August 4, 2018.

          Every football fan fancies themselves as a football punter. It’s one way you can demonstrate your “superior knowledge” of the game and earn some money in the process.

          Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as that. You may have predicted Barcelona to win the Champions League last season and hedged your bets or either United or City to win the Premier League this season. But, the chances are, you still lost money money overall last season and are probably in the red this time around too.

 HOW TO BE A BETTER FOOTBALL PUNTER

          

You may be able to pick out a great bet here and there but what you lack is consistency. Here are five tips to make you a more intelligent, methodical and successful football punter.

  1.   BET WITH YOUR HEAD 

          If you bet on football, the chances are you also support a team. The worst thing you can do is avidly bet on your team to win because you are betting through a supporter’s eyes. You are betting with your heart, rather than your head.

          Your lowly, mid-table side may host one of the big boys of your division and you may well be convinced your lot can “teach those Big Time Charlie’s a lesson".One 5-0 home drubbing later, you are wondering what went wrong while you look at your losing betting slip with utter disbelief.

There are plenty of more suitable betting options available each week, it just takes a little effort to find them.

2.     BET WITH VALUE

          This takes a little more effort than just sticking “the big three” into an accumulator and hoping they don’t drop points but if you approach your betting as a long-term investment, then you should profit over time.

          If you believe the bookmaker’s odds are higher than the chance of the result occurring, you can class it as a “value” bet.You can check for potential “value” yourself with a very quick numerical calculation. Any result with a 1.0 or higher indicates the bet could be a value one.Let’s say you believe Team A has a 50 percent chance of winning and the best odds available are at the even money (2.0) mark.50 percent becomes 0.50 in decimals. Multiply that figure by the best odds available (in this case 2.0) and you get 0.50 * 2.0 = 1.0.This means that at odds of 2.0, the bet just about equals value and you shouldn’t touch it if your bookmaker offers a lower price.

3.    LOOK FOR AN EXTRA EDGE

          As we all know, football is a game played by real individuals and you cannot rely solely upon mathematics to make an informed decision. Sometimes, other factors come into play which can influence your decision about whether a bet equals value or not.

          For example, you may have read a flu-bug has swept through a particular club and it is likely two or three key players, including the top goal scorer and most creative midfielder could be missing. Suddenly, the 5.0 odds on the opposition look very tempting.

          A team may be in deep financial trouble and players are deserting the club like rats from a sinking ship. That side could be significantly weakened and the odds on the opposition are likely to plummet. Get your money on before they do!

4.    ALWAYS BET AT THE BEST PRICE

          An easy way to squeeze an extra 10, 15 or even 20 percent in profits from your betting is by always staking your money on the best odds available.

          That means having an account at a range of different bookmakers and betting exchanges.Bookmakers odds vary because they may take a slightly different stance on each result when they open the market but also alter their odds accordingly as money comes in so they keep a balanced book.

          As an incentive to obtain your business, most bookmakers offer free bets so you can enjoy a risk-free flutter and grow your betting bank significantly at the same time.

5.    DON’T BET WHAT YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE

          The most important piece of advice you will receive with regards to betting on football, or any other sport for that matter, is never bet more money than you can afford to lose.

          Betting should be viewed as a sideline, a possible way to supplement your existing income rather than a desperate method to pay your bills.Remember, a particular team doesn’t “need” to win their match just so you can win your bet and prevent the bank from taking your house.Keep a clear head when betting and choose your bets methodically.

          There is nothing worse than placing a string of “kamikaze” bets and ending up worse of financially than beforehand!


If you must play,

decide upon three things at the start:

the rules of the game,

the stakes,

and the quitting time.