Tips on how to beat the bookmakers
The very first question a novice football better should ask is, what are the odds and how can I beat them? As a starting point, there are a number of types of odds - positive, negative, decimal and fractional. Depending on your bookmaker’s location, it is important to understand how each type works. Let’s take a brief look at how different countries calculate the odds.
American odds
American odds (also known as moneyline or US odds) are generally the default for most bookmakers, so it is a good place to start. The odds are comprised of both positive and negative signs, each representing the dollar figure that you must bet in order to win $100. As an example, let’s take a game between two famous rivals, the Chicago Bears vs the Green Bay Packers.
- Bears (-3) (Stake 120) (@-120) (Win 100)
- Packers (+3) (Stake 100) (@+108) (Win 108)
The symbol @- indicates how much money one needs to bet to win $100, while the symbol @+ shows the profit you would make if you bet that figure (this case $108).
Fractional Odds
Fractional odds (also known as British, UK or Traditional) are a little different and are generally used by bookmakers in the UK and Ireland. In fact, this method isbeginning to even rival American Odds in the number of bookmakers utilising it. Usually, these odds are written out with a slash (or sometimes with a hyphen) and represent the amount you will win against every dollar put in. For instance, if you had odds of 5/1, the first number is the amount you would win for every dollar put down on a bet. As an example, let’s take a game between two European football teams, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
- Manchester United 5/1
- Draw 2/1
- Bayern Munich 6/12
From these odds, it is clear that Manchester is the underdog in this contest. The idea here is to offer greater potential rewards for those betting on the team least likely to win; the greater the risk the greater the reward. For those placing the safer bet on Bayern, they will make $6 on every $12 they bet, while those taking more of a risk on Manchester could quadruple their fortune.
Decimal Odds
These odds are also known as European or Continental and have been adopted widely in places like Canada and New Zealand amongst others. So how are these calculated? They are much easier to understand than fractional odds because of the structure. For instance, if you went into a store and saw two price formats and were asked to calculate the higher price, which format would you find easier.
6/4 vs 10/4 or 1.5 vs 2.5, which one would you find easier? Most likely the latter.
Now let’s translate this into sport games. If you place a bet on team A, which has a 30% chance of winning then you would calculate 100/30 = 3.3. For every dollar, you stake you could win 3.3 dollars and if you are a heavy roller staked 100 obviously you could win 330 per unit. Odds X Stake = Jackpot.
Finding the Right Bookmaker
Now that you understand how the odds are calculated, it is time to find a Bookmaker. A highly recommended Bookmaker isMr. Green Sports. First of all, for those coming in with limited capital, this site provides great leverage by matching your first $100 deposit and grants additional bonuses of up to 200 free spins. Also, the range of specials on football games is simply unmatched, as is the number of leagues and tournaments from Asia, Australia, North and South America. The site is a superb choice for football bettors worldwide.