If you ask experts about the probability of winning at sports betting, you will often hear that sports betting is much safer than other games of chance, such as lotteries or casinos. This also involves calculable risks and minimizing losses. What at first glance appears to be a secure source of income is nevertheless a form of gambling that cannot guarantee winnings. Therefore, we have to answer the question of whether you can always win at sports betting with a clear “no” right from the start.
However, sports betting offers far greater chances of making a safe profit than other forms of gambling. Clever punters who rely on a long-term strategy for sustainable profits can undoubtedly earn a proud monthly sum with sports betting. In the following guide, we have put together 5 tips for you that can contribute to maximum betting effects. At this point, we would like to point out again that there is no such thing as THE one winning strategy, as this would also damage the sports betting market in the long term.
Determine the initial situation and develop a strategy
Successful sports bettors are characterized by discipline and a sophisticated strategy. Each betting customer must develop such a strategy for themselves, as it varies depending on the initial situation. First, set yourself a monthly goal, consider your available budget and distribute it as evenly as possible over each day of the month.
Find Surebets
Surebets are bets where the sports bettor can only win, so losses are excluded – in short, every bettor’s dream. In football, for example, it works like this: you bet on the same event with three different bookmakers: 1x bet 1, 1x bet a win.
The basic requirement for this is to first register with several betting providers. You should primarily choose bookmakers that are known for above-average odds – there are numerous comparisons of sports betting providers on the Internet. As soon as you have selected the right bookmakers, the real task begins: the search for surebets. This is not about specialist knowledge or insider tips, but pure mathematics.
The following example illustrates how surebets are calculated
● The odds for a home win at bookmaker A are: 1.8
● Bookmaker B has a draw odds of 3.9
● The odds for an away win at Bookie C are: 6.1
These three odds were compiled by three different providers. Then the profit is calculated:
(1: Odds tip 1) + (1: Odds tip X) + (1: Odds tip 2) = Winning value
→ (1 : 1.8) + (1 : 3.9) + (1 : 6.1) = winning value
→ 0.56 + 0.26 + 0.16 = 0.98
This value can now be interpreted in two ways.
● Variant 1: With a stake of 0.98 euros you would win 1 euro.
● Variant 2: This shows the profit more clearly. 1 : 0.98 = 1.02 → this corresponds to a profit of 2%.
As soon as the winning value is below 1, it is a sure bet, as the sports bettor makes a profit with every possible outcome of the bet. This value is now taken as the minimum stake (98.00 euros) and divided between the 3 bets. This is done according to the same principle as the determination of the winning value itself:
● Home win: 100:1.8 = 55.56 euros
● Drawing: 100 : 3.9 = 25.64 euros
● Away win: 100 Euro: 6.1 = 16.39 Euro
With this optimal distribution of your stake, it is now almost impossible for you to suffer a loss – only the cancellation of a bet by the bookmaker would lead to this. If you quickly calculate the three tips, you will quickly see that the profit is minimal. However, if the stake is increased with the same payout, the profit margin automatically increases.
Surebets are the best way to always win at sports betting. However, searching for such unique combinations from multiple providers is extremely time-consuming. In addition, surebets, which ultimately result from small miscalculations by a bookmaker, are extremely rare, which is why they cannot be called a standalone strategy.
Minimize risk
Sports betting invites you to try to make big profits with little effort. Combining several bets on one ticket is the easiest way to make big profits. However, the more bets you place, the more risk you have of losing, which is why high payouts in this case are usually only printed on the betting slip and are only very rarely actually achieved.
It therefore makes sense to keep the risk as low as possible from the start. The following two options are important basic tools for this.
Single bets
The fewer bets on a ticket, the higher the chance of winning. Based on this simple fact, you are much more likely to make a profit with single bets than with combination bets. Successful sports bettors therefore usually only bet on 1-2 games at a time and invest slightly higher stakes. The winnings are much lower here, but are posted much more regularly, which in turn means more profit in the account in the long term.
System bets
If you still like to combine several games on one ticket, you can gain additional security with system bets. In general, this variant is also known as “game with errors”. As the name suggests, with system bets, incorrect games are also possible on a betting slip. For example, if you combine 5 bets and then play them in the 3 out of 5 system, only three of the five bets have to be guessed correctly in order to receive a payout.
However, only the correct betting odds are included in the winnings, which can significantly reduce them. It is worth carefully calculating the various options in advance.
To hedge bets
Hedging means that you place a second bet on an event you have already bet on, which covers all other outcomes of the game and thus one of the two bets wins in any case.
Take, for example, the bet “Double Chance X2” on a football match. If the live result does not turn out the way you had actually calculated and team 1 does very well, you can now place a live bet on team 1. Of course, you have to set the stake high enough at this point that you can cover the stake of your wrong and winning bet with the winnings.
Always type with a clear head
Mental health can be crucial when betting. It is extremely important that you always approach a bet in a disciplined, calm and clear-headed manner. For example, frustration bets, where you compulsively try to compensate for your losses by betting on high odds, are doomed to failure from the start. So accept losses when the time comes, but at the same time don’t get overconfident when you win.