One of a punter’s favourite pastimes is betting on football. Not only do most of us claim to know more about it than anyone else in the world, but it’s fun. With low scores you sometimes feel like a toss of a coin can win you money: that small club is paying ridiculous odds for a win. All they need is a goal. No issues. But when you take a step back, the fact is that normally it’s the big clubs with the vast resources that are going to triumph. With that said, betting on football doesn’t have to be as fruitless as it may be. Even if you’re winning already, there’s no doubt room to add a bit extra to those returns, right? Well, here’s a list of ways to improve how you bet on football so you can start seeing better results. Read on for why you should take football betting seriously, and how to do it.
1. Make Use Of Your Own Knowledge
One aspect of betting that people seem to want to back away from is putting money on their own team. Fair enough, we’re too often led by our heart rather than our head, but it is the very knowledge that we have about our own teams that gives us an advantage in the market.
When we bet on clubs we don’t follow, it doesn’t matter how well researched we are – we won’t know that squad inside out like our own. How has the previous match effected the team’s emotions? What is the manager aiming to achieve with that player coming into the starting 11? So whilst I’d advocate using the knowledge that you have available to you, it’s critical that you don’t let the emotion lead your punting. If your team is going to lose, bet that way, regardless of how you feel.
On top of this, it’s a good idea to become an expert in a lesser-known league, such as a random second division in Europe. Whilst markets are far more spread and easier to find in the big leagues, the fact is that bookies are likely to have as good an understanding on most of them as you, meaning it will be hard to find a real value bet (more on that below). However, if you can put time into learning the intricacies of a smaller league and start to bet on that, chances are you’ll find mistakes in the odds. That’s where your knowledge will come in priceless.
2. Find The Best Odds Available
Something that a lot of us forget to do, and yet is so blindingly obvious it hurts, is to hunt around. You don’t walk into the first shop you see and buy a new lounge suite, so why waste your money on dodgy betting markets? There are a number of websites you can use to help bring some clarity to the value available. To start with, head over to the Odds Checker at Hello Punter. It’s fair to say that even if you’re in positive territory in your punting total, there’s always room to save a few quid with better odds.
3. Make The Most Of The Football Value Bet Theory
Using a football coupon to predict outcomes of matches? You’re doing half the job that a general odds compiler is doing, which means there’s a trick to be had here. If you add to this process an estimation of the percentage of probability (bear with us), then you are in effect your very own compiler. As an example (a very basic example), if you feel Team A has an 25% chance of winning the game, that is equivalent to odds of 3/1. If the odds you’re looking at are sitting at 4/1 (20% probability) it symbolises a bigger price from the bookies, meaning you’ve found your value. For a more detailed run through of how to calculate your Value Bet, check out this article.
4. Avoid Silly Bets
On the flip side of value betting is getting involved in ludicrous, normally in-game, bets. It is not uncommon for us to have our eyes light up at that 100/1 punt on so-and-so scoring next. But think logically about this – unless you’re pretty lucky, that’s not going to happen. This comes back to going with head over emotion, and it’s best to avoid these sorts of plays.
5. Don’t Bet More Than You Can Lose
Whilst the first four points are tips on how to give yourself a better chance at success, this last one is a reminder of how to avoid finding yourself in a bad situation. Anything can happen in football – think Newcastle winning a penalty with that dive on the last day of the 2015/16 season, or Leicester winning the actual Premier League – and who’s to say it won’t happen during your punt? Use your head with your bets, and use your budget with your betting account.
