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Betting is now more popular than ever, especially with the increasing number of betting sites and the COVID-19 pandemic that sparked new hobbies. According to the Gambling Commission, remote betting generated a GGY of £1 billion between April and September 2021, led by football.
Being the most popular sport in the UK and the world, football boasts the most betting markets, value odds, promotions, and betting site options. It also means UK betting sites pay much attention to the sport, so should you if you want to bet on football successfully.
Here are 10 vital tips to get you on the right track.
Know Your Sport
How much do you know about football? Your winning chances are significantly higher if you know every little detail concerning the teams in the matches you are betting on. Adequate information will help you identify the best bets and make more money with your strategies in the long run.You want to stay on top of the game by watching as many matches as possible. It's not just about which team has had the longest winning streak against the other, but how well they've been playing. It would also help to know the lineups and formations that have delivered the best results for the said teams — every little detail matters.
Shop around and Use Several Betting Sites
Many things vary between bookmakers, starting with new user offers. Shopping around helps you identify who gives the best welcome bonuses and continuing user promotions.Betting markets and odds vary, so it makes no sense to stick to a single bookmaker, irrespective of their attractive loyalty schemes. You might want to have an account with several bookies and be in a position to pick one with the best value odds for the specific strategy you want to use. Loyalty has no place in your betting endeavours if you want to be a winner.
Don't Follow Your Heart
As a punter, the last thing you want to do is trust your gut. Being oblivious is especially dangerous when betting on a match that involves your favourite team. Your heart will account for very little as opposed to your head.Evaluate all Available Markets
Knowing your sport inside out gives you an upper hand, but it is hardly enough to get you big wins. You also need to understand as many betting markets as possible. "Many" is the keyword here because they can be 'never-ending,' so knowing them all might be tricky. For example, High-street bookies such as bet365 will often provide several hundred markets in big matches.That said, win/draw/win is the most popular market, but you can also bet on many other outcomes such as:
- Team to win in either half
- The total number of goals, corners, yellow cards, penalties, etc.
- Winning margin
- First goalscorer
Additionally, you can technically bet on any outcome through bet builders or stack various types of bets with accumulators. However, keep in mind that the more your accumulators, the lower your chances of winning.
Stay Savvy
This point builds on the previous two. Bookmakers are pouring many technical resources and stats into their sports offerings, odds, and markets. To achieve regular success, you have to conduct more research and strive to stay atop the trends. Be conversant with the less conventional betting techniques such as:- Arbitrage
- Matched betting
- Hedging
Do not forget to find out about your location's gambling laws and tax obligations in connection to your betting method of choice either. For instance, if you are in the United Kingdom and prefer remote betting, you want to be in due diligence on online sports betting in the UK, including the laws and other factors surrounding the niche. This info will help you know your rights and stay away from trouble.
Consider the Less Obvious Markets
If you know your sport well, there is great value in the hundreds of the less popular markets that most bookies offer. Some are tactics for the bookie to provide more ways to lose, but there are many opportunities if you turn the stones.For instance, you may not be confident betting on either team to win. Yet you know a player who is the league's top scorer and are willing to bet they will score at any time during the match.
Picking the less popular markets goes hand in hand with following less popular tournaments. Betting sites are constantly expanding their books, so they often include leagues they don't know much about.
You may be in a great position to teach your betting site some lessons if you have been following any local tournaments that only joined the book recently.
Appreciate the Small Wins
Although often overlooked, taking the small wins is a strategy that could save your life. Everyone talks about big potential returns, but you rarely see professional bettors targeting absurd odds. If the odds are too long, they probably won't come in. What use is a huge odd if you lose?"Every little bit helps," so appreciate a working strategy no matter how small the wins are. Remember, every win is more money in your pocket rather than the bookmaker. You will enjoy more success in the long run if you tailor your strategies around bets that are more likely to win. Among the easiest markets are:
- Double chance
- Both teams score
- over/under
- Draw no bet
Always Keep Your Cool
The first rule of betting is "only stake what you can afford to lose." It would be best always to keep your head, especially when things are not going your way. It can be tempting to try winning big after a bad run, but this may lead to an even bigger loss if not done prudently.Make peace with the truth that taking losses is part of the trade. You'll be surprised; professional bettors only sustain a long-term winning percentage of 53%-54%. Expectations of 60% or higher are considered too high.
Follow a Tipster
Following a tipster doesn't guarantee wins, but following a good one could increase your chances significantly. After all, the best tipsters often work with extensive research and analyses that dramatically increase the value of a bet.Besides, following an experienced tipster makes your work easier and is better than simply obeying that gut feeling. So, how do you know a tipster is worth their salt?
- Check that the site is legitimate
- Investigate the tipster's online presence and whether others trust them
- Find out if the tips are supported by data
- As a plus, the author should be using the same tips to bet
Keep a Record
Now that we've just talked about knowing your sport, betting markets, staying savvy, trying different strategies, and switching between bookies, the next order of business is to keep track of your bets. You have more than a single reason to do this.For starters, it becomes less likely that you will lie to yourself about how well or bad you are doing. Secondly, it contributes to your progress as you strive to make more money. The data allows you to track which bets, markets, and strategies have been working out or not, so you can make informed adjustments.
