Betting Tips to Boost Your Winning Chances in 2021

If you’re a sports lover, chances are you probably have the urge to try out sports betting too. You get to enjoy the game and line your pockets with a bit of extra cash along the way. However, while rooting for your favourite team is a reflex that sees you celebrating their wins and brooding over their losses, placing bets is not as straightforward – that is, if you’re interested in making healthy profits.

There are several points that are crucial to getting predictions spot on. These points are what differentiate the pros from the novices and the smart bettors from those who stake on a whim. They also help you keep it professional and promote responsible gambling.

Here are the top 5 tips for making more successful bets:

1.  Understanding the Basics

Learning the different types of bets is especially important because each bet type has its own winning probability. For instance, betting on Under/Over goals offers a 50-50 possibility to win, while betting on the full-time result (Win, Lose or Draw) is a three-way chance, where you have roughly 33% winning probability. In the same way, betting on the full-time result is a safer option than trying to predict the correct score at the end of the match.

Apart from bet types, there are odds, lines, and staking methods and other basic components of a sports wager to get the hang of.

You’re probably thinking of sticking to placing random bets on the live roulette table and leaving it all up to fate. Don’t get discouraged. These concepts are pretty easy to understand. You just need to put your heart to it. The prospect of potentially raking in winning wagers should be motivation enough.

2.  Look for Value

You’ll often hear the phrase “value bets” once you delve into the sports betting realm. This is the element that bolsters your basic knowledge of the practice and is essentially the key to successful betting.

By definition, value is the relationship between the odds and the actual chances of an event happening.

For instance, at the throw of a die, the chances of landing a 6 is approximately 16.7% (1/6th of possible outcomes x 100%). Now, imagine getting the opportunity to bet on a 6 at 30%. This greatly increases your potential profits compared to the real probability (16.7%).

Considering a football matchup between a top-scoring team and an underdog, say Liverpool vs. Aston Villa, with odds given as:

• Liverpool (1.95) – Aston Villa (2.20)

Since the Reds (Liverpool) have a very high probability of beating the Away team, such long odds hold good value for your bet.

However, measuring and maximising value is best done when you have a basis for identifying a team’s potential. This leads us to the next tip – researching statistics.

3. Get Gritty With Stats

A team becomes known as a top-dog because they’ve got a track record of scoring numerous goals or winning tournaments. On the other hand, an underdog may be in the habit of conceding goals when playing home or away.

An injured star player could bring down the team’s morale before a game, and a change in current form or even the introduction of a new coach might affect the team’s regular performance. All these are helpful information that could help direct your forecasts down the most probable path. And the only way to get in the know is to look up past match records and statistics. Researching stats also helps you find out which bets have value and which ones don’t.

Luckily, there are numerous resources available over the internet, from official sites like ESPN or SkySports to independent match prediction sites. Following up on live matches is also a form of research, one that’s quite exciting too, if you’re already a fan of the sport.

4.  Compare Bookmakers’ Odds and Lines

A primary benefit of betting online is that you don’t have to stick to one bookmaker. Rather, you can shop as many sites as are available and join multiple online sportsbooks at a time.

Even though bookmakers generally follow the same methods when setting odds, different sites will most likely have slight differences in the odds and lines offered for the same matchup.

Once more, this helps bettors find the best value.

Going back to the example used earlier;

• Bookmaker A offers Liverpool (1.95) – Aston Villa (2.20)
• Bookmaker B offers Liverpool (2.00) – Aston Villa (2.15)

The deal offered by bookmaker B holds even more value when banking on Liverpool to win. A £100 bet would earn you £200 as opposed to £195 with the first option.

Although a £5 difference may seem small, over time and with relatively larger wagers, it adds up to substantial amounts.

5.  Don’t Always Stick To Your Favourites

Probably the worst mistake you can make is betting based on sentiment. It’d be nice for your favourite team to win that much-anticipated match, but if the odds aren’t in their favour, you shouldn’t let your feelings cloud your judgement.

Placing smart bets often requires you to opt for the ugly duckling or, worse still, your number one rival. When betting for profits, you should always set aside personal bias.

Conclusion

You could always decide to bet for fun, in which case you don’t have to adhere to these tips. But real money gambling provides an unmatched thrill. There is an exhilarating rush of excitement that comes with seeing your predictions play out, and each of these tips takes you one step closer to experiencing that.

To achieve optimal results, you should always set a bankroll and other betting limits. Remember that responsible gambling is the best kind there is.