If you know how to bet on sports but want to take it to the next level then you’re in the right place. Expert punters are always looking to diversify and deepen their betting strategies, to squeeze more value from their bets – and Paddy Power is here to help!
Below, we’ll walk you through a range of strategies when betting on sports. From splitting your stakes across multiple selections to playing the long game, there are some simple tricks you can use to make smarter bets.
If you’re new to betting then this guide might not be for you. Instead, we suggest reading our Sports Betting Guide for Beginners, where you’ll learn the basics.
What is advanced betting?
Advanced sports betting is all about deepening and diversifying your options when placing bets. Anyone can throw money on England to beat Germany, or a horse to win the Grand National. However, betting ‘loosely’ in this way very rarely yields reliable profits.
If you want to be an expert punter then you need to come up with strategies that yield a good return. Of course, you can never guarantee you’ll win in sports betting – but there are strategies you can use to avoid silly mistakes and frivolous bets.
It all starts with creating a strategy and being smart with your picks. You need to understand how losing bets works and what happens when you lose. A lost bet should never mean you’re wiped out. It should be a learning experience that you can take forward, either to shape your future bets or indicate when you need to stop.
Advanced betting is also about being disciplined and targeted with your selections. Amateurs can do hours of research on a horse race, only to be swayed by the odds at the last second. This isn’t smart. What’s the point of wasting all that time researching something if you can change your mind so easily?
By doing your research, targeting your bets, appreciating losses and managing your budget, it’s possible to develop an advanced betting strategy that is far more reliable than randomised picks.
Basketball betting requires a lot of research to master
Advanced Betting Tips
So, what kind of betting tips are we talking about? We’re not going to go down the maths route here. Some betting guides will champion strategies like the Kelly Criterion, where you have to do complicated calculations to figure out the implied probability of something happening, and therefore how much to stake.
In reality you don’t need maths to advance your betting strategies. What you need is an understanding of your limits and appreciation of the odds.
Here, then, are five advanced strategies for how to bet on sports:
Do Deep Research
Let’s get this out the way first. Everyone says you need to do research before placing a bet, but many people don’t bother. They go on a hunch or look at the odds and place a bet without really thinking. This is a terrible way to bet, even for an amateur.
Experts need to do their research. We’re talking looking at form guides, stats, conditions, and anything else that could affect a bet. In horse racing, it’s worth reading Paddy’s racing tips. In football betting, there’s no harm watching analysis of matches. In sports like basketball, the best way to research is to watch live and make your own decisions.
Consume yourself in a sport. If the Masters is two weeks away, watch TV, read analysis and listen to gold podcasts to get ready. You’ll make far smarter picks if you know the context of the sport or event you’re betting on.
Play The Long Game
Some of the most successful bettors don’t see profit for a long time. Instead, they focus on outright markets that might take months or years to pay out. Whether it’s betting on who will win the Champions League, who will be the next prime minister, or which horse will win the Grand National, the outright markets is where you can lock in profit before an event even takes place.
How? By jumping on the odds as they change and locking in various odds that mean whoever wins, you win.
Take the US election as an example. Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris were deemed big favourites to win at certain points in the 2024 presidential campaign. An advanced punter bets on one when their odds are high, and the other when the odds flip. The contest was so close that the odds were continually flipping.
Try The 80/20 Method
80/20 betting is a tactic where you split your stake between two options. The idea is to bet the larger portion on a sure-fire pick, but reserve a small portion of your stake for an outside pick, just in case the dead-cert fails. There are varying types of 80/20 bets that focus on your stake or your predicted return. Read our 80/20 betting guide for more details.
Index Your Balance
Expert bettors appreciate that sometimes they lose. The best way to deal with losses is to anticipate them and plan ahead. One of the best ways to plan against losses is to set an index in your betting account.
Here’s how it works. Say you have £50 in your Paddy Power account. That’s your index. When you go £10 or more above it, you withdraw the amount that takes you back to £50. If you dip below it, you manage your bets and slowly bring your balance back to the index.
Ideally, you keep winning and keep withdrawing, in order to deliver a reliable return. If your budget sinks then you reduce your stakes, so there’s less risk of you running out of funds.
Zero Emotion
New bettors forget a simple rule: bet with your head, not your heart. It’s important to take emotion out of your bets, so you can make the smartest choices possible. If this means not betting on your team then so be it.
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THE PADDY POWER GUIDE TO RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW