Welcome to the Honest Betting Reviews blog. Here you can find the latest updates on betting systems and tipsters currently under review as well as our tips on how to beat the bookies with the best winning betting systems we have profited from,

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Rod’s Runners – Service Update

N.B. – Please note as of early October 2018 this service has been discontinued.

 

 

 

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Rod’s Runners – Seven Month Update

28th May 2018

Back in January we completed a review of Rod’s Runners (which you can view below), a horse racing tipster who goes for big priced winners

Here at Honest Betting Reviews we like to continue following services to check that they carry on warranting passed ratings.

So having continued to monitor Rod’s Runners, we can report that it has performed excellently since our review ended too, racking up another 520 points profit.

All in all since we have been proofing the tips, Rod’s Runners has made over 740 points profit, which would be over £7,400 profit to just £10 stakes.

That includes hitting a 110/1 winner at Betfair SP just the other day, and comes on the back of a number of massive-priced winners including at 60/1 and 33/1.

As we said in our original review, this is a service you need a big bank and good nerves to follow, as they target long-odds shots so the strike rate is lower than with some other services.

But if you are comfortable with that then you could be enjoying some fantastic returns with this one.

It is looking like this could become one of the very best tipsters out there if it can continue producing these kind of results over the long term and we will be following it with interest.

You can check out Rod’s Runners here for just £1 for a 10 day trial.

 

 

 

 

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Rod’s Runners – Final Review

8th January 2018

We have reached the end of our three month trial of Rod’s Runners and here are the final results:-

 

Profit/Loss:   +221 points 
Strike Rate:   10%
Bank Growth:     55%
ROI:   11%
Average number of bets:     20 per day
Cost:   £1 for 30 days then £39.95/month, £99.95/quarter or £479.95 for life
VERDICT:   PASSED
Rating:

 

You can view full results here.

 

Rod’s Runners – Full Review

 

Rod’s Runners is a horse racing tipster from the reputable Betting Gods platform. 

We have completed a three month trial of the service and it has been a roller-coaster ride to say the least!

At one point we were 172 points down at advised prices, only for things to turn around and finish with a profit of 221 points.

You can see how topsy-turvy the trial was in the graph below:-

Rod's Runners Profit Graph

At Betfair SP we were actually 260 points down at one point, which would have been the entire advised bank gone!

For some people, a wild ride like that would be too much and they would not have stayed with the service, but it does show you the importance of a long-term approach to betting.

The service is very high volume, with an average of 20 bets per day, so you need to dedicate the time to placing those bets.

Overall we have awarded Rod’s Runners a PASSED rating as it did finish with a profit of 221 points which is very good, but this is a service that will not be to everyone’s tastes.

Firstly you need to have a large betting bank and a tolerance for long losing runs, as the strike rate is low at just 10%. Then as we say, you need to have time to place an average of 20 bets per day.

If you are willing to accept both of those things, then the rewards for following Rod’s Runners have been high so far and clearly he does seem to have an edge on the market in identifying value horses.

 

Service Breakdown

Ease of use: As we say it is quite a time-consuming service to follow with around 20 bets per day. Usually there is an evening e-mail with the selections for the next day, plus a morning one with further selections for that day. 

Availability of prices: There is generally not too much stress on prices early on, but over the course of the day they do tend to get pushed in, so it is advisable to get your bets on as early as possible. There was a big difference between the advised prices and Betfair SP results, with the latter returning 79 points versus 221 with the former.

Strike rate: The strike rate during the trial was 10%, which is quite low and there were some long losing streaks to contend with – some 30 and 40 bet losing streaks for example.

Advised Betting Bank: A 250 point bank is advised for following the service, but we felt that was quite a bit too low given that we went 172 points down at advised prices and 260 points down at Betfair SP. We think a 400 point bank should be used when following the service.  

Subscription costs: The subscription costs are £1 for the first 30 days then £39.95 per month, £99.95 per quarter or £479.95 for a lifetime subscription.

 

OVERALL VERDICT: PASSED

Rod’s Runners is one of those services that won’t be to everyone’s tastes.

You need to have a high tolerance for risk and be able to endure long losing runs and drawdowns in your bank if you want to follow the service.

At the same time, you will need the time to be able to place around 20 bets per day, which can take upwards of half an hour.

If you have these things, then the rewards can be very high, as we saw during our trial with a final total of over 220 points profit.

So ultimately it is a decision for you as to whether this is the sort of service that will suit your betting tastes, but based on the results of the trial overall we are happy to award Rod’s Runners a PASSED rating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Rod’s Runners – Results Update

14th November 2017

There are two main things to note from the progress of Rod’s Runners so far.

The first is that given the fairly horrendous results experienced by the service from the start of our trial in mid-September until the end of October, most punters would have abandoned the service at that point.

At the end of October we were over 170 points down to advised prices and over 250 points down at Betfair SP.

With a bank of 250 points advised for the service, that would actually be the entire bank gone if you were backing at Betfair SP.

So as we say, the vast majority of punters would have long left the service by that point.

However, in a remarkable turnaround, Rod has managed to recover all the losses at advised prices and is now level at advised prices.

You can view full results here.

At Betfair SP he has recovered to 106 points down.

So the second point is that any punters who did stick with Rod would have been rewarded by winning back most, if not all, of their losses.

It shows you therefore the importance of taking a long-term approach and having a big enough betting bank.

For most gamblers it would be simply too much to stomach a 150-250 point loss and that is understandable. But the more hardy ones can be rewarded sometimes as we have seen here.

In any event, it seems clear that the service is not practical to follow at Betfair SP so only those with access to multiple bookie accounts should consider this service.

Hopefully the positive run will have continued by the time of our next update.

 

 

 

 

 

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Rod’s Runners – Results Update

6th October 2017

Oh dear. 

It’s been a thoroughly rotten start to our trial of Rod’s Runners, which has lost a rather shocking 56 points so far to advised prices.

You can view full results here.

The only small piece of good news so far is that we are doing a little better at Betfair SP than at advised prices, with 51 points lost so far.

This is a very high volume service, with over 300 bets placed so far after just three weeks, so it is easy to see how losses (and conversely profits) can stack up very quickly.

Hopefully by the time of our next update we will be able to report that it is profits rather than losses that are stacking up. 

 

 

 

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Rod’s Runners – New Review

14th September 2017

Today we are commencing a new trial of a horse racing tipster here at Honest Betting Reviews.

The service in question is called Rod’s Runners and comes from the reputable Betting Gods stable of tipsters.

Having followed horse racing since his days at university, Rod has apparently gone from amateur punter to professional gambler after spending years perfecting his craft and spends many hours each day studying the form.

We are particularly excited by this trial as the results achieved to date look pretty outstanding. 

Since launching at the beginning of May, Rod’s tips have made a whopping £950 per month profit to just £10 stakes!

That is pretty incredible and although over a short period of time, is one of the highest points totals we have ever seen.

The return on investment of the tips so far is over 25% which is excellent going. The strike rate is quite low at a tad over 15%, which indicates this is a service that looks for long-odds winners.

And so the results confirm this, with plenty of winners at 20/1+

What is interesting to us about that is the possibility of good results being achievable at Betfair SP, since at long odds you tend to get better value at BSP.

Of course if the tips become really popular then this may become negated somewhat.

In any event, it is worth investigating under a live trial and to see how prices hold up, so we will kick off a three month trial of this asap. 

Just a warning that it is quite a high volume service, with 5-10 bets per day, so be ready for that if you do sign up.

Anyway, should be an interesting trial either way and we are keen to get going on this. Results will be posted here periodically.

In the meantime you can check out Rod’s Runners here. 

 

 

 

 

Golf Trading Strategies

Golf is one of the most popular sports to bet on and attracts large amounts of interest particularly around major championships and big events like the Ryder Cup. 

However, whilst vast amounts of information has been written about trading other sports like football, horse racing and tennis, there is very little guidance available online about trading golf.

We thought it was about time we put that right and provided some examples of golf trading strategies for Betfair. 

After all, with such huge fluctuations in odds during a golf tournament – particularly during a final round when players are jockeying for the title – it should present the budding trader with plenty of opportunities to make a profit. 

We will delve into these further below, but first a quick introduction to how to trade the golf markets on Betfair.

 

How to Trade the Golf Markets on Betfair

Before we get into discussing specific trading strategies for the golf markets, it is probably worth a quick summary of how to trade golf on Betfair for those who may be unaware.

If you are going to trade golf tournaments, then really the only market worth talking about in terms of having enough liquidity to trade is the outright winner market. Most of the other markets like top 5 finish, top 10 finish and 1st round leader will have virtually no liquidity once they go in-running.

So you just want to concentrate on the tournament winner market. This week for example we have the Dunhill Links Championship on the European Tour. It has attracted a good field just after the Ryder Cup and there should be reasonable liquidity in-running.

So we go to the golf markets on Betfair and select the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, then click on Winner, which brings up the outright market:

 

As you can see, Brooks Koepka is the favourite for the event at 12.5. 

So an example of a trade would be if you thought Koepka was going to do well, you could back him at 12.5 and then lay him at a lower price during the tournament if he gets towards the top of the leaderboard. 

Let’s say you backed him for £10 at 12.5 and his price then falls to 6.0. You would be in a position then to take a profit of £10.80 whatever happens, by trading out of your position for equal gain.

Of course if Koepka struggles, his price would drift and you would then have to decide at what price you would want to lay him at and for what loss. 

Either way though, that is a simple example of a golf trade on Betfair and shows you how it works. 

 

A Word on Liquidity

Just quickly before we get onto the strategies, a brief word of caution about liquidity. 

It is not a good idea to trade the Betfair markets if there is not enough liquidity, as you won’t be able to get out of your position easily and in some cases would be forced to take poor value. 

Generally speaking, the top events like the majors, World Golf Championships and top PGA Tour events have strong liquidity and are ideal trading events. Usually events with the top players like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and co will also mean good liquidity. 

The events to be careful of are moderate European Tour events with fields lacking Europe’s top players – they will often have poor liquidity in-running. And certainly avoid women’s and seniors’ events, as they usually have dire liquidity and the options for trading will be very limited indeed. 

This may of course change in future but for the time being it is sensible to stick to the big events with the top players. 

OK, so having covered the issue of liquidity, let’s move on to discussing the strategies. 

 

 

                  —————–Check out our number one rated golf tipster here—————–

 

 

Strategy One – Trade the Course

The first strategy we use to trade the golf markets is what we have nicknamed “Trade the Course.”

What we mean by this is to use the way a course plays – with easy and difficult holes or stretches of holes – to set up your trades. 

Players just about to play an easy hole or stretch of holes have a good chance of seeing their price drop if they can pick up a shot or more over that stretch. 

Let’s look for example at one of the most famous golf courses in the world – Augusta National. The home of the Masters has many iconic holes that stick in the memory. But these holes vary significantly in their difficulty and players’ average scores over the holes. 

The toughest stretch of holes at Augusta is the run from 10th to the 12th hole, which contain two long and testing par 4s that yield plenty of bogeys and double bogeys, as well as a tricky par 3 over water. These holes regularly play over par on average and most players will be delighted to come out of them at level par and would probably even often accept playing the holes in one over par.

So laying a player as they enter this stretch and backing them as they exit it can prove very profitable. If they struggle through it and throw in a double bogey or two then their odds will significantly increase. 

Of course not every player will play the stretch badly. Some will play it in even par, meaning you will probably be able to trade out for roughly break-even. The odd player may even play it under par. But that’s OK – you can’t win every trade, it’s about winning a majority of them and in this case the large majority of times players will struggle over these holes rather than play them well. The trade works even better in windy or cold conditions. 

Conversely, at Augusta the easiest holes are from 13 to 15 (you could even include 16 in that depending on where the pin is situated on the green), with two reachable par 5s and a relatively easy par 4, where many players will hit a wedge or short iron for their second shot. 

So this time you would back the player as they begin the 13th hole and lay them as they finish the 15th (or 16th if the pin is located on the low side of the green where the balls tend to feed down to). 

If they pick up two or three birdies – or even throw in an eagle – then you will be looking at a decent profit on the trade. 

This trade doesn’t tend to work where you have leaders playing in the same group or groups close to each other so that they are playing the same holes at the same time, but in other circumstances we have found it to be a reliable and consistent trading method.

Each course will have its stretches of easy and tough holes. It is just a question of researching the course and looking at the stroke indexes for the holes. Obviously par 5s will normally play the easiest holes and yield the most birdies.

 

Strategy Two – Trading Shots

The second trading strategy we want to outline is one which involves trading around individual shots taken by players in-running.

This is a quickfire method that requires you to get in and out of trades very quickly, so it is essential to only operate this trade in tournaments with excellent liquidity – so the biggest tournaments with the top players. 

The idea is to take advantage of big movements in prices that can happen on the basis of a single shot, particularly where the market has already built in expectations about what is likely to happen.

Trading players when they are putting can pay dividends.

So for example it could be that a player has hit a great approach shot into five feet. The market will often shift as if they have already made the birdie, as people rush to grab a piece of the action, thus pushing the price lower. But if the player in question is a suspect short putter or has a particularly tricky putt, then it could prove effective to in fact lay them before they hit the putt. 

In the instance that they miss the putt, the price will tend to move back towards the level it was before they hit the approach shot – or sometimes even higher – giving you a very healthy profit. If they hole the putt however, you may only get a few ticks down or even not much movement at all, meaning a very small loss or even a risk-free trade. 

Conversely you could take a view on a very good putter who has just hit an approach shot into a green of around 20 to 25 feet. The market will normally presume they will two putt from there and if they do so the market is unlikely to move very much. But if they hole the putt, then their price can drop quite a lot. giving you a very good risk/reward ratio on the trade. 

This works best on those players who are good long putters. Jordan Spieth is an example of a player who holes a lot of medium to long putts, although he is quite well known for it so the market may anticipate him holing a little more than with most players. Other players who are good long putters and worth keeping an eye on include Brandt Snedeker, Alex Noren, Phil Mickelson, Kevin Kisner and Brian Gay. It is also worth checking the PGA Tour putting stats for up-to-date figures on who the best putters on tour are. 

You can apply the single-shot strategy to a variety of scenarios, including where players are about to hit a very tough shot (for example the 17th tee shot at Sawgrass or the approach shot at the 17th at St Andrews). 

The key is to identify where there is the potential for a big price move, but that the market has not anticipated yet. Successfully carrying out this trade comes with practice and it is probably best to paper trade this one until you have mastered it because it does need some speed and experience to execute. 

As we say, you need very good liquidity to operate it effectively so that you are not caught short unable to trade out your position. 

 

 

——–Check out the golf system that has made over £10,000 profit to £10 stakes here———

 

 

Strategy Three – Trading Players in Contention

One of the most interesting strategies is to take a view on players who are in contention during the final round of a tournament.

This is an approach where you are looking to take on players who have shown themselves to be mentally suspect under pressure and to back those who have shown themselves to be able to close out tournaments when under the gun.

It can be very profitable but does take a degree of getting to know the players and their relative mental strength.

What you are looking for is a player who gets into the lead (or very close to the lead) during the final round and sees their odds drop to around evens or below, but where it is a tight situation with only a shot or two in it and a number of players close behind. 

If this player has shown themselves to be suspect when getting into position to win a tournament, then it can be a great time to lay them.

Some players really struggle when the finishing line approaches and find it difficult to continue playing their normal game. Their nerves get the better of them and suddenly their swing becomes erratic and their putts a little edgy. 

This lack of ability is usually reflected in stats for players who have a lot of second and third place finishes with very few wins. Some classic examples of this kind of player are Kevin Na and Charles Howell III. Sergio Garcia used to be one in major championships until he finally got over the line at Augusta, but you still would have made a lot of money by laying him when in contention in the majors up until then.

There are other players who are very consistent performers and rack up a lot of top tens but don’t win as often as people think or the odds often warrant. An example of this kind of player is Justin Rose, who has won only nine events in ten years on the PGA Tour, despite being in contention frequently.

Although he is undoubtedly an excellent golfer, Rose’s odds when he is contention will often crash in the same way as other players who have much more prolific winning records like Spieth, Johnson and Thomas, even though he doesn’t win nearly as often as those players. That is not to say Rose is mentally fragile, just that he doesn’t tend to hole as many putts as the other players at the very top of the game.

One thing to bear in mind when operating this strategy is that players’ mental strength is a changeable factor and it should not be presumed to be fixed. Sometimes a big breakthrough win can change a player’s whole outlook and make them much more confident when in contention in future. Be prepared to adjust your ratings of players’ mental strength over time, particularly after they’ve had a breakthrough win. 

 

General Trading Advice

It is important to remember that success in trading is as much about your mindset and discipline as about the strategies you use. 

If you don’t approach things in the right way and are undisciplined, then losses can ensue and can be quite painful. 

Here are some general guidelines to bear in mind when approaching your trading:

  • – Always have a clear plan before you start to trade – with specific entry and exit points and a plan of what to do if the trade goes against you.
  • – Only risk a fixed percentage of your bank on each trade and don’t vary it.
  • – Don’t go chasing losses or risking bigger amounts to try and make back a losing trade.
  • – Don’t over-trade. If you are feeling tired, losing concentration and starting to make mistakes, it is best to take a break and come back later or the next day when you are fresher.
  • – Don’t  try and trade more than one event at a time – certainly when starting off anyway. You will probably end up in trouble and not able to keep on top of multiple events at once.
  • – Consider using some trading software such as Bet Angel or Fairbot to assist your trading.

Hopefully following these simple guidelines will help you avoid making some of the mistakes that many traders commit when starting out. 

 

 

Conclusion – Golf Trading Strategies

 

That is our introduction to trading the golf markets on Betfair and we hope it has given you some ideas to get going.

Just remember to always be disciplined in your trading and don’t go chasing losses and trading on a whim. Have your strategies worked out in advance and stick to them.

If you do that, golf trading can be quite profitable – and also enjoyable when one of your set-ups plays out just the way you planned it.

As always, please gamble responsibly and only risk money you can afford to lose.

Check out the golf tipster that has made over £13,000 profit to £10 stakes here. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Should You Play Free Slots Before Playing for Real Money?

If you are new to online video slot machines, you might not realise there are two ways in which you can play: you can play for real money and enjoy the thrill of trying land that big jackpot, or you can play for fun at many top casino sites.

But is worth playing for free before trying your luck with real cash?

In the old days, when you could only play traditional slot machines in bars, clubs, hotels and arcades, the only way you could learn to play was by pumping real cash into a machine. It could take a while – and a fair bit of money – to understand every aspect of the game. But the arrival of internet-based games has changed all that and you can now play many games for free.

 

 

The benefits of playing free online slots

Free online slots are sometimes referred to as demo or practice games. And it is the word practice that is key here. Whatever game you play, your chances of winning will be improved through practice. You won’t become luckier, but by understanding the rules of any game, you will be more likely to avoid making mistakes that could cost you. And when there is money involved, this is vital.

Playing for free can help you to understand a slot game, the kind of bonuses you may encounter and the strategy required to have the best chance of winning. There is no point landing multipliers, free spins and scatter or wild symbols if you do not know what they mean or how they can be used to best effect.

More ways to learn to play

Whatever game you play, you should seek out a demo version first and take it for a spin. Even then it is always worth watching a video tutorial on playing for real before you actually part with any cash. Some areas of the real game may be restricted when you play for fun, especially on jackpot slots. So it makes sense to use every tool you can to get fully up to speed with the gameplay.

Where to play free online slots

You can find free online slot games on your desktop browser and also on your mobile, either as a flash-powered game or in downloadable form. The sites that host these games are often the same ones that offer real money games. Many will give you the choice to play the demo or the real version of the game.

You still need luck to be a winner

Remember, no matter how well you know a game, you still need some luck to be a winner. Learning a game inside out will help you avoid mistakes, but the odds are still tilted towards the house. Whether you are playing in a casino or online, the trick is to give yourself the best chance of winning while minimising the amount you lose. And of course, the house has to lose sometimes. And in those situations, somebody gets lucky.

 

 

 

 

 

tennis ball bouncing on line

Tennis Trading Strategies

Tennis is one of the most popular sports to trade on Betfair, with millions regularly traded in-play on matches.

The volatile nature of the odds, which can fluctuate wildly not just from game-to-game, but from point-to-point, make it an ideal medium for shrewd traders. Indeed, there are some who trade tennis professionally and make a living from it. 

With an almost year-round tennis schedule and multiple tournaments most weeks on the ATP and WTA tours, there are no shortage of matches to trade and no lack of angles to attack.

There is great interest in trading tennis in-play, meaning there is also usually excellent liquidity and you can normally get good value for your trades and most bets matched easily (if you are quick enough, that is).

So with all this going for it, you might think it would be easy to make money from trading tennis.

Well, sadly that is not the case and those who approach it without a clearly thought-out strategy can get badly burned and rack up substantial losses.

It is vital to have some trading strategies planned out in advance and to know when to apply them – and how. 

Below we have put together a guide with some tennis trading strategies that could be used, as well as some general advice on how to be a successful trader.

We hope you find the guide useful and it helps you to trade the tennis markets in-play.

 

How to Trade the Tennis Markets on Betfair

In case you aren’t aware of how the tennis markets work on Betfair, here is a brief summary. 

The idea of trading is to lay at a lower price than you back, thus giving you a profit from the trade. Here is an example from a match between Katerina Siniakova and Caroline Garcia:

The match is tight in the third set and we decide to back Caroline Garcia as the first part of our trade at 1.69 for £2.

 

Caroline Garcia then goes onto hold her serve and her price drops down to 1.42 to lay.

 

 

So we can then trade this out by simply clicking the yellow “Cash Out” button, thus giving us a profit of £0.38 whatever happens.

In very simple terms that is how to trade the tennis markets on Betfair. However, we obviously don’t just want to be randomly backing and laying players and hoping that the odds fall our way. We want to have some clear strategies that will help us make some profits. Let’s have a look at some of those strategies below.

 

                       —————–Check out our number one rated tennis betting system here—————–

 

Strategy One – Back the Server

Perhaps the best known and most straightforward trading strategy in tennis is to back the server. This involves backing a player before they are about to serve and laying them at the end of their service game. The idea is obviously that you expect the player to hold their serve.

It is a fairly straightforward trade to operate and can prove very effective in certain situations. It is obviously best applied to those players who most regularly hold their serve. You can get detailed service stats from atptour.com, where they list the percentage of games that each player holds:

As you can see from the graphic, John Isner is the highest rated server at the time of writing and holds his serve an amazing 94% of the time, closely followed by Ivo Karlovic who holds serve at a rate of 92.7%.

So backing these servers at the start of their service game and laying off at the end of the game is likely to have a high probability of success as a trade.

Here is an example of a back the server trade from a game between Andy Murray and Zhizhen Zhang. 

It is a tight match in the third set and Murray is about to serve. His odds are 1.31:

Murray goes on to hold serve and his odds drop to 1.19 to lay, allowing an easy 12 pips of profit from the trade:

So that is the strategy in essence, but there are a few things to consider if you are going to follow the strategy of backing the server though:

  • – If the trade goes against you, the loss can be significant – often over 50 ticks – so be prepared for that and plan out your staking accordingly so it doesn’t bust your bank if the server is broken.
  • – There is typically more of a price movement for service holds/breaks in the final set, as the match gets closer to its conclusion than in the first set – and also towards the end of sets.
  • – The market tends to be more aware of the big servers like Isner, Roanic and Karlovic, so the tick movements for them holding serve are likely to be small. It can pay to follow some less well-known but effective servers with this strategy.
  • – It can also pay to look for players who are weak returners as much as those who are strong servers. If a player has a poor record of breaking serve then it can be profitable to back the other server, presuming they are a decent server of course.
  • – The surface is also important. There are significantly more service holds on grass for example than clay, so be careful if you are using this strategy on clay or other slow surfaces.

Bearing these points in mind and through careful player, match and surface selection, the back the server trading strategy can be effective on the Betfair markets.

 

Strategy Two – Lay the Server

The exact opposite to the strategy above, this time we are laying the server. 

Just as when backing the server we are looking for strong servers, in this case we are looking for weak servers – and good returners. If we can get a scenario with both at the same time then we are in a really good position. 

We can look towards the bottom of the ATP Tour’s servers list to see who the worst servers are. The ATP Tour website also has stats for returners, so we can see who the best ones are: 

As you can see, Rafael Nadal breaks his opponent’s serve a whopping 34.5% of the time, which is quite an incredible stat. 

Most of the time Nadal will be very short odds when he is playing against lesser players though, so there may not be much potential profit from laying his opponent when Nadal starts the match at 1.05 for example.

But when he is up against better opponents from inside the world’s top 10, he can be value to break serve. 

There are others on this list who may not be so famed for having a great return, like Schwartzman, Goffin and Chung, but they have excellent return stats and could well be value to use for the lay the server strategy.

Just as with the back the serve strategy, the idea is to lay the server just before their service game and back them at the end. If their serve is broken, then there will be a big swing in odds – thus delivering a large profit. 

The women’s game can be the best place to utilise this strategy, as breaks of serve are regular, particularly on the slower surfaces like clay. Some women only manage to hold onto their serve about half the time, meaning you have a good chance of a successful trade laying them every time they serve, particularly if they are up against a good returner. 

 

Strategy Three – In-Game Trading

The next strategy involves trading during a game and looking for quick gains after one or two points.

This is a little more risky as you need to be in and out quickly, but given the high liquidity of tennis on Betfair and by using some software such as Bet Angel, you should be able to get your bets matched the vast majority of the time.

What you are looking to do when trading in-game is to look for ideal entry points, again using the serve and return stats described above. 

Some of the best entry points are at specific scores, when a strong server or strong returner are down in a game.

So let’s say a strong server is down 15-40 or 0-30 on their own serve. The market would normally swing strongly against them at this stage, almost presuming that they are likely to go on and lose their service game. 

However, the stats actually show that a top server will normally go on to win the next two points around 50% of the time from those points in the game. The odds swing in your favour will be much greater than if they go on to lose the next two points (or point in the case of 15-40). Therefore it presents an excellent trading opportunity to get a greater than 50% return on an event with a likelihood of one in two (or 50/50).

At the same, laying bad servers who are ahead in their own service game by a certain margin can pay dividends.

So if a bad server is ahead in their game, good entry points such as 40-30 and 30-15 can prove very effective, as the market will be presuming at that stage they will go on to win the game. But as a bad server, they are opposable and if the returner wins the next point (or two points) then the odds swing in your favour will be considerable.

 

General Trading Advice

So there are three tennis trading strategies which should help you get started and give you some ideas going forward about how to trade the Betfair tennis markets successfully.

If you want more detailed guidance and further strategies to trade, then check out Tennis Profits, which is a top trading service with guides, strategies and in-play webinars from a pro tennis trader. 

In addition, it is worth bearing in mind some general trading advice if you are considering getting involved in playing the markets. If you don’t have the right mindset to start off with then you can get badly burned when trading. So here are a few pointers to keep in mind:

  • – Always have a clear plan before you start to trade – with specific entry and exit points and a plan of what to do if the trade goes against you.
  • – Only risk a fixed percentage of your bank on each trade and don’t vary it.
  • – Don’t go chasing losses or risking bigger amounts to try and make back a losing trade.
  • – Don’t over-trade. If you are feeling tired, losing concentration and starting to make mistakes, it is best to take a break and come back later or the next day when you are fresher.
  • – Don’t  try and trade more than one event at a time – certainly when starting off anyway. You will probably end up in trouble and not able to keep on top of multiple matches at once.
  • – Consider using some trading software such as Bet Angel or Fairbot to assist your trading.

Hopefully following these simple guidelines will help you avoid making some of the mistakes that many traders commit when starting out. 

 

Summary – Tennis Trading Strategies

That is our introduction to trading the tennis markets on Betfair and we hope it has given you some ideas to get going.

Just remember to always be disciplined in your trading and don’t go chasing losses and trading on a whim. Have your strategies worked out in advance and stick to them.

If you do that, tennis trading can be quite profitable – and also enjoyable when one of your set-ups plays out just the way you planned it.

As always, please gamble responsibly and only risk money you can afford to lose.

Check out our number one recommend tennis system here. 

 

 

 

 

 

Get Your Ryder Cup Tips Here!

The Ryder Cup starts this Friday at Le Golf National in Paris.

It is set to be an epic showdown as Europe try to win back the trophy from the USA, who triumphed last time at the Hazeltine Golf Club by a comfortable margin of 17-11.

Despite Europe’s strong record over the last 20 years – particularly on home soil – the US are favourites for the matches, currently best priced at just below evens at 19/20, while Europe are available at 5/4 and the draw can be backed at 12/1.

America come into the event off the back of Tiger Woods’ emotional win at the Tour Championship on Sunday and they currently hold three out of the four major championships. 

Even their rookies look formidable, with the likes of Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau having racked up multiple PGA tour wins this year and they will go into the event with plenty of confidence. 

But Europe will feel buoyed by Justin Rose having recently claimed the world number one ranking and Fedex Cup and with Francesco Molinari having won the Open in July.

They will also be fired up by the return to the team of “Mr Ryder Cup” Ian Poulter and young guns making their debut like Spanish sensation Jon Rahm – a probable partner for Sergio Garcia – and ice cool Swede Alex Noren, who won the French Open at this course just a few months ago.

Whatever happens, it is set to be a titanic battle and the atmosphere will be electric.

If you are looking for some top quality tips to liven up proceedings, here are some top golf tipsters we can recommend:

  • – Our number one recommended golf tipster the Golf Betting Expert has made over £10,000 profit to just £10 stakes since starting up and you can get a 15-day trial – including their tips for the Ryder Cup – for just £7 by clicking here. 
  • – The formidable SJP Golf Tips, who have made over 1,300 points profit since starting up at an incredible return on investment of over 40%. You can get a 14-day trial –  including their tips for the Ryder Cup – for just £1 by clicking here. 

It should be a cracking weekend’s viewing and let’s hope for a few winners along the way too!

 

 

 

 

 

horse jumps

Great News For Punters as Bet Victor Offers £500 Bet Guarantee

There was positive news for long-suffering punters recently when Bet Victor announced it would be allowing all customers to win up to £500 per bet on UK and Irish horse racing.

That makes Bet Victor the first major bookmaker to offer a comprehensive bet guarantee covering all UK and Irish horse races, regardless of grade and it covers each-way bets as well.

For years punters have suffered from bookies restricting winning accounts (and even some that aren’t winning), only allowing customers to place minimal bets of £1 or £2 per race.

This is tantamount to closing an account and has left many punters angry and frustrated – often turning to exchanges like Betfair to place their bets instead of the bookies.

It also led to mounting pressure from government, regulators and groups such as the Horseracing Bettors Forum to ease restrictions on punters and provide a fair playing field.

Thankfully some of the bookies have started listening to this pressure and begun to loosen their restrictions, for horse racing at least.

Moves in the Right Direction

A small effort had already been made to move in the right direction prior to Bet Victor’s recent announcement, with Coral and Ladbrokes having guaranteed to lay the following wagers:

  • – Bets to win up to £5,000 on all races broadcast on UK television channel ITV, from 9am on the morning of the race.
  • – Bets to win up to £2,000 on Class 4 or above handicaps
  • – Bets to win up to £2,000 on any Listed, Group and Graded from 11am.
  • – Bets to win up to £500 on any other British or Irish race (i.e. similar to the recent Bet Victor move).
  • – Bets to win up to £5,000 for wagers placed in betting shops on all ITV Racing events.

William Hill has also guaranteed the last point and has extended it to online customers too, albeit with a maximum potential win of £1,000 and only for races shown on ITV.

It should be stressed that the bookies may of course allow you to win more than these amounts – it is just that these are the amounts the bookies are guaranteeing they will lay wagers for, rather than only allowing you to able to bet say £1 or £2, as has been the case for those with restricted accounts up until now. 

Bet Victor Move Points Towards the Future

 

The Bet Victor £500 guarantee offer opens at 11am on the day of the race, and features as a separate Guaranteed Bet market alongside other normal markets so punters can find it easily. 

Whilst this is the first blanket guarantee to allow punters to win up to a certain amount on all UK and Irish racing, Bet Victor have indicated that it may not end there.

Matt Scarrott, Director of BetVictor’s Sportsbook, said:

“We entered dialogue with the Horseracing Bettors Forum earlier this year and this project is something we have been keen to implement for a while. We believe our guarantee to include ‘each way’ bets and all race classes makes it a leading industry initiative.”

“Once we have trialled Guaranteed Bet for a short time, our plan is to review it with the intention of increasing limits and extending the timescales going forward.”

This would be welcome news and it will be interesting to see if more bookies follow suit. Certainly those bookies who have implemented bet guarantees have stolen a march on their competitors and will no doubt see the return of many customers who have had their accounts restricted previously.

It is unclear however with bookies would still restrict accounts of those who arb or match bet, so we will have to wait and see on that one.

It should also be noted that Bet Victor’s £500 Bet Guarantee Offer does not apply to Best Odds Guaranteed, Run for Your Money, and additional ‘each way’ place term offers.

Moving Into Other Sports?

One of the major questions regarding the recent changes is whether they will start to apply to other sports beyond horse racing. 

We haven’t seen clear indications from the bookmakers on that front, but you would think if it proves successful on horse racing and they can manage their liabilities, then there is no reason why it shouldn’t be applied to other sports. 

Personally we would like to see it spread to other sports like golf, football and tennis – and eventually to cover all sports.

After all, the practice of restricting winning accounts is grossly unfair and there must be a happy medium bookmakers can come to that allow punters to have a decent punt without threatening the bookies’ business model.  Let’s not forget that only 2% of punters make money long-term, so really it should be possible.

The recent moves to set reasonable limits of how much people can win on horse racing are surely recognition of this and are greatly welcomed.

Let’s hope this is just the start of things to come…

Tired of losing money on your bets? Check out our number one recommended horse racing tipster here.

 

 

 

 

 

Ladbrokes Odds Boost – Explained

Ladbrokes Odds Boost is a special promotion available for all Ladbrokes customers. It does what it says on the tin: it boosts the odds on selected bets.

All you need to take part is a current Ladbrokes account. For the duration of the promotion, and there is no indication that it will end in the foreseeable future, every Ladbrokes account holder will receive one odds boost token a day.

To check that you have an odds boost token, log in to the ‘My Account’ area. If you have a valid token, it will appear there along with a brief explanation of which markets you can use it for. Unlike some similar offers, rather than choosing from a list of qualifying events, you can choose which bets to enhance the odds of as long as they are included in the qualifying markets.

Use It or Lose It

It is, however, a case of use it or lose it. You can’t carry it over. If you don’t use it on the day you receive the token, it will, like Cinderella, expire at midnight; though to be precise, it will expire at exactly one minute before midnight. However, it is very versatile. You can use it for pre-event bets, in play bets, and multiple single line bets across all sports markets including virtual sports. You can’t apply it to each way bets or full cover bets such as Yankees and Lucky 15s.  Whether you use it or not, you will still get another token the following day beginning at midnight

How Do You Use It?

If you have a valid odds boost token, then when you create a betting slip in a market that qualifies for odds boost, you will see you have an option to use your odds boost token. If you do so, it will be applied to all selections on your betting slip. There are some restrictions. While there is no minimum stake or maximum odds restriction, the maximum stake that you can enhance the odds on is £50. For non-VIP members, if your betting slip exceeds that stake, then the boost will be applied to the first £50 only. If you are a VIP member, the maximum stake is £500.

How much is Ladbrokes odds boost worth?

Ladbrokes don’t state an actual value, and some punters report different amounts too. However, in our experience, it is usually around 6%, though that isn’t a fixed amount. While that might not seem that high, statistically it makes a difference especially if you use it on a regular or daily basis.

Anything else I need to know?

There certainly isn’t anything sinister about the promotion. It is a genuine offer that, when used wisely, will boost your winnings over time. There are no clawbacks or limitations on liquidating your enhanced winnings. However, as we always do with any promotion, we strongly advise that you carefully read Ladbrokes terms and conditions.

Be aware that you can’t use it with any free bets; it can be used with cash bets only. And it doesn’t apply if odds have been boosted by a different Ladbrokes promotion such as Price Boost and Super Price boost.

Check out our number one recommended Sports Betting System here.

 

 

 

 

 

Football betting pic

Asian Handicap Explained

Asian handicap is a football betting market in which teams receive a handicap that reflects their previous performance. Like most sporting handicaps, its aim is to level the playing field when teams are mismatched in terms of ability.

The stronger team receives a negative handicap, meaning they must score more goals than they otherwise would in order to win; while the weaker team receives a positive handicap. The handicap can vary from a fraction of a goal through to several goals.

Effectively, the Asian handicap is a way to remove the draw as a possible outcome and reduce betting to just two potential outcomes.

For beginners to can be a little confusing, as a bet on the team that wins in the actual game may lose. However, if you read the rest of the article and study the examples given in the payout table, all should become clear. 

Note that it is called an Asian handicap as the system originated in Indonesia. It can be applied to any football game, not just those taking place in Asia. Originally called “hang cheng,” it remains the most popular kind of betting in the Far East. Today it is popular in all football betting markets in the UK, Europe, and the US.

Elimination of draws

The most significant difference between normal football betting and the Asian handicap is that there are no draws. With football betting, you can bet on a win, a loss, and a draw, but with the Asian handicap, you can only bet on a win or loss.

In the case of perfect handicapping, the odds for either of these results is 50-50, however, handicapping is rarely perfect. The challenge is to beat the handicappers by understanding more about the teams and other factors affecting the match than they do.

As there is a roughly equal chance of either side winning, odds tend to be low; typically ranging from 1.9 to 2.0.

Other points

The score is the result after 90 minutes including any stoppage and injury time. Penalty shootouts and goals scored in extra time are excluded from the bet results.

 

                        —————–Check out our number one ranked football tipster here—————–

 

Some examples

Here we will look at some practical examples. There are three types of handicaps:

  • – Level Asian Handicap: When there is no perceived difference between the teams, neither carry a handicap, but unlike usual football betting if the match is a draw the bets are voided.
  • – Single Asian Handicap: When there is a perceived difference between the teams, the playing field will be leveled by handicapping the better team. The stronger side will receive a negative handicap of -0.5, -1, -1.5 or -2 goals and the weaker team with a balancing positive score of 0.5, 1, 1.5 or 2 goals. Thus, if the game is drawn, bets placed on the weaker team will win.
  • – Split Asian Handicap: This is used when the difference between the two teams is uncertain. Effectively you are betting on two different handicaps at the same time, and half your stake is placed on one and a half on the other.

Pay-out table

This is an abbreviated pay-out table. Once you can understand this, it is easy to work out the pay-outs for other fractional handicaps. It is a good exercise to ensure you understand exactly what’s going on, so we recommend you do it.

 

TEAM A TEAM B
Handicap Game result Your bet Handicap Game result Your bet
 

0

Win Win  

0

Win Win
Draw Voided bet Draw Voided bet
Lose Lose Lose Lose
 

-0.25

Win Win  

+0.25

Win Win
Draw Lose half stake Draw Win half stake
Lose Lose Lose lose
 

-0.5

Win Win  

+0.5

Win Win
Draw Lose Draw Win
Lose Lose Lose Lose
 

-1.00

Win by 2+ goals Win  

+1.00

Win Win
Win by 1 goal Stake returned Draw Win
Draw Lose Lose by 1 goal Stake returned
Lose Lose Lose by 2+ goals Lose
 

-1.25

Win by 2+ goals Win  

+1.25

Win Win
Win by 1 goal Lose half stake Draw Win
Draw Lose Lose by 1 goal Win 50%
Lose Lose Lose by 2+ goals Lose
 

-1.5

Win by 2+ goals Win  

+1.5

Win Win
Win by 1 goal Lose Draw Win
Draw Lose Lose by 1 goal Win
Lose Lose Lose by 2+ goals lose
 

-2.0

Win by 3+ goals Win  

+2.0

Win Win
Win by 2 goals Stake returned Draw Win
Win by 1 goal Lose Lose by 1 goal Win
Draw Lose Lose by 2 goals Stake returned
Lose Lose Lose by 3+ goals Lose

 

Conclusion

Although Asian Handicap betting is more complex than ordinary football betting, there are many occasions when it is likely to provide a closer match to your thoughts on the game. For instance, if you think that your team will win, but there is a reasonable possibility that it could end in a draw, then you could select bet on a handicap that would pay out on both eventualities, in other words keeping the draw on your side.

For instance, if you selected a +0.25 handicap, if your team wins then you win at the stated odds, and if there is a draw, then half your stake will be returned.

Certainly, understanding the Asian handicap is another string to your betting bow, even if you use it just occasionally. At the very least, it’s a fun way to bet. 

Double your betting bank and win up to 90% of your bets with this top betting system.

 

 

 

 

 

Peter Webb – Genius Betfair Trader & Software Developer

Peter Webb is a sports betting trader who has become well known as an expert Betfair trader. Trading on Betfair from the outset, he is one of the betting exchange’s top 0.1% of users.

He makes frequent appearances on radio and TV and writes for several journals. In 2005 he launched Bet Angel, a set of Betfair software trading tools.

Early days

Peter’s interest in the fundamentals of gambling was kindled at a young age and stems from the time when he would help his father complete his football pools coupon.  He learned that gambling is all about understanding the risk and manipulating it create long-term profit.

After leaving school his first job was with a computer distribution company. He then went on to work for Compaq and subsequently Medion PC, but in 2003 he made the life-changing decision to devote his time to trading on betting exchanges. He has certainly been extraordinarily successful in doing so too and thinks nothing of putting £20,000 or so on a single race.

Webb on Betfair trading

When he first started trading, he investigated a wide range of markets, developing various strategies. Finally, he homed in on horse racing mainly because of the amount of money the sport attracts. It wasn’t always easy; he had to devote considerable time to understanding its nuances before he was satisfied.

Webb doesn’t base his decisions on studying form. Rather he bases them on the current price of a horse and where he thinks it will move to. Essentially, he as assessing the value and has become very adept at it.

As well as horse racing, he also focuses on important football matches which attract big money and provide the opportunity for him to trade £50,000 to £80,000 on the match. He will also trade on dog races, tennis and “X-factor” for which he claims he provided a substation proportion of the equity.

Only One Betfair Deposit Ever

When Betfair opened in 2000, Webb was one of the early players, depositing £1,000 in its first week. His first bet was for £5. That £1,000 was his only deposit but the cash in his account snowballed, and now he keeps it at around £250,000, which he considers adequate as trades are settled immediately. This means he can re-bet his capital immediately.

He usually begins to trade 10 minutes before the start of the race. He says that most of the money is bet about 5 minutes before the start. As soon as the race starts, he has no further interest so moves on to the next race. This keeps him busy, especially when he is simultaneously trading on the Australian markets that open at 2.00 am; UK markets from 2.00 to 5.00 pm; and US markets from 9.00 pm to 1.00 am.

Bet Angel

Webb has also developed a suite of specialist trading software he markets under the brand Bet Angel. Initially launched in 2005, it has been continually updated and now includes numerous enhancements including super-high-speed Betfair streaming.

One spin-off is the Bet Angel Academy which offers online training covering expertise levels from novice to master class.

What is Betfair trading?

As Betfair is a betting exchange, you can buy and sell bets. No bookmaker is involved, so you are dealing with other individuals. Betfair makes its money by charging a small fee on your activities. As with financial markets, your aim is to buy at a low price, and you sell at a high price. In betting terms, your aim is to lay low (buy) and back high (sell). This way you can lock in a profit in advance of the event starting. 

The key is to place an initial back or lay where you think the price might move in your favour. If this happens, you can lock in a profit by placing a closing bet to cover your potential loss leaving you with a win-win position.

Interested in becoming a top Betfair trader like Peter Webb? Well check out this top Betfair trading guide that teaches you how to “scalp” the markets like an expert.