Sports-betting is an inherently risky and exciting way for a person to spend their free time. If one applies a bit of logic and rationality to it, however, they stand to get the satisfaction of winning most of their bets and losing a lot less money.
That being said, let us be quick to say, there are never any guaranteed ways to win every time with sports betting — everyone loses some of the bets they place. Knowing that there is no such thing as a safe bet helps one to place smarter bets and, more importantly, know when not to bet. The most important rule of betting is, “Do Not Bet with Money That You Can’t Afford to Lose”.
Having said all that, it’s not all gloom and doom. There are still a variety of ways to get more wins than losses. This guide is a great start to getting familiar with the best ways to win football bets.
Create your betting strategy and stick to it
Before starting to bet on football, one needs to consider what they are hoping to achieve. This might seem like a rhetoric question, but everyone is motivated by a different set of goals.
People bet:
- Just to have fun, without losing too much money.
- To challenge themselves and their knowledge of football.
If betting for fun, the best strategy should be quite straightforward. All one needs is to have enough money to achieve their objectives and a defined budget for how much they are prepared to lose. If they win, they are bound to get a lot of fun and satisfaction. If they lose, at least they will not end up going bankrupt.
If one wants to challenge themselves to win as many bets as possible, however, they need a careful plan for winning bets consistently over a long period. This is where football betting gets tricky. To make consistent wins, one needs to:
- Manage their money,
- Be able to identify odds that have value.
- Make correct predictions,
Managing Money
Once a person has a budget to bankroll their bets, they need to map out a clear betting plan and stick to it. For example, if one has $500 to start with, they need to break it into smaller amounts that they can bet at a time, rather than placing all of it on a single bet. It's essential to stick to the plan, especially when a person goes on a winning streak.
Identifying odds that have value
Being able to identify odds that have value is critical for long term success in football betting. If a person only bets on what they think will happen, they will end up getting the short end of the stick. One needs to be able to compare the probability of their bet winning, and the overall odds available for their desired result.
Making correct predictions
Being able to predict results accurately is the common factor that attracts everyone to betting on football. Like we mentioned before, there is an element of risk in betting, but if a person follows the advice contained in the rest of this article, they should be able to get a high success rate.
Small wins make for a higher average win rate
This sounds obvious, but it’s something that bettors often forget — a win, however small it may be, is still a win. Small wins, if made consistently, lead to a higher average win rate. The fewer teams one bets on in a single ticket, the better their chances of winning.
The moment a person starts placing one-dollar bets on a 30-fold accumulator, they have already lost the plot. One can either choose to lose those few dollars every week or make small wins. Either way, small wins or losses, every week for several years, will add up to better satisfaction of winning or a lot of lost money.
One of the best pieces of advice in football betting is, “It’s equally important to avoid losing money as it is to win”.
Know your bet inside out
Before placing any bet, it’s vital to conduct thorough research on each and every match that one wants to bet on. It's not just about the competing teams’ match history, or which side is on a winning streak. A person should try to go deeper. They should look into how their match statistics have been, and how they relate to those of the competing team, how good their offence and defence has been, and if they were good at keeping possession or they were just lucky. A person should also consider if there are any injuries, if any of the players had a spat with their coach, if one of the teams has more to fight for — any bits of information you can get their hands on, however insignificant they may seem.
This brings us to our next point.
Never bet based on emotions
If one is serious about consistent winning football bets, they must always take an impartial approach to placing their bets. Placing bets that are based on emotions can be a person’s biggest undoing. This type of betting often takes many forms, including:
- Chasing losses.
Betting losses can sometimes get the better of even the most experienced football bettors. When a person has just suffered another frustrating loss, its best that they hold off making any bets until they are level-headed again. Placing more money on another bet that looks like a sure winner is a slippery slope that often leads to bankruptcy.
- Backing one's favourite team.
Betting with the heart sometimes means putting money on one's favourite team, regardless of where the odds, statistics, and common sense recommend. If a person’s favourite team loses a game that they would have placed a bet on, it’s going to be a double blow for them.
Recording bets
One should make it a point to record ALL their bets. Keeping records is one crucial part of betting that many bettors seem to overlook. Keeping track of wins and losses can provide valuable insight on which types of bets are winning and losing, and how one can improve their betting strategy.
A betting record should include:
- The type of bets placed.
- How much was bet.
- The odds of a bet.
- How much was won or lost from a bet.
- Any relevant notes (such as which teams spoiled a bet).
After set time-periods, one should review the results from these records and try to identify their strong and weak points.
We’re sure by now it's clear that winning football bets requires a lot of work. There is need for research, discipline, and strategy. The advice contained in this and other articles is, however, not a substitute for practical experience. The best way to learn, at the end of the day, is to start small and learn as one goes.
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