
Why You Should Have a Betting Strategy
Hands down, making a living from betting is tough. However, there are gamblers who tend to win consistently. Today, there are even professional gamblers who make a living off of betting. To get to a point where you consistently succeed, as professionals do, then you need a winning betting strategy.
Therefore, having a betting strategy is important if you want to succeed as a long-term gambler. This requires you to take time to learn the available betting strategies and then come up with a plan for you to succeed. It is critical because betting is unpredictable, necessitating the need to base your strategies on effective or value betting.For instance, this may require you to establish games whose odds do not represent the possible outcome.
With time, you will establish specific strategies that suit your budget and risk appetite. Having a strategy gives you a model that simplifies betting and makes it profitable for you. What’s more, if you have a unique betting strategy, you set yourself apart from other gamblers and raise the likelihood of landing a win.
Betting Strategies Basics
If you are new to betting, there are several basic betting strategies that you should learn right away.Of course, if you are an experienced gambler, you can skip this section and instead read about the more advanced betting strategies below.
Regardless of whether you are a new or experienced gambler, you should make sure you have a firm grasp of these basic strategies if you want to succeed in betting. Gamblers who do not abide by these strategies are usually known as “squares.” These types of gamblers earn bookies handsome profits.
Bankroll/Money Management
As you gamble, you need to have a certain amount of money from your disposable income that you are comfortable losing. This is known as your bankroll, which facilitates your gambling activities. The golden rule is to never bet with money that you cannot afford to lose. You can set aside the amount you want to use as a bankroll per week, season, or month.
The general rule in bankroll management is to only make bets with 1%–5% of your bankroll. If you have a $100 bankroll for the NFL season, you would place $1 to $5 bets on each game you want to bet on.Now, you should also avoid chasing losses with larger bets.
It is common with sports bettors, but the rule applies to all games or sports you wish to bet on, regardless of whether they are casino games or sports. So, avoid placing large bets in an attempt to win back your previous losses. If you do that, you will likely end up losing more money. Once you have a bankroll in place, you should always work at slowly increasing it throughout the season.
The benefit of keeping a bankroll is that it allows you to manage your profit or loss and gamble within your means. Fortunately, some bookmakers assist you with your betting strategy by providing you the option of setting a daily, weekly, or even monthly deposit limit.
Only Bet when Sober
Although this may seem like common knowledge, the number of gamblers who place wagers under the influence is surprising. It is no coincidence that casinos in Las Vegas tend to offer free alcoholic drinks to those who are gambling. Gambling under the influence impairs your judgment, and as such, you should avoid it altogether if you want to be a profitable gambler.
Another thing you should never do is show your emotions when gambling, since it often culminates in bad decisions. Therefore, if something makes you angry, you should not place more bets. Instead, take a break to let your mind settle before you begin placing more wagers.
Do Your Homework
This is arguably the most important betting strategy. The point is, you should always do your research before you place any bet, regardless of whether you are into casino games or sports betting. Although relying on your inkling may sometimes work, it is by no means consistent.
Thus, to profit from betting, you must do your homework for each of your choices. The best approach is to analyze statistics, look for trends, analyze past games, and create betting systems. Basically, do everything you can to make sure you get value from your choice of bets or games before you place a bet.
If you are into casino games, you can always play the demo version to gauge how the game you are interested in works. Alternatively, if you are into sports betting, you can take advantage of free bets to try your luck. Also you can check Sportsbet.io.
Line Shopping
If you are into sports betting, one of the best ways to win as a sports bettor is to shop for the best lines. Well, line shopping means that you have accounts at multiple sportsbooks, which allows you to compare them to find the sportsbook with the best line. This allows you to get maximum value when placing your bet.
For instance, suppose you are interested in betting on the Patriots on a 6-point spread. In this case, you should check with several bookmakers to see if any of them are offering the Patriots at 6 points. If you use it correctly, online shopping can save you a lot of money in a season. This is definitely among the best betting strategies you can use to win as a sports gambler.
Never Buy Points
You should avoid tendencies associated with “squares” such as purchasing going up or favorites going down. For instance, some gamblers may feel the urge to purchase an NFL favorite that has dropped from -3.5 to -2.5. Mathematically, this is a bad strategy. What’s more, sportsbooks are smart and will charge more for doing this. The same applies to purchasing an underdog. In most cases (99%), the outcome will be against you.
How to Develop A Betting Strategy
Although there are tons of betting strategies available today, if you put in the work, you can come up with your own. The question is, “How do you get started?” Well, below is a quick look at how you can accomplish this:
Step 1: Before you can come up with a new betting strategy, you need to research the existing betting strategies. This will help you come up with the foundation for your betting strategy.
Step 2: Next, you need to be keen on the betting market and the casino game or sport you wish to bet on. As an example, you can use VAR in soccer as the basis for a strategy since it likely introduces more penalties in soccer. In other words, look for trends that stand out and are supported by hard data and facts.
Step 3: At this stage, you should have a working idea. Now, you need to look for variables that may affect the idea. For instance, a small stadium may make it easy for soccer teams to concede corners. As well, a stadium with a rough pitch may be unfavorable to an attacking formation in a soccer match.
Step 4: Now that you have a working strategy, the next thing you need to do is test and tweak it. In this phase, you get to test the strategy with small stakes and evaluate how well it performs. With each result, check if there is something you can change, such as adding variables you ignored. Also, during evaluation, you will establish if there are some variables that do not affect the outcome and eliminate them.
However, you can avoid this entirely by employing pre-existing betting strategies. Frankly, this is much easier than going through the hassle of creating a new betting strategy.
Common Betting Strategies
Perhaps you are wondering if there is one betting strategy that rules them all. And the answer is no. That said, not all betting strategies are smart or even relevant. As a result, expert gamblers go beyond using betting strategies and bring in complex betting systems to increase their chances of winning. With that out of the way, below are the most common betting strategies.
1X on Home – Outsiders Strategy
IIn sports betting, this strategy involves placing a double chance (1X) bet when an away team plays the favorite team at home. Placing such a bet yields nice odds and amazing prospects of profit.
The best thing about this betting strategy is that it does not require you to analyze games with outlandish extremes.Therefore, you do not have to place a bet against teams such as PSG, Barcelona, or Juventus as away teams. In such a case, you would perhaps move away from value bets. Suppose you go for not-so-big teams as outsiders, then the most interesting odds range from 1.60 to 2.50.
Although this strategy does not require crazy analysis, you should never bet blindly on any team. As with other bets, analyze the team in advance, taking into account statistics, information about suspensions and injuries, as well as the current form of all the teams.
Back & Lay Strategy
This is one of the most common betting strategies used by sports bettors.Even though “back” bets are the most common form of sports betting, as punters bet on a specific outcome of an event or game, “lay” bets indicate you are placing bets against a specific outcome. The best thing about this strategy is that some bookies let you deal and sell your bets on their platform.
Assume you decide to stake $10 on team A to win at 1.60 odds.Your profit for this stake would be $6 from $10 x 1.60 = $16 – $10 (your original stake). The difference this bet has over a regular bet is that you will be betting against another user of the betting exchange instead of the bookmaker. In some cases, if you win, the bookmaker takes a commission from your profit, like 5%.
With “lay” betting, you bet against a specific outcome. In this case, you act as a bookie. Because you can choose the odds, you can propose a bet to other punters if you do not like the available offers. You receive a double chance bet when you offer a lay bet. That is to say that if you place a lay bet, then when team A loses or ties with the opponents, you win in both cases. Suppose you sell your bet at 1.60 odds for $10, then your account would look something like this:
If team B wins you win $10
If teams A and B draw you win $10
If team A loses, you lose $16
Hopefully, this brief explanation helps you understand this betting strategy. It is evident that there are more betting strategies than the common ones against the bookmaker. That said, to develop a successful betting strategy, you must invest a bit of time to understand the market.
Double Chance Strategy
If you are a risk-averse gambler, then you will find the double-chance betting strategy particularly interesting. This strategy requires you to bet on the likelihood of one of two events happening. In reality, you are betting on two outcomes in a game, which increases your odds of winning by 33%. In other words, this strategy bets on two outcomes in a game.
The precondition for using this strategy is to bet on a game that has three possible outcomes, such as a loss, a win, or a draw. Unlike a regular bet that only requires you to choose one outcome out of these, a double chance lets you bet on two outcomes, increasing your chances of winning. The drawback of using this strategy is that you get lower odds compared to regular bets.
Fulltime/Halftime Bets
The risk when using this betting strategy is higher. If you use this approach, you will be betting on both half-time and full-time outcomes in a game. This betting strategy is a special variant of the normal half-time bet and is part of the “double bets” category. The distinction with this strategy is that you must bet on standings at halftime and fulltime.In essence, this strategy resembles scorecasting and wincasting.
For this strategy to work, your predictions at half-time and full-time must be correct. The precondition for using this strategy is that the sport or game must have a break in the action. This form of betting is ideal for betting on most sports with a break in between.
Some of the games you can try your luck in using this strategy include soccer, rugby, basketball, and American football, among others. The best thing about this strategy is that you get high odds for your bets. A bet in which the leading team at halftime loses in fulltime can yield odds of 20 to 30.
To maximize profitability, it is advisable that you focus on getting your favorite team to win. Also, consider placing two single bets in a match where the favorite (home team) has approximately 1.50 odds. The home team leading at halftime and winning at fulltime can be the first single bet. For the second single bet, you can place a draw at halftime and win at full time. At this point, it is evident that this is a lucrative strategy because of the high odds.
Handicap
This betting strategy is mostly applicable in games where the favorites are expected to win handsomely. The strategy entails giving the “weaker” team an advantage (a handicap) and expecting the favorites to overcome the advantage. As a result, you get better odds for teams that have a 9.9 likelihood of winning out of 10 matches.
With a handicap bet, you give the “weaker” team a lead that will be included in the final outcome. Therefore, the favorites to win will start behind by something like 0:1 even before the game has begun. In the event that the favorites win 1:0, the outcome of the bet will be 1:1. Besides raising the odds for the favorites, you can use this betting strategy if there is a high chance of a draw between the teams.
Here’s an illustration of how handicap works.Suppose team A is the favorite to win over team B in a 3-way bet offering team A 1.50 odds of winning, 4.00 for a draw, and 6.00 for a loss. Suppose you are convinced team A will win, you may place a one-goal handicap on team B. Then the betting odds will improve to something like 2.50 for a win. If team A manages to score at least 2 goals, then after subtracting the handicap, you will have at least a 2:0. This means your bet was successful.
If you want a strategy that will increase the odds a bookie gives you with the potential to win, handicapping is a great option. It is rare to come across a betting strategy that provides gamblers with such a lucrative output while presenting relatively low risk. You can combine this bet with your accumulator bets.
Hedging
This strategy, like in the stock market, involves hedging your bets from possible losses by selling and purchasing other bets. You do this to ensure a profit regardless of the outcome or to reduce market risk.Several bookmakers allow you to bet on a specific team, and if the team does not lead, you can then bet against it, effectively hedging any outcome. You will earn if the team wins, draws, or loses, which makes your bet safe.
Suppose there is a match between team A and team B, and you place a bet against team A winning. If Team B does not take the lead in the first few minutes of the game, then you can hedge your bet by betting on Team A. You can use this strategy to profit from odds fluctuation, especially if you expect to get better odds as the game progresses. Once you do this, you can wait for the match to end since you have hedged your bet against all the possible outcomes.
Head-to-Head Betting Strategy
As the name suggests, this strategy involves you backing one team or individual against another in a match. It is especially interesting when you are betting on specific sports. That said, this strategy allows you to bet on two players in a match and let them compete against each other. It may fascinate you that the head-to-head (H2H) concept traces its roots to horse racing. The strategy is to bet on one team winning or losing.
For instance, you can use the H2H bet to compare motorsports drivers or ski racers with one another. However, the strategy is popular with punters who bet on soccer or football matches. With this strategy, you can bet on one team getting more points in a season over another or on a specific player scoring more goals compared to another player.
H2H bets are very simple and tend to be useful for newbie gamblers. Unlike half-time or full-time bets, H2H bets have only two possible outcomes, which keep the risk at a manageable level. The downside to this strategy is that it often has low odds. If you have a thorough understanding of a specific sport, you can use this strategy to bet on riskier alternatives that offer higher odds and a chance for a nice payout.
Multibet
A multi-bet or accumulator bet, as the name suggests, involves placing multiple single bets known as “legs” in one bet. However, it is worth pointing out that with each leg you add, you increase the risk of losing your bet. This strategy is interesting when placing football bets.
The combined odds are dramatically high, which is why it is common with beginners. High odds imply high risk.In this strategy, you must predict the outcome of each event correctly, and the likelihood of losing increases with each event you add. If one prediction is wrong, you lose your entire stake. You can place different bets, such as handicap, double chance, and half-time/full-time bets.
With this method, you stand a chance of earning a good profit regardless of the sport you place your bet on. Despite having high odds, you should always keep the risk as low as possible. There is a reason this strategy is not popular among professional gamblers. The fact is, it is pretty hard to predict the risk of 2, 3, or more matches. So, as you place these bets, make sure the high odds do not interfere with your thought process.
Last-Minute Goal
The last-minute goal is another interesting betting strategy. This bet is gaining popularity, especially with live bets. Like the other strategies, the clue to how this one works is in the name. This strategy involves betting at later stages of the game, such as the final 10 minutes.The premise of this strategy is that the less time you have remaining in the match or event, the higher the odds.
This strategy gives you the opportunity to profit from the high odds if your prediction of scoring another goal materializes. During the final minutes of a game, the losing team often gives everything they have to score. With this strategy, you not only get high odds but also get to have a lot of fun, especially if you are watching events unfold. A good example is the World Cup, where a good number of goals are scored in the final minutes of regulation time and extra time.
Over/Under Betting Strategy
Not long ago, this betting strategy was used to place a bet on a match based on the number of goals scored. Initially, bookmakers offered you to bet on whether there would be fewer or more than 2.5 goals. However, today this strategy offers a range of under/over bets. This allows you to bet on almost everything to be under or above a certain point. For example, you can bet on fewer or more off-sides, corners, throw-ins, red cards, or yellow cards, among others.
Usually, placing a single bet on overs and unders will not be as lucrative. However, it can yield better returns if you place a multi-bet of up to 8 legs with several overs and unders. If you take time to analyze a specific league, you can predict with decent accuracy the number of goals that will be scored in each game. So, if you are good at this, then perhaps this strategy is the key to your success in gambling.
Scorecast/Wincast
With the screencast/wincast betting strategy, you are betting on a specific player to score. This strategy combines two approaches. A screencast means that, apart from predicting a goal scorer, you have to predict the right outcome of the match. However, with Wincast, predicting the winning team and a goal scorer is enough. Although both strategies require a bit of luck to win, you also need a decent understanding of the competing teams.
In a way, both scorecast and wincast fall under the category of double bets, like half-time and full-time bets. An example of a wincast is betting on player Y to score for team A and for team A to win the game. If your bets are correct, you win. For a scorecast, you can wager on Player Y scoring and Team A winning 2-1. To win, both predictions must be correct.
Surebets
Surebets, also known as arbitrage, are bets that bring you winnings from a combination of single bets you place with different bookmakers. As the name suggests, this strategy involves placing bets on statistically sure bets, which makes it particularly promising. For you to be profitable using this strategy, you must find the best odds from different bookmakers and establish for sure if they are sure bets.
This strategy has a much lower risk since it is backed by data. Since they are “safe” bets, surebets tend to attract low odds. Usually, bookmakers calculate the market using the available data. Therefore, if a match between a strong team and a “weak” team comes up, chances are that betting on the strong team is a sure bet. That said, there are no guarantees in betting, but this can be an easy way to make returns.
The focus of this betting strategy is on the variable betting odds available at different bookies. This allows you to capitalize on odds fluctuation and place bets safely and risk-free.Also, you must be quick since the odds can change at any moment. Your aim is to make sure each outcome of your bet exceeds your stake. Although the yield from sure bets is usually low, with a little patience and luck, you can boost your bankroll.
An example of a sure bet is placing a bet on a certain tennis player to win since there are only two possible outcomes: either Player X or Player Y wins. If you have accounts at two bookies and both are in your favor, you may get the following odds.
On bookie 1, the odds of Player X winning are 2.15, while on bookie 2, the odds of Player Y winning are 1.95. If you have $100 to place on this sure bet, placing $47.56 on Player X to win on bookie 1 at 2.15 odds will earn you $102.25. Next, placing a $52.44 bet on Player Y to win on bookie 2 at 1.95 odds will get you $102.26. Therefore, in any case, you will still profit from the outcome of the game.
What Is the Best Strategy? Come Up With a Plan and Abide by It
As pointed out from the onset, there is no single betting strategy that suits all betting interests. So, you will have to choose one that suits your interests and stick with it. Although some of the betting strategies are remarkable, others may steer you away from your target. The trick is to learn more about the teams, players, sports, and different bets you can make so that you have more tools at your disposal.
Unlike the average Joe, who tries to master everything, you will be better off mastering one field. Once you settle on a niche, develop or use strategies that work best for you in the sport or games you know best. You should avoid stretching yourself across different sports teams. If you stick to the sport or teams you know and adopt a strategy that works best for you, then you will be on your way to lucrative betting yields.
Tips For Successful Betting Strategies
On top of having a betting strategy, keep in mind the following tips that will help you make smart decisions: As a gambler, you should always keep in mind that there are no guarantees to success in gambling. That said, you can increase the likelihood of winning and decrease the chances of making a mistake. The fact that gambling is an odds game, your level of knowledge will influence how you make your decision and your gambling process. With that out of the way, here are some tips to help you enhance your betting:
Have More Than One Gambling Account
Prior to placing your bet, all bookmakers require you to create an account with them. Although you may not be able to create more than one account per bookmaker, nothing stops you from opening multiple accounts with different betting providers. Doing this gives you access to the best bonus deals and betting types.
Accept Bonuses
You will be hard-pressed to find a bookmaker that never provides new and established players with bonuses. Bonuses enhance your bankroll, which means you can place more bets, improving your chances of success. Although bonuses are great, you should always read the fine print before you accept the offer. In the event that the wagering requirements are not worth it, you will be better off without the bonus. That’s why you should always read the terms and conditions before accepting any offer.
Evaluate the Probabilities
The likelihood of you winning is the most essential part of betting. The whole process of betting entails several possibilities expressed in terms of odds. New gamblers only focus on the multiplier and the potential of the odds. However, if you are an experienced gambler, you look at the probability the bookmaker associates with a specific event. The trick is to learn how odds increase and what an increase in odds means for you.
Select Single Bets
Of all the bets, you should consider placing a single bet. Although accumulator bets are popular among newcomers, experienced gamblers dislike them. Instead, they focus on single bets, where extensive knowledge and a little luck tend to make such bets worth it.
Betting is a Marathon
In gambling, fast rewards often result in fast losses. So, if you are searching for a get-rich-quick scheme, then gambling is not it. However, if you have the patience and willingness to learn the rules of the trade, you will most likely earn a profit. In sports betting, quick bets tend to be reckless. Therefore, maintain your composure, and you will avoid many mistakes in gambling.
Only Place Logical Bets
To succeed in gambling, you must maintain a clear mind. The most common mistake newbies make is losing a bet and then going ahead to place a “frustration bet,” driven by impatience and irritation. Such bets usually have no research backing them, and chances are they will inevitably fail. That is where this rule comes in: only make logical bets.
Small Wins Matter
One of the best tips to help keep your head in the game is to be content with even small profits. Always remember that a profit, no matter how small, is still a profit. If you are new to gambling, you should consider placing more than one small bet on different games. Doing this will teach you how things are done and even help you learn lessons without risking large sums of money.
Track you Decisions
To enjoy betting as professionally as possible, you must track what you are doing. In other words, you have to do a lot of analysis and research on games and statistics. You should consider documenting all your decisions and bets. This will help you see where your wages go right or wrong.
Better still, having such records is a good way of tracking your betting patterns and outcomes. As well, you can track profits this way by linking wins to ideas and research that result in winning bets.
Consider Placing Live Bets
In sports betting, placing live bets offers exciting opportunities that make participating in them a nice idea. This can be lucrative if you are the type of person who can read a game and deduce how the game will go. Placing these bets gives you the opportunity to instantly react to current events. However, there is a caveat: this is a tough strategy to master.
Remember Gambling is a Hobby
Betting will be fun and exciting after you get a grasp of how things work. That said, keep in mind that gambling is meant to be your hobby. That’s why you have to set a limit on how much you can spend on gambling. There are numerous reasons why gambling should be a hobby for you to relax and allow your mind to rest. If you do this, your gambling strategy will be better for it.
Conclusion
In gambling, if you have the right betting strategy, you can succeed. To get there, you must combine betting strategies with the basics of betting and useful tips to increase your chances of turning a profit, you can check Sportsbet.io. Always make sure your head is in the game and bet responsibly.