Sports betting can be daunting at first. But fear not, it’s not nearly as difficult as one might think. Especially when you have a sport betting strategy.
A sport betting strategy is crucial to being successful in the world of gambling. Just like how tactics win football matches. You need to have the right strategies and tactics in place for every single bet. The more thought and research you put in, the better your outlook will be and the better educated guesses you can make.
We will guide you through this process of picking your sport, sportsbook and constructing a sport betting strategy.
Sport Betting Strategy: Making the right choices
It is of utmost importance to make the right choices when starting your sports betting journey. From the right sports to the right sportsbook, to the right markets…
Start with one sport
We definitely recommend picking one sport to start, the sport you’re most comfortable with. If it’s a less popular sport, even better- because there’s a chance that the bookmakers will have less expertise and you can take advantage of the odds.
Whereas major sports such as football have very efficient markets that reflect the team’s chances very well. We would recommend choosing local leagues if possible, the British leagues and sports are covered much better than foreign leagues. The Premier League has much more efficient odds than let’s say, than the Dutch Eredivisie.
Choose one market to start with
When you get started, choose a basic market to start with. Learn the trade, build your confidence. The more basic the market, the easier it is to beat the bookies. It may seem like a good idea to test the waters with some other markets, but it will be worth the wait. Pay your dues!
Study your league!
The next thing to do is to make sure you have as much knowledge as possible on the competition or league you’re betting on. Research the league, look at teams’ form, injury lists, suspensions and the managerial status.
These are all things that come into play after the first whistle, form and momentum particularly is massive. If a team has lost three in a row they will be desperate to get back on track with a win, so we’d suggest a double chance bet.
Pick you bets
Perhaps the most important part of all, actually going ahead and placing your bet. If you’re unfamiliar with how to place a bet, it really is simple:
- Register an account with the chosen sportsbook (Bet365 and 888Sport are great!)
- Deposit some cash into your account
- Select your sport
- Select your odds
- Hit ‘Place Bet’
When first starting out and even further on, it is smart to only stick to a couple of bets per weekend. You don’t want 20 different bets scattered across the league. Bet on games that you’ll watch is a good rule of thumb.
How to place your first bet
We’ve told you how to physically place the bet, but there are some important things to keep note of before you start wagering.
Bankroll
Before you place your first bet, you must set aside a bankroll that you’re happy to gamble with. This should be money you can afford to lose and be happy to lose, you don’t want to be demoralised with loss.
Keeping stakes small is important [particularly when starting out, if you lose your first five bets it sounds bad, but if they were all 10p stakes then it’s not so bad. You don’t want to learn this one the hard way.
Know your probabilities
This is a key thing to remember before placing that first bet, every odd has a relative probability. Before you go staking any cash, head to an odds converter website and take a look at the probability. This will give you a better understanding if the chances before you place the bet.
Should I bet live?
Live betting is a massive part of online sports betting, but it is very difficult to master. When watching a game, thousands of things will be going through your mind and emotions will certainly be running higher. It’s easy to lose your head and start wasting money on what are essentially, nothing bets. Be wary and limit your live betting!
Track your bets!
The biggest piece of advice we can give from one bettor to another, is track those bets! Track your spending, who you’ve bet on, the wins, the losses- all of it. Not only is this a healthy habit for keeping spending in check, but it will also give you a guide to look back on. You can see what the odds were when you placed certain bets and look if they changed after certain points. You can look at your own data and find trends to help you improve even further as a bettor.
Arbitrage Betting
Our final thing to discuss is arbitrage betting, the only profit guaranteed sport betting strategy. Simply put, arbitrage betting is betting on both sides of the market with a minimum of evens odds. This means either way you will profit. This is a very difficult technique as you need to be watching the odds on multiple sportsbooks, like a hawk.
You’ll need to be registered to many sportsbooks and be ready at all times, odds are everchanging, and these opportunities are hard to come by.
FAQ’s
Which sport betting strategy will guarantee profit?
Only arbitrage betting will guarantee a profit.
Is sport betting strategy important?
Yes, it is very important to have tactics and a strategy before starting.
Should I use a strategy for betting?
Yes, you should always have a strategy when betting. This will give you the best possible chance to make money.
Author: Jude Sutcliffe