We live in a society that teaches us how to bet from an early age. Winning at a board or card game with siblings or friends is often a matter of odds and strategies. The only thing that changes is that as you grow up, you’ll get to betting real instead of Monopoly money. And the strategies applied in childhood might not work. So, if you want to make a profit, check out this first-timers guide to sports bets.
1. Avoid dangerous sports
Dangerous sports are those that are easy to fix, such as individual sports like tennis or golf. In these sports, the fixers will only have to buy an individual player to alter the outcome of the game. Team sports such as football or rugby are harder to fix, but when betting it’s wise to take advantage of the free bets and win with a Betfair bonus bet. Thus, betting on such a sport increases your probability of winning based on the odds.
2. Establish a staking strategy
Betting is a matter of chance; that’s why the first step to sports betting is establishing (and sticking to) a staking strategy. Flat betting is the simplest strategy and means that you’ll be put the same wager on every single game. With this strategy, all you have to do is establish a betting budget and stick to it. Whether you win or lose, always stick to the same wager.
A proportional strategy refers to placing a certain percentage of your budget (also called bankroll) on each game. For instance, you can establish a stake of 30% on each game. This means that if you win, you will wager more money on the next game. If you lose, the stake will diminish.
3. Decide on what sport you want to bet
There are many sports out there, but you can’t focus on all of them. That’s why you should decide what sport you want to bet on. For instance, if you decide to bet on football, you should learn everything about this game, the teams, players, coaches, and so on. By doing so, you’ll increase your chances of placing winning bets.
4. Learn how much you should bet
We already talked about the staking strategy, but you should also learn how much you should bet on each game. The easiest way is to establish the maximum amount, as a percentage, that you want to risk losing on each individual bet. If you’re a beginner, this percentage should never exceed 5% of your bankroll. For example, if you have a £100 betting budget, the maximum stake should be £5. If you establish a flat betting strategy, wager £5 on every other game until you reach your £100 budget (don’t increase this budget if you win). 3If you’ve established a proportional strategy, calculate 5% of the amount you have after winning or losing the first game to calculate how much to bet on the next game.
5. Don’t bet on everything
Betting on only one sport may seem easy, but there are various types of bets you can place. The rule of thumb is avoiding betting on everything. Focus on those teams you know well (while avoiding betting on your favorite to avoid biased bets), at least until you become more than familiar with everything football-related. This is the only way to walk home with a profit.