A lot of people want to win bets, but not everyone is successful. Many have easily lost their money to the extent that they think the bookmaker has something fishy up his sleeve, but there is a category of regular winners who seem to have mastered the art of sports betting.
So, how do the successful ones do it? There are a number of tricks that you can use to be among the winners.
Research
It is always important to have some knowledge about the team(s) you are betting on before you commit your money. This, in the end, will inform your betting decision.
Follow the team(s) closely and be well-versed in their history. If you are a sports fan, the better, because you will be watching them. If you do not watch, then read about them.
Get their backgrounds, their past and recent history, structure, players, and tactics used by the coach.
Are they a high-scoring or low-scoring team? Do they play an open or defensive game? Who is their most dangerous player? These are some of the questions that you have to ask yourself before placing your bet.
Look at their last 5–10 matches, what was the result, What is their home and away record like? The same should apply to their opponent. Then also check the two teams’ previous meetings, and see what the results have been; this will help you gauge the possible outcome.
Look at the team news before the game starts and know which players are in and out and for what reason. Which team is enjoying a good run of results and which one struggling, and who needs points more than the other?
Will a win be enough for team A, or is it a draw, and what will the result mean for either side? Also, know if it is a league match or tournament; is it a knockout or final?
Know the giant killers. There are some ‘small’ teams that have a tendency to upset the big teams whenever they face them, and there are also giants that always struggle against a certain ‘small’ team.
However, it is important to point out that you should minimize your research so that you do not end up with too much information and get confused about where or how to place your bet.
Choose your Markets carefully
Betting Markets are the options that you have on the betting sites when you want to place your bet. The most common Markets are Home, Draw, and Away, also known as 1, X, and 2. Home (1) means the Home team to win, Draw (X) means the game will end in a draw while Away (2) wins the away team will win.
However, there are several markets on the betting site. Some sites have over 400 Markets/options to select from. Therefore, you need to be well versed with the betting Markets/options so that you avoid the obvious ones that would see you easily lose.
You can play on goals, like how many goals do you think will be scored in the match or how many the home or away team will score. This is why it is important to do your research to know the history and how the teams play.
Betting sites have made it easier now, you can predict which team will score the first goal, if both teams will score, and the total number of goals found at the Under/Over market that helps you know if the score will be Under or Over a certain figure.
You can also predict if the score will be an odd or even number, the correct score, which player will score, and who will be leading at halftime and at fulltime plus there is a Combo Market where you can combine two options, for example, Both Teams To Score and Over/Under certain number of goals.
There are also less-used Markets that are lucrative such as Double Chace, Bookings, and Corners.
- Double chance
It means you are selecting two options at once, like saying Home Win or Draw (1X), Home or Away wins (1,2) and Draw or Away Win (x2).
- Bookings
Bookings are the yellow and red cards. This is where you predict the total number of cards that will be given in the game, to a team or a player. Under Booking, there is also a sending off which means Red Card.
- Corners
This is where you predict the total number of corners that will be witnessed in the game. Corners have the option of Over/Under and you predict if they will be higher or lower than a certain figure.
These less popular markets tend to be less risky and you stand a high chance of winning with them than the common ones.
Odds are not everything
Do not be deceived by the Odds. Most of the time, the big team or favorite to win always has the lowest Odd but bookies can change the Odds to play with your mind. This can easily impair your judgment and when your mind is interfered with, your pick might not fully represent your conscience.
Also, a big team that has nothing to play for can be given fewer odds against a small team and end up not putting in much effort or fielding a weak squad hence handing the ‘small team’ an advantage. It is important to know what is at stake before staking your hard-earned money.
Fewer games, less risk
A lot of punters want to strike the jackpot by investing so little. How does this happen? You stake Ksh20 on 20 games and when the odds multiply, your possible win becomes immense. However, while some have won with this tactic, the majority do not.
Don’t be among the majority. The best way to minimize risk is to play on less games. Carefully select your two, three, four, or five games and stake a big amount. You stand a better chance of winning than someone who went for ‘SGR’ i.e. a Multibet of so many games.
You can even select a single bet and place your money on just one game. You’re better off building your returns slowly than losing trying to accumulate too much at once.
Don’t repeat teams
Repeating teams is a very risky affair. Even if you are placing different bets, do not have one team in all or more than one Betslip, no matter how strong they are. It could end up messing up all your bets.
If you must repeat, then select different markets on the said team. For instance, if you said they win in one Betslip, go for total goals, bookings, or corners in the others. You stand a better chance here if one option fails.
Don’t ignore smaller leagues
Most punters are always accustomed to going for the major European leagues, especially in football. However, those who win most of the time have done it playing on games, teams, and leagues that are less known.
Proper research of the small leagues is likely to give you a bigger percentage of winning compared to the major ones which are prone to upsets.