This sharbing guide explains how to start shop arbing. Including betting odds, placing bets and useful shop arb betting tips.
What is sharbing?
Sharbing is the tactic of finding arbitrage betting opportunities in betting shops.
An arbitrage bet is where the back odds are higher than the exchange lay odds. This enables you to guarantee a profit by covering all outcomes.
Here is an example:
- Team A at odds of 11/10 (2.1) to back on a betting shop coupon
- Team A at 1.99 to lay on the betting exchange.
The price difference between back and lay odds allows you to lock-in a profit.
Getting started
The transition from online to shop matched betting can be daunting.
The following guide shows how to do matched betting in shops.
Collect coupons
Your sharbing journey starts with collecting paper coupons from betting shops. Visit your local Betfred, Coral, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power and William Hill. Also, check for an independent betting shop – well worth a visit.
The main focus of sharbing is on football match odds. Betting shops release printed coupons throughout the week:
- Midweek coupons – released on Monday mornings,
- Weekend coupons – come out on Wednesday mornings,
You will find specific daily coupons entitled “Friday quickslip”, “Sunday football” or similar.
Shop coupon odds get cut slower than online odds. Exchange lay odds move fast, so you’ll often find arb opportunities.
Compare odds
Compare the coupon prices to the exchange lay odds. Coupon odds show as fractions.
How do you convert from fractional to decimal odds? Take the first number of the fraction and divide by the second number, then add 1.
- 11/10: [11 divided by 10 = 1.1] + 1 = 2.1
- 6/5: [6 divided by 5 = 1.2] + 1 = 2.2
This is a key part of sharbing and will soon become second nature.
Place bets
So you’ve spotted an arb opportunity…
Now check that the printed coupon price is still available. Look at in-shop price screens (Ladbrokes and William Hill have these). Or, place a 50 pence accumulator to check the current price.
If the original coupon price is available, then go ahead and place your sharb bet.
If you’ve never visited a betting shop before. Then, pick up a coupon (such as “Weekend Quickslipâ€) and fill in the relevant sections.
Assuming a £50 single bet, you would mark the following on the coupon:
- BET TYPE – “Singleâ€
- UNIT STAKE – “£50â€
Then mark your selection: Home team, Draw or Away team (these may show as “1”, “X” and “2”).
- “1” = the home team to win
- “x” = the match to finish in a draw
- “2” = the away team to win
The home team is first on football coupons (left-hand side) in the traditional 1×2 format.
Finally, give your completed betting coupon and your cash to the member of staff. They will issue your betting ticket.
How to lay sharbs
Using your smartphone, you can either:
- a). FULLY LAY to lock-in a small profit regardless of the result. For a £50 sharb at 11/10 (2.1) back odds and 1.99 lay odds, lay £53.30 on Smarkets for £2.23 guaranteed profit.
- b). Or UNDERLAY to make more profit if your team wins or break even if they don’t win. For a 2.1/1.99 sharb, an underlay of £51.02 at Smarkets gives £4.49 profit if your back bet wins or £0.00 break-even if your lay bet wins.
Use Trickybet calculator to experiment with different laying strategies.
Here’s a reminder of some popular underlay stakes, if using Smarkets at 2% commission:
- £10 bet, lay £10.20
- £15 bet, lay £15.3
- £20 bet, lay £20.40
- £25 bet, lay £25.50
- Take the back bet stake i.e. £20, divide by 50 (=£0.40)
- Add £0.40 to the original stake gives a £20.40 lay for a £20 back bet.
Sharbing profit
To highlight potential profits, underlaying £50 shop bets would return:
- 2.50/2.24 = £11.73 profit
- 2.10/1.79 = £14.68 profit
Of course, your profit on each sharb will depend on stake size and the back/lay odds difference.
You will need at least a few hundred pounds in your exchange account for a sharbing session. The above examples need £100 for the shop bets and £103.58 at the exchange to lay.
Other opportunities
Besides football match odds, you might find shop arbs on:
- Under/over goals – i.e. under 2.5 goals
- Correct score
- Half-time/full-time
- Both teams to score – see “Goals Galore” coupon at Betfred shops
- Less mainstream markets offer great potential. Cricket, boxing round markets, American football, and motor racing.
Shop arbing hints
Technology: You need two things to check exchange lay odds. 1) a smartphone, and 2) a good internet connection.
Cash is king: Use cash when sharbing to maintain a supply of cash for different betting shops.
Check the details: Before placing your bet, double-check that the correct coupon odds. Also, check your betting slip is correct before leaving the shop. If your betting slip shows a price change – ask the staff to void your bet. Bookie shop staff sometimes forget to tell you about coupon price cuts.
Sensible staking: Don’t go too high with your shop arbing stakes, be sensible and stick to £80 or less. I’d suggest around £50 stakes. Larger stakes stand out and could lead to a shubbing – the shop barring you from placing future bets.
Lay immediately: Lay your sharbs as soon as possible to lock-in profit. Don’t wait to lay off, as the lay odds could drift.
Summary
This sharbing guide has detailed how to place arbitrage bets in betting shops. Matched betting in shops can offer great profit opportunities.