Best Sports Betting Strategies and How to Use Them
There are many betting strategies available today that punters can utilise on sports betting sites. However, effectively utilising any of them requires understanding the basics of sports betting. In this article, BTA experts present a detailed explanation of different betting strategies you can use on popular bets, including live bets, goals betting, handicap bets, and other betting types. Learn more about online sports betting strategies and how they are best used to win bets.
FAQ
While there is the chance that YOU make money from sports betting once in a while or regularly, there is also the chance to lose the same way. The best way to ensure that you make money from betting is by applying a good strategy in your gaming sessions. Many of the best strategies have already been highlighted on this page, and you will do well to STUDY THEM and implement them in your betting activities.
The best betting strategy for you is the one that WINS you money while proving less stressful when putting it into use. Many betting strategies have been highlighted and explained on this page, so, you just need to read through and understand before selecting which strategy sits well with you.
Simply, NO. There is no trick for you to use in sports betting. However, one thing you can RELY on is a highly effective betting strategy that can help you make profit whilst minimising any potential loss to the barest minimum.
The best strategy for you to use in sports is highly subjective as it depends on your expertise with the strategies we have and which one you are most comfortable with. However, you can utilise fundamental betting strategies to optimise value.
A betting strategy only gives you the best chance to win, but it does not 100% guarantee that you will win. For you to win, you have to study and apply your chosen betting strategy perfectly, and sometimes also hope that everything goes well.
Arbitrage betting is the staking of bets on different options of the same sporting event. To use arbitrage betting strategy, you need to identify differing odds on both sides of a match or event. These odds must align well, so that you can place stakes of the same amounts and guarantee a profit regardless of the outcome of the match or event. Also, your profit hinges on the outcome that both bets are not cancelled. We advise that you use different bookmakers if you want to practice arbitrage betting. This is because it is not encouraged and could cost you your betting account if you are caught.
The basic rule of gambling is "Win or Lose," so, the most likely outcome of a sports betting stake could either result in a win or lose. So, in many ways, gambling or sports betting is a risk, and you may need a less risky strategy to guarantee you PROFIT. Arbitrage betting is very safe and very rarely loses. So, if profit matters to you very much, ensure you go through our explanation on the term and go into arbitrage.
The simple answer is YES. Arbitrage nearly guarantees that the bookmaker would lose money, which is not what they want. So, if you are into arbitrage betting or want to venture into this strategy, ensure that you pick two different bookmakers and make sure you are not suspected. However, if you are able to practice your arbitrage betting successfully, it can result in steady profit for you which is a great thing. Let us emphasise that you should try not to get caught.
It is one thing to know how to stake bets, however, it is another thing entirely to implement a successful betting strategy in your online sports betting activities. In the same vein, it is a completely different thing to record WINNINGS in your bets. An unofficial rule of betting is that the bigger percentage of bettors lose, while a smaller percentage wins. Then an even smaller percentage of the bettors cash the big payouts from their bets. If you wish to join the percentage that wins and cashes out BIG, you are on the right page to GUIDE YOU.
Numerous bettors have invested so much time and money into betting, but have not been able to record profits, it's usually loss upon losses. In the course of navigating the betting world, we came across a punter who had placed more than ONE THOUSAND BETS over a period of three years, this punter only recorded ONE WIN, which was just a bit more than the minimum payout at the Sportsbook.
This is not a good experience for a punter, and underscores why betting strategies are important. We can tell you this, many sports bettors do not win even on the best betting sites. IT HAPPENS. Do you want this for yourself? Most likely, no. We also do not want this for any of our readers, which is the basis of our creation of this page.
We have a saying on Betting Tips Africa, "Implementing the right betting strategy in your betting journey is synonymous to success." This is why it is as important for you to understand the strategic approaches to betting, just as much as you can stake bets. This is what creates WINNERS, and we are sure you also want to join this group, don't you?
On this page, you will learn everything you need to know concerning the strategic planning you can implement in your betting sessions. You will also learn tips, pros and cons of some of these approaches. So, sit back, relax and ride with us.
For further details on how to win more bets, you need to learn about the bet types in the sports betting world, as well as the wide depth of markets. To do this, you do not need to do much research or stress yourself out. We already being this to your fingertips, simply click BET TYPES AND MARKETS and you are on your way.
Before we delve into the depths of betting strategies for you to implement, let us take a look at what betting strategies are and what they represent.
What Are Sports Betting Strategies?
A Betting Strategy is a set of tactics applied by skilled punters in an attempt to produce profits from their bets. As mentioned earlier, betting will only yield profits to a few punters, while the majority definitely suffer losses. To mitigate losses, professional gamblers come up with strategic approaches to their betting activities to ensure or to increase their odds of winning and making profits.
Take for example a punter who notices that he incurs losses whenever he stakes on the traditional win, draw or lose betting markets. If such a punter sits down and crafts a strategy to stake on the traditional win, draw or lose betting markets on weekends, while focusing on proposition bets or totals on weekdays, such a punter is said to have applied a strategy to betting.
There are numerous betting strategies already created by professional and veteran punters for increased yields. These strategies can be applied by anyone who understands them and can apply them correctly to ensure positive results are produced. We care about helping YOU win more bets, so, we will analyse many of these strategies below. So, let's dive right in.
Types of Online Betting Strategies
We mentioned above that there are several betting strategies curated by several professional gamblers. We will discuss some of these strategies below, and we need you to follow the information correctly, so you can have positive results.
Early Cashout
The early cashout is getting increasingly popular, with nearly all sportsbooks implementing and offering them to their customers. It can be considered as one of the best football betting strategies. The early cashout has been utilised by gamers to put themselves in advantageous positions, regardless of the status of their bets. However, before we go into the usage of early cashout, let us explain what cashout itself means.
Cashouts are features that allow YOU to withdraw your winnings before the conclusion of a match or an event. It is a way of ensuring that you do not fall victim of any unprecedented events during the concluding part of a match or an event.
Before the advent of cashouts, a gamer placed a stake on five football events. He staked on each home team to get a win, which means that regardless of the scoreline, all he needed was for the home team to get a win. The first four games were played and the home teams were able to win comfortably. However, during the fifth game, the home team struggled to score up until the 70th minute. Noticing that his bet was heading for a loss, the punter felt helpless as the home team's top scorer got injured. At the end, the match ended goalless and the bet was lost.
Now, this is a typical example of what happens when there is no cashout. However, the introduction of the cashout feature has helped to reduce these kinds of scenarios.
In the case above, the punter could have easily cashed out when the last game was not going according to plan. When cashing out, the bookmaker calculates your winnings based on various factors, including game flow, time left in the game/event and the remaining odds. So, the payout may be slightly or significantly lower than before. However, in some cases like when your last game is most likely to win, you may be given your full winnings in your cashout.
How to Use Early Cashout
As stated earlier, early cashout is one of the profitable betting strategies applied to sports betting. To use the cash out feature, you first need to stake your bet. You can do this by registering on a sportsbook platform, funding your account and selecting your preferred events/matches. After staking, you may cashout if you do not want to go through with the bet again or you may have to wait until after the games start.
During the course of the game, the cashout feature may come on or off depending on the state of the the game and outcome of events. Sometimes, bookmakers may lock the cashout option if the score is close or the game is on a knife edge. So, DO NOT ASSUME that you will always meet the cashout feature open everytime you need it.
When the cashout feature is available and you feel you needto take the payout on offer, simply navigate to your betslip section and click on the cashout button near your bet and confirm your decision. The Sportsbook will process your payment as soon as you press the cashout button.
Pros And Cons Of Early Cashout
Also use this section to link the main profile/mobile app page of any bookie of your choice where cashout feature has been explained
Pros
(i) Cashouts give punters a bigger sense of control over the outcome of their bets.
(ii) If used well, cashout helps guarantee a profit. In cases where there is little to no profit, cashout mostly returns YOUR STAKE to you, which means MINIMISED LOSSES."
(iii) When betting on world-renowned bookmakers like 1xBet, you get full and partial cashouts, which brings total flexibility. You can read our rive
(iv) Cashouts make you LESS VULNERABLE to unprecedented outcomes at the tail end of matches and events.
Cons
Despite being one of the best strategies when it comes to sports betting, early cashout has the following disadvantages.
(i) You risk taking a significant payout loss if your initially staked bets in a loss on a bet that ultimately wins.
(ii) In most cases, the payouts offered by the cashout is lesser than if the bet runs its full course successfully.
Specialise in a League
One of the most popular betting strategies that work is to specialise in a league. There are tens of football leagues around the world. Countries like England, Scotland, Germany, Spain, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Turkey, Denmark, Romania, United States and many more have their local leagues with numerous teams playing in them. Punters can stake bets on any of the teams playing in these leagues as well as place special bets on the leagues.
How To Specialise In A League
Success in sports betting requires a level of expertise, experience and knowhow to ensure profit-making. It is quite difficult to gather adequate knowledge and information about which team to stake on at a given time if you focus on many leagues at once.
For example, if you do not know the best teams in a league or the ones that play attacking football, there is every possibility that you stake on a defensive team to score three or more goals in a game. This is not a good method of betting, while it may come off periodically, it is not sustainable.
In this case, you may narrow your net to the few leagues you know inside-out and find the best betting lines. You may wish to specialise in Europe's top five leagues which are; the English Premier League, the German Bundesliga, the Spanish La Liga, the Italian Serie A and the French Ligue 1. At the same time, you may just specialise in African leagues or the American MLS.
This will give you a significant edge as you will know everything about the leagues. From the most attacking teams to the defensive ones, the refereeing, culture and history, you would basically become an EXPERT.
If you do not specialise in a league and cast your net wider, you'd basically be gambling as you won't be staking your bets based on information or knowledge. Rather, you would be betting based on hope. This is not advisable and we don't want that for YOU.
HOT TIP: We advise that you specialise in a single league. This will make it easier for you to follow up on details like team news, injury list, form, suspension, coaching methods, football culture, formations and strategy. Thus arming you with optimal information to help you WIN.
Pros and Cons Of League Specialisation
Pros
(i) In-depth knowledge of specific games to play at what moment.
(ii) Higher chance of winning your bets.
(iii) More sense of control rather than hoping.
Cons
(i) Limited to nonexistent knowledge of other leagues.
(ii) Tendency to get bored.
Arbitrage Betting Strategy
Have you pictured staking on different outcomes on the same game/event? This is arbitrage betting and it is a practice where a punter places his stakes on opposite sides of the same match or event. In arbitrage betting, the punter makes sure that the stakes are placed on odds that guarantee a profit regardless of the outcome. Arbitrage causes the house (Sportsbook) to lose, so they generally do not encourage it. Some sportsbooks even go as far as banning anyone practicing arbitrage betting on their platforms. So, punters who want to go into arbitrage place their bets at different Sportsbooks.
How to use Arbitrage Betting Strategy
Arbitrage betting is simply looking for an opportunity in the inefficiencies of the sports betting matket. Sportsbooks never lose money and one of their ways of guaranteeing that is to set odds so that they are even or close to it. This way, there are almost the same amount of money wagered on both sides therefore guaranteeing no-losses.
To use arbitrage, you need to get familiar with some mathematics to enable you to identify opportunities. Let's take an example. Let's assume Chelsea and Liverpool are about to play a match and Sportsbook A offers +110 odds on Chelsea while another Sportsbook offers +110 on Liverpool.
If you as a punter stake $100 on both teams at the two Sportsbooks, your total wager will be $200. So, if Chelsea wins at Sportsbook A, you would be making a profit of $110, and lose the bet on Liverpool at Sportsbook B. Likewise, if Liverpool win at Sportsbook B, you would be winning a profit of $110 and losing the bet at Sportsbook A. So, either way, you are getting a guaranteed profit of $10.
Pros And Cons Of Arbitrage Betting
Pros
(i) Arbitrage betting helps guarantee a degree of profit if applied correctly.
(ii) Arbitrage betting is minimal risk, with the capacity to pile up profits for users.
Cons
(i) Arbitrage Betting is an advanced betting strategy, thus making it ideal for veterans and professionals but a bit too much for newbies.
(ii) Finding suitable Arbitrage bets can actually be quite tasking.
Hedging Bet Strategy
Hedging bets has been around for a long time. However, due to its usage by mostly professional punters, it has been a bit obscure to newbies. This strategy is aimed at reducing the risk of a loss, whilst increasing the chances of winning. Hedging bets involves playing a second bet against your initial wager. It is a sort of secondary bet having places your first wager.
How To Use Hedging Bets Strategy
As it is with every betting strategy you want to use, you first need to register and fund your account with a sportsbook. Choose any sport you wish to place your bet on, and then choose a suitable market/option for the bet. Then, stake your desired amount and complete the bet. By now, your betslip should have been recorded into the servers of the bookmaker to ensure your payout should you win.
For example, you may place a bet on Arsenal to defeat Sheffield United in a game in which the Gunners are backed with two odds. If you then proceed to place a second bet on Sheffield United to defeat Arsenal, then you have hedged your bet. By this method, if you lose your initial bet on Arsenal to defeat Sheffield, there is a higher chance of you winning your second bet.
Pros And Cons Of Hedging Bets Strategy
Pros
(i) Hedging gives you the opportunity to be flexible in terms of determining how much risk you take. It protects punters against huge losses by staking on more than a single outcome.
(ii) A hedging strategy can be implemented to lock in profit. In addition, the strategy can help reduce the impact of a single outcome. Hedging can be done before the final outcome of the initial bet.
Cons
(i) It makes betting expensive due to the fact that you are placing a bet on two different teams at the same time. You need huge capital to play multiple bets.
(ii) The strategy does not guarantee a reduction in losses. For example, you can place a bet on two teams separately to win a game, both teams might end up playing out a draw, which makes both bets a loss. Also, you may bet on the outright market, staking on two different teams to win the title. At the end, both teams you staked your bet on may not win the title.
Dropping Odds Strategy
The dropping odds is a good strategy for sports betting you may want to consider. Imagine that you login to your bookmaker account, and after casually scrolling through the multitude of odds on the betting page, you noticed that a game which initially had 3.00 odds on a home win had suddenly dropped to 2.50, what would you do? You'll most likely stake on that game as the odds drop means something favourable is happening to the team in question right?
Simply put, dropping odds happen when the odds of a game/betting market/betting option reduces before the game kicks off. The change in odds could be as a result of many people placing a stake on the said team or something favourable like key players returning from injury.
For example, let's assume that Bayern Munich is having an upcoming fixture against Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga. Your bookmaker initially backs Bayern Munich with 2.00 odds. Then news comes out that key players Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies are back on the matchday squad after injury. The bookmaker will most likely drop the odds (say to 1.70) as Bayern Munich's probability of winning has just improved.
How To Use The Dropping Odds Strategy
To use the dropping odds betting strategy, you MUST keep yourself updated on team news (player availability, injuries, suspensions etc) about the football team you want to place your bet on. You can use reliable stats platforms to also get more information on the team. Then monitor the odds religiously, and once you notice that the odds are dropping, simply stake your bet on the odd before the odds drop to the extent that your chances of higher profits are affected.
Pros And Cons Of The Dropping Odds Strategy
Pros
(i) When you use the dropping odds strategy, you have the opportunity to monitor odds on different platforms. This allows you to place your bet on a platform with bigger odds for higher profits.
(ii) Dropping odds strategy increases your chances of getting a higher profit before the odds reduce further. For example, before the start of the match between Nigeria and Kenya, both teams were backed with betting odds of 2.00. Assuming the odds on Nigeria drops to 1.59 due to positive team news, you have the chance to stake on the offer of 1.59 odds before it drop further to let's say 1.50.
Cons
(i) That the odds are dropping does not guarantee you a winning bet. The odds are reducing because many other punters are staking on a team as they perceive that such team has a higher chance to win. While it does boosts your chances of winning, it does not guarantee anything.
(ii) Sometimes, the odds may drop due to an analysis by a professional punter rather than any impactful information on team news. So, do not blindly follow the odds as even the very best of punters get it wrong too. If you do, you may lose money.
All-In On Odds Strategy
From the word "All-In," we can all agree that this is a little bit of a sink or swim situation right? The All-in on odds strategy is not the safest betting strategy or betting system. It is usually adopted by high-riskers. Here, the punter stakes the entirety of his bankroll on a particular odd. Usually, the odds used in this strategy is around 1.20 in order to ensure some sort of positive probability.
The All-in strategy gives some of the biggest rewards, because aside from the profit from the odds, bookmakers are also likely to give you a bonus alongside your payout. However, alongside its offer of high rewards, there are dangers behind the All-in on odds strategy.
A huge danger is that a single loss will wipe out entire bankrolls, which could discourage punter's interest in betting more. It could also cause some sort of depression to those who are not regular punters, so it is not really for YOU if you get heartbroken when you lose. However, if you like this strategy, you need to understand the sport you choose extremely well and make extensive research before placing a bet.
How To Use The All-In On Odds Betting Strategy
To use this strategy, have it at the back of your mind that the odds mainly used is within the range of 1.20. So, login to your Sportsbook account and navigate to the sport, league and game you wish to stake on. Note that if you're more knowledgeable about the English Premier League, then you are advised to stick to the EPL. Look for the odds of your choice and place your stake.
Pros And Cons Of The All-In On Odds Strategy
Pros
(i) The All-In On Odds strategy helps you to be more FOCUSED AND CONSISTENT in your betting habits. This leads to a disciplined approach when staking your bets.
(ii) This strategy helps narrow down your focus, thus making you more knowledgeable on the ins and outs of your selected sport and league.
(iii) This strategy also helps you reduce extensive analysis.
Cons
(i) This strategy can blind you from seeing a value bet. This is because you would only be focused on getting the odds for your high stakes, while failing to see some extremely valuable odds that can fetch you huge payouts.
Dutching Strategy
The Dutching betting strategy is widely used by punters and is quite similar to Arbitrage betting. This strategy was initially designed for horse racing events, however, you can use it effectively in every aspect of sports betting too. When Dutching, you essentially stake different bets on the same match or event.
Assuming you want to stake on an upcoming fixture between Chelsea and Manchester United in the Premier League, you could apply the Dutching strategy by betting on Chelsea to win at one Sportsbook and on Manchester United to win at another Sportsbook. Hence, you are maximising your potential for profit while reducing your chances of loss simultaneously. N.B: Using different Sportsbooks is advised to avoid any restrictions or bans from your betting platform.
How To Use Dutching Strategy
Select your sport, league and odds you wish to stake on and make sure you pick more than one selection on an event. Enter your stake.
Pros And Cons Of The Dutching Strategy
Pros
(i) You can easily make profit through the use of Dutching strategy as your second stake will most likely win if your first loses.
(ii) The strategy is extremely simple and easy to understand.
(iii) You can implement the Dutching Strategy in any sport. Sports such as basketball, football, baseball, tennis, badminton are good hunting grounds for Dutching.
Cons
(i) It is difficult to find the right odds to place a stake using the Dutching Strategy. If you end up losing the bet, you will end up losing all your money or the entire stake.
(ii) The Dutching strategy doesn't guarantee winning the bet.
(iii) Except you use different bookmakers, betting frequently with the use of this strategy may cause a ban on your account.
Round Robin Strategy
One of the betting strategies that professional punters use to bet on sports is the Round Robin Strategy. When using the Round Robin strategy, you simply break down your bets into smaller parlays. So, in this case, instead of your whole ticket to lose if one game cuts, your smaller parlays can still fetch you some money. For example, in football, if you decide to stake on ten teams in the Premier League to beat their opponents, you can still make some money even if eight or so are able to record wins.
How To Use Round Robin Betting Strategy
Select the teams you decide to bet on and determine your betting size. Then proceed to create parlays of multiple two or three-team teams. Afterwards, place your bet on the individual game. The number of parlays depends on the individual bet. If your parlay is 17, your number of bets will be 17.
Pros And Cons Of The Round Robin Strategy
Pros
(i) With the Round Robin strategy, you can spread your risk across multiple parlays. So, even if you lose the initial bet, you can still win something.
(ii) A successful parlay can yield huge returns on your investment.
(iii) Round Robin offers flexibility in selecting bets due to the huge number of bets a parlay can accommodate.
Cons
(i) The strategy is quite expensive to use because it requires multiple parlays. It leads to an increase in your initial staking plan.
(ii) It does not guarantee profit. Even if the punter wins a smaller part of the parlay, to be able to get a significant return on your stake.
The Kelly Formula Strategy
Are you good at mathematics or do you understand basic mathematics? Yes? Good! Because with the Kelly Formula, you'll need a good grasp of basic mathematics to use it effectively. The Kelly Formula strategy is not common because it requires critical analysis of games, although it gives you the opportunity to make more profit in comparison to many other betting strategies. The main aim of the Kelly Formula is to determine how many percent of your bankroll to stake on each of your bets.
The Kelly Formula goes thus: F=(BP-Q)/B
Key:
F stands for how much of your bankroll you can bet.
B stands for the decimal odds of the game.
P stands for the probability of winning the game.
Q is the probability of losing the game, which can be calculated by subtracting P from 1, (1-P).
How to Use the Kelly Formula Strategy
Although not one of the common betting strategies, Kelly Formula is one of the best ways to wager on sports. It helps you identify the winning probability of the game. Let's say Manchester City were to play Sheffield Wednesday in the English FA Cup, the Cityzens have a much higher chance of defeating Luton Town, so the winning probability for Manchester City could be in the region of 90%.
Then calculate using the Kelly formula, F=(Bp-q)/b. If your calculations are correct, the Kelly Formula will generate the ideal percentage of your bankroll to which you should allocate the current bet.
Pros And Cons Of The Kelly Formula Strategy
Pros
(i) It protects you against huge losses.
(ii) It helps you to guide your bet size.
Cons
(i) It is not a good strategy for beginners as they may struggle with analysis.
During your betting activities, you may have come across the term, "win or draw," right? Well, the 1x Home is cut from the same cloth but slightly different. While the general "win or draw" betting strategy is used on either teams, the 1x on home outsider strategy is placed strictly on home teams. To use this strategy, you simply stake on the home team to win or draw a match, even if they are the underdogs.
To use this strategy, you don't need much analysis or statistical records of the teams playing. This strategy is quite simple and yet one of the best betting strategies that work, which is why the majority of beginners consider using it extensively. Let's take a short example to drive our point home. Say, Chelsea is hosting Liverpool in the Premier League, a potential title decider, which classifies it as a huge game.
With the game being played at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge Stadium, I could place a stake on Chelsea to either win or draw the match due to the fact that they have a home advantage over Liverpool. If Chelsea wins or draws, you win, but your bet loses if Liverpool win. Don't forget that the home team usually has the crowd behind them which is a huge psychological advantage, so this strategy works well.
How To Use The 1x On Home Outsiders Strategy
Just choose your favourite betting platform and select the sport and match you want to stake on. Select the home team to either win or draw the match. Then proceed to place your stake.
Pros And Cons Of The 1x On Home Outsiders Strategy
Pros
(i) This strategy offers respectable odds and a higher chances for you to make a profit.
(ii) With double chances on the outcome, your probability of winning your bet is much higher.
Cons
(i) Odds may be lower compared to other strategies.
(ii) Teams being at home does not negate that they can lose against superior teams.
Summary
As we have earlier stated, a punter with a sound strategy is more likely to make profits than those without a proper strategy. At Betting Tips Africa, we are concerned with helping YOU become a profit-making bettor, in which this page plays a key role.
We are committed to providing you crucial information with ease and devoid of any form of stress to you. In this regard, we have already selected some of the best betting strategies on the planet for YOU to simplify the process of choosing one. Just go through the page, read and understand everything thoroughly and pick the best that suits your needs.
We can guarantee that if you practice any of these betting strategies to the letter, you have a higher chance of winning more on your bets. Using a betting strategy remains one of the best sports betting approaches you can use to get the best value or defeat even the best bookmakers. With a good understanding of the basic sports betting strategies explained in this article, you get the best from your future bets.
In this regard you might also want to take a look at our Predictions:
