Beginners Advice on Taking on the Bookmakers

Football betting can be an enjoyable pastime

There are so many aspects to being a football fan. From travelling up and down the country following your team to playing every Wednesday night with a group of mates, trying to recreate the goals from Match of the Day. From displaying your support for your team in the form of a leather wallet embossed in team colours, to screaming at them until you are hoarse on the terraces. Sports betting and in particular football betting is another incredibly popular way to get involved with the beautiful game, and as long as you bet within your limits and are aware of how much you are spending, it can be a fantastic pastime.

Knowledge is Power

You may think you know a lot about football, and want to turn that knowledge into cold hard cash. The thing you need to understand about betting is that it is ALL about knowledge and information (and a little bit of luck). The more information you have the better you’ll get. Even more important is the relative amount of information you have compared to the person you are making the bet with .i.e. the traditional bookmakers, or the betting exchanges if you are going down that route.

There are many places to get that information, some from unexpected sources. The obvious one is to watch and read as much about the game as possible, and do it with a critical eye as to strengths and weaknesses. Another great source of information comes from the actual bookmakers themselves, who often feature weekly accumulator tips on their sites. If you have friends, colleagues and family members who are also interested in football and the betting side of it, a good idea is to set up a WhatsApp group where everyone can share information and tips.

Even up the Balance

Studying non-league football could be a route to success

Realistically, no matter how much time you spend watching and reading about football, unless you are able to spend all day doing it, you are going to be at a disadvantage against the bookmakers, who do of course spend all day doing just that. But only up to a point. Bookmakers are businesses, and as a consequence, they dedicate most of their resources to where the most money is likely to be made or lost. In the UK, that is the EPL, which is by far the biggest betting market. Tempting though it may be, it is best to avoid it altogether, or at least add other strings to your bow in the form of lower leagues.

Take the time to study the clubs, players and form of Leagues 1, 2 and below for example. The amount bet on these is a tiny fraction to that wagered on the bigger leagues, but your potential to win is the same. The bookies will devote the amount of time and effort proportionate to the money bet, so that inequality in knowledge is suddenly not only reduced but can actually work in your favour.

Types of Bet

There are many different types of bet you can make, both in terms of what you are actually betting on, and the types of bet you make. There is also in-play betting which takes place during the game itself. In terms of the type of bet, there are numerous ones offered of various complexity. In very basic terms, you can have a single bet which is betting on the outcome of one event, for example, the first goal scorer, the match winner or the winners of the EPL. Then you can have doubles and trebles which involve two and three events respectively, all of which need to come in for you to win. Accumulators or accas as they are often known as are simply a number of events such as the winner in six matches, all of which you need to be correct for you to be successful.