The 5 steps to be good at betting on football action

The 5 Steps to be Good at Betting on Football

By Dan Tracey - Feb 19th 2023

When it comes to football betting, the placing of a wager is the easiest part of the equation. Winning said bet is when things can begin to get a bit more difficult. With that said, things do not have to be as difficult as first thought and especially if you follow our five steps to beat the bookies:

  1. Shop Around For Odds
  2. Bet With Your Head
  3. Take A Tip
  4. Receive A Bonus
  5. Log Your Performance

1) Shop Around For Odds

One important thing when it comes to getting the best possible odds is the ability to shop around the multitude of bookmakers in operation. They are in a race to get your bankroll, but ultimately, you should be the winner.

If only because it does not necessarily pay to be loyal in this instance. Should this be the case, you are never going to get the best possible odds for each bet you are looking to place, and if you are prepared to vary your use of bookmaker this can be more profitable in the long run.

Have A Look Around

For example, Tottenham may be playing West Ham and bookmaker A is offering the home win at odds of 1.85. Not a bad price, but a look around the odds comparison websites that are available offer a better price with bookmaker B.

Their odds of 1.87 for the same eventual outcome are far more tempting and although it is a small difference when looking at one game in isolation if you passed up the highest odds on 100 separate occasions, things would soon start to total up against you.

This is why you should always be prepared to spend time researching what prices are available and not necessarily rush into betting with the first bookmaker you see. In this instance, it pays off when you play the field.

2) Bet With Your Head

When it comes down to how to be good at betting on football, you must always bet with your head. As tempting as it is to bet with your heart and subsequently end up blinded by club loyalty or outright bias against your nearest rivals, this should never be the case.

Always Bet With Your Heard Than Opposed To Your Heart

Because as football fans now, the beautiful game has a habit of turning ugly at the best of times – even more so if you have backed your favourite team and they have not managed to get the result you were hoping for.

Never Bet And Regret

For example, why not say you are a Leicester supporter, and the Foxes have a trip to Old Trafford to contend with, as Manchester United lie in wait and because of this they are subsequently the underdogs for this Premier League clash.

Something that is reflected in the pre-match odds:

  • Manchester United 1.57
  • Draw 4.50
  • Leicester 5.50

As we can see Leicester are not fancied to win, especially as they are on the road and therefore if you were a fan of Brendan Rodgers’ men the last thing you should be rushing to do is backing the King Power Stadium outfit to win.

Of course, it is easier said than done when you a fervent fan of your club and you believe they are capable of winning any competitive encounter. However, your judgment will also certainly be clouded, and it makes more sense to look elsewhere.

3) Take A Tip

Because football betting is such a popular pursuit, some people have been fortunate to turn the pastime into a long-term method of profitability. A select cabal of people who are also prepared to share that knowledge.

Knowledge that comes in attempting to beat the bookies with much regularity and with this band of heroes otherwise known as tipsters, they are prepared to offer up the insights that can turn a losing wager into a winner.

Rather Sage Advice

A tipster is always ready to offer their opinion and when they speak, the rest of the betting community is prepared to listen. Sometimes the tips are offered for free, sometimes the tips come at a cost.

Tips Can Make Football Betting Far Easier To Win

An outlay perhaps but one that can certainly be considered a worthwhile investment at the same time. While because the tipsters take the time to do the research and pour through the stats, it saves you plenty of the same commodity.

Finding a good tipster is worth its weight in goals and if you can find one who can get the better of the over/under 2.5 market, then it is a quickfire way to find the all-important advantage over those who set the odds.

4) Receive A Bonus

Another way to enhance your betting experience is by taking advantage of the many bonuses that are on offer. If there is a free bet or acca insurance being handed out by a bookmaker, be sure to make good use of it.

A free bet is a brilliant way to go for broke and take more risks. Why spend your money when you can spend somebody else’s? With nothing to lose, you may as well go for the bets with longer odds and who knows you might just strike it lucky from time to time.

The Insurance Policy

At the same time, accumulators are incredibly popular within the world of football betting and therefore, insurance is always a worthwhile thing to consider. If one leg of your five-fold (or more) falls short, you will at least get your stake back or receive a free bet.

Ultimately it is all about minimising potential risk as much as you possibly can, and this is why any bonuses should not be overlooked. The road to profitability may be a long one, but this route certainly can offer you a shortcut.

5) Log Your Performance

If you are someone who has a head for stats and figures, this last tip will make perfect sense to you and if you are going to make multiple football bets, keeping track of your overall performance comes highly recommended.

Not only can a spreadsheet help you track where things are going right, but perhaps more importantly they can also track where you are going wrong. Identify the latter quickly and you can hopefully eradicate any mistakes.

Track Your Progress

If you do not track your progress, you will not be able to track the necessary patterns that are leading to success or failure. You will not be able to track your profit and loss record and ultimately, the whole process will be largely disorganized.

A Spreadsheet Can Help Track Your Progress

Should you place plenty of bets on Serie A but are finding the league difficult to crack, a spreadsheet would highlight your low success rate and prompt you to bet on another competition. Use your bet tracker as a guide and it will be there to guide you towards being a much smarter football better.

This article was written by Dan Tracey on behalf of Kick Off, smart betting made simple.

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