Popular Betting Strategies: Picking the Right One

Experienced betting customers will no doubt implement methods and strategies when placing sports bets. 

With the ever-increasing exposure of sport, there is a huge demand for knowledge. Statistics and data are extremely popular and betting customers have realised how this information can be used to help create betting strategies.

There are many different types of betting strategy. Any betting method will have its advantages and disadvantages. Punters will rightly justify and give reason to their selections based on a method however all betting strategies come with risk.

The best betting strategies

Value Betting

This is perhaps the simplest of sports betting methods. The requirements of placing bets using value are that the punter needs to have knowledge to help identify the most appealing odds for a sporting event.

By having knowledge, gained from a keen interest in a sport, or identifying key statistics, bets can be placed on what is believed to be good value.

As an example, a soccer fan, who has a strong interest in the sport can access information about recent results, player stats, goal stats amongst information about injuries and team form. By putting the stats together, the value can be judged from what odds are being offered by the bookmaker.

This is a very simple betting strategy and relies on an individual identifying the odds that are deemed to be of value. The method, however, is not foolproof and in sporting events between two teams, anything can occur.

Martingale

This betting system has been in place and used for many years. On the face of this strategy, it appears very straightforward and can be implemented quite easily.

To explain this method in its simplest form, a bet is placed and if it loses, the next bet is doubled to cover the original stake. If the bet keeps losing the next stake is always double the previous stake.

To explain further, the Martingale betting strategy can be used on a 50 / 50 bets. As an example, the toss of a coin can be used. For the first toss of the coin, a stake of $1 could be placed on the outcome being heads. The coin is tossed and if it lands on heads then the bet is won. If the coin lands on tails, then obviously the bet has lost. The martingale method now means that the punter must place double the original stake for the next toss of the coin, therefore covering the original stake. This will be $2. The punter calls heads. Once again the coin is tossed and the coin lands on tails. The bet has lost again. The next stake must be doubled again, which means in this example the stake for the next toss of the coin is £4. It is completely conceivable that the coin never lands on what is being bet on as there is a 50/50 chance however, it is likely that at some stage the coin will land to win the bet.

The advantages of this system is that the stake is always covered, so the punter will always believe that they cannot lose. The disadvantage of this method is that the amount wagered can rise extremely quickly if the bet continues to lose. 

Fibonacci System      

It is widely believed that the Fibonacci sequence is a part of our everyday lives. Theorists believe that the sequence appears in many parts of nature and due to the mathematical rule, gamblers have taken the reasoning and have created a method known as the Fibonacci system. 

The Fibonacci strategy is very similar to the Martingale in that it is also a negative progression system. 

This system is suited to even odds betting where there is a 50 / 50 chance of a positive outcome. The stake is always covered and so if bets are continuously placed there is the belief that the bet will win. 

The Fibonacci system has been used in soccer to bet on draws and has proved successful. Rather than doubling the stake, the sequence is followed by 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34 and so on. To explain further each stake will follow the sequence of numbers if the bet continues to lose. The next stake is the number equal to the previous two stakes, added together. This allows the stake to be covered when the eventual win happens. But like other betting strategies, the number of stakes can quickly rise.

Percentage staking

This type of betting strategy is used by punters who like to have control over there bets. With any type of gambling, it is important to do so responsibly and percentage staking is an excellent example of knowing and setting limits; by keeping to the same strict way of placing bets.

Percentage staking starts by having a total amount to be wagered. This could be set over the course of a sporting season, it could be by month or week or it could be over a particular tournament. 

Once this limit has been decided the punter then chooses how much they are willing to wager each time they place a bet, as a percentage of the total remaining bankroll. 

As an example, a betting customer has a total bankroll of $100 for the Ashes series against England. The customer will choose to wager 2% every time they place a bet. So for the first bet on the first test match, the bet will be $2. If the bet wins then the bankroll increases for the next bet and again 2% of the bankroll will be staked. If the bet loses then the bankroll will be $98. Following the system, the next stake will be 2% of $98 which is $1.96. This is, of course, the percentage betting strategy in its most simplest form. 

The advantage of betting this way is that the punter is setting their own limits and hopefully betting within their means. Setting limits creates control and as long as the method is repeated the punter will bet no more than the original bankroll. The disadvantage compared to other methods is that if the bets repeatedly lose, the initial stake isn’t covered and eventually the bankroll will run out.

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