There are many different strategies taken on when it comes to attempting to beat the bookies. Some pour over hours of research, picking through course form, head-to-head, recent form and past performances in an event.
Others take their lead from tipsters, paying a subscription to the professionals and advised on the best bets to make. There’s even the pot luck approach, dropping a pin on a race card and hoping for the best. There are pros and cons to each, of course, but the general feeling amongst experienced and profitable sports bettors is the more research you do the better. Research is a key part in trying to perfect your bets.
When approaching a sports fixture with the plan on placing a bet on the outcome, modern gamblers are spoiled for choice when it comes to sourcing information. In fact, we’ve never had it so good. Results websites detail how runners have performed in recent meetings. Stats apps provide updated info on going conditions, age of winners, jockeys, trainers, owners and plenty more beside. There are also hours of video footage which allows punters to educate themselves on form, looking beyond the bare results.
All this proves invaluable when taking on the traders of major bookmakers and pushing for a profit. Do as much research as possible, and then do some more. Read interviews from trainers and jockey, check injury news and even read the gossip columns. The more you know, the better your chance of placing a winning bet. Sports betting is difficult enough without betting blind.
Common mistakes include taking the favourite without any research, sticking with a jockey or trainer without a second though or, the worst of the lot, going for a runner with a familiar-sounding name. These mistakes are all criminal when it comes to betting and could cause you to lose your stake without ever getting a run for your money.
There are two types of bettors – those that do it for fun, making interest bets for modest stakes, and those that do it to make a continuous profit from their favourite sport. The former pick without putting too much effort in, and often lose. The latter pick after hours of deliberation, and often come out of the season or year with a positive balance – to help this it’s recommended to get the best betting promotions and special offers. You can improve your effective profits by understanding what bookies are offering including different boosts and deals.
If you want to get serious about making a profit from sports betting, there are a few things you’ll need to set aside. First is time, and plenty of it. Proper research takes time. All the information you need is now at your fingertips thanks to the internet but getting a full understanding of how a fixture or race might go – revising your selection and the chances of the opponents – often takes hours. You could cut that down by putting your trust in a reputable tipster, but a certain satisfaction comes from doing your own research and picking your own bets.
Get the best odds. A winning bet on a 10/1 shot is great but not if you could have had the same bet at 20/1 simply by doing your research and shopping around. Getting the best value out there and most for your stake money is just a matter of improving the odds on every bet by ensuring you have the best price on your picks. It may seem like a small difference at the time, but those margins all add up over the course of a season.
Finding strong sources is another. The internet is packed with useful information, but it is also littered with fake news, false sites and columns written by bloggers who don’t put the work in and aren’t always accurate or reliable. Stick to mainstream websites and apps, those respected in their industry and in their chosen sport.
Watch games/races/fights back. There are many sites with videos available of old horse races or sporting events. If you fancy backing a selection you can watch back, it’s last outing or how it has fared against similar opposition. Doing so will prove how they handled the event and will provide much more than the basic result that may not tell the backstory of an event.
Trust the trends. The trends could prove to be invaluable when making a prediction, especially on horse racing. What is the average age of the last 10 winners? Who are the most successful jockeys, trainers and owners? Is there a draw bias? How many winners came off the back of a win the start before? You’ll be surprised how often the results nudge you in the direction of a good bet.
