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Bet smart, Win smart
Learn these sports betting hacks to stay in the game.
I have won a few joyous big bets but have lost soul destroying bigger ones. Needless to say, I have made mistakes in the past; especially when I viewed sports betting as a way of earning a quick buck. I vividly recall the largest bet that I placed, a heart wrenching loss. This bet was a turning point in my life, resulting in a pivotal change to my sports betting philosophy. Slowly (but surely) I clawed back my losses following 7 simple sports betting hacks.
Read my sports betting hacks. It doesn’t work for everyone, but it just might for you!
Hack 1. Don’t go for a killer win
Placing a “sure thing” huge bet for a small return will lead to grief.
You work hard and you earn decent money. The money you have saved is sitting in the bank and is earning nothing because of low interest rates. Now compare the return on an easy sure bet to what your earning at the bank.
Bet returns > 5% in a day VS Bank return 0.5% in one year.
It’s a no brainer, place the bet because you get far greater bang for your buck.
If you do it once, you will be ahead of your yearly bank interest. All in one day!
I had this mind set when I placed a basketball bet. The game was between the first and last placed team with a 5% return on the favorite. Yes, it was a small return, but it was a sure thing!
Better to bet with my money than leave it idle in my bank account.
So I placed $50,000 on the favorite to win. An easy $2,500 on an outlay of $50k. After winning this bet, I would strategically return to placing small bets and play it safe. But……
I lost the bet! $50,000 down the drain! Devastated!
I really beat myself up after this. I felt ashamed and deep guilt because I should have known better.
Do NOT go down the path of seeking a killer sports bet, just to beat the return on other investments. The risk is too great to outlay a huge amount for little return. Don’t bet big to earn small.
Hack 2. Avoid manipulated games
There are games that can be influenced – avoid them!
It would be naive to think that games that you can bet on cannot be manipulated. Plenty of sports betting games have been proven to be subjected to outside influences.
When I placed my losing $50,000 bet, it was on a small competition, basketball game. I won’t reveal which competition, but suffice to say the players did not earn eye watering salaries of the NBA. They were semi-professional players, playing for the “love” of the game.
Reflecting after I lost the bet, I could not fathom how the first placed team could lose. It was an uncharacteristically error-ridden game, even though no star players were injured. This led me to believe that the game was unduly influenced. Though I cannot be certain (I have no shred of evidence to support that the game was manipulated), the fact that the odds were improbable of loss played on my mind.
Undoubtedly, where players are well remunerated in the game that you are betting on, the chances of it being manipulated is very low. Where players are poorly remunerated, this leaves the door open to being bought over.
Avoid small competition games. If you lose, game manipulation will play on your mind for a long time.
Hack 3. Winning or losing streak, it don’t matter
Your odds of winning is not determined by the past.
Many readers are familiar with this concept, but too often it gets forgotten – especially among sports bettors! A coin toss of consecutive heads, does not influence the odds of the next toss. This is the same for placing a bet, even for those who have whizz bang excel models that can input thousands of variables. The odds of winning doesn’t change for each bet that you are placing. Yes, the return on each game does, and there will be an element of luck if scenarios become in your favor. But that’s simply just it….. luck.
In reality, your odds stay the same in relation to the sportsbook. That is, the sportsbook has the advantage.
Hence if you are on a losing streak, don’t double or triple up the bet to chase losses. Unless you have unlimited capital, you will end up broke.
Hack 4. Matched Betting
It does work, but it’s hard work.
Matched betting is a strategy of obtaining risk free bets offered by sportbooks and hedging them to subsequently cash out free real money. It’s an ingenious strategy that works!
It IS risk free, but only if you are disciplined and implement the strategy without deviation.
Having said that, the strategy does require time, it isn’t snapping your fingers and “hey presto” money is in your wallet. It requires continually signing up to new sportbooks, obtaining the risk free bet, and laying them off with the right betting odds.
I used matched betting to recoup my losses. I was able to make it happen in well over one year, which is a long time. However, I do admit, I was overly cautious and was never rushed. (I became risk averse, after suffering my huge loss).
You may be wondering if this is too good to be true, and whether it is legal. Matched betting is 100% legal. Infact several sportbooks have publicly stated they have no issues with it and even encourage it!
If you have the perseverance and discipline, matched betting is an excellent strategy to win real money with sports betting.
PS: It is a great time for American’s to take advantage Matched Betting, because there are many States that have legalized sports betting. This has opened up a fierce market with many risk free bets offered to bettors.
Hack 5. Insider information
Not sustainable, but you are lucky if you stumble across it.
Sometimes you will come across a game that you have placed a bet on, and the sportsbook suddenly stops accepting further bets. I have only come across this a couple of times when betting.
What I noticed – big bets were placed on a particular result, thus swinging the odds substantially prior to the book being closed.
This normally occurs when someone has insider information, and has plunged a lot of money on the game. The sportsbook then becomes suspicious with the betting activity and decides to close the book to any new bets.
(As a side note in relating this to Hack 2. it could also mean that the sportsbook cannot influence the outcome of the bet otherwise they would have kept the book open).
To take advantage of this, you go to another sportsbook that continues to accept bets on the game, and you bet according to where the big punters have plunged their money on.
Betting on indicators which suggest insider information, is a way to swing the odds in your favor. It’s not often, but it does happen.
Hack 6. Don’t get burnt with leveraging
Points betting (spread betting) could wipe you out quick.
Just like investing in financial markets, you can leverage your position through points betting.
The more you are right, the more you win.
Conversely, the more you are wrong, the more you lose.
Sportbooks are very sneaky, and deliberately offer odds that will see them win in the long run, i.e. win big and lose small.
I understand it is enticing to bet with points betting, especially if you win several times in a row. Do not underestimate the dangers of playing points betting. You could lose, and lose big!
Avoid points betting which leverages your bet. It can multiply your winnings, but also your losses. Stay away.
Hack 7. Bet within your means
Set a budget, stick to the budget.
Gambling is a form of entertainment. In the long run, you will eventually lose against a sportsbook. And if you do succeed as being a professional sports bettor, the sportsbook will ban you from betting. The only way to win in the long run is via Match Betting. However, this is not a quick win strategy.
Place a bet to have fun, place a bet to enjoy the moment.
Set a budget that you can keep to. Make sure the budget is within your financial means. If you find you struggle with sports betting, seek assistance for gambling support organisations.
Conclusion
Sports betting can be fun, but there are several hacks that you should know when betting. We have listed them for your benefit, and hope you can use them. They are not hard to understand or difficult to implement, but it does take discipline.
Enjoy sports betting as a form of entertainment and play within your means. Gamble Responsibly.