For those who don’t have a lot of betting experience, it can be useful to learn about different sports betting strategies. In this article, we take you through a few different betting systems and strategies for betting that will increase your chances of winning. Some of the betting systems are based on profitable bankroll management, while others aim to choose winning bets.
Why should you use a Betting Strategy?
Sports betting is one of those things you can succeed without any strategy involved. However, having a strategy might give you a better chance of profit, so it’s worth your time to check it out. Some of the most basic strategies involve good bankroll management to ensure guaranteed profit even though it might be small. You can also try complicated system bets better suited for professional bettors to maximise your profit, but it’s a bit more complicated. The key to success is to find a betting system that works for you, depending on the betting markets you bet on and bet size.
It’s important to understand that a betting strategy should be considered a useful tool and should not be followed blindly. It’s just as important to know when to stick to the betting strategy as when to stop. When you feel you’re losing control, make sure you take a break and re-evaluate your strategy.
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What is the most profitable betting strategy?
The best betting strategy to use depends slightly on the sports markets you’re playing, but in general, arbitrage betting is a strategy that guarantees a profit. It will take time before you make huge amounts since the profit margin is pretty slim, but you can make quite some money on it if you choose the right odds.
What is a good sports betting strategy?
The best sports betting strategy is a strategy that suits your bankroll, betting style and the betting markets, so the answer to this question depends on individual preferences. For example, arbitrage betting might not be the most profitable if you have a small budget, as the profit margins are pretty slim. But if you love football and have plenty of knowledge of the Premier League, Asian handicap strategies might be the best option for you.
How do you win every time in sports betting?
Arbitrage betting, where you place the same bet on both outcomes, will give you a guaranteed profit even though one of the bets will be lost. Another strategy to check out if winning is your main goal is the Henze betting system. Here you make low-odds bets and slowly build up to a massive profit.
How can I improve my betting skills?
The best way to improve your betting skills is to make bets and learn from your mistakes. Try sticking to one market where you have a lot of knowledge, as sports betting is all about making educated predictions.
Sure Bets – The Best Betting Strategy
The Sure bets system, also known as arbitrage betting or arbing, is a system where you are almost guaranteed to win because you are betting on the difference in how the bookmakers have set the odds. First, you need to compare the odds at different betting sites to find just the right ones. Then, to avoid the risk of getting banned, you place two bets at two different betting sites.
This system was incredibly popular when the best sports betting sites started to find their way online, as the differences in odds could be very large. Today, the number of players running sure bets has decreased somewhat as the odds are often closer to each other at the different operators. However, this does not mean that Sure bets have disappeared; there are still players who play the concept and win good money from it. Keep in mind that if you are going to use this system, you need to spend a lot of time on research.
How do you use Sure Bets?
Through the margins on the odds, you will make a profit regardless of the outcome when you use sure bets. To clarify, here is a fictitious example:
- Unibet: Nadal 1.80 - Federer 2.10
- 22Bet: Nadal 2.05 - Federer 1.90
Let’s say you put ₹1,000 on Federer at Unibet and the same amount on Nadal to win at 22Bet. If Federer wins, you will get ₹2100 (1000 x 2,10), while if Nadal wins, you will get ₹2050 (1000 x 2,05). Your bet is ₹2000 in total, but you’ll receive either ₹2100 or ₹2050. This gives you a guaranteed win of between ₹50-100.
In this case, the profit is not huge, which is normally the case with sure bets. Therefore, you need to play in many markets and for large sums for it to pay off using sure bets.
How to find Sure bets?
Some players and sites share sure bets and where to find them. However, these sites tend to charge a fee, so be critical to ensure it’s really worth it. You can also do the work yourself by searching among different betting companies and comparing the odds. However, this usually takes longer, but at the same time, it only costs you time.
Kelly Criterion
The Kelly Criterion system uses mathematics to work out whether or not to place your bet and how much to bet on the chosen market, for example on satta cricket. The mathematical sports betting strategy increases your chances of winning but also helps you decide how much to bet per game. This is an alternative to betting on feel and impulse since the system requires you to concentrate and make sure the calculation is correct.
When it comes to many other betting strategies, there are a lot of factors to consider before placing a bet. In the case of Kelly’s strategy, however, two factors play a significant role. These factors are how to place your bet and how much you should bet.
First and foremost, you should decide how much money you’d like to bet in total. Kelly’s strategy allows you to calculate how much of your own money you should bet on a particular outcome where the odds are significantly higher than expected. If things go your way, your own balance will grow substantially.
Kelly’s Criterion Formula
When using Kelly’s Criterion, the following formula is used: (BP-Q)/B
Sound confusing? Let’s clarify the different terms.
- B = Odds in decimals - 1
- P = Probability of a win
- Q = Probability of loss (1-p)
We use a simple example of betting on heads/ tails to make it clearer. Let’s say you are betting on a coin to land on heads at odds of 2.00. Since the coin has a unique shape, there is a 52% chance it will land on heads.
In that case, the formula is as follows:
- P = 0,52
- Q = 1 - 0,52 = 0,48
- B = 2.00 - 1 =1
Which gives the equation: (0.52×1 – 0.48)/1 = 0.04 = 4%
According to Kelly’s Criterion, you are recommended to bet 4% of your bankroll. A positive percentage means an advantage for your bankroll so that your money grows gradually.
Asian Handicap
The Asian Handicap is mainly used in football betting sites India as this is the sport where a draw is most common and therefore has three outcomes per match. The concept is most common when there is a clear favourite in the match to make things more interesting. Before the match, the bookie gives one of the teams one or more goals in advantage, which adds an extra challenge to the game. When playing Asian Handicap, there are only two different outcomes per bet.
The reason people choose to play with Asian Handicap is to make the match more interesting when one team is the clear favourite. It also gives an increased advantage over the margins of the betting companies, and there is the possibility of getting half as well as the whole bet back.
How does Asian Handicap work in practice?
Manchester United are favourites at home against Cardiff, and one bookmaker has set odds of 1.20 on a home win. Not much to cheer about, is it? This match is excellent for betting on the Asian Handicap. If you bet Manchester United -1, you get odds of 1.98 instead. A much better betting value, right? That bet means Cardiff will start the game with a 1-0 lead at kick-off.
Should Manchester United win by two goals or more, your bet goes in. If United win by one goal, you get your money back. If there is a draw or United loses, you lose the bet.
The Fibonacci System
The Fibonacci system uses the mathematical number sequence 1-2-3-5-8-13-21-34-55-89-etc. This system is better suited for Dollar or Euro bets, so to make it work with Indian Rupee, you should add two extra zeros to the digits, so the sequence is 100-200-300-etc.
When using the Fibonacci system, you go up one step for every loss while down two steps for every win. Each number in the sequence consists of the sum of the two previous numbers, so each win covers the two losses previously. It’s possible to run with higher amounts, but make sure the same mathematical formula is used. The Fibonacci system is more common in near 50/50 casino games like roulette and blackjack but can also be used for sports betting.
Example
- Step 1 - Bet ₹100 until you lose, then you bet ₹200.
- Step 2 - If you win the ₹200 bet, go back to step 1. If you lose, bet ₹300.
- Step 3 - If you win on ₹300, return to step 1. If you lose, bet ₹500.
- Step 4 - If you win on ₹500, return to step 2. If you lose, bet ₹800.
- Step 5 - If you win on ₹800, return to step 3. If you lose, bet ₹1300.
- And so on.
If you are a high roller, you can use a variation of the table above. Instead of going down two steps for each win, you go down one step for each win until you have two wins in a row. Then you go down two steps instead.
The Henze Betting System
The Henze system is a simple strategy to understand that involves winning 100 bets in a row to reach winnings over a million eventually. It all starts with placing your first bet of ₹1000 on a match with odds of 1.10. If you win your bet, you will have increased your betting fund by ₹100, and you will have ₹1100 in your account instead.
The next bet you make is all-in with ₹1100 on a match with odds of 1.10, and if you win, you will have ₹1210 in your account. For the third bet, you again go all-in with ₹1210 on a game with odds of 1.10, and if you win, you have ₹1331.
If you continue at the same pace by placing the entire bankroll on 100 bets at odds of 1.10, you will eventually reach over a million. Of course, the whole system fails if a bet does not go in. Although the system is not watertight, in theory, there is a 90% chance of winning every bet with odds of 1.10. If we compare it with the lottery, the chances of winning over a million are higher with the Henze system.
Another advantage over the lottery is deciding on which sporting event you want to place your bet on. If you keep yourself well updated with the latest odds, you can find advantageous sporting events that will give you odds of 1.10.
Summary of Sports Betting Strategies
Make sure you really understand a strategy before you use it. The safest strategy is arbitrage betting, but you need to spend a lot of time on research to make it work. Asian Handicap is not really a strategy like the others are, as all you are doing is reducing the chances of loss. However, many bettors have had great success with Asian handicap betting, and to them, it’s a strategy in itself.
Fibonacci can be profitable but doesn’t yield very large profits over time. Also, you might risk high losses if you have a streak of bad luck. The advantage of Kelly’s Criterion is the mathematical calculation that will generate profit purely in percentage terms. At the same time, it is the world of sports where anything can happen, and just because the math says you will win, there are no guarantees. It also requires you to use the formula above before a bet and double-check that you correctly entered all the numbers.
Please read through our betting guides to see if there are any of these strategies that you would combine to give you a little more knowledge about odds and betting.
Arjun Jindal | Last Modified: August 18, 2023
