Avid sports fans often think about throwing a few quid down on their favourite sports teams and players. If you’re looking for success in the sports betting, world, though, there is a lot more to just picking who you think will win or who you hope to win. While no article could ever claim to guarantee you a win, there are indeed a few things you can pay attention to, to put yourself in the best position possible of landing one.
Knowledge is key
So, you’re a bit of an anorak who thinks they know sports inside out. The chances are, though, that you’re wrong. Sports betting on football, for instance, isn’t just about form. You must factor injuries, tactics, the opposition, the referee, home or away; there are so many other elements which can play a part. Don’t dive into bets – wait until the last few moments before a match so you can do your homework before betting. You can guarantee that the bookie has, so you should, too.
Thinking of backing the favourites? Hold your horses…
That might sound rather odd, especially to rookie sports bettors, but – the favourites don’t always win. You only need to look at the Grand National to see that. While betting on favourites against known underdogs may be worth a punt, you should stay clear of unknown qualities. If your tennis star is taking on a rookie that nobody has ever heard of, you’ve got no guarantee that the rookie isn’t the next Sharapova or Nadal in disguise.
Never stick to one bookie
While everybody has a favourite bookie, it can be advantageous to shop around a bit. Not all bookies showcase the same odds, and some directly compete against the rivals to get you more favourable odds. It is advantageous to have an account with several online sports books (it won’t cost you anything) and then you can place bets at whatever bookie ticks your boxes for any given sporting event. Also read about other games like online blackjack and online roulette.
Beware of accumulators
On paper, accumulators sound terrific. Once you get the bottom of them, their magic wears off a bit. Betting on the outcome of 10 football matches (mainly when they all feature big teams against massive underdogs) to pocket £€10,000 sounds lovely, doesn’t it? And yet, it can only take one shock result to throw the whole lot down the toilet. That doesn’t mean that you should avoid accumulators, just that you should be cautious. A good rule of thumb is not to avoid accumulators, but to limit the number of selections which appear in your accumulator bet. We wouldn’t go beyond 3 or 4, personally.
Why not swing for those long odds?
If you’ve got a quid lying around on your account, it cannot hurt to have a punt on something far-flung. Now, don’t misunderstand here. We’re not advocating slapping a fiver down on a 100/1 bet, or even doing this regularly. However, if you’ve bet £€11 in your account, and you want to wager a tenner on your favourite bet, why not stick the remaining £€1 on something bizarre and unlikely? True, these types of bets almost never pay-off, but then again, you only need 1 to come good occasionally to be laughing.
Stay away from popular markets
If you’re looking for the best odds, you want to stay away from the popular markets. These take more bets from a higher number of punters who bet on the same thing, the tighter the odds get from the house. It can be advantageous to gamble at a sportsbook which doesn’t make your chosen sport their number one priority, as you may get slightly better odds there than at a bookie who focuses primarily on your selected game, league or competition.
A harsh result, but happy gambling
You may have already heard this, but many sports fans do swear by it. It doesn’t really have a name, but we like to call it the betrayal bet. Basically, it involves betting on a rival to beat your chosen team. Why would you ever do something like this? Well, it works like this…
If, for instance, you were a Liverpool fan, wouldn’t you pay £€5 to see Liverpool win the Champions League? Of course, you would. So, why not bet £€5 on their rivals to beat your team in the final. If you win, you lose your fiver, but you get unbridled joy watching your team lift the cup. If your team loses, you’re heartbroken, but at least you’ve made a few quid out of it. Either way (if you think about it), you win.
