Online Betting Guide

betting guide

There’s a new breed of bettor in the betting universe. These are people who are new to betting and want to learn how to place a bet. Others want to brush up on certain things, like the importance of mathematics in placing bets.

Whatever your reason maybe – it’s good to know that there is an ever-growing number of betting guides free for you out there. These guides’ scope is also huge because we’ve covered everything from football bets, horse racing tips, greyhound betting, and others.

Many online sportsbooks offer the same services, but what you’re really looking for is the one that works best for your particular betting style. Is it a site that specialises in live betting or an attractive welcome bonus? Is it more important to you to watch the game and place your bets simultaneously, or do you prefer a step-by-step guide of how each match will play out? Do you want access to in-depth statistics on every team, league and player?

Some betting sites have bonus offers for new customers, but there are some things to bear in mind before you sign up for any promotional offers. If the betting site joining offers don’t fit in with your spending plan, then they’re not worth signing up for.

Always ensure a reputable governing body regulates gambling sites and that they are fully licensed for your own peace of mind. With a large amount of competition in the betting world, you can also be sure to find one to suit your preferences and ability. All you have to do now is choose the competition that hits the spot and give it a go!

Once you’ve applied for an account with your chosen sportsbook, it’s as simple as loading up the software and placing your bet. There are a number of different sports to choose from so there’s something for everyone. In most cases, the bookmaker sites will have guides that take you step by step through the various bets available can be found on their website. These are designed to help novice players find their feet with online betting quickly and easily.

What To Expect When You Sign Up

If you’re new to the world of online betting, this is a common series of steps for betting on thousands of markets in dozens of sports. As with many aspects of betting the names may change – like ‘market’ rather than ‘event’, and ‘flat bet’ instead of ‘single’ – but they are still the same general process outlined above. You can guess many bets from their name use flat prices, meaning the odds will remain as they are whatever stake you place.

A small stake means a few losses won’t set you back massively, and you can always increase the amounts gradually when you understand how each bet works. If you enjoy placing wagers and this will be a long term hobby then managing your balance shrewdly is vital. Most online betting sportsbooks provide extensive instructions on how to begin, but the method will not change hugely whichever platform you choose as most use similar software.

Once you’re ready, type in your stake and click on ‘Bet Now,’ or choose ‘Place Bet’ to add the bet to your shopping basket. You will be shown a summary of your bet before submitting it. If you like what you see, click ‘Place Bet’ on the pop-up screen to finalise the transaction.

Once your bet is placed, depending on the terms and conditions of the site you may be given either a percentage or a fixed amount of money, it’s worth remembering that this depends on the outcome, not the odds. This means that in some cases you will only get your stake back if you win, even if the odds are in your favour.

How to Select a Bet

Firstly, look at the sportsbook’s odds prices. If you see a lot of 1-0 games being played, where there is only one side available at any given price, the odds are likely to be set by a computer program, and it’s important to know which games it is likely to set the odds on.

When a book sets its lines based on factors that they believe can influence future results, there is almost always a pattern evidenced by the odds. Once you can spot this pattern developing, you can then take advantage of this knowledge when betting on that particular fixture.

How The Selection Has Performed Previously

How the selection has performed previously can help you decide or develop an opinion by looking back and learning from previous results. Whether it’s football, sport or a daily occurrence, analysing historical data will help you form an idea of what might happen next. Bear in mind that anything can happen, especially coming up against some unexpected result or upset.

So be wary of relying on past information alone to predict how things might play out. And turning to classic form-based thought such as momentum and feelings about the game is also important when assessing the previous form.

What The Markets Say

Just like the financial markets, odds are often influenced by the views of others. When a horse is heavily backed on the first day of the market, it tells us that other people think that horse will be a good bet as with stocks and shares we look at backing levels and then act accordingly.

Many people in the betting markets do not always understand what is going on in the game. It is, therefore, possible to get good value for your bets by taking a contrary view. You can win a lot of money if you are correct.

If you’re not satisfied by backing a team with obvious chances and want to go against the markets, you can by laying a bet through the betting exchange. This allows you to make money on a selection everyone else is certain of, although you are risking far more money than with a basic bet.

Be Ahead Of The Betting Curve

Bookmakers adjust the odds in their markets based on the demand for a selection or a line. The more money placed on a selection or a line, then faster the odds will drop. If you do see odds dropping unexpectedly, search for more information to ensure you haven’t missed a new development. Typically bookmakers will respond by lengthening the selection and/or introducing an alternative market – with shorter odds.

Get As Much Betting Knowledge As You Can

Betting knowledge is the kind of information that is never going to go out of date. And luckily, as any bookmaker will tell you, it’s also the hardest kind to get hold of.

Bettings knowledge will help you to make educated betting decisions and increase your chances of success. Sports betting is an art, not a science, and having an understanding of the markets and your own betting preferences is crucial.

To become proficient in sports betting you need to combine betting knowledge and sports knowledge together. Certain sports are easier to bet on than others and having up to date knowledge of what is happening in and around a particular sport can help.

Some sports like cricket or rugby aren’t as easy to bet on when compared to sports like football. American Sports especially if you are based in the UK can be even harder as it’s on a different timezone you can’t always watch the games, so something like NFL betting or NBA betting can be much tricker.

There Are No Guarantees In Sports Betting

In the world of online betting, there are no guarantees that you’ll win. Seasoned punters will provide excellent information and tips, but no one has the ideal formula for placing a bet. Sometimes it makes sense to wager on a result before other players get interested and the market begins to shift, other times waiting until the last moment can pay off.

If you’re impressed by the odds then make your move, otherwise, wait or go elsewhere. If the odds change by a significant amount, then the bet is not what you thought it was and probably not worth wagering on.

Have A Plan

If you’re serious about making money from betting, you must be disciplined in the way you place your bets. Before visiting a sportsbook, you should have chosen some bets or have selected an accumulator.

Going to a sportsbook with no clear plan is not only costly but also time-consuming. Some people unwittingly squander their money because they visit more than one online sportsbook and make a series of pointless wagers because some lines have been enhanced or they feel they can’t miss these ‘golden opportunities’. `

Being spontaneous can have its perks. However, if you want to get the most money on your internet bets, it’s better to pick out some sites you like and have a range of accounts in different betting options. As your levels of skill at betting increase, so will your winnings.

Don’t allow your bets to spin out of control. It’s easy to let your bets get a bit wild when you lose on a big wager in the morning. You may not have planned to bet in the afternoon, but if your unplanned wager is a loser, then this makes another bet that evening that much more tempting. It’s a vicious cycle – you don’t need it.

You should always have a back-up plan if something doesn’t go to plan, or if you feel like you’re starting to struggle. Sometimes we can be so convinced that one thing will happen, that we disregard totally that another might take its place. Test out a few bets, and don’t bet on football because you love the team; bet on it because it’s a good bet at the right odds.

Monitor Your Betting

Monitor your previous form by manually recording your own performance on a betting slip or track of some kind. This will allow you to see whether you’re improving or not while it’s happening, rather than looking back over an extended period of time and wishing you’d taken more notes.

Your betting history is the key to understanding your betting style and improving your chances of winning. With a full historical record from most bookmakers, you’ll be able to see which bet types and stake levels tend to bring you good returns, and which ones don’t. It can also be helpful when setting up your matched betting appeal to document how much you’ve won or lost overall and at what levels in the past

Using a digital wallet or an alternative payment method makes it easier to track how much you spend on betting. It will take the guess-work out of choosing whether or not you will over-spend on your bets that week.

Setting a betting limit for yourself is an essential part of responsible gambling. Setting a limit can also help you realise that living within it will leave more in your pocket even when you’re not betting. We all set our own limits for different reasons, but the most important thing is that you have thought about it and works for you.

Betting and casino sites can provide hours of entertainment, but they’re also a money pit for anyone who isn’t disciplined. Consider allocating a budget for your time on the site(s) before you log in. Set a cap on how much you can spend and how long you can play for, then don’t log on again until your time limit is up!

In Play betting can really help here as it allows you to track the performance of your bet. There are plenty of sites that offer an in play betting service even live streaming is available at some betting sites.

Using A System For Sports Betting

Sports betting is a highly profitable industry, and with the help of systems, it can be worth your time to consider it. When approaching bet types, you should consider when they’re best. Betting on an outsider to win is quite different from betting on teams that are expected to win. Understanding the markets is crucial; placing bets based on mathematical equations will not guarantee a straight run of wins. Although it can be a novelty to place wagers based on calculations, you can’t rely on this.

If you are a novice bettor, understanding the betting systems and how they work is a great way to facilitate your progression through bookmaking. The most popular system used is ‘both teams to score’, and by calculating the appropriate equation, you can minimise your losses whilst maximising your wins.

Getting Betting Value

When it comes to betting on sports, there’s only one sure way to get the most bang for your buck: making each wager count. The idea is simple: By taking the time to plan and do some homework, you can make any wager more valuable by putting yourself in a strong position. Here are a few key points that should be top of mind when you’re placing bets for the next time you play.

Compare your odds and don’t get stuck using the same bookmaker. Most punters only shop around for their odds when something huge is happening, such as a football World Cup, but it is always worth looking to see what others have to offer.

Getting top odds shouldn’t be difficult. If you think that the odds at your current bookie aren’t great, then shop around for some better ones. You can search for Sports Betting sites that offer better odds and switch to these, or use a price comparison site to find the most generous deals from a range of different online betting sites.

There are plenty of online bookmakers around, so it’s important to shop around. This search can begin instantly by taking a look at our best bookmakers page. You should also make use of the offers and cash in on the free bets bookmakers offer newcomers. Bet with only reputable bookies as they are more likely to payout when you win.

Before you sign up for any betting site, check out what bonuses and incentives they have on offer – it could mean an instant deposit boost to your account! Many sites also reward regular users with bonuses or perks such as extra odds or free bets.

To make sure you don’t miss out on any exciting deals, get yourself registered with a few online betting sites.

Existing Customer Offers

The best bookmakers on the market are those that offer a reward to existing punters with bonuses, free bets and money-back offer tailored specifically to them and the sport they bet on. This is a great way to add value to your wagers and pick up a few prizes along the way.

The bottom line with bookmakers is that there are various offers for existing customers, many of which are designed to get the most out of your betting account. Customer offers are a great way for you to get a reward for betting with a bookmaker. Each week they will have a new offer on a range of markets, as well as cashback days and ongoing welcome bonuses.

About Joe Kizlauskas

Joe is a seasoned iGaming copywriter and speaker who has been in the business since 2015. He's written more words on all elements of Casinos, Slots, Bingo & Sports Betting than he likes to remember, and he's contributed material to a number of well-known brands. Joe may be seen playing 5 a side, at the gym or playing games on his Playstation when he is not writing.