Proven Betting Systems

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5/5/06

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Proven Betting Systems

24 Ways To Boost Your Horse And Sports Betting Profits Fleet Street Publications Ltd 7th Floor, Sea Containers House, 20 Upper Ground, London SE1 9JD Tel: 020 7633 3600 Fax: 020 7633 3740 Registered in England No. 193 7374 VAT No. GB 629 7287 94

Proven Betting Systems:

24 Ways To Boost Your Horse And Sports Betting Profits

© Fleet Street Publications 2006. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from the copyright owners. ISBN 1899964 84 3 The descriptions, examples and calculations shown in this publication are for educational purposes only. No liability can be accepted by Fleet Street Publications Ltd for their use in any circumstances connected with actual betting or otherwise.

CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................i EXPLANATION OF ODDS.............................................................................iii HOW TO PLACE BETS ...................................................................................v GLOSSARY OF TERMS...................................................................................ix #1: THE EINSTEIN ........................................................................................1 Find big-priced horse-racing winners in under 5 minutes using just your morning newspaper…

#2: THE SCOREMASTER ...............................................................................9 Turn your football knowledge into easy money…

#3: THE WIN-WIN STRATEGY ..................................................................15 Professional system to “hedge your bets” for guaranteed winnings…

#4: THE CARDMASTER ..............................................................................19 How you can turn £10 into £32.50 every Saturday between February and May…

#5: LAST MAN STANDING .......................................................................23 These five simple questions return 30% profit…or even TRIPLE YOUR MONEY…

#6: THE SURE THING ................................................................................27 Use one easy-to-understand stat to make some tasty profits this season

#7: THE DEAD CERT ...................................................................................31 Three little-known facts reveal why backing two-year-old horses can help turn £20 into £312.50 next summer

#8: THE DOODLE DANDY ..........................................................................35 This simple betting slip trick turns a Yankee loser into a solid DIY profit…and can return up to £1,296 for an £85 stake

#9: THE ROUND ROBIN .............................................................................37 Turn a tenner into £68 or even £390…with the help of a Round Robin

#10: THE GIANT KILLER ...........................................................................39 These safe ‘value’ bets on snooker can give you a 36% return-on-investment

#11: THE SPEEDY DOG-GALEZ .................................................................41 This straightforward greyhound system can deliver £5,000 profit in one night

#12: THE RUGBY RATER ...........................................................................45 A simple statistical system for betting profitably using just your daily paper. No knowledge of rugby league required!

#13: THE CORNER-COPIA .........................................................................49 In Euro 2000, one football fan made £26,000 predicting how many corners would be won in selected games

#14: THE DOUBLE DUTCH ........................................................................53 How to select the two strongest horses in a race…and back them both to enjoy a profit whichever horse wins…

#15: THE SLAP SHOT .................................................................................57 Want to make easy money at the bookies’ expense? Detailed NHL statistics are free – and yet UK bookmakers regularly mess up their prices…”

#16: THE TOTAL-ISER ................................................................................61 With the right information at your fingertips, it can prove more profitable to bet on how many goals will be scored in a game, than on which team is going to win…

#17: THE LUCKY ONE-FIVE .......................................................................65 “…Turn £1 into £21, £728 or even £7,216 using this clever ‘big money’ system…”

#18: THE TIGHT & CURLY ........................................................................67 “…Five simple steps to cracking the Tote Trifecta’s £30,000 pay-out…”

#19: THE GRASSHOPPER ............................................................................69 “…Master the secret art of Asian Handicap betting today…and make a profit even if your team loses…”

#20: THE KOALA KICKER ..........................................................................73 “…Keep backing away wins in Australian soccer and you could turn £20 into £1,280 next summer…”

#21: THE MONEYBALL FORMULA ...........................................................75 “…This simple system can defeat the clueless British bookies to net you £580 profit for just £11 risk…”

#22: THE DREAM MACHINE .....................................................................79 “…How the Rainmen could make you 350% profit in this year’s Superbike World Championship…”

#23: THE DOLLY SHOT ...............................................................................81 “…How to find and use the three key factors deciding EVERY tennis match you can name…”

#24: THEBURNING STUMP .......................................................................83 “…How to win money whenever England take to the field…”

#25: THE DEAD BEAT .................................................................................85 “…Thanks to the ‘bet exchange’ revolution, you can win big money by backing Britain’s worst horse tipsters…”

WEBSITE DIRECTORY ................................................................................89 SPREAD BETTING ACCOUNTS ................................................................91 INFORMATION SITES .................................................................................93 BETTING ODDS GRID .................................................................................97 FRACTION-DECIMAL CONVERTER ..........................................................99

“In 40 minutes you’ll have mastered the first of 24 ultimate systems to boost your betting profits…

…And be ready to pick a winner in under 5 minutes using your daily paper!”

Dear Friend, Welcome to my guide to strategic betting. You’re about to discover 24 underground betting secrets that can dramatically improve your bank balance and make high risk ‘gambling’ a thing of the past. You see, successful betting isn’t about hitting it big on a lucky win. The people you see collecting winnings week in, week out aren’t betting on hunches or even tips. They’re playing a strategic game with the bookies that minimises their chances of losing – and opens them up to massive winnings. And right now you’re holding the key to their moneymaking strategies. After just a few days spent studying techniques like The Einstein or The Rugby Rater detailed in this book, you’ll be the envy of the average punter. You’ll have mastered the skills you need to keep your losses to an absolute minimum – and let you watch the winnings roll in. You can kiss goodbye to that horrible feeling of remorse you experience when a big loss comes your way. Because you’re never going to place yourself at risk like that again – and round the corner there’s always likely to be another big win on the way.

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In fact, these secrets are so consistently successful most bookmakers would rather this book had never been published. They don’t want ordinary punters getting their hands on information that could take thousands off them every year. But the simple fact is, my profits aren’t affected one little bit by letting you in on these secrets – so frankly, I don’t give a damn. And the best thing about my strategies is you don’t need to be a sports buff to make them work. I’ve outlined everything you need to know to make them pay. If you follow my techniques with any discipline you’ll maximize your chances of winning. There’s no need to study form for months on end – you can work most of the techniques out using a recent copy of The Racing Post or the sports pages from a national newspaper… Naturally, all these techniques work at your high street bookies. But thanks to the recent development of internet betting, you don’t even have to leave your own home to enjoy successful betting. Just imagine the luxury of winning money without even stepping out of your front door. Unlike many betting books, I haven’t limited the strategies to horse racing. This book covers 11 different sports from snooker to ice hockey – highlighting areas where the bookies are often caught napping. So start reading today, this could be one of the most revealing and profitable reads of your life. Soon, you could become an expert on how to beat the bookie at his own game…so start enjoying that feeling of satisfaction as soon as possible! Happy betting!

Mr. X PS: I’ve also included a bonus strategy that could take the success of your betting to even higher levels. Try them out once you’ve mastered the first 24 proven strategies to enjoy advanced betting profits…

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Explanation of Odds The odds that a bookmaker offers are simply his opinion of how likely, or unlikely, a team, player, or horse is to win any given event, expressed in figures. Odds can be represented in various ways, but they are all easy to understand once you know the format. Here are the main kinds you are likely to encounter.

The Fractions Many bookmakers work in 'fractional' odds, i.e. 7/4, 15/8, 3/1 etc. This format has been used in the UK since betting began. To understand how it works, we'll take it to pieces and put it back together again. The rule with every fractional odd is that the top figure is your profit, and the bottom figure is the stake required to win that profit. Therefore… An odd of 15/8 gives a profit of £15 for every £8 staked. Or An odd of 2/1 gives a profit of £2 for every £1 staked. ‘You win what’s on the top if you stake what’s on the bottom’ Odds are flexible things and you can stake whatever you want on whatever outcome you choose, and working out your return is just as simple… Pages 99 and 100 contain a comprehensive list of nearly all the odds used. To work out how much your return is on any bet requires one quick calculation. Just multiply your stake by the ‘Euro Decimal’ odd that corresponds to the ‘UK Fractional Odd’ in question.

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If you have £25 on an 11/8 chance…simply look up that odd in the table on page 99/100 under the column headed ‘UK fractional’. Move across to the column adjacent, and there you will see the decimal equivalent…2.37. Multiply your stake, £25, by 2.37 to give your return, £59.25 To calculate your profit on the bet, deduct the £25 stake from the return of £59.25, which gives you £34.25.

Decimals Many bookmakers, particularly on the Internet, use the Decimal or Euro Decimal format. (It's the same thing, just called two different names.) Non UK European bookmakers have always shown their odds in this way, and there is a lot to be said for it. Once you know the drill, it's very easy to use, and it allows bookmakers to offer tiny gradations of odds not always possible with the fractional system. Prices will be chalked up in the following way… 2.50, 2.37, 34.00 etc The first thing to remember is that when a bookie betting in decimals offers 2.50 on an outcome, he has included your returned stake in this figure. So if you have a pound on a team at 2.50 and they win, £2.50 is the total amount that you will pick up. Since your bet was a pound, you have made one pound fifty profit, which in fractional terms, means you have backed a 6/4 winner. The quick way of converting a decimal price into a fractional odd, is to simply deduct '1,' from the decimal figure. So a decimal price shown as 4.00 isn't 4/1, it's 3/1. The decimal price 8.00 is actually 7/1. Remember, 4.00 and 8.00 and every other decimal odd contain your returned stake. To work out your return on a decimal bet, use the same process we used for fractions, multiply the Euro Decimal by your stake. So, ten pounds on a 3.00 shot will return you 30 pounds. To find your profit, deduct your original stake of ten pounds, and you have a profit figure of twenty pounds.

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HOW TO PLACE YOUR BETS Telephone Accounts: Quick to Set Up, and Easy to Use Opening a telephone account with a bookmaker is simple. More than that, they’ll be happy to hear from you...until you start winning, of course! The telephonist you speak to will be sitting in front of a screen, and they’ll be able to call up every single price on every single event their company currently offers at the press of a button. There are three different types of telephone account you can set up. Choose whichever best suits your overall investment needs and strategy. Credit Accounts: Great for betting on events in the distant future, when you don’t want to tie up any of your money while waiting for them to happen. Write or telephone and ask the bookmaker to send you an application form. They’ll want to know: • your name • address • bank details and it will take them a week or ten days to process it. Then your account card, a nice new sports diary, and an ecstatic letter of welcome from one of the Directors will arrive through your letter box. If you have a credit account, the bookmaker will send you a bill for any losing weeks you may have, and trust you to pay it. Gambling debts are not recoverable at law, so if you refuse to pay, there is nothing that he can legally do about it. But be aware that any debts you fail to honour will soon gain you a reputation within the industry... and placing any sports investment again in the future may well

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become impossible. Deposit Accounts: Great flexibility, with no need to prove your identity or creditworthiness. With a deposit account, you send the company a sum of money ‘up front’. You choose how much, and limits differ from firm to firm. • Your profits will be paid into this account. • You can withdraw any sum in excess of your initial deposit. • The bookmaker will deduct any losses from it too of course, and you just top it up again to the original amount. • If you want to close your account at any time, you’ll receive the outstanding balance in full. NOTE: Many serious investors start off by opening a deposit account, and – after a while, when the bookmaker’s got to know them – they ask for it to become a credit account. In which case, your initial deposit will be returned. The bookmaker won’t need to check with your bank for a deposit account. It will be open as soon as your deposit cheque has cleared. Debit Card Accounts: The quickest and simplest way to open an account. Neither a credit nor a deposit account - all transactions conducted through your bank. If you have a debit card, simply ring up your chosen bookmakers and ask for a debit account to be opened for you. They’ll do it there and then over the telephone. You’ll need to tell the telephonist: • your name, address and debit card number. • He or she will enter in your details. • They’ll give you an account number straight away. Whichever form of telephone account best suits you – credit or deposit – feel free to ring the bookmakers and enquire about as many prices as you like once you have an account set up. And placing a bet is simple. You merely need to ring the telephone number you are given on signing up, and you’ll be answered by one of the company’s telephonists. He or she will first ask you for your account number, then for your surname, and then for the bet you’d like to place.

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When you telephone for a bet, the amount you stake will be deducted from your bank account right away. Your winnings will also be paid directly into your bank account, usually within three working days. • Your money couldn’t be safer If you haven’t dealt with bookmakers on a credit, deposit or Switch card basis before, rest assured. Each is every bit as honest as any other international household name. William Hill, for instance, has an average turnover of £2 billion. Your account couldn’t be safer. • Don’t worry about mistakes or cheating Forget about your bet being written down or settled incorrectly. The telephonist will always read your bet back to you before it is accepted, and all calls are recorded. In the event of a dispute, your instructions can be properly checked.

Internet Accounts: Instant Access to Global Prices Betting over the internet offers you access to the very best prices available – all over the world – instantly. And because of the intense competition between internet bookmakers, you’ll also find dozens of exciting and lucrative ‘novelty’ markets... and some great introductory offers too. When you arrive at a bookmaker’s site, have a wander around and explore what’s on offer by pressing the ‘Guest’ button. If you like what you see, go back to the homepage and click the button to ‘Open an Account’. You will be asked all the same questions on the screen that you’re asked when opening a telephone account. But to get your internet account active, you will need to deposit a sum of money straight away from your credit card, or Switch/debit card. How much you put in is up to you. • The website will ask you to provide a ‘username’ as a security measure. • You will need to quote this username to gain access to your account. • Make sure you keep your username 100% secret. Just like your bank card pin number, your username should be private. But don’t worry about internet security scare stories. They don’t apply with the online bookmakers. We’re talking bookmakers here – they’ve got ‘firewalls’ in place that make Fort Knox look like a corner Post Office! To my knowledge, no one has attempted and succeeded in hacking and robbing money from an internet bookmaker.

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Once you’re online, placing a bet is very straightforward. Different bookmakers may present it in slightly different ways, but basically, they all use the same system. • On every page of quoted prices you will find a ‘bet here’ button. • Click on this, and you will be given instructions on how to back the player, team or runner of your choice. • Your stake will then be taken from the amount you have on deposit, and returned with your winnings as soon as the event is decided. • You can take money out of your account whenever you want to, the bookmaker will pay it directly back on to the card account it came from.

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List of terms and their definitions Accumulator: An accumulator bet consists of just 1 bet but over several events. All must be successful to get a return. As each bet is successful the money rolls over to the next advert. Ante post: Betting now on an event that may not take place for several months. Ante post only happens on the big sporting events. For example, in football the FA Cup final doesn’t happen until May but you can start betting on the possible winner as early as the previous August. Obviously this can be risky because much can happen in the months up to the final... but the returns can be great if you strike a value bet back in August. Arbitrage: To buy and sell for profit, taking advantage of varying prices in different markets. You can give yourself a no-lose situation if you find an ‘arb’, by backing every outcome in an event so that you return a profit, no matter what. This opportunity happens a lot with sports because bookies often have strong opinions that vary from their peers. Back: This is the traditional way of placing a bet. You back an outcome you want to have happen. You would back Leeds, say, if you want them to win a match. Bet exchange: A person-to-person betting site, which rules out the bookie and means you’re betting against other members of the public. You’ll almost always find better odds here than you will at a traditional bookmaker. Commissions: When using a bet exchange you’ll have to pay a commission to the site if you win (normally 5% or less). Don’t worry about commission; they won’t eat into your profits because by using bet exchange sites you’ll get better prices than you would elsewhere and you’ll still be ahead. Double: Backing two outcomes. Both must be successful to get a return.

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Equity: A fancy word for profits. Throughout this report I refer to equity - just consider it the possible income coming your way. Forecast Starting Price: Expected starting odds of a horse. Form: How well a horse/player team has performed recently. Handicap bet: Bookies create a handicap to make a one-sided event a more attractive betting proposition. They handicap the teams or people involved, giving a player or team a head-start over the opposition. In a football match, one team might have a goal lead. Handicap bets are also called Asian handicap bets. Lay: Take a bet on something, like a bookmaker does. Line bet: An even-money paid bet where you take a position either side of two possible outcomes of the event. For example, let’s imagine a line bet over the number of runs a team will make: England vs. Australia may quote 225-230 - that spread is called the line. If you think the final results will be lower than the price you sell the line and if you think the final results will be higher than the price you buy the line. Selling the line means you win if England score less than 225 and buying the line means winning if they score more than 230. Match in the middle: An option available with some bet exchanges. If your bet has not been matched at the start of an event, you can request your bet be matched at a rate midway between the one you requested and one just one ‘spot’ away from your request. Match bet: A bet between two teams or people, not necessarily in competition with each other. For example, two golfers who will be trying to win their tournament, not beat each other or be aware that the bet exists. Odds: The chance offered for a selection to win. What you’ll be offered on the likelihood of a certain event happening. For example, on the flip of a coin, heads has the same chance of appearing as tails does so the odds are even; on the role of dice, number 1 has a 1/6 chance of being rolled. Odds bet: The straightforward, common way to bet, in which you simply lay or back a bet on an outcome, against which odds have been determined in advance. Odds against: If in a betting opportunity the odds aren’t even, there will be a team favoured to win and a team expected to lose. The underdog will have the odds against it winning, so you place an ‘odds against’ bet on it. With such bets, you have the chance of winning a lot more than what you staked - a £10 bet could give you £100 (at odds of 10-1), if the underdog beats the odds and wins.

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Odds on: The favoured outcome is called the odds-on favourite. If you place an odds on bet, you won’t be able to double your money, but since there’s a good chance the odds-on favourite will win, you might wish to place the bet anyway - you may stake £5 and win £4 (plus, of course, get your stake back). Punt: Just another word for bet. If you place a bet you become a punter. Range bets: Like line bets, only there are a range of possibilities, not just two. Range betting, as with line betting, is most common when betting whether an outcome will be over or under, higher or lower than the available quote. Rule 4: Sometimes, is a player withdraw from an even, your stakes will be returned to you, subject to a small deduction. ‘Rule 4’ refers to Tattersalls’ Rule 4(c), a horseracing rule. 72-hole match bets: Used in golf, this is a special wager where the bookmaker will match up two golfers of similar ability, with the winner being the player who shoots the lowest score over the tournament’s 4 rounds. Stake: The amount you are betting. You get your stake back if your bet is successful. Trade: Often, once you have struck a bet with a bookie or bet exchange at a value price, you may want to then trade your bet by offsetting some of your potential winnings; that way, you move into a no-lose situation. Treble: Like a double but involves 3 players/teams/events. All have to be successful. 2-ball and 3-ball betting: Used in golf, these are wagers that involves predicting which player from either a group of two or three will shoot the lowest score over 18 holes. Value bets: A value bet that is one that offers better odds than the true likelihood of the outcome happening. Yankee: A Yankee consists of 11 bets involving 4 selections in different events. The bet includes 6 doubles, 4 trebles, and an accumulator. A minimum of 2 of your selections must be successful to get a return.

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System #1: Horse Racing

The EINSTEIN “…Find big-priced winners in under 5 minutes using just your morning newspaper…”

M

ost horse racing systems fall down because they don’t take every winner-finding factor into account. But the Einstein is different.

In the Einstein, each and every factor is given a points value. By adding up all these points, an accurate Master Rating can be produced for any horse, whether it runs on turf, all-weather or over the jumps. To weigh up a race, all you have to do is to compare the runners’ Master Ratings. The horse with the highest rating is the predicted winner.

Five simple factors… astonishing results For instance, at Lingfield recently there were 107 runners. One horse, Paragon of Virtue, rated head and shoulders better than the rest under the Einstein system. Paragon won its race in a canter by 21/2 lengths at 8/1. Now, using just your usual morning newspaper, it takes only 5 minutes to find bigpriced winners, and banker bet winners like Paragon of Virtue. No other publication is required. You do not need access to the internet. You do not need to check on odds before the race goes off. The Einstein system is based on the five most important elements in predicting horse racing performance. The secret of its success is in the weighted number of points it assigns to each of the different factors. Together, they produce a Master Rating that

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balances form, odds, course and distance preferences, and the horse’s racing pattern.

Picking winners is a science…so get Einstein on your side! Read the following instructions carefully, practise working out the ratings, then put the Einstein system to work for you.

Factor One: Previous Racing Form of the horse, numbers on the right is the most recent

Shows number of days sice last race

Shows age (4), the weight (8) stone (8) lbs

Expected starting price

(D) Shows has won at this distance previously (C) Shows has won at this course previously

Horses who have run well in their previous race, and then re-appear on the racecourse quickly, do so for a reason. Usually it is because they have struck form, or the trainer wants to win with them before the Jockey Club Handicapper increases the weight they must carry. In either case, their speedy re-appearance is an important factor, and earns Einstein points. • A horse that won its last race and runs again within seven days is awarded 30 points. • A horse that finished second and runs again within seven days is awarded 15 points. • A horse that finished third and runs again within seven days is awarded 10 points.

Factor Two: Weight The weight that a horse carries is also very important. A poor Selling-Plater could beat a Derby winner – if the Derby winner were made to carry enough weight. • If a horse is carrying less weight than in its previous race, add 15 points. 2


• If a horse is carrying the same weight as in its previous race, add 5 points.

Factor Three: Distance Every horse has a “best” racing distance. There are many horses that only win over one distance. Factor Three rewards those horses running at their favoured trip. • If a horse has won at the distance of the race you are rating, add 20 points.

Factor Four: The Racecourse The layout and gradients of Britain’s racecourses vary considerably. For instance, some are “tight” with sharp turns, like Chester, others are flat and virtually straight, like Newmarket. Some long-striding horses can’t handle the turns, and other, more “nippy” types may not like the long straights. When a horse has shown a liking for a course, it becomes a factor in the Einstein ratings. • If a horse has won at the course, add 10 points.

Factor Five: The “SP” A horse’s forecast Starting Price tells you a great deal about its chance of winning the race. If a horse is fit and fancied it is likely to be reflected in the forecast SP. Odds are a significant factor in the ratings. Add these points to your ratings, according to the horse’s forecast Starting Price: • Odds on

70 points

• Even money to 6/4

40 points

• 13/8 to 3/1

25 points

• 100/30 to 6/1

15 points

• 7/1 to 12/1

10 points

• 13/1 to 16/1

5 points

• Over 16/1

no points

Now you’re ready to use the Einstein All you need to do now is to add up the ratings figures for each of the five factors, and you have produced a Master Rating. Then compare the Master Ratings of each horse in any race. The horse with the highest rating is the Einstein selected. Let’s work through a real example, and see just how Einstein predicted that 8/1 winner Paragon of Virtue was the best bet of the day at Lingfield. 3


Factor One: Last race finishing position Paragon of Virtue had scored a victory at Lingfield just 6 days previously, and earned 30 points.

Factor Two: Weight carried The Paragon was carrying 9lbs less than when recording that success, which earns another 15 points.

Factor Three: Distance Paragon of Virtue had won over the distance previously. Another 20 points.

Factor Four: Course The horse definitely likes Lingfield, and had won there twice before. A further 10 points is added to his total.

Factor Five: Odds Paragon of Virtue was forecast to be 9/2 chance in the morning papers, so a further 15 points goes into his Master Rating figure.

The Master Rating: Adding the factor points together gives us a Master Rating of 90. Won last race within 7 days ........................................................................................30 Carrying less weight than in previous race .................................................................15 Winner at the distance ...............................................................................................20 Winner at the course ...................................................................................................10 Forecast SP 9/2 = ...................................................................................................15 Total ...................................................................................................90 Paragon of Virtue was the best rated horse in his race by a clear 15 points. He was also the highest rated horse running at Lingfield on that day. He was clearly an outstanding bet.

Einstein’s 8/1 prediction romps home Paragon did indeed open in the betting at 9/2, but Lingfield backers, betting without the aid of the Einstein system, allowed him to drift right out to 8/1. Then, in the race itself, Jimmy Quinn held Paragon up just behind the leaders. After “taking a look” over his shoulder at the furlong pole, just to make sure that no challenger was coming out of the pack, he eased him into the lead, and allowed him to come home a comfortable 21/2 length winner. “Favourite” punters and most other backers lost money at Lingfield that day, but 4


anyone using the Einstein would have cleaned up.

Take Note! Special conditions apply • If two horses are joint top rated, split your stake between them. • If three horses are co-top rated, no bet. The Einstein system works because it recognises that there are five essential factors in successfully predicting a winner, and gives exactly the right importance to each of them.

!FREE BONUS! Max your Einstein and hit a four-horse jackpot The Einstein racing system will find you winners. Now here’s the way to get the maximum profit from them… …back them in a Max Einstein Accumulator bet. The Max Einstein is no ordinary accumulator. It’s a mathematical marvel that puts the odds in your favour. The Max system backs Einstein’s top eight selections in a series of cunning bets. This smart formula gives you the best ever chance of stringing four winners together for a huge accumulator payout. And nothing pays better than an accumulator. The cash from your first winner rolls onto the second, the big money from the first and second winners rolls onto the third, and then the sackful of the stuff from the first, second and third winners rolls onto the fourth. And that’s where you could land a monster payout. Four winners at 5/1 pays 1,295/1. That’s over TWELVE GRAND for a £10 stake.

Here’s how the Max Einstein works In an ordinary accumulator bet, you have just one shot in the gun. If one horse loses, the whole bet is lost. But the Max Einstein uses a brilliant permutation that takes Einstein’s top 8 selections on any day, and gives you up to 15 bullets to hit the four-horse accumulator target. The Max Einstein can be used on any racing day. But Saturdays, with so many races to choose from, are ideal. First, take the eight highest rated horses of the day, and list them in order. The highest first, lowest last, then number them 1 to 8. Second, Max’s formula arranges these selections into the patterns that are most 5


likely to win. In the grid below, the numbers correspond to those of Einstein’s ‘Top 8’ selections. Where Number 1 appears, substitute the name of your ‘Top Rated’ selection. Similarly, where Number 8 appears, write in Einstein’s ‘Lowest rated’ selection and so on. Third, the Max makes eleven separate, but closely related bets. You will see that Einstein’s top four selections appear seven times each, and his lowest four appear four times each. This biases your bets in favour of the best-rated horses. When you see ‘Leg 1’ in the table below, it simply means this is the first horse that you write on your slip. ‘Leg 2’ is the second horse you write on your slip. Leg 1 Leg 2 Leg 3 Leg 4

11115111555 22262266226 33733737373 48444884844

So your first accumulator bet would be: Leg 1 Leg 2 Leg 3 Leg 4

1st rated selection 2nd rated selection 3rd rated selection 4th rated selection

And your second would be: Leg 1 Leg 2 Leg 3 Leg 4

1st rated selection 2nd rated selection 3rd rated selection 8th rated selection

That makes eight horses picked by Einstein, cleverly arranged by Max into eleven four-horse accumulators.

Use the “Max Bonus” to boost your payout You can greatly increase your chances of landing the four-horse jackpot by adding the Max Bonus to your bets. Simply add the following five bets to those you have already made. They give you deep coverage on Einstein’s lower rated horses. Leg 1 Leg 2 Leg 3 Leg 4

55515 66266 73777 48888

There will be days when there are only a couple of race meetings, and there may not be eight highly rated horses. Or you may want to concentrate on only the cream 6


of Einstein’s top rated in just a few races. Here’s a fantastic way to do it. Having the two highest rated Einstein selections running for you in a race dramatically increases your chances of landing the winner. This is how you can get a Max return, and a big-money accumulator, from just four races. First, pick the best four races of the day, where the top two Einstein horses both have a ratings figure over 70. Second, number the top rated horse in each of the four races ‘1’, and the second rated horse in each of the four races ‘2’. Then, arrange them in the following sequences: Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4

11112111222 11121122112 11211212121 12111221211

So your first accumulator would be: Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4

Top rated selection Top rated selection Top rated selection Top rated selection

And your second would be: Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4

Top rated selection Top rated selection Top rated selection Second rated selection

As long as no more than two of your second top rated win, you are guaranteed to land a four-horse accumulator. If your winners were only 3/1 shots, it would pay you 255/1. And once again, you can increase your chances by adding the following Max Bonus to the above. Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4

22212 22122 21222 12222

This bonus gives you powerful extra cover on Einstein’s second top rated horses, which are often returned at very big prices indeed. Einstein and Max. A win double at the races. 7


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System #2: Football

The SCOREMASTER “…Turn your football knowledge into easy money by backing correct-score winners accurately…”

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icking correct full-time football scores isn’t difficult with the Scoremaster to help you. And turning those winners into huge profits is simple if you use the Scoremaster Betting Plan. Firstly, you need to pick your teams, and spot the correct scores. Being selective is key. Don’t try to forecast the score of any and every match. Some teams have a pattern in their scoring, but others are unpredictable. You are looking for a solid scoring trend. It doesn’t matter whether that trend is to high scores or low, as long as you can identify it.

Two simple steps to spotting your “Scoremaster” opportunity 1. Do not make a bet until teams have played a minimum of 10 matches. 2. Check the scores of those matches, and identify the sides that have a definite scoring pattern. For instance, a season or two ago, Everton had proved themselves to be typical lowscoring winners. So 1-0… 2-0… and 2-1… These three scores covered over 60% of their results up

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Record Everton’s Scoremaster at Goodison Park Total home games: Failed to score: Scored 1 goal: Scored 2 goals: Defending at home: Clean sheets: Conceded 1 goal: Conceded 2 goals: Conceded 3 goals:

11 only once on 4 occasions on 6 occasions

4 4 times 2 times once

ct Scores Everton at home: Corre 3 matches 2-1: 1 match 1-1: 1 match 0-0: 2 matches 1-0: 1 match 1-3: 1 match 2-0: 2 matches 2-2:

to mid-January of the relevant season. You only need to discover a handful of teams with trends as definite as this in order to make your correct score betting pay very big dividends. In the examples we’ll look at in a moment, we’re going to keep all our forecasts to low-scoring teams. Take note: If you identify a high scorer and include them in your bet, your returns will be appreciably higher. And although the Scoremaster system often identifies teams playing at home, there is no reason at all why you can’t include an away side in your planning – if they have the right credentials, of course.

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The Scoremaster “2 x 2” Betting Plan Here’s how you could back two teams with a high ratio of 1-0 and 2-0 home wins in a correct score double…plus your potential winnings. You would write out your bet like this on the bookmaker’s slip, or on their website:

Match 1: 1-0, 2-0 Match 2: 1-0, 2-0 Any 2 correct results, 4 bets @ £1 each = £4

Your approximate returns would be: Both games end 1-0: ..............................................................................................£50 They end 1-0 and 2-0: ...........................................................................................£58 If 2-0 and 1-0: .................................................................................................£58 Both end 2-0: .................................................................................................£67

The Scoremaster “2 x 3” Plan After comparing your Home teams with their Away visitors, you may think that a 1-1 draw is a very possible option in one of your games. This plan puts that draw into your bet. Write your betting slip like this:

Match 1: 1-0, 1-1, 2-1 Match 2: 1-0, 1-1, 2-1 Any 2 correct scores, 9 bets @ £1 each = £9

This will give you returns of between £48 and £65, depending on the bookmakers’ prices on the day.

The Scoremaster “3 x 3” Plan Here’s a real moneymaker. This is ideal if you are confident you have found three teams who will produce a low scoring win.

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Write your slip out like this:

Match 1: 1-0, 2-1, 2-0 Match 2: 1-0, 2-1, 2-0 Match 3: 1-0, 2-1, 2-0 Perm all 3 results from each match, 27 trebles @ £1 each = £27

If you don’t know what “perm” means, don’t worry about the jargon. This word simply means “pay out on all possible combinations of final scores”. At the odds often available for these scores, your return for this “winning treble” could be: 1-0, 1-0, 1-0 1-0, 1-0, 2-1 1-0, 1-0, 2-0 1-0, 2-1, 2-1 1-0, 2-1, 2-0 1-0, 2-0, 2-0 2-1, 2-1, 2-1 2-1, 2-1, 2-0 2-1, 2-0, 2-0 2-0, 2-0, 2-0

= 7/1 x 7/1 x 7/1 = ................................................................£512 = 7/1 x 7/1 x 9/1 = ................................................................£640 = 7/1 x 7/1 x 10/1 = ..............................................................£704 = 7/1 x 9/1 x 9/1 = ................................................................£800 = 7/1 x 9/1 x 10/1 = ..............................................................£880 = 7/1 x 10/1 x 10/1 = ............................................................£968 = 9/1 x 9/1 x 9/1 = ..............................................................£1000 = 9/1 x 9/1 x 10/1 = ............................................................£1100 = 9/1 x 10/1 x 10/1 = ..........................................................£1210 = 10/1 x 10/1 x 10/1 = ........................................................£1331

You don’t have to stake as much as £27 of course. If you bet just 20 pence per line, your total outlay would be £5.40. But your minimum pick-up for a treble would be £102.40.

The Scoremaster ‘3 x 4’ Plan In this plan, you select three teams you believe will land a close low-scoring victory, as in the Scoremaster 3x3 Plan. But you increase your chances of a big win by including the 1-1 draw in the scoring options. This is a 64-bet Plan, so let’s assume you are staking in 10 pence units.

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Write out your slip as follows:

Match 1: 1-0, 1-1, 2-0, 2-1 Match 2: 1-0, 1-1, 2-0, 2-1 Match 3: 1-0, 1-1, 2-0, 2-1 Any three correct results, 64 trebles @ 10p each = £6.40

The return for one successful 10 pence treble will be around £31, a return-oninvestment of 484% profit. As long as you are prepared to stick ONLY to those teams you have identified as low or high scoring winners, the Scoremaster Betting Plans will ensure that you get the maximum return for your successful selections.

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System #3: Any sport

The WIN-WIN STRATEGY “…Learn how to “hedge your bets” for guaranteed winnings using the bookies’ secret strategy…”

B

ookies always aim to make a sure profit from an event, whoever wins. It’s not a bad idea to take a leaf out of their book.

Okay, it might mean sacrificing a couple of bigger “jackpot” wins. But there’s a lot to be said for making smaller, more frequent profits. Especially when your profits are guaranteed! They build up your bank balance and betting confidence, and they make your life as a backer more enjoyable. A regular flow of cash into the wallet also helps you to gradually increase the size of your stakes, and in the end, win you even more money.

Use common sense to cash in…no matter what happens There’s nothing difficult in making guaranteed “win-win” profits. It’s just common sense, as you will see in a moment. And all you usually need is just one bet at a decent price in your pocket. Here’s a typical example of how you could take a bet, which might or might not win, and turn it into sure-fire cash. You don’t have to be on an impossible-to-pick 66/1 shot to make the idea work. It’s very straightforward. Imagine it was semi-finals time in a big, live-on-TV snooker tournament. Only four players are left, all well-known names. The guy you think will win the tournament is 15


the bookies’ short-priced favourite. Worth a bet? Here’s how you can make guaranteed profits from exactly that situation…

Back the favourite and lock in your profits Cast your mind back to the semis of a recent UK Snooker Championships. Ken Doherty is playing Drew Henry in one match, and Mark Williams is playing Peter Ebdon in the other. You fancy Williams to beat Ebdon, and to then go on and win the title. So you bet £20 on him to win the Championships outright at 11/10. Williams wins his semi-final, and Ken Doherty wins his. The bookies make Doherty 2/1 to win the Final. The way things stand, you win £22 if Williams is the winner, but lose £20 if it’s Doherty. So why not back Doherty too, and make money whoever lands the Championship? By putting £13 on Doherty at 2/1 you can guarantee yourself a certain profit on this tournament. The figures work out like this: • You’ll have risked £33 in all: £20 on Williams and £13 on Doherty. If Doherty wins you will pick up £39 (£26 winnings, plus your £13 stake returned). That will give you an overall profit of £6 on your bets. • If Williams wins you will pick up £42 (£22 pounds winnings, plus your £20 stake). An overall profit of £9. Not bad at all. You’d have to leave your £33 in the Building Society for about five years to make that sort of guaranteed profit. Incidentally, Williams nicked the championship on the very last frame, 9-8.

Bet at 11/10…but collect 66% profit Now, you can’t say that’s hard. Simply back the 11/10 favourite of four players. Then back his opponent in the Final. And you can get even more spectacular results if you step in with your first bet a little earlier. If you’d fancied Williams at the Quarter-Final stage, for instance, you’d have got 2/1 for him. How would you have known to back Williams? You couldn’t be sure he would reach the final – and then win it. But if you decide to engineer a win-win situation like that, you don’t necessarily have to study the player’s form in depth or follow the sport religiously. Opportunities are plentiful. You can do this a dozen times a week if you are alert, and make a profit every time. Plus, these situations occur in any and every sport where tournaments are regularly held.

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Simply watch the bookies’ prices… The trick is simply to get on the guy or the team that is popular with the public, and is being supported in the market. Watch the bookies’ prices closely – either on the internet, or by making a nuisance of yourself in your local betting shop and asking for updated prices every morning. As soon as you see a particular player’s price begin to ‘go’, take it. This puts a “decent price in your pocket” – a very valuable commodity. Once you’ve got, say 6/1, about a player who is backed to 4/1, and who wins through to the next round and is cut to 5/2, then you are virtually guaranteed to be able to back the other guys and make a profit whoever wins. This is exactly what happened in the Williams and Doherty example we looked at above.

Two quick tips to work out profitable stakes Firstly, the stake on your second bet must never be more than the amount of profit you stand to make on your first bet. Secondly, as a rule of thumb, try treating half of the profit on your first bet as the stake for the second bet. Then work out how much both bets would win versus your total outlay. You can move the stake on the second bet up and down until you are happy that you have a nice equal balance ‘both ways’. Using the simple techniques revealed here, engineering a win-win bet just once a week to enjoy £20 each time, you would guarantee yourself over £1,000 profit a year.

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Strategy #4: Football

The CARDMASTER “…How you can make the bookies see red…and turn £10 into £32.50 every Saturday between February and May…”

T

owards the end of each soccer season, the Premiership fixture list contains lots of “dead matches” – games that don’t mean much to either team. But these boring kickabouts could mean easy money in the bank to you. Sides that have no chance of qualifying for Europe, but are well clear of the relegation zone, often just go through the motions when they meet. Many football punters hate betting on these matches. “Form” can go out of the window. But for shrewd investors, these games are a goldmine. Don’t waste your time trying to pick the “home, away or draw” result. Clean up by betting on the number of red and yellow cards the referee will show instead. History proves that – year after year – the last weeks of the season produce far fewer red and yellow cards in the Premiership than any other period. The “dead” matches are responsible. Here’s how betting on cards works The bookmakers price up this market for ALL Premiership football matches shown live on TV. They use this scoring system: Yellow Card shown:......................................................................................10-points Red Card Shown: ........................................................................................25-points

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Any player shown ........................................................................................2 Yellows (followed by an automatic Red):..................................................................35-points So when Liverpool battled Everton on Saturday 25 March 2006, Liverpool ended with 55 points and Everton got 95 points. The total match Card Score (sometimes called the “Make Up”) was a massive 150 points.

How to spot “low card” goldmines From February until the end of the season in May, many games are sure to end with much lower Card Scores than that. You can make an excellent profit, simply by picking the right games. So what are those “right” games? “Low Cards” looks almost certain when: First, both teams are safe from the drop. Second, neither team has any hope of qualifying for Europe. Plus! You must check another important factor too – the Referee. Some refs go for their top pocket far more than others. Any excuse to make a booking! But others bend over backwards to avoid formal “discipline”. You need to look for low-carding referees. Here are this season’s stats for Premiership referees. It shows the average number of card points they’ve dished out per game in the 2005/06 season. Philip Dowd Steve Bennett Graham Poll Mike Dean Mike Riley Andre Marriner Rob Styles Martin Atkinson Mark Clattenburg Howard Webb Alan Wiley Barry Knight Christopher Foy Peter Walton R Beeby Dermot Gallagher Uriah Rennie 20

49.09 per match 48.2 per match 38.75 per match 38.42 per match 46 per match 34.17 per match 35.4 per match 32.5 per match 34.38 per match 33.48 per match 33.52 per match 35 per match 35.94 per match 33.5 per match 15 per match 26.76 per match 22.05 per match


Mark Halsey Lee Mason Andy D’urso

26.56 per match 20 per match 40 per match

To find out which referee will be in charge of your chosen game, go to www.4thegame.com or www.sportinglife.com. You can get the latest referee stats from www.soccerbase.com.You can also pick up the name of the official on the morning of the game in The Racing Post from your newsagent.

Now you are ready to bet… You want the best odds for your “low card” bet, of course. So check with as many bookies as possible before putting down your cash. All the High Street and internet firms offer odds, and there’s plenty of choice. Take Note: Different bookmakers price their ‘Card’ bets in slightly different ways. But none of them require you to pick the exact number of “card points”. You simply need to select the lowest “band” they offer. For example, Hills often quote prices like this: Under 25 9/4 25-45 9/4 Over 45 Evens Ladbrokes quote differently: Under 30 2/1 Exactly 30 9/2 Over 30 8/13 Bet365 use this system: Under 40 5/6 40 and Over 5/6 But don’t worry about these different systems. Simply look for the bands “Under 25” and “Under 30”. You will generally get odds of 9/4 or 2/1 for these. Never accept less than 6/4. And if a bookmaker tries to be clever, do NOT back “Under 20” points a game. Even though the two teams may seem well-behaved, and they have little to play for, it’s better to be safe than sorry. “Under 20” may seem to offer better odds. But the chances of it happening are very slim compared with “Under 25” and “Under 30”. Then, once you’ve made your wager, sit back and enjoy those yawn-making games that bore everyone else rigid!

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Look out for these 5 deadly dull teams Charlton Wigan Portsmouth West Ham Middlesbrough

Visit these bookmakers for “Card Bookings” prices www.willhill.com tel: 0800 882266 www.ladbrokes.com tel: 0800 524524 www.paddypower.com tel: 08000 565265 www.bluesq.com tel: 0800 587 0200 www.sportingodds.com www.eurobet.co.uk (Corals) tel: 0800 126725 www.bet365.com tel: 0800 458 8888

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System #5: Cricket

LAST MAN STANDING “…Five simple questions return 30% profit…or even TRIPLE YOUR MONEY…when you bet live on cricket’s tail-end batsmen…”

W

hat’s the most fun way you can make money… without robbing a bank? Incredibly, it might just be betting “live” on cricket matches.

As soon as the game starts, bookies put up odds for what is going to happen next. One of these “live betting” markets has the words “Used Banknotes – Please Steal Me” written all over it. The market for “Next Batsman Out” will reward a little patience with big cash profits.

The bookies get it wrong! wrong! wrong! No matter who is at the wicket, bookmakers offer odds on who will be the “Next Batsman Out”. In many batting partnerships, it’s impossible to find a solid betting opportunity. But sometimes the odds swing right in your favour. The ideal betting situation? When a recognised batsman is partnering one of the team’s “tail-enders”. Tail-enders are those batsmen who come in at Number 7 or later. Most tail-enders just try to protect the wicket. They play safety strokes, and aim to give the “strike” to their more skilled partner. Some of these “weakest links” are actually very good at stonewalling. Jason Gillespie, the Aussie bowler, is probably the best in the world. And because the 23


bookmakers are very predictable when faced with this situation, you can beat them time and again.

When you’ve got this partnership, you can bet BIG Imagine the tail-ender walks up to the wicket. Up go the bookies’ prices for the “Next Batsman Out”. Those prices will be: Tail-ender: Other batsman:

1/3 2/1

That 2/1 can often be a huge price and a great bet. But before you can think of putting your money down, give the tail-ender between 6 and 8 balls to settle in. Then ask yourself these five questions: 1. Does the more talented batsman need to score a high number of runs to win or save the innings/match? 2. Is the more talented batsman skilful enough to take most of the strike from his partner? In other words… 3. Can he hit 2s and 4s with a quick single at the end of the over? 4. Is he taking risks? 5. Does the tail-ender look secure? Answer “Yes” to 3 or more, and the “more talented” batsman is no sure thing to outlive his “tail-ender” partner. Sure, the difference in class means the tail-ender will be favourite to go first. But if the recognised batsmen is seeing plenty of the ball – and taking risks – there’s no way the bookmakers should offer you 2/1 for your money. Especially if his partner is just leaning on his bat at the other end…

The true odds outweigh the bookies’ prices The true odds of the “better batsman” going out are nearer 5/4. Sports fans like you are staring a gift horse in the mouth. Over the course of the cricket season, you’ll see many opportunities offer you this opportunity. Statistics prove you’ll win an average of 4 out of every 9 of these bets. At odds of 2/1, that means a profit of more than 30% on your stakes overall…provided, of course, you could answer “Yes” to 3 or more of the 5 crucial questions above. One other critical factor to watch: Is the “batsman” grabbing most of the strike, while the “tail-ender” plays it safe and sensible? It’s also worth watching for these strong “tail-enders” too.

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Five tail-enders to watch for… Australia’s Jason Gillespie and India’s Anil Kumble England’s Ashley Giles Zimbabwe’s Heath Streak New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori South Africa’s Shaun Pollock It was bowler Ashley Giles’ stand with batsman Kevin Pietersen that sank Australia in the last test of the 2005 Ashes. Now, with the Next Man Out system, you can make serious money from that situation.

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System #6: American football THE SURE THING

O

n the face of it, it’s a sport played by 18-stone psychopaths of unpredictable temper, and anything could happen. But, in fact, American football is one of the most precise instruments for extracting money from bookmakers that I know. There really is a master plan behind all those hurtling bodies and bonecrunching tackles, and we can harness it to a little plan of our own, to make betting profits right through to the Super Bowl in January. The whole star-spangled rumble starts up again in September, and will be shown live on Sky TV every Sunday night. British bookies bet on American Football (the NFL) extensively, and happily for us, inadvertently provide all manner of moneymaking opportunities.

How to make money from this elaborate and aggressive game of chess... The first thing to note is that the men who control all the on-field mayhem, the furious-faced team coaches who prowl the sidelines snarling into their headsets, aren’t trying to start the next Civil War. They’re playing chess. Every player on the field is actually a specialist at some aspect of the game, and coaches utilise them just like a chess player might use a castle or a knight for different moves on the chessboard. And just as in a chess game, every onfield move is annotated and may be studied later. That’s the factor that will give you your winning edge, because this is one sport where the statistics successfully forecast winner after winner.

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You couldn’t produce figures for a soccer game that were anywhere near as meaningful. In soccer the clever thing is often to pass the ball sideways or even backward, but in American football there is only one way to go. Straight down the field, with no deviation. The stats tell you exactly how successful teams are at doing just that, and also how good they are in stopping opposing sides from doing it to them.

The one key stat you need to know above all others All the calculations are made for you; the only thing you have to do is to note them. The NFL produces acres of figures on every game, and you can find them on the official site, www.nfl.com, under ‘game statistics’. They are also published every week in the American football newspaper First Down, which any newsagent can order for you. But, as we’ve noted, this is a very direct game, where the only idea is to move the ball down the field. What you need to know is how efficient a side is at doing it. That word ‘efficient’ is important. Knowing a team’s efficiency is different from knowing how many points they scored in a particular game, or the total number of yards they gained. Because more often than not, teams who play efficiently will beat teams that don’t. And you can find out just how efficiently a team is playing by looking at their ‘Average Yards Gained’ per play figure. Suppose a team have 50 attacking, or ‘offensive plays’ as they are called, and gain a total of 200 yards, then their average gain is 4 yards per play. This figure encompasses just about everything you need to know about them. It covers the astuteness of the coach in selecting the best ‘plays’ to run, the ability of the players to carry out his plans, and also takes account of the plays that didn’t work.

Here’s how to use ‘Average Gain’ to find a winning bet. In a recent game between Denver and Kansas, Denver’s Average Gain was 6.5 yards per play, and Kansas’s average was just 4.5 yards. So Denver were a full 2 yards per play more efficient at moving the ball than Kansas, a big margin in this sport. On the same day that Denver were racking up those excellent figures, New England met Green Bay, and recorded a much less impressive Average Gain of 4.3 yards, while their opponents Green Bay achieved 4.7 yards. The punch line came the following week: Denver was scheduled to play New England, and there was a clear betting opportunity. When you looked at Denver and New England’s average gain figures from the previous week, it was obvious that Denver held a very strong advantage.

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They had recorded a much higher efficiency figure, 6.5 compared to New England’s 4.7, and they had conceded less ground per play than New England, 4.5 yards, against 4.7. Based on these figures, Denver looked a strong bet to beat New England, and so it proved when they met on the field. Denver won the game 24-16, and confirmed the reliability of the stats by recording an Average Yards per play figure of 5.4, while New England could only manage 3.4. And yet, in this two-horse race, you could have backed Denver at almost even money to win. You can find bets just as good as this almost every week on the NFL, all you need to do is to check the stats. Although for the sake of simplicity I have looked at only one game’s figures for each team, ideally you should look at two, three, or more, to find a reliable efficiency yardstick. Bottom line: It’s rare to find such a ‘sure thing’ in the betting industry, but with a quick look at the NFL stats, you could be on your way to some tasty profits this season.

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System #7: Horseracing

The DEAD CERT “…Three little-known facts reveal why backing two-year-old horses can help turn £20 into £312.50 next summer…”

I

n betting, as in many other walks of life, it pays to be selective. And with horse racing, the best way to apply this principle is by betting on two-year-olds. These young horses can provide your passport to a summer of profitable betting. Two is the youngest age at which horses can race competitively in Britain. There are three very good reasons why you should take an interest in these ‘youngsters’. • Two-year-olds mainly race against each other, making their form easier to assess and compare. • Most races are over short distances of five to seven furlongs. Tactics play little part in these races and in most instances the fastest horse wins. • These young horses are full of zest, and try their hardest to win – so finding winners in these races is easier.

When to follow the two-year-olds The best time of year to bet on two-year-olds is during the flat racing season. It starts in March and runs through to November. However, the early season is not recommended for betting, as few two-year-olds in a race will have run before, making form almost impossible to assess.

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The summer months, from June to early September, are the peak time for betting. Horses will have some previous form, plus the going will usually be good, meaning the top horses can perform at their best. From mid-September onwards though, forget it – the weather deteriorates and the young horses begin to tire at the end of their first season.

Simple three-step strategy reveals your winner See the racing card on page 2 for an example of where to find the information below in your newspaper. Step 1: Take a look in any daily newspaper with racing coverage and identify horses that were first or second in their last run. Sixty-six per cent of all two-year-old races are won by a horse that won or was placed last time out. Look for a ‘1’ or ‘2’ written at the end of the numbers and letters on the race card directly before the horse’s name. Step 2: Next, narrow it down to any horses that are first or second in your newspaper’s betting forecast. Step 3: Finally, eliminate any horses that last ran more than 30 days ago (the number of days since a horse’s last run is shown by the figure after the horse’s name). A horse with a long break is rarely at its peak. Plus, using this system, you can protect yourself from losing streaks. Use this simple staking plan…

Simple ‘bank’ strategy keeps you in profit Set aside a ‘bank’ of money you can afford to lose – say £200 or £400. Divide this into 20 ‘points’ and bet one point on each of your selections. So if your starting bank is £400, your initial bet would be £20. If your first horse wins at 2/1, your bank will rise to £440. So your next bet would be £22 – one-twentieth of your total bank, remember. If that bet wins, your total bank now stands at £506, and one point will be worth £25.30. If the following bet loses, your bank goes down to £480.70. One point for your next bet is now worth £24.04. Applying this strategy should ensure that your bank grows at a steadily increasing rate, while helping protect you from any losing streaks.

Now boost your profits with a winning treble If your two-year-old system reveals two or three good selections in one day, why not also back them in a double or treble? At the peak time of year – between June and September – results follow form reliably. A winning double or treble can give your 32


betting bank a massive boost. For example, if you had £20 on a treble in which all three horses were returned at 6/4, you would collect £312.50 for a net profit of almost £300…!!

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The DOODLE DANDY “…This simple betting slip trick turns a Yankee loser into a solid DIY profit…and can return up to £1,296 for an £85 stake…”

M

any casual bettors like to put their money on a Yankee – a speciality bet covering four horses in four different races. However, a standard Yankee offers poor value for punters. That’s why they’re so popular with the bookmakers. It’s easy taking money off unsuspecting horse fans this way. But you can create your own Doodle Dandy instead. It’s a ‘Do-It-Yourself Yankee’ that greatly improves your chances of success. Here’s how…

What is a Yankee? As you know, a ‘double’ involves two horses. If your first horse wins, all the proceeds are automatically staked on the second – making your final payout that much bigger if you win both bets. A treble covers three horses, with all winnings from the first two being invested on the third, and so on. Multiple bets like these can produce big returns when successful, but with a drawback; unless ALL selections in the bet win, you get nothing. This is why the standard Yankee offers such poor value. A Yankee is really 11 bets in one. It includes four horses in six double-bets, four trebles and one four-fold. Most people enter their bets on the special Yankee forms available from betting shops. These require you to stake the same amount on the doubles, the trebles and the four-fold. With a unit stake of £1, this bet will therefore cost £11. 35


Rip-off alert! Yankees are terrible value Unless you find at least three winning horses, you are likely to end up making an overall loss. Mathematically, it would be far better if you could bet most of your cash on the doubles, the bets most likely to succeed. By the same token, if you put less of your cash on the very unlikely four-fold – which only pays out if all your horses win – you have a greater chance of winning good money. Here’s how to make your poor-value Yankees into much more profitable Doodle Dandies: 1. Write down your four selections (horse name plus time/venue of race) 2. Follow the names with these instructions “6 x £1 win doubles, 4 x 50p trebles and 1 x 25p each-way four-fold”. 3. This costs £8.50 (a 25p each-way bet costs 50p), £2.50 less than a standard Yankee. This method ensures that most of your money is staked on the most likely outcomes – the doubles. If you have a losing horse, you lose only the small 25p stake from the four-fold first. And if you find just two winning horses at any decent odds, you should make more than your £8.50 total stake back, and be in profit. Plus, by backing the four-fold each way, you give your chances an added boost. An each-way bet pays out if runners achieve a place – so even if none of your horses win, you may still get a return if all four make the frame.

Just compare the returns from standard and DIY Yankees… Let’s say you back four horses at 2/1 each with a £1 unit stake. The standard Yankee will cost you £1 x 11 = £11. The DIY version costs just £8.50. If two horses win (by far the most likely successful outcome), you will have one winning double returning £9 (£1 on horse A at 2/1 returns £3; £3 on horse B at 2/1 returns £9). With a standard Yankee you will therefore make a £2 loss…but with a Doodle Dandy a small – but welcome! – 50p profit. You can see for yourself what would happen if you increased your unit stake to £10. Instead of a £20 loss with the standard Yankee, the Doodle Dandy version puts you £5 ahead with just one win. From there, you’re in the money… • With 3 winners, you will have two winning doubles and one winning treble. Backing to £10 per line, your total returns on the Doodle Dandy will be a tasty £315. • If you get all 4 horses you will be looking at a bumper £1,295.16 payday.

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The ROUND ROBIN “…Turn a tenner into £68 or even £390…with the help of a Round Robin…”

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ere’s a little-known goldmine for horse-racing fans. The Round Robin is a way of backing three horses in ten profit-packed multiple bets. It can give you a big return for a small investment, and – properly applied – will still give you your money back, or even a small profit, if you find only one winner!

Even better, no specialist knowledge is required when making your selections or placing the bet.

Here’s how the Round Robin works All bookies know about Round Robins…but not surprisingly they don’t advertise them. A Round Robin is a bet covering just three horses running in different races. If you place £10 on the Round Robin, each separate bet within it has a £1 stake as follows: Horses A and B: Double = 1 bet Horses A and C: Double = 1 bet Horses B and C: Double = 1 bet Horses A, B and C: Treble = 1 bet Horses A&B: Single Stakes About = 2 bets Horses A&C: Single Stakes About = 2 bets Horses B&C: Single Stakes About = 2 bets What’s that “single stakes about”? It’s a special kind of bet. In fact, it gives you two bets covering two horses. If one horse wins, the original stake is taken from the 37


winnings and invested on the other horse. So if you have an SSA bet of £10 on horses A and B – and Horse A wins – then £10 of the winnings is added to the original stake on Horse B. This doubles the stake on Horse B to £20. The net effect is that, if both horses in an SSA bet win, the proceeds of the bet are greatly boosted. But if only one horse wins you still collect something (unlike a double).

Now pick strong horses at 5/1 or better Now you’re ready to choose the 3 horses in 3 different races you need. Look for high performers at 5/1. Round Robin is best used with horses priced at between 4/1 and 6/1. If all three horses in the bet are returned at 5/1, your winnings will then be as follows: if just one horse wins, you get your £10 back; if two horses win, you get £68; if all three win, you collect £390. Use the racing pages of any newspaper, the daily Racing Post, or www.racingpost.co.uk to help pick your runners. Look for the betting forecast for each race (printed under the list of runners and riders) and note horses whose predicted starting prices are between 4/1 and 6/1. Give preference to horses which are quoted as first, second or third favourite and which have the best recent form. Form information for each horse is shown by the string of numbers in front of its name, e.g. 02011, with the most recent form being shown by the number on the right.

Now fill out your betting slip Simply take a plain betting slip and write the names of your three horses, not forgetting to include the meeting and race time in each case. Under this put: “Round Robin = 10 bets at £1 each = £10”. Just hand the slip in with your stake – and look forward to a good profit.

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System #10: Snooker

The GIANT KILLER “…These safe ‘value’ bets on snooker can give you a 36% return-on-investment…”

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nooker is less well known as a betting sport; but for profitable punting it’s in the Premier League. This year-round sport is easy to follow on TV. But best of all, most punters lump their money on a few ‘star’ players – creating valuable opportunities for you to take advantage of. First though, a word of warning: avoid betting on the ‘frame score’. Trying to predict how many frames, say, Hendry will beat Ebdon by, is a mug’s game. The odds available can be enticing, but it involves too much guesswork. Instead, look at the other two markets: • Tournament winner • Match winner

Before we look at exactly how to bet these markets, here’s a fact the TV pundits won’t tell you…

Giant-killing is common…and it can prove profitable In boxing, if one man has beaten the other in six of their last seven fights, you can assume he has the measure of him. But in snooker the players don’t really play against each other – they compete against the balls on the table. While one player is potting a series of balls, the other can do nothing. This means an up-and-coming player in good form will frequently beat a star who is a little below par. Also forget about each player’s performance at the same tournament in previous

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seasons. The most important factor is each man’s current confidence and performance level – and this can be assessed by studying their most recent match results.

How to make solid profits playing the underdog The system is simple: look for in-form players in a tournament; then back them against other players who may be better known but are now struggling. For example, in a recent World Snooker Championship, the well-known John Parrott was playing the lesser-known Joe Swail. Their previous head-to-head record was 5-2 in Parrott’s favour. He was quoted as the 10/11 favourite, with Swail at 11/10 against. A fair price? No! The head-to-head record went back to a time when Swail was struggling to establish himself. Parrott had been under-performing in his most recent matches, and anyone backing Swail would have had first-class value. Swail won easily! Applying this system during the last 12-month season, backing the supposed underdog when he was in fact the more in-form player – and available at evens or better – produced 33 winners from 48 bets. Staking £100 a time on these selections would have generated a total return of £ 6,520 for a net profit of £1,720 tax-free That’s a 36% return.

How to find your in-form underdogs First, buy a copy of the Racing Post newspaper, available in most newsagents, price £1. It covers all the major snooker tournaments. Second, study the details of all the main contenders’ recent performances. Third, check the best prices for each player and where you can get them. The Racing Post also gives you this information. Back in-form players at odds of evens or better whenever they meet older players whose form is failing.

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System #11: Greyhound racing

The SPEEDY DOG-GALEZ “…This straightforward greyhound system can deliver £5,000 profit in one night…”

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reyhound racing provides first-rate entertainment – not to mention some worthwhile betting opportunities. To enjoy a profitable night, follow this simple system for selecting the fastest dog in each race. Most greyhound racing takes place at one of 33 tracks licensed by the National Greyhound Racing Club. Every race has six runners, each dog starting from a numbered stall or ‘trap’. Every course in the country uses the same colours for each trap. Trap Trap Trap Trap Trap Trap

1: red 2: blue 3: white 4: black 5: orange 6: black-and-white stripes

Once all dogs are in their traps, a mechanical ‘hare’ is started and the dogs are released to chase it. Most races run over one full circuit (just under 500 metres). All the information you need to select the winning dog in each race is contained in the meeting programme, available from the racetrack on the night. But as the bet you want to make can’t be made trackside, buy a copy of the Racing Post. Class: Dogs are assigned to a particular class of race according to their ability. The highest is grade 1, the lowest grade 9. Be wary of dogs that previously ran in better 41


grade races. They may have passed their prime or be carrying an injury. Current form: Look for dogs whose performance has dipped but may now be coming back to their best. Speed: All things being equal, the fastest dog should win so look for their last race time. Trap draw: Runners in traps 1 and 6 regularly outperform the others – they’re less likely to be hampered by other runners. The main bets on course are win only, place (first or second) and forecast. A forecast involves picking two dogs to finish first and second. A popular bet is the reversed forecast, where your choices can be first and second in either order. There’s also the Tricast, where you have to find the first, second and third dog in the correct order – for hopeless optimists only!

Why smarter punters use the Placepot… But you can generate steady profits and enjoy an entire night’s racing…using the Placepot. The Placepot bet requires you to find a placed runner in the first (or last) six races of a meeting. The system requires the use of speed figures (race times) available from the meeting programme or the Racing Post. First, ask the cashier for a special entry form. Next, calculate the fastest dog easily and quickly. Simply work out the difference in seconds between the fastest dog in the race and the next-fastest, based on the last recorded time for each dog. Third, bear in mind that the greater the difference in speed between the fastest dog and the rest, the less need there is for an alternative selection for that race. Fourth, identify the three races in which these differences are the greatest. Your Placepot selections here will be the dogs which achieved the fastest times. Fifth, for the remaining three races, make two Placepot selections – the two dogs that held the fastest and second-fastest last time out. Only use two selections in the three races where the difference between best and second-best is smallest. Now win up to £5,000 with the Placepot system, simply by entering your selections in race order on your special betting slip. • Ask the bookmaker if you need help. • Use the dogs’ trap numbers rather than their names. • The system involves making 2 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 1 bets = eight bets in total. Thus,

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a unit stake of £1 will cost you £8. Half an hour’s research into previous race results can give you the insider edge. Using these expert tips, you can now enjoy a money-making evening at the dogs.

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System #12: Rugby league

The RUGBY RATER “…A simple statistical system for betting profitably using just your daily paper. No knowledge of rugby league required!…”

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ess than 1% of sports fans ever bet on rugby league. Yet this traditional winter sport, recently reinvented as a summer sports-fest on Sky TV, offers some giltedged opportunities for you to make money at the bookies’ expense. This simple but effective system has been tested over the last two seasons, incorporating results from over 1,000 Super League, Premiership and Challenge Cup matches.

All the information you need for profitable betting is in your daily paper. You don’t even have to understand the rules. The main betting action revolves around the Super League (the top echelon) and the Northern Ford Premiership League (very much the second division). There is also the Silk Cut Challenge Cup, a knockout competition for teams from both leagues.

Betting on rugby made simple For individual matches, bookies do not simply offer fixed odds on either team winning, as in the case of football. Rather, they set a ‘handicap’, giving one side a head start according to the bookies’ assessment of their relative chances. If the league leaders are up against a team of strugglers, the latter may be given a ‘headstart’ of 20 points. Common practice is for both teams to be quoted at 5/6 on the handicap (i.e. just under even money). In the above example, if you backed the underdogs, and they lost 45


by a margin of less than 20 points, you would win your bet. By contrast, if you backed the favourites, they would need to win by more than 20 points. This type of betting can take some getting used to. But even blatant mismatches can provide some excellent betting opportunities…because the bookies are often clueless about what they’re doing!

Four simple steps to beating the bookies’ handicap Turn to the league tables in the sports section of the main national dailies on Saturdays and Sundays. Or consult them at any time on the Rugby Football League website at www.rfl.uk.com. Then follow this simple procedure to calculate your bet: First, find the Total Points Won and Total Points Lost columns. Second, for each team, deduct the points lost from the points won so far this season. This will give you a plus or minus figure. Third, divide this number by the number of games played. This gives you a rating, which again may be plus or minus. Finally, assess the outcome of any upcoming game by comparing the two teams’ ratings. Simply calculate the difference between them! Take note! Add two points to the rating of the team playing at home to allow for ‘home advantage’. For example, if a team has a rating of +8, this will become +10 when they are playing at home.

Now identify your best potential bet… For each match being played, simply compare each team’s rating and work out the difference between. Look at the bookies’ handicap betting figures, and if there is a difference of more than three points between the two figures, a bet is indicated. The bigger the difference, the more confident you should be. For example, imagine a match where the bookies’ quote requires the home team to win by 10 points. But your calculations indicate the home team actually has an advantage of 15 points. You would want to bet on the home team. If, on the other hand, the bookies set the handicap at 20, your figures indicate that the home team has been given too much to do. By your reckoning, the home team will win by only 15 points…so a bet on the visitors would be favourite.

Use ‘collateral’ to improve your profits still further To boost your prospects of success still further, keep your own record of all match results as the season unfolds or check on the RFL website. Then, before betting, check 46


the results of any other recent league and cup matches between the two teams concerned. If it ended with the result your ‘ratings’ for each team would predict, you can be all the more confident about betting – and betting big if you want to. But if that previous match resulted very differently, special factors may be involved. Perhaps one team finds the other team’s style of play especially to their liking. You should be wary of placing too large a bet. This simple statistical method does not mean you will win every time. Freak results can always happen in sport. But the law of averages should ensure you enjoy a healthy overall profit, without even having to understand the game!

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System #13: Football

The CORNER-COPIA

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etting on how many corners there will be in a football match might strike you as crazy. Surely the aim is to score?

But with the right statistics to guide you, you can make big profits from this market. Simply by keeping a note of how many corners a team wins and concedes – both Home and Away – you can pick off easy winnings in the back-half of the domestic season, and as Europe hots up too.

Simple system…devastating results The system is simple. For each match, simply look at the notes you’ve made of each team’s average corners won and average corners conceded. If both are low-corner teams, a clear bet on “low total corners” is indicated. If both teams have high corners records, then that’s the way to bet. But if the number suggest a mid-range outcome, you could be in for the tasty reward of 6/4 or even 7/1. The reason this system is so successful? Few punters bother to keep and record these stats. You won’t find them on the internet easily either. And incredibly, many leading bookmakers don’t bother looking at these stats…even if they have them to hand. This leaves the field wide open for you and your notebook to clean up.

Few football fans collect this vital information Imagine you want to bet on Premiership corners. For each team, make a note – every time they play – of how many corners they win, and how many they give away. You can get these numbers from the national newspapers’ match reports. TV

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highlights often flash the corners stats up for each game shown too. As the season progresses, you will build a comprehensive record of every team’s corner-winning abilities...together with their corner-conceding weakness too. For each match for each team, record: • Corners earned • Corners conceded • Also take into account the team’s style, weather and pitch factors. Why style, weather and pitch factors too? Because these details will help you refine your system to increase your profits still further.

These 5 factors determine ‘total corners’ Attacking nature High corner counts often go hand in hand with teams who attack with ‘width’ – sides who like to run the ball to the touchline, and then cross into the Penalty area. Defensive tactics Some teams will risk running the ball out of the box, or heading a cross from the wings into the danger area, rather than risk conceding a corner. Clearing lines Some sides clear their lines regardless of whether they give up a corner or not. The Italians are a good example of this style of ‘percentage’ defending. Despite their outstanding winning record, they often concede more corners than they win. Size of the pitch The larger the pitch, the greater the width of the touchline...and the higher the average corner count. Weather The weather has its effect on corner numbers too. Windy weather tends to increase the count, as does rain. But very heavy rain can waterlog the wings and reduce the count. With this information to hand as the mid-point of the domestic season approaches, you’re ready to start betting with confidence.

Corners betting made simple Bookmakers have two distinct ways of presenting their ‘corners’ odds. Both of them offer a choice of three bets on the number of corners in the game. The structure you will see most often offers the best opportunities too: Under 11 corners: usually offered at ‘even money’ 50


Exactly 11 corners: often priced at 7/1 Over 11 corners: usually offered at ‘even money’ If your statistics indicate that the game has paired two teams with a record of low corner counts, this is the structure to look for from the bookmakers. You will enjoy the chance of winning on every total of corners up to and including ‘ten’. The other method of offering bets on corners looks like this: 0-7 Corners 8-10 Corners 11 Corners and over The big difference is that this market has a middle band of three different outcomes. This can be very useful when your statistics point to the total number of corners being in this middle band. Expect it to pay out at 6/4.

How to ‘hedge’ your bet for safety You are in an ideal situation if the figures for two ‘low corners’ teams indicate a match total somewhere in the bookmakers’ middle band. It gives you the opportunity to have a strong bet... and hedge your position too. Put a strong bet on your favoured, middle band option at 6/4. Then put a smaller bet on the 0-7 band. Expect this ‘low corners’ band to be offered at 10/3. Your staking plan might be £10 on 0-7 corners, and £15 on 8-10 corners. You’ll recoup £12.50 of your £20 outlay if there are fewer than 7 corners. But you will make £50 tax-free profit – plus your winning £15 stake back – if there are between 8-10.

Enjoy big ‘corners’ winnings on international games too! In a recent European Championship, one football fan betting via the internet made £26,000 predicting how many corners would be won in selected games. His analysis produced twelve consecutive winners. The trick? Noting results from the first couple of matches, and carefully applying the extra data revealed by playing style, weather and pitch conditions. But Beware! Two games is not a large sample, and you should start by betting cautiously. However, the statistics could still highlight profit opportunities. By the time the second round of the next World Cup or Euro Championships is reached, you will be able to draw more confident conclusions. Insider’s Tip! Make a note of corners data from qualification matches in international competitions. You’ll be streets ahead of the bookies when the first round begins. They don’t bother to collect this data at all! 51


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The DOUBLE DUTCH “…How to select the two strongest horses in a race…and back them both to enjoy a profit whichever horse wins…”

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hy do more professional gamblers operate in horse racing than any other sport? Because around 90% of punters’ money is returned as winnings. Here’s a simple but powerful system that takes advantage of that fact. Serious gamblers use it to produce steadily accumulating profits. ‘Dutching’ is a system of backing two horses in a single race to guarantee a set target profit if either horse wins. Because, in any race, you will have two good horses on your side, a high success rate is assured and long losing runs are all but unheard of.

Grow your money slowly…but securely Of course, if you are backing two horses to win, one will always lose. But if you follow the clever staking plan revealed here, you’ll always make a profit overall. So this system is ideal if you don’t like taking risks with your betting, and are happy to watch your profits mount steadily. Follow this 7-step system to go ‘Dutch’ on the best opportunity in today’s race card. First, buy a daily paper with racing coverage. The Daily Mail is good for this system. Second, eliminate all amateur races, ladies’ races, apprentice races, selling races and any race with ‘novice’ in the title. Such races are frequently something of a lottery. 53


Third, eliminate all races where the forecast favourite is 10/11 or shorter odds. You will find the betting forecast under the list of runners in each race. Below 10/11, there is not enough profit in such short-priced runners to make this system viable. Fourth, for all the races you haven’t eliminated, find the highest-rated horse. The ratings figures are at the far right of the race card. The highest-rated horse in each race is highlighted in the Daily Mail by a black circle. Fifth, select the race in which the highest-rated horse ran most recently. The number of days since a horse last ran is shown by a number directly after the horse’s name (e.g. Red Marauder 16). You’re therefore comparing all the highest-rated horses and seeking the one with the lowest figure for days since last run. This horse is the most likely to be in peak condition. Sixth, if two or more races tie because the top-rated horses previously ran on the same day, give preference to the race with the highest-priced forecast favourite. This will boost your potential winnings. Finally, once you have selected the best race to ‘Dutch’, back the highest rated and the forecast favourite. If these are one and the same, the horses to bet on are the highest rated and the horse named second in the betting forecast.

Now set your stakes to ensure a profit To make sure your betting is profitable whichever of the two horses wins, convert the odds for both selections to percentages. To do this, divide the right-hand figure in the odds by the sum of both figures and then multiply by 100. For example, say the system above has selected Can’t Lose at 3/1 and Great Chance at 4/1. The percentage odds for Can’t Lose are: 1 ÷ (3 + 1) = 0.25 0.25 x 100 = 25% The percentage odds for Great Chance are: 1 ÷ (4 + 1) = 0.20 0.20 multiplied by 100 = 20% To set your staking, add these percentages up and subtract from 100. In our example, this gives the figure of 55%.

This figure is profit margin To win, say, £50 from the race, divide your target profit amount by the profit margin. Then multiply this by the percentage odds for each horse. This will give you the stakes required. 54


For example, the margin is 55% and your target profit is £50. So the figure to use is: 50 ÷ 55 = 0.91 To ensure £50 net profit from this bet, you’ll need to stake: Can’t Lose: 25 x 0.91 = £22.75 Great Chance: 20 x 0.91 = £18.20 That’s a total stake of near enough £41 (the slight difference is due to the rounding up or down of decimals). If either horse wins your total returns will be £91, giving you a guaranteed net profit of £50.

Your staking plan made simple 1. Convert each horse’s odds into percentages: Divide the right hand figure by the sum of both. 2. Work out the profit margin on the race: Add the two horses’ percentages, and then take the answer away from 100. 3. Calculate each horse’s stake: Multiply each horse’s percentage by the profit margin. And take note: Sometimes horses start at prices different from those forecast in your newspaper. So on occasion you’ll win a bit more or less than your target profit. Over time these differences will average out, providing you with a steadily growing bank balance with very little risk.

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System #15: American Ice Hockey

The SLAP SHOT “…Want to make easy money at the bookies’ expense? Detailed NHL statistics are free – and yet UK bookmakers regularly mess up their prices…”

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ce hockey is a little-known sport in Britain. But in Europe – and especially in America – it’s big business. So British bookies all offer betting on ice hockey…even though they don’t bother to follow even the simple rating revealed here! The National Hockey League (NHL) is the top professional league in North America, with 30 teams in cities across the US and Canada. In a season, they all play each other several times, meaning each team plays over 80 games. Six or more games are played most days during the season.

Games are contested between two teams of six, with substitutions occurring regularly. Rules are kept to a minimum. Each team aims to score by hitting the puck into the opponents’ goal. Games are played in three 20-minute segments, and the main betting opportunity is predicting the winner. Typical prices from UK bookies might be Pittsburgh 1/3, Anaheim 2/1. If there’s a draw, your bet is simply refunded.

Use this simple rating system to predict winners The simple rating system described here will enable you to quickly assess the likely outcome of any match. You will need some statistics to compile your ratings, but these can be easily obtained from the website www.espn.com. Alternatively, buy USA Today, an American daily newspaper with a European edition.

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First, start by compiling ‘Offensive Ratings’. These show how effective a team is in attack. • Click on Team Statistics from the ESPN website’s main NHL page and find the column headed SOG. This shows each teams average number of Shots On Goal per match. • To the left of this, find the column headed GFA. This stands for Goals For Average and shows the average number of goals a team scores per game. • To produce your ‘Offensive Rating’, divide the team’s SOG figure by their GFA figure. • This will show you how many shots a team makes on average before they score a goal and provides an effective measure of their attacking prowess. Second, compile your ‘Defensive Ratings’ to discover how good a team is at shutting out opponents. • Click on Team Statistics as before, and this time find the column headed SOGA – this stands for Shots On Goal Against and shows the average number of shots made by a team’s opponents during a match. • Divide the SOGA by the figure in the column headed GAA (short for Goals Against Average). • The resulting figure indicates the number of shots an opposing team has to make before they score a goal and provides a good guide to the team’s overall defensive abilities. Now, you can weigh up any match in a couple of minutes. Simply calculate and compare their ‘Offensive and Defensive Ratings’.

Here’s a recent example… In a game between Boston and Vancouver, this system worked very well. Boston’s SOG figure was 32.00 and their GFA 1.50. Their ‘Offensive Rating’ was therefore 32.00/1.50 = 21.33. Boston’s SOGA was 22.50 and their GAA 3.00. This gave them a ‘Defensive Rating’ of 22.50/3.00 = 7.50. The statistics for Vancouver were SOG 27.00, GFA 3.33, SOGA 25.30, GAA 2.00. This gives an ‘Offensive Rating’ for Vancouver of 8.10 and a ‘Defensive Rating’ of 12.65. These figures clearly show Vancouver had the edge over Boston in both ‘offence’ and ‘defence’. They required fewer shots to score a goal, and absorbed more shots 58


before they conceded one. Vancouver were therefore highly likely to win this game, and in the event ended 6-3 winners.

Multiply your NHL betting profits with UK bookie blunders UK bookmakers largely take their lead from the US bookies when setting prices. However, if a team’s star player is injured – which occurs regularly due to the physical nature of the sport – they may be slow to update their odds. So look for stories on the internet or in USA Today about injuries to a team’s top players. If your ratings show that the two teams are at least evenly matched, back that team’s next opponents before the UK bookies catch up and shorten their odds.

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The TOTAL-ISER “…With the right information at your fingertips, it can prove more profitable to bet on how many goals will be scored in a game, than on which team is going to win…”

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o calculate the likely total number of goals that will be scored in a match, simply add together the ‘Average Goals Scored’ so far this season for the two teams playing. Simple! As with all profitable football bets, this system starts with compiling your own set of statistics. But the data you need is easily available from the internet and in national newspapers. (se the directory listing at the back of this guide for the best sites to visit) First, look at the latest league table for the division you want to bet on. Second, look at the ‘Goal’s For’ column. For each team, simply divide this number by the number of matches played so far. This gives you the average number of goals they score per game. Finally, add together the averages for the two teams playing each other next. Got that? Simply add together the ‘Average Goals Scored’ for the two teams playing.

Now it’s time to find the best betting price… Once you have referred to the statistics and made up your mind on a betting opportunity, you will want to check the bookmakers to see who is offering the best 61


odds. Competition in the Total Goals market between UK bookies is fierce. A good place to start looking for the best odds is with the ‘big four’. William Hill, Ladbrokes, Corals and the Tote have shops in High Streets all over the country, as well as telephone betting services and internet operations. They all have a full range of “Total Goals” betting for the Premiership, Champions League and international matches too. You will often find their offers advertised in the newspapers, in their shops, and on the internet. Use their prices as a standard, and then check out the smaller firms, who may be offering a little more in an effort to win you away from the ‘big boys’.

Here’s how ‘total goals’ betting works Though bookmakers may present their odds differently, there aren’t too many fancy twists you can give to the Total Goals market. Most football games end with between 0 to 6 goals scored. So bookies invariably offer three different ‘bands’ of Total Goals. Here are the two most popular ways of presenting the odds. Bookmaker A 0-1 Goal 2-3 Goals 4 or more Goals

Bookmaker B 0-1 Goals 2 Goals 3 or more Goals The first difference between these two systems is in the middle bandings. Bookmaker A offers you a bet on “either two or three goals” being scored. With Bookmaker B, you would be betting on “exactly two goals” being scored. Because Bookmaker A is giving you two goals in his middle band, you actually get two chances of winning. So the odds won’t be as attractive as Bookmaker B, who offers you only one chance of winning. There’s only one score in his middle band. The other difference is that Bookmaker A’s final band is “4 or more goals”, and Bookmaker B is for “3 or more”. Although neither of these markets is better than the other, the difference between them means that sometimes you will win if you use one bookie, and lose if you use the other.

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It all depends on what the statistics tell you Here’s how you can get the best out of both Total Goals systems. Bookmaker A 0-1 Goal 2-3 Goals 4 or more Goals Especially profitable IF... • Your statistics throw up a solid bet on 2 or 3 goals. The middle banding covers them both with just one bet, and will normally be priced at around 11/10. • The statistics predict a high scoring game of 4 or more. The highest banding here allows you to focus your bet on a big total, starting at 4 goals rather than the 3 goals band quoted by Bookmaker B. This can make a big difference to the odds you get. If you bet on Bookmaker B’s 3 or more, you may be offered around 8/11. But a bet on 4 or more is likely to be priced at about 2/1. Bookmaker B 0-1 Goal 2 Goals 3 or more Goals Especially profitable IF... • Your analysis points to a low scoring match, for example, 1.4 goals. With this option you have the opportunity to back the 0 or 1 banding, and also 2 goals exactly too. This will make you an overall profit whatever the total, so long as it is 2 or less. The banding 0-1 would normally be priced at around 3/1, with exactly 2 offered at about 11/4. • Your statistics predict a goal tally of just over 3 goals. The final banding here will pay you for 3 exactly, and for every total above 3. This selection would normally be priced at around 8/11.

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System #17: All sports

The LUCKY one-five “…Turn £1 into £21, £728 or even £7,216 using this clever ‘big money’ system…”

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re you looking for a quick and easy ‘fun bet’ that also offers you the chance to make big money? If so, ‘Lucky 15’ is the bet for you. Transform small stakes into the biggest winnings with these insider’s tricks… • To place a bet, take a ‘Lucky 15’ slip from the bookies’ cashier – and make four selections on horses, dogs, football teams, whatever. For example, you might choose four horses to win four different races. • Your selections will be automatically ‘permed’ for you into fifteen bets by the bookmakers. He will give you four singles, six doubles, four trebles, and one fourfold. • Write your unit stake at the bottom of the slip. Start with £1, for example, and the bet will cost you £15 (£1 x 15 bets).

If you only get one winner, most bookies will pay out double the odds. For example, if a horse you’ve selected comes in at 5/1, the bookie pays out on 10/1. But some independent bookies will pay out treble the odds.

You get 10% extra, too! Plus, there is a 10% extra bonus if all four selections win. If the returns from a winning bet are £500, the bookie will pay out £550. So go for four short-price bets on horses and dogs. Betting odds-on is recommended rarely, but the multiplication factor 65


in the Lucky 15 means it can be highly profitable. Imagine you back four horses at even money in a Lucky 15 with a £1 stake. It will cost you £15. • If one horse wins, you receive £4 (£3 for trebled odds, £1 stake). • Two winners nets you £8 (two winning singles return £2 each, plus £4 for the winning double). • Three winners nets £26 (three singles return £6, three doubles £12, and one treble £8). • Four winners, and your winnings will be £88 (four singles £8, six doubles £24, four trebles £32, one four-fold £16, total £80 plus 10% bonus = £88). So with 4 winners, you enjoy a net profit of £73. By comparison, if you’d backed all four horses as singles worth £3.75 each (to make a total outlay of £15), you would have won just £14.56 and effectively thrown away £57.09!

How to make long-priced bets on football pay Using the Lucky 15, you can cash in on that treble-plus bonus. Here’s how: First, seek four matches that you expect to result in narrow home wins. Next, back them to end 1-0. You’ll usually get odds of at least 7-1 for this outcome. The return on your ‘perm’ will be spectacular… Four narrow home wins backed in a Lucky 15 with a £1 stake costs £15. With one correct score, you receive £21 (7-1 at treble odds). That Lucky 15 bonus means that you can get treble the odds on the one selection – and at 7-1, you’ll get your stake back. Two correct scores generates £80 (£16 on the two singles, £64 on the double). Three correct scores produces £728 (£24 on three singles, £192 on three doubles, £512 on one treble). Four correct scores generates £7,216, because you have four singles £32, six doubles £384, four trebles £2,048, one four-fold £4,096, total £6,560 plus 10% bonus = £7,216). Take Note: some betting shop rules exclude football bets from this bonus – so shop around, and find one who does; and you could make big money.

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The TIGHT & CURLY “…Five simple steps to cracking the Tote Trifecta’s £30,000 pay-out…”

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ll horseracing fans dream of winning big money from small stakes. And the Trifecta – a betting opportunity offered by state bookmakers, the Tote – enables you to do just that. You can have a single £1 bet on three horses to finish first, second and third in that order. Like all Tote betting, the Trifecta is a pool bet. All the money staked goes to the winning punters, less a deduction for the Tote’s profit. And if a Trifecta is not won, the pool is rolled over to the following race, and so on…until a win is achieved. You could bag £30,000 or more with your £1 bet! But your chances of success are far too remote to be worthwhile. Better to try a ‘perm’ bet…using clever maths – that doesn’t require a university degree.

How to perm a Tote Trifecta bet First, save wasted time by bearing in mind the Tote’s rules for using the Trifecta. • Un-named selections, e.g just writing ‘Favourite’, are not accepted in Trifecta bets. • If the field is reduced to less than 5 runners before coming under Starter’s Orders, your bet will be declared void. • Trifecta bets that include a non-runner will be void. Second, choose three or more horses to finish first, second and third. But don’t 67


worry about getting the order right. Third, get a Trifecta betting slip from one of Tote Direct’s 4,500 betting shop terminals…via the Tote itself at every racecourse…by phone through the Tote Credit Club (0800 269188)…and on the internet at http://www.tote-betting.net/tote-trifectabetting.php. Fourth, to cover these three horses in any possible order, you will place a total of 24 bets. Fifth, fill out your slip with this system: First Second Horse A Horse B Horse A Horse C Horse B Horse A Horse B Horse C Horse C Horse B Horse C Horse A Betting 10p per line, this will cost you £2.40.

Third Horse C Horse B Horse C Horse A Horse A Horse B

Extra Tip: This can be a good bet to use at tracks where there is frequently a draw bias. The tracks at Ayr, Chester, Kempton, Leicester, Ripon and Yarmouth commonly have winners mainly from the top or bottom of the draw. To spot which way the draw bias is running, observe the early races without betting on any of them. Then pick three well-drawn horses with decent form and back them in a three-horse perm.

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The GRASSHOPPER “…Master the secret art of Asian Handicap betting today…and make a profit even if your team loses…”

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ootball betting is a firm favourite among serious betters. But predicting whether a match will result in a home win, draw or away win can be tricky. Asian handicap betting makes life much easier by reducing the number of possible outcomes for any game from three to just two.

Here’s all you need to know… For any match the bookmaker quotes a ‘handicap line’ for both teams. Punters can then back the team of their choice to win after the handicap has been taken into account. This means you can still win your bet even if your team loses. For example, say Liverpool are playing Aston Villa in the Premiership. Asian handicap odds may be offered as follows: Team Liverpool Aston Villa

Handicap Line –1.5 +1.5

Money Line 2.00 1.80

The money line represents the odds on offer about each team. The decimal odds show the total return (including the original stake money) to a successful £1 bet. If you bet £1 at odds of 1.80, and your bet wins, your total return would be £1.80.

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Want to back Liverpool? In this Asian handicap, they will need to beat their handicap of -1.5…but of course, 1 and a half goals doesn’t exist in football. So they will need to win by two or more goals. In this case, your winnings will be paid at odds of 2.00, i.e. you will get back twice your stake money. If Liverpool wins by one goal, the handicap match is a draw and your money is returned. If Aston Villa wins, the bet is lost. In contrast, if you want to back Aston Villa, the handicap gives them a 1.5 goal headstart, which means that as long as they win, draw or lose by no more than a single goal, you win the bet. No matter what the Asian Handicap says, you can assess the handicap lines quickly: • The favourite always has a minus handicap, the underdog a plus. A minus figure shows the ‘head start’ a team gives its opponents, while a plus figure is the advantage a team begins with. • To calculate the outcome of an Asian handicap bet, you need to add (in the case of the underdog) or subtract (if backing the favourite) the handicap figure from your team’s goal total. • If the handicapped result is a draw, then your original stake is returned.

Now start using this easy method to find winning bets To predict the likely outcome of a match, find the following figures: • goals scored by home team at home • goals conceded by home team at home • goals scored by away team away from home • goals conceded by away team away from home. Then simply take the number of goals scored by the home team at home and subtract the number of goals conceded at home. This will give you a goal difference figure (GDF) for the home team. Do the same for the away side, taking the number of goals scored away from home, and subtracting the number conceded. Comparing the teams’ GDFs will give a good indication of the likely outcome. For example, say Spurs are playing Newcastle at home. Spurs have scored 29 goals at home and conceded 14, giving them a GDF of 15. Newcastle have scored 15 goals away but conceded 26, giving them a GDF of –11. The difference is 26 in Spurs’ favour, clearly indicating a probable win for the home side. Look for Handicap Lines 70


offering good returns for that outcome.

Grasshopper’s 3 secret tips… • Where the difference in GDFs is less than 6, a draw is the likeliest result. • If the difference is 6 to 12, bet on a single-goal victory for the team with the better GDF. • With a difference of 13 or more, back the side with the higher GDF if they have a handicap of –1.5 or better.

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The KOALA KICKER “…Keep backing away wins in Australian soccer and you could turn £20 into £1,280 next summer…”

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he British summer can be a dull time for football fans – but the good news is the Australian football season offers some great opportunities for you to clean up while everyone else is waiting for August to arrive. Australian football is just the same as soccer in the UK – except there are far more leagues. To get involved, you simply need the Australian Football fixed odds coupon from a betting shop. Ask the cashier. Most Australian matches on UK fixed odds coupons come from the Victoria state leagues.

Make sure your bet gets placed in time… Remember, the Australians are 12 hours ahead of us! So even though all Australian football matches take place on Saturday, bets must be handed in to your bookmaker by Friday evening UK time. Your greatest advantage over the bookie is that in the Aussie leagues, almost as many games end in victory for the visitors (38%) as they do for the home side (41%). Perhaps because the sport is mainly amateur and crowds are small, home advantage does not count for very much. Yet British bookmakers frequently price up Australian games as though they were English league matches, with prices more generous than they should be for away wins! Here’s how to spot the Away Teams to back… 73


First, look at the fixed odds coupon from your bookmaker. Or visit http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/ to access the stats this simple system requires. Second, look at the Home team. • Note the total number of goals they’ve scored at home so far this season. • Note the total number of goals they’ve conceded in their home games so far. For example, in a match between Lalor United and Fitzroy, you might find that the home team, Lalor United, has had 10 goals for and 14 against in home matches. This gives them a net figure of -4. Third, repeat this calculation for the Away team – this time though, using only goals scored and conceded in Away matches. For example, you might discover that Fitzroy have scored 12 and conceded 9 goals. This gives them a net score of +3. Fourth, work out whether the Away team has a superiority of five goals or more. If so, they’re worth backing for a win. So if Lalor United have a home rating of -4 and Fitzroy an away rating of +3, Fitzroy have a superiority of 7. They will be a clear pick to win this game.

Special Conditions! • Only place bets those weeks you have between 3-6 matches that offer an Away team with +5 superiority. • If there are more than six, choose the six games offering the biggest superiority to the visiting team. • Use the ‘Long List’ of around 45 matches (on the left-hand side of the coupon). Against each chosen match, mark a ‘2’ in the first column, and place your bet. • If you have four to six matches, mark them with ‘2’, and in the column headed ‘Perms’ write ‘Perm any treble’. Your bet will then include every possible combination of three matches from the total shown. Following this simple system, you will outwit the famously dim British bookies on Australian soccer. And with that perm (above), betting a £20 stake could win you a cool £1,280! The average odds of an Away win are 3/1…so a winning treble will return a massive £640 to a £10 stake. But if the system finds 6 winning matches for you, perming them for every possible treble would require 20 bets. Stake £1 on each, and if all six are aways you will win 20 x 64 = £1,280!

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System #21: Baseball

The MONEYBALL FORMULA “…This simple system can defeat the clueless British bookies to net you £580 profit for just £11 risk…”

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or a golden opportunity to relieve your bookie of some of his dosh, look no further than baseball. The game is widely misunderstood by UK bookies and the betting public – yet there is no need to be a baseball expert to cash in on the opportunities it offers. All you need to do is check and compare some simple statistics that are available on the internet. And if you want to watch the games, they are shown on Sky Sports and Channel Five.

Enjoy 6 months of steady summer betting The game itself is similar to rounders. It is played by two teams of nine who alternate as batters and fielders. They change places when three members of the batting team are out. As batters, players try to hit the ball out of reach of the fielding team and run a complete circuit round the field to score a ‘run’. The team that scores most runs in nine innings wins the game. Simple! The American Major League Baseball (MLB) season runs from April to October during which each team plays 162 games at the rate of six or seven a week, and sometimes two a day. So, there are plenty of betting opportunities for you to enjoy

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throughout the summer. After the regular season, leading teams meet to decide the contestants for baseball’s ultimate prize, The World Series.

How to spot your winning opportunity Most high street and internet bookies now accept bets on the major competitions as well as individual games. You can bet either on the winner of a match or on the total number of runs scored. Take note: between 7 and 8 runs is an average total in a baseball game. The World Series gets most of the publicity and betting action, but you’ll get better gambling opportunities with individual games. Hundreds of games are played during the season and with so many matches to keep track of, British bookies regularly make mistakes when they set the odds. It won’t take much to get the better of your bookmaker and turn the tables. By keeping track of readily available statistics’ you’ll be in a position to spot some gilt-edged betting opportunities! First, get the statistics you need from http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/statistics Second, study the most important player in any baseball team: the pitcher. His role is to throw the ball at the batters as fast and accurately as possible, so they have no chance of hitting it well and getting a run. Third, look at the pitcher’s ‘Earned Runs Average’ (ERA) on the website. This gives you the average number of runs he concedes through poor pitching during a game. It is an average for the season so far. Fourth, compare pitchers’ abilities easily: If you are weighing up a game and team A’s pitcher has an ERA of 2.5 and team B’s has an ERA of 5.6, for example, you will see straight away that team A should have an enormous advantage. Fifth, go one step further than the average punter, and calculate the pitcher’s Total Runs Average (TRA). You see, the ERA statistic doesn’t give the full picture. To get the edge, calculate the TRA to discover the total average number of runs a team concedes when a particular pitcher is playing for them. • Use the ESPN website as before. • Find the total number of runs scored against the pitcher (shown under the heading R). • Multiply this by nine (the number of innings in a game). • Then divide by the number of innings he has played throughout the season. For example, last year Al Leiter of the New York Mets had 84 runs scored against 76


him and played in 208 innings. His TRA is therefore (84 x 9) ÷ 208 = 3.63. Any team with a TRA advantage of 2 runs or more is well worth backing. There are so many games played in a baseball season that the best approach is to use a long-term strategy for the summer, using the statistics given here. Typical odds are 10/11, so if you bet £11 each time and get 20% wrong, over 100 matches you could well be looking at a net profit of £580 for the season!

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System #22: Motorbikes

The DREAM MACHINE “…How the Rainmen could make you 350% profit in this year’s Superbike World Championship…”

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nless you’re already an enthusiast, you may not know much about Superbike racing. But the good news is that you’re not alone. The sport is poorly understood among bookmakers too…and there lies your route to turbo-charged profits. Superbikes are the fastest, most powerful two-wheelers around. They can reach speeds of more than 230 miles per hour. They’re noisy, dangerous and some people are actually mad enough to race them. The ultimate challenge for professional riders is the World Championship series, which starts in March and finishes at the end of September. Prices are available from all the major bookmakers for the separate races – but time and again, the bookies get their prices wrong, giving you the chance to fill your boots.

Avoid the bookies’ key mistake… First, forget everything you know about Formula 1 racing. There’s no relationship. Not that the clueless British bookmaking industry knows this. The bookies price up the sport in a similar way to Formula 1 motor racing. Mistake! In F1, a good position on the starting grid is essential. But in Superbikes, it’s nowhere near as significant. The big difference between grid positions in the two sports, which bookmakers have totally failed to grasp, is that in F1 the cars line up in 79


rows of two, so if you are in eighth position you are four rows from the leader. But in Superbikes riders line up in rows of four, so if you’re eighth on the grid, you are right behind the leader on row two. So bookmakers often price riders who are placed back on the grid more generously than they ought to! In one race last year for instance, victorious rider Ben Bostrom was priced at 9/2 as he was further down the grid. More realistic odds would have been 9/4.

Turbocharge your winnings by 42% The rider who qualifies for pole position (first on the starting grid) in Superbikes almost inevitably becomes the short-priced favourite. But such favouritism is unlikely to be justified. Of 14 Superbike races last year, only four were won by riders starting from pole. Instead, back any of the top riders who – because of a ‘poor’ starting grid position – are being quoted at odds of 3/1 or better.

Plus, watch out for the rain The weather has a tremendous impact on Superbike racing. Many riders can perform well when it’s dry, but only a very few have the skill and nerve to sustain an attacking drive in dangerous wet conditions. Yet the bookmakers take no account of the weather in their prices! Keep up with the best riders by following the World Championship on TV – for full details, including a list of all this year’s events, see the BBC’s website at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/motorbikes/default.stm

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System #23: Tennis

The DOLLY SHOT “…How to find and use the three key factors deciding EVERY tennis match you can name…”

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ennis is not the bookies’ favourite sport; they frequently disagree on prices and get them wrong. This gives you some ‘gilt-edged’ opportunities to clean up. Here’s how to raid the bookies’ wallets...

The three secrets to successful tennis betting First, find out which surface suits which players best. Outdoor tennis tournaments are played on grass, clay or hardcourt surfaces, each demanding different skills and suiting different individuals. • Powerful players with big serves (like Lleyton Hewitt) do well on grass surfaces such as Wimbledon. • Athletic players with a wide range of shots (like Roger Federer) perform best on clay courts. • Hardcourt surfaces also favour the big servers. You can check which surface any professional player does best by using the Official Guide to Professional Tennis (available from The Tennis Gallery, tel. 020 8715 8866, price £22). Or look up their website on http://www.atptennis.com. Second, form is a major factor, also found in the ATP book and on its website. The world rankings are crucial. But not as important as the third factor…

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Third, check the head-to-head results between the players about to meet each other. For instance, if one player has beaten the other in their last three matches, there is every likelihood he will do so again – even if his opponent is higher ranked.

Now make sure-fire profits betting on both players With just two possible results in every tennis match, you can sometimes guarantee yourself a profit by backing both players by ‘shopping around’. For example, in a recent Wimbledon Ladies’ Final, the bookies couldn’t decide who was the favourite – Lindsay Davenport or Venus Williams. By betting with different bookies it was possible to get odds of 5/4 on both. If you had staked £200 on each player at these odds, you would have been guaranteed a return of £450 and a ‘net’ profit of £50 whichever player won! To spot opportunities like this, go to www.betbrain.com. You want to look for opposing players having the same odds at different bookies – and then bet on both. You can be sure to line your pockets with this strategy. But Note! You must only bet when both players are at Even money or more. Don’t bet on two players at 10/11 for instance…you’ll end up out of pocket.

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System# 24: Cricket

The BURNING STUMP “…How to win money whenever England take to the field…”

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ricket is a sport ideally suited to spread betting. You can make big profits and, by taking sensible precautions, avoid any risk of losing your shirt.

Here’s how spread betting on cricket works. • The bookies quote a ‘spread’ between two figures. • The most popular spread in cricket is the number of runs in an innings. So if, for example, a bookmaker quotes a spread of 220–240 for England’s first innings in a match, you decide whether the final score will be higher or lower than the spread. • Say you think England will score more than 240 runs, place a BUY bet. If England score 300, your winnings are (300 – 240) x £5 = £300. • On the other hand, if you think they’ll score less than 220 runs, place a SELL bet. If they score only 190, you win (240 – 190) x £5 = £250.

Limit your risk by betting ‘in running’ Your potential gains and losses from spread betting can be huge. The final cricket scores often differ significantly from the initial spreads quoted by the bookmaker. But you can get round this risk by betting ‘in running’ – that is, ‘live’ whilst the match is being played. During a game, the spread offered by the bookies changes constantly. Every run 83


scored or wicket taken affects the price they offer to potential punters. This means you don’t have to wait until the match is ended to win (or lose) your bet. You can “close” your position at any time. Use this fact to protect yourself: • Set a stop loss of (say) £50 per bet. Stick to it. • If the spread quoted by the bookies moves to within one point of where your potential losses exceed your stop loss, close your bet. Take the loss, and save yourself for another day. • This requires strong discipline. But think about it: even if you are right only half the time, closing all your losing bets when they are just £50 down means you can let your winning bets ride to give you a tidy profit overall.

Now use this winning system… First, don’t bet when the match starts! Wait and watch the first few overs instead. If the batsmen reach 20 or so without loss, the spread will normally rise by 20 or so – even though the batsmen have done nothing more than fulfil normal expectations. This is a good time to place a sell bet on total runs. On the other hand, if a couple of wickets tumble at the start of a match, the spread will fall fast. If there are any decent batsmen left, a buy bet can offer value. Third, always bet against the crowd. Popular bets – like, say, England to win the Ashes – offer great opportunities for straight-thinking sports fans. If more people buy than sell a spread, then it gets pushed up. The selling becomes more attractive. But less informed punters will keep buying…even though the spread has become unattractive. Don’t make their mistake – place a sell bet.

Add to your profits with this clever system In Test match series, the bookmakers also quote spreads for individual players based on the total runs they score or wickets they take during a series. There can be good opportunities here. • Well-known players in poor current form are often quoted at too high a figure. So ‘selling’ them can be highly profitable. • Also look for players who are especially injury-prone. If they take part in only one or two matches, a sell bet on their series performance should generate a tasty profit.

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FREE BONUS SYSTEM: Horse racing The DEAD BEAT “…Thanks to the ‘bet exchange’ revolution, you can win big money by backing Britain’s worst horse tipsters…”

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re you sick of bad tipsters? Well, here’s a new way you could make money from their rotten tips. By using internet betting exchanges, you can make money backing horses to lose.

This is not a new idea – bookmakers have been doing it for years! But now, for the first time, you can board the gravy train too. Read on to discover how you can join the select few who have learned how to turn a losing streak into gilt-edged profits...

At a bet exchange, you set the odds These websites are not bookmakers; they don’t quote odds or take bets themselves. Instead, they allow individual punters to bet directly against each other – rather like an informal bet between friends on Grand National day. The exchange makes its money by charging a small commission (5% or less) on each wager. Most exchanges are international operations, so they use decimal rather than UK fractional odds. However, you can easily convert decimals. Simply use the Cash Converter at the back of this book.

Now get all the horses running for you….except the loser! If you think a certain horse has no chance of winning his next race, you can bet against him very easily using a bet exchange website. All you need to find is someone else who thinks the horse will win. You can then “lay” the horse to them for them to “back”. 85


• Let’s say you accept £50 at a price of 2.00 (even money). • If the horse loses as you expect, you get to keep the £50. • If the horse wins, you will have to pay the other punter his winnings of £50, plus his £50 stake returned. You can see that, because you are laying rather than backing, all the other horses in the race will be running for you. In a ten-horse race, you would have nine horses on your side and only one against you!

Why this system is so exciting Most people use betting exchanges as substitute bookmakers. They use them to back horses rather than lay them. So as long as you are offering similar or slightly better odds to the bookies, you should have no problem getting takers. Here’s how to take money off these punters, week in…week out. First, sign up at the world’s most popular betting exchange, Betfair, at www.betfair.com. You’ll need to register before you can start ‘laying’, but this is a quick and simple procedure. Click on ‘New User’ at the top right of the homepage, then follow the on-screen instructions. Second, deposit some funds in your account before you can start betting. Third, identify the country’s worst tipsters…and offer to lay their selections. Here’s how. • Go to www.racingpost.co.uk • Click on ‘Tipsters’; you need to register for this service, but it’s free • Then go to ‘Naps Table’. • Take a good hard look at the table showing this season’s performance of over 60 newspaper tipsters – best at the top, worst at the bottom. • See which horses the three worst-performing tipsters are recommending today (also shown in the table).

Then go to Betfair and lay them! First, at www.betfair.com, find the horse you expect to lose, and look across to the pink column headed ‘Available to Lay’. Look at the upper figure in this box. It shows you the best (i.e. shortest) odds you can offer currently to get a ‘lay’ bet accepted (e.g. 1.80); the lower figure shows the maximum amount backers are willing to stake at this price (e.g. £200). If you are happy with these odds, click on the ‘Lay’ button and enter how much you want to bet in the ‘betting slip’ window. 86


Click on ‘Place Bet’ – then all you have to do is wait for your horse to lose!

Five more ways to increase your betting profits #1. If the best price available on Betfair seems stingy, advertise for a better one! Say the betting page shows that the shortest price backers are willing to accept for your selection is evens (2.00). Offer 1.90 and wait for any takers. #2. Try laying two horses in a race. At least one is bound to lose, giving you a guaranteed return! #3. Don’t be tempted to offer long odds about horses you think have no chance of winning – one day that 100/1 shot will romp home, costing you a fortune. Stick to laying relatively short-priced horses. These are the ones most people want to back. #4. Once you’ve cut your teeth on Betfair, try other exchanges such as www.gg.com. You can back a horse at one exchange and lay it at a shorter price at another – giving you a guaranteed profit! #5. Visit the ‘insiders’ website at www.theracingforum.co.uk and check out their ‘Titanics’ section. The messages posted here concern horses experienced punters expect to lose – this could save you a lot of time and trouble on research. Bottom line is, you can make good money laying at betting exchanges, as long as you don’t get too greedy. If in a week you lay ten horses for £50 a time at evens and three of them win, you would make £200. Less 5% for Betfair’s fees, that makes a very handy £190. By contrast, if you back ten horses for £50 a time at evens with a bookie and find three winners you would be looking at a net loss of £200…!

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Website Directory www.ladbrokes.com

www.surreysports.com

www.willhill.com

www.totalbet.com

www.eurobet.co.uk

www.victorchandler.com

www.bluesq.com

www.ukbetting.com

www.sportingodds.com

www.sportodds.com.au

www.paddypower.com

www.centrebet.com

www.betonsports.co.uk

www.canbet.com

www.gamebookers.com

www.betthe.net

www.bet247.com

www.interwetten.com

www.sportingbet.co.uk

www.stanjames.com

www.stanleybet.com

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Spread Betting Accounts: How to Protect Yourself with a Stop Loss System There are several dedicated spread betting bookmakers now vying for your custom too. But watch out! While spread betting can prove very lucrative if you call the direction of a cricket innings or financial index correctly, you can lose your shirt if you get it wrong. So the spread betting bookmakers’ criteria for authorising new accounts is very strict. They want to know that your credit is good. • All references you give when applying for an account will be followed up. • Note that spread bets are the one form of gambling debt recoverable under UK law. • If you want to enjoy spread betting without risking too much money, apply instead for a ‘budget account’. Some firms, like Sporting Index, offer accounts that limit any possible loss to a figure which you can pre-determine, and which suits your pocket.

City Index at www.cityindex.co.uk • Comprehensive range of Sporting & Financial Markets • Flexible markets – bet after kick-off • 24-hour Financial trading • No commission, brokerage or stamp duty • Instant executions

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Sporting Index at www.sportingindex.com • Live pricing • Innovative markets • Offers 3 different types of account to suit budget • Offers widest range of markets • Minimum stake as small as 50p

IG Index at www.igindex.com • Wide range of financial markets • Average range of sporting markets • Switch/delta facility, credit or deposit • Live pricing • Strong US Sports Markets

William Hill Index at [email protected] • Switch/delta facility, credit or deposit • Live pricing • Excellent standard of operators • Wide range of markets • Free £100 superiority bet on account opening

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INFORMATION SITES Here is a selection of information websites that I use on a daily or weekly basis. There are plenty of others, and maybe you will find sites that you like better, but these will get you off to a good start…

General News Sites www.ananova.com A very useful site for breaking news, updated surprisingly quickly. Good all-round service especially for sports such as football, motor sports and golf. Ananova offers a free email alert facility which can be tailored to suit clients’ particular needs. For example, instead of requesting ‘football’ you can specify a single area of that sport e.g. Scottish Division 3, and receive information on that division only. www.ananova.com provides an at-a-glance update that is easy to use, with few of the time-consuming graphics that slow other news sites down. www.newsnow.co.uk An excellent site which cleverly covers a wide range of sports. Newsnow uses a huge network of specialist sites as providers for the news headlines, and this can result in the information being virtually news-site “exclusive”. For example, the relationship between Agusta, one of the worlds leading aeronautical designers and the Ferrari Marenello Formula 1 team was first released by the official www.ferrari.com site, but appeared on www.newsnow.co.uk just seconds later. This information was of immense worth to the professional investor. Newsnow is a very sharp collector of information, and probably rates as the best news site I have seen. www.sport365.com Part of the ‘365’ network. Quick up with some of their stories, and uses Reuters as a 93


news provider. Covers a fair range of the more popular sports and they archive all old headlines for viewing. www.espn.com US-based site that provides a very useful sports news service for NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA. Accurate and concise, and available to the reader ‘as it happens’. Also very good for Tennis and Golf information.

Soccer I find the official sites can be of immense use at times, for injury and suspension information as well as for draw and tournament detail. www.uefa.com Recently revamped to include an informative “Match Centre” zone for each of their competitions, as well as a fairly quick news service. “Media Information” can be of use at times. www.fifa.com Excellent site that has only one downfall – it is a nightmare to navigate. However, once you have mastered its unexpected twists and turns, www.fifa.com provides all the information that you will need on any fifa match. www.scottishfootball.com Can be handy for injury news although not released as quickly as I would like. www.soccerage.com Professional site dedicated to Soccer. News service is well laid out and archived items are easily found. Useful ‘team news’ pages allow you to pin-point your researches quickly www.sportal.com www.football365.com www.soccerbase.com

Tennis www.atptour.com This is the official ATP website.

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www.tenniscorner.net Good site for player info if you want to make tennis a sport you specialise in. www.masters-series.com

Cricket www.cricinfo.com The first dedicated cricket site to go live on the net. Packed with stats and historical form, Cricinfo is the market leader when it comes to providing information on leagues and tournaments worldwide.

Some useful tools on cricinfo.com: • Run Rate comparison charts produced for international matches. Excellent, as they give an accurate feel to how a game is going. • Stats Guru: Enter whatever player, ground, or team you are interested in, and The Stats Guru will supply you with all the information you are likely to need. Incredibly quick and easy to use. • Live Index: Quick way to find out a monthly schedule of play with start times and venues. www.cricketline.com

Golf www.pgatour.com The only top-class US tour golf site on the net, but what a beauty. The jewel in the crown is the live hole-by-hole coverage which at times gives you crucial leader board changes faster than the TV coverage! The important point to make here is that you should not wait for the automatic page refresh, use the F5 key or the right click function to manually refresh the page. In general, an excellent service for tee-off times, leader board info, general golf news and comprehensive tournament schedules. Information is quick and accurate. www.europeantour.com Offers the same service as pgatour.com for the European circuit.

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Snooker www.worldsnooker.com Good layout of draw information, updated quickly and easy to download. Good level of news, and “live scoring” facility for selected tournaments. www.110sport.com Well-organised site that covers all of the season’s tournaments. Draw format displayed quickly and in an easy-to-view fashion.

Darts www.planetdarts.co.uk A good site, that is well laid out, with some interesting areas to explore, including a world ranking page.

Livescores The majority of dedicated sports websites provide live scores for their particular sports, but here are two score specialists who might prove useful on occasions. www.livescore.com A longstanding website that provides a fair service for soccer live scores. Worldwide service with an easy-to-use index. www.wetten-schwechat.at Good, and in the main quick, live score site that covers a wide range of sports. Punctuality can be erratic, but they are often still first up, especially on obscure tournaments.

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Cash Converter Table #1 BETTING ODDS GRID This table shows three different ways of writing odds. The first you know: UK fractions, like 2/1. But the others might look unfamiliar... Euro Decimal: This gives the number your stake is multiplied by, plus your stake returned. So 33/1, for instance, becomes 34. You will get 34 times your money back if you win. US Lineage: Like Euro Decimals, only without the stake included. You still get it if you win, of course! UK Euro Fractional Decimal

US Lineage

% Take Out

UK Fractional

Euro Decimal

US Lineage

% Take Out

33/1 25/1 20/1 18/1 16/1 14/1 12/1 11/1 10/1 9/1 17/2 8/1 15/2 7/1 13/2 6/1 11/2 5/1 9/2 4/1 7/2 10/3 3/1 14/5 11/4 13/5

+3300 +2500 +2000 +1800 +1600 +1400 +1200 +1100 +1000 +900 +850 +800 +750 +700 +650 +600 +550 +500 +450 +400 +350 +333 +300 +280 +275 +260

2.9411 3.8461 4.7619 5.2631 5.8823 6.6666 7.6923 8.3333 9.0909 10.0000 10.5263 11.1111 11.7647 12.5000 13.3333 14.2857 15.3846 16.6666 18.1818 20.0000 22.2222 23.0769 25.0000 26.3157 26.6666 27.7777

12/5 9/4 11/5 85/40 2/1 15/8 9/5 7/4 13/8 8/5 6/4 7/5 11/8 5/4 6/5 11/10 21/20 EVS 20/21 10/11 5/6 4/5 10/13 8/11 10/14 4/6

3.40 3.25 3.20 3.12 3.00 2.87 2.80 2.75 2.62 2.60 2.50 2.40 2.37 2.25 2.20 2.10 2.05 2.00 1.95 1.90 1.83 1.80 1.77 1.72 1.71 1.67

+240 +225 +220 +212 +200 +187 +180 +175 +162 +160 +150 +140 +137 +125 +120 +110 +105 +100 -105 -110 -120 -125 -130 N/A -140 -150

29.4117 30.7692 31.2500 32.0000 33.3300 34.7826 35.7142 36.3636 38.0952 38.4615 40.0000 41.6666 42.1052 44.4444 45.4545 47.6190 48.7804 50.0000 51.2820 52.3834 54.5464 55.5555 56.5217 57.8971 58.3333 60.0000

34.00 26.00 21.00 19.00 17.00 15.00 13.00 12.00 11.00 10.00 9.50 9.00 8.50 8.00 7.50 7.00 6.50 6.00 5.50 5.00 4.50 4.33 4.00 3.80 3.75 3.60

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5/2 8/13 6/10 10/17 4/7 10/18 8/15 10/19 1/2 4/9 2/5 4/11 1/3 3/10 2/7 1/4 2/9 1/5 2/11

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3.50 1.61 1.60 1.58 1.57 1.55 1.53 1.52 1.50 1.44 1.40 1.36 1.33 1.30 1.28 1.25 1.22 1.20 1.18

+250 N/A N/A -170 -175 -180 N/A -190 -200 -225 -250 -275 -300 -333 -350 -400 -450 -500 -550

28.5714 61.9080 62.5000 62.9629 63.6375 64.2857 65.2173 65.5100 66.6666 69.2328 71.4285 73.3352 75.0018 76.9230 77.7786 80.0000 81.8181 83.3333 84.6166

10/16 1/6 2/13 1/7 2/15 1/8 2/17 1/9 1/10 1/11 1/12 1/14 1/16 1/18 1/20 1/22 1/25 1/28 1/33

1.62 1.16 1.15 1.14 1.13 1.12 1.11 1.11 1.10 1.09 1.08 1.07 1.06 1.05 1.05 1.04 1.04 1.03 1.03

-160 -600 -650 -700 -750 -800 -850 -900 -1000 -1100 -1200 -1400 -1600 -1800 -2000 -2200 -2500 -2800 -3300

61.5384 85.7142 86.6701 87.5043 88.2352 88.8888 89.4736 90.0000 90.9090 91.6666 92.3076 93.3333 94.1176 94.7368 95.2380 95.6521 96.1538 96.5517 97.0500


Fraction-Decimal Converter ... With Odds Fraction Decimal

Fraction Decimal

Fraction Decimal

33/1 25/1 20/1 18/1 16/1 14/1 12/1 11/1 10/1 9/1 17/2 8/1 15/2 7/1 13/2 6/1 11/2 5/1

3/1

7/5

9/2

4/1

7/2

10/3

34.00 26.00 21.00 19.00 17.00 15.00 13.00 12.00 11.00 10.00 9.50 9.00 8.50 8.00 7.50 7.00 6.50 6.00 5.90 5.80 5.70 5.60 5.50 5.40 5.30 5.20 5.10 5.00 4.90 4.80 4.70 4.60 4.50 4.40 4.35 4.33 4.30 4.25 4.20 4.15 4.10 4.05

14/5 11/4

13/5 5/2 12/5

9/4 11/5 85/40

2/1

15/8 9/5 7/4

13/8 8/5 6/4

4.00 3.95 3.90 3.85 3.80 3.75 3.70 3.65 3.60 3.55 3.50 3.45 3.40 3.35 3.30 3.25 3.20 3.15 3.12 3.10 3.05 3.00 2.95 2.90 2.87 2.85 2.80 2.75 2.70 2.65 2.62 2.60 2.55 2.50 2.49 2.48 2.47 2.46 2.45 2.44 2.43 2.42 2.41

11/8

5/4

6/5

11/10

21/20

EVEN

2.40 2.39 2.38 2.37 2.36 2.35 2.34 2.33 2.32 2.31 2.30 2.29 2.28 2.27 2.26 2.25 2.24 2.23 2.22 2.21 2.20 2.19 2.18 2.17 2.16 2.15 2.14 2.13 2.12 2.11 2.10 2.09 2.08 2.07 2.06 2.05 2.04 2.03 2.00=

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Notes

100


Notes

101


Notes

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Bettingbook_cover

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Proven Betting Systems

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Proven Betting Systems

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