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Your Complete Guide to Matched Betting
This is the matched betting guide that you have all been waiting for. We are going to cover all the basics of matched betting and make sure that by the time you have reached the bottom of this page you will have learnt all that you need to know about this topic. So, without further ado, let's get cracking because what we are about to tell you could change your life, and we are not even exaggerating here.
Many novice bettors think that free bets are rare, but they are not. Also, with matched betting, you can make sure that the free bets keep rolling in frequently. By making use of a simple calculator that can be found online, alongside free bets and promos, you can generate guaranteed profit. The best thing about matched betting is that you do not even need to have extensive sports knowledge to do it.
A back bet is basically the most traditional type of bet that you can make. What you are basically saying is that "I think this team, individual, or horse will win". If your selection wins, then you win your wager and make a profit. If you choose a horse in the Grand National, then you have backed that horse to win the race.
Lay bets have been made popular thanks to the rise of betting exchanges like Betfair. This is the opposite to a back bet as this time you are basically saying "I do not think this team, individual, or horse will win". If the team that you place a lay bet on does not win the game, then you win your bet. Also, if the game ends in a draw, then you will also win you lay bet because they still did not win the game.
The first bet you place is called a "qualifying bet" - this is what qualifies you to claim a free bet. You will not make a profit off this bet – in fact, you will probably end up losing a few cents. Once you have a free bet from a bookie, you can guarantee a profit via the back and lay method. This is because you are now using someone else's money for half of your bets, but you get to keep the profits.
There are two more things that will help you to understand the matched betting example that we will walk you through in a bit, and these are liability and lay commission. They sound a little confusing, but they sound more complex than they actually are.
Lay commission: When you are laying bets, you will have to pay a small percentage of your profits as commission. This commission is how betting exchanges such as Betfair make their money. Even with this commission, you will still get a decent profit most of the time.
Liability: This is the amount of cash that you will "lose" on your lay bet. For instance, if you placed €25 on a bookie with odds of 3.00, you stand to earn a €50 profit. The bookie's liability in this case is €50. When laying bets, you are basically the bookmaker. However, please keep in mind that you will not actually lose this money.
We are now going to give you an example to make things even clearer for you.
Let us say that a bookmaker is promising a free bet of €25 if you make a deposit with them and place your own €25 wager. The first thing that you have to do is register with them and then deposit your €25. You can then make use of an oddsmatcher to find something good to bet on - thanks to such sites, you do not have to find any bets yourself, meaning that you do not need any sporting knowledge at all. You simply use the oddsmatcher filters to select the bookie and the minimum odds that you need to bet on and you will get a good selection to bet on.
Let us say, for the sake of this example, that we are going to look for a Premier League match since it is the most popular and best league in the world. Let's pretend that Liverpool are playing Southampton and the oddsmatcher states that Liverpool have back odds (represented by the blue column) of 2.00 to win. The lay odds (represented by the pink column) are 2.02.
We put our €25 bet in Liverpool to win. Next, we head over to Betfair Exchange and Lay Liverpool (we bet on them not to win) with odds of 2.02. So, how do we know how much we should lay? Well, we us a lay betting calculator and by inputting the info that we already have, it will calculate what our lay stake needs to be.
So, from the above example, you would add the following to the calculator:
If Liverpool win, we will get a €25 profit with our bookie and lose €25.89 with Betfair Exchange. If Liverpool end up drawing or losing, then we will lose €25 with our bookie, but make a €24.11 profit with Betfair Exchange. So, either way, we will end up losing €0.89. This is your qualifying loss.
You now just repeat the same process as above, using your oddsmatcher to locate a bet with slightly better odds. The higher your odds, the more profit you will be able to make. However, remember that you will also need to have more money in your exchange balance in order to cover the liability.
We decide to place our next bet on Burnley. The oddsmatcher shows that they have odds of 5.00 to win, while their lay odds stand at 5.20. Again, making use of the matched betting calculator, we can change the mode from "Normal" (used for qualifying bets) to "Free Bet (SNR)". We then add all the information that we know which is as follows:
While a profit of €18 does not sound like an awful lot, you can repeat this multiple times and your bank balance will increase a lot faster than you imagine.
Written by Alan Spencer
What is Matched Betting?
Matched betting, to put it in as simple a way as can, is a low-risk type of gambling, usually on sport events, that is used to guarantee profits. You might hear it get called "no-risk betting" or "bonus hunting". By making use of free bets and other promos, matched bettors are guaranteed profits because all the outcomes of a match have been covered.Many novice bettors think that free bets are rare, but they are not. Also, with matched betting, you can make sure that the free bets keep rolling in frequently. By making use of a simple calculator that can be found online, alongside free bets and promos, you can generate guaranteed profit. The best thing about matched betting is that you do not even need to have extensive sports knowledge to do it.
Backing and Laying Bets
In order to do matched betting successfully, you need to know the difference between lay bets and back bets, so this is what we are going to explain to you right now.A back bet is basically the most traditional type of bet that you can make. What you are basically saying is that "I think this team, individual, or horse will win". If your selection wins, then you win your wager and make a profit. If you choose a horse in the Grand National, then you have backed that horse to win the race.
Lay bets have been made popular thanks to the rise of betting exchanges like Betfair. This is the opposite to a back bet as this time you are basically saying "I do not think this team, individual, or horse will win". If the team that you place a lay bet on does not win the game, then you win your bet. Also, if the game ends in a draw, then you will also win you lay bet because they still did not win the game.
How Does Matched Betting Work?
Matched betting works by making use of lay bets to remove the risk that back bets pose. In other words, you back and lay your money against the same result to remove all risk. You will not lose because every outcome has been covered. You will make the profit from the free bets and promotions you use.The first bet you place is called a "qualifying bet" - this is what qualifies you to claim a free bet. You will not make a profit off this bet – in fact, you will probably end up losing a few cents. Once you have a free bet from a bookie, you can guarantee a profit via the back and lay method. This is because you are now using someone else's money for half of your bets, but you get to keep the profits.
There are two more things that will help you to understand the matched betting example that we will walk you through in a bit, and these are liability and lay commission. They sound a little confusing, but they sound more complex than they actually are.
Lay commission: When you are laying bets, you will have to pay a small percentage of your profits as commission. This commission is how betting exchanges such as Betfair make their money. Even with this commission, you will still get a decent profit most of the time.
Liability: This is the amount of cash that you will "lose" on your lay bet. For instance, if you placed €25 on a bookie with odds of 3.00, you stand to earn a €50 profit. The bookie's liability in this case is €50. When laying bets, you are basically the bookmaker. However, please keep in mind that you will not actually lose this money.
How to Matched Bet
Matched betting is something that seems hard at first, but trust us when we say it really is not that tricky. It has become one of the go-to methods for students looking to make some extra money. It has also become popular among stay-at-home parents that are looking for some extra income. So, if is definitely worth your while to do matched betting, and if you do not want to just take our word for it, take a look at matched betting. Here you can also find some useful tips and pros and cons.We are now going to give you an example to make things even clearer for you.
Let us say that a bookmaker is promising a free bet of €25 if you make a deposit with them and place your own €25 wager. The first thing that you have to do is register with them and then deposit your €25. You can then make use of an oddsmatcher to find something good to bet on - thanks to such sites, you do not have to find any bets yourself, meaning that you do not need any sporting knowledge at all. You simply use the oddsmatcher filters to select the bookie and the minimum odds that you need to bet on and you will get a good selection to bet on.
Let us say, for the sake of this example, that we are going to look for a Premier League match since it is the most popular and best league in the world. Let's pretend that Liverpool are playing Southampton and the oddsmatcher states that Liverpool have back odds (represented by the blue column) of 2.00 to win. The lay odds (represented by the pink column) are 2.02.
We put our €25 bet in Liverpool to win. Next, we head over to Betfair Exchange and Lay Liverpool (we bet on them not to win) with odds of 2.02. So, how do we know how much we should lay? Well, we us a lay betting calculator and by inputting the info that we already have, it will calculate what our lay stake needs to be.
So, from the above example, you would add the following to the calculator:
- - Stake of €25
- - Back odds of 2.00
- - Lay odds of 2.02
- - Commission which is 5%
If Liverpool win, we will get a €25 profit with our bookie and lose €25.89 with Betfair Exchange. If Liverpool end up drawing or losing, then we will lose €25 with our bookie, but make a €24.11 profit with Betfair Exchange. So, either way, we will end up losing €0.89. This is your qualifying loss.
What's a Qualifying Loss?
A qualifying loss is basically the small amount of cash that you lose when matched betting in order to activate a free bet. It is a small investment for a bigger financial reward. So, you lost 89 cents, but you now landed a €25 free bet.You now just repeat the same process as above, using your oddsmatcher to locate a bet with slightly better odds. The higher your odds, the more profit you will be able to make. However, remember that you will also need to have more money in your exchange balance in order to cover the liability.
We decide to place our next bet on Burnley. The oddsmatcher shows that they have odds of 5.00 to win, while their lay odds stand at 5.20. Again, making use of the matched betting calculator, we can change the mode from "Normal" (used for qualifying bets) to "Free Bet (SNR)". We then add all the information that we know which is as follows:
- - Back stake of €25
- - Back odds of 5.00
- - Lay odds of 5.20
- - Commission of 5%
While a profit of €18 does not sound like an awful lot, you can repeat this multiple times and your bank balance will increase a lot faster than you imagine.
Written by Alan Spencer
