Effective Sports Betting Strategies To Use

You do not need to be a rocket scientist to bet on sports successfully. However, you do need effective sports betting strategies. An effective sports betting strategy will enable you to minimise your losses and maximise winnings.

To make money consistently, you also need some luck along the way. However, by equipping yourself with a solid strategy and betting system, you can provide yourself with the best possible opportunity to earn a profit from online sports betting.

In this guide, you’ll find the most effective sports betting strategies and systems that you can effortlessly apply to your bets. Let’s discover the basic principles you need to engrain, as well as advanced betting strategies that seasoned sports punters utilise.

A great tool that you can utilise is creating your own betting lines. Here, you’re simply becoming a bookmaker. You use all the information available at your disposal to create a line. The secret behind this is that you have the opportunity to compare your line to odds from the sportsbook.

When you compare them, you’ll easily decide if your line provides value. Are the odds higher? This would show value. Are they lower? Then your line will not show value.

How does this strategy work? It works easier, making it ideal for both seasoned and new punters. You simply need to work out the implied likelihood of a market. For instance, a 50/50 probability would be 50 percent implied likelihood, and as odds, that would be 2.00.

This means that you can create a market of around 100 percent and not an offset one when you’re working with odds alone. Let’s look at a football example from the EURO 2024 tournament. There is a game between Germany and Scotland.

You have done your research and come up with this implied probability of the win/draw/win market.

• Germany to win = 55% = 1.82
• Draw = 25% = 4.0
• Scotland = 20% =  5.0

Now compare the odds with what your favourite sportsbook offers. If you look at Scotland to win and the draw, you can easily discover that the odds are relatively shorter at the bookie. That suggests they do not provide value based on your assumptions.

If you think Germany wins this fixture, 55 percent of the time provides you with odds of 1.82. However, a different sportsbook suggests that Germany only wins 45% of the time at odds of 2.2. This now indicates there is value in your selection.

In our other article we discuss another effective betting strategy – treble betting, give it a read!

Dutching is another effective strategy. It involves placing multiple bets on the same match or race to create an equal loss or profit on all outcomes. This strategy is best utilised to trigger, clear, or claim free bonuses or bets. However, punters use it as a general sports betting strategy.

You’ll need to use multiple betting sites for this betting strategy. Also, you may need lines to move significantly and make a profit. It is almost similar to hedging. But for this strategy to work effectively for you, you must create the same loss/profit on all the outcomes.

A dutching calculator is a vital tool when it comes to this strategy. It ensures that you bet the right amount of stake on every market. The most popular sport to “Dutch” is tennis.

Let’s look at a Dutching strategy example in the 2024 Wimbledon tournament. Assume that the promotion is a €10 free bet when you place a €10 bet on a match between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Carlos Alcaraz is priced at 1.50, and Novak Djokovic at 2.50.

You use the right calculator and discover that you need to bet these amounts:

• Carlos Alcaraz wins: Bookmaker 1 (€5.00), Bookmaker 2 (-€6.00) and Profit/Loss (€1.00 loss)
• Novak Djokovic wins: Bookmaker 1 (€10.00), Bookmaker 2 (+9.00), and Profit/Loss (€1.00 loss)

From this calculations, once you place your €10 free bet on Carlos Alcaraz, you need to bet £6 on Novak Djokovic to lock in a €1.00 loss on all results. That means it’ll only cost you €1 for your €10 free bet.

Want to take advantage of inflated lines? Fade the Public should be your go-to option. The main aspect to keep in mind with this sports betting strategy is that betting lines are not based solely on the likely result of that outcome. Instead, it also includes the amount of stake placed on one side of the market.

Your bookie constantly tries to balance the books depending on the amount of stake and exposure. It moves lines based on this. If one side of the market seems heavier (greater exposure), your bookie will make the opposing line more popular. This is aimed to encourage more bets.

But this does not mean that the line is likely to occur and, in turn, create value for you. The NBA is the best sport and tournament for this strategy.

For instance, the Chicago Bulls has an initial spread at 19.2, which then drifts to 14.3. This isn’t because they’ve got more chances to recover. But, instead, there has been more money based.

The Fade the Public strategy will then need you to bet on the LA Lakers, the opposing team, at 1.08, which provides greater value since the line has moved depending on the volume of bets and not the probability of covering the original spread.

When used correctly with online sports betting, cash out can be an important tool. This strategy works by allowing you to close your bet before the market closes. That means you can either limit a loss or lock in a profit.

The best way to benefit from this strategy is to track matches or races and then react to outcomes within them. For instance, you have backed Scottie Scheffler to win at odds of 5, and he takes a narrow lead with not much time left, it might be an excellent idea to lock in some earnings without the risk of losing.

You can also cash out when your selection is losing. This is usually ideal where the match or race is tied and very close. That means you’ll cash out for a smaller loss or to break even. An effective betting strategy is an important part of your sports betting journey.

You need to identify a strategy that best works for you and your favourite sport. Finally, work with a reputable sportsbook that allows you to maximise your strategy.