Whether you’re a fan of the odd flutter or you’ve never placed a bet in your life, there’ll be some things about betting online that you don’t know about just yet. Finding the best odds, making the most of deals, and understanding form, can all be a bit confusing for beginners. So, we’ve rounded up the best tips for helping you feel like you know what you’re doing. Follow all of these and before long you’re guaranteed to be the champion tipster in your friendship group.
Free Bets Are Your Friend
If you’re a beginner then looking for a free bet is a good place to start. BETMGM is currently offering a risk free bet of up to $600, so even if you want to bet pretty big, you can do so. In this way, you’ll not have to worry about losing money if the outcome isn’t what you predicted. Although the offer can seem a little too good to be true, there’s something in it for the betting companies too: your custom. The vast majority of betting sites will make some kind of offer to new sign-ups. It could be a deposit match bonus, where they deposit the same amount of money as you do (in your first deposit) into your account. It could be a no deposit bonus, where they’ll deposit a specified amount of money into your account for you to bet with, without you having to spend your own money. Free bets are pretty self-explanatory, but all of these sorts of bonuses will ensure that you’re given a bit of a head start in your sports betting hobby.
Watch the Action
The most important thing to remember about sports betting is that we should all be doing it for the love of the sport. Even professional sports bettors will tell you that they got into their profession because they adore a particular sport. So, if you want to be the best, start by copying them. Go to see your favourite rugby team play, check out that next football match, spend a day at the races. Being up close and personal to the sports stars you’re betting on will give you a greater appreciation, and most importantly, a better understanding of the sport. Having a good depth of knowledge on the sport that you want to bet on is the single best way to improve your win percentage. The bonus is, you’ll have lots of fun gaining that knowledge too!
How to Understand Form
Reading form is one of the most vital parts of sports betting, but it can get confusing. Different sports present their form in different ways; something like baseball form is totally different to something like Nordic-combined, where even seasoned bettors might struggle. Devote some time to looking at your favourite sports, up to a maximum of three. Each will have differences in the way the form card is presented and making sure you learn those differences is a good way to avoid making mistakes. All of the information that you need to make an informed bet is presented on the form card. In horse racing, for example, you’ll find everything from the weight of the jockey, to the sex of the horse, the performances from all of its racing career, and the ground it likes to travel on. This is alongside information on trainers, owners, silk colour, coat colour, and more. At first, it can feel a little daunting, but after a while, you’ll start to know what to look out for. Take your time with this one, as it will make a big difference to your results.
Follow a Tipster or Two
If you want a little headstart in understanding online sports betting, then the best place to get it is from the people who really understand it: tipsters. Look for tipsters with a large following at first; you don’t want to opt for someone obscure only to find out that they don’t know what they’re talking about. Once you’ve found a handful of tipsters for your chosen sport, take note of who they’re rooting for. You’ll be able to glean a lot of information from following those who’ve been betting for a while, plus there are no rules on stealing their tips and using them as your own with friends. Just make sure you’ve got that sporting knowledge to back it up!