Let us tell you Gambling is, by its very nature, a risk-ridden way to fill your time or even to try and make money.

But, when done sensibly, it can also be a fun and exciting addition to watching sport.

Virtual Betting Fantasy Leagues

But how do you make the most of your bet? It's not just about which football team has won their last six games but how well they have really played offensively and defensively. Were they good at keeping possession or were they lucky? Which tennis player is having a spat with their coach? That golfer might have won two majors this season but how much experience does he have on a links course? These are the kinds of details that will inform your betting and will better prepare you for spotting those good-value markets.

This seems obvious to point out but it is difficult for any punter to ignore the price bookies have given. When Rafael Nadal took on Fabio Fognini at the Barcelona Open back in April, bookmakers had Nadal as the heavy favourite. On the surface this would make sense. Nadal is the King of Clay and has won this very tournament a record-breaking eight times.

What the bookmakers had overlooked was that Fognini had beaten Nadal on clay only a few months earlier in Rio De Janeiro. There is a big emphasis on brand loyalty in the betting business. Because it's such a competitive sector, companies will try and lure you to bet with them and only them. Whether this is through various loyalty schemes or special in-shop offers, the intention is the same. Don't let them make you think you shouldn't shop around.

Check the offers available for specific bets. The first goalscorer market is one of the most popular bets in football and as a result, bookies all have their own spin on it. Betfred will double the odds if your player scores twice and treble the odds if he scores a third time. Ladbrokes, on the other hand, will double the odds if he scores within 25 minutes and you will probably find that most other bookies have their own version to try and get you through their doors instead of someone else's.

Your research should tell you which of these offers will most suit you for any given match. Be flexible and be prepared to put in the leg work.

Sports Betting for a Living? Earning Money from Gambling?

This is something that, even though it seems like common sense, punters forget all the time. The fewer selections you include in your bet, the more chance you stand of winning. If you're betting to make money think small, not big. One team or selection if you can stake enough. Three or four maximum. Once you find yourself putting that fold accumulator on, you really are on cloud cuckoo land. Bookies lose most of their money from singles. But trebles usually offer a decent return if you really do want a higher payout.

If you do find yourself desperately wanting that long-shot bet on a Saturday afternoon, do not pad out your accumulator with odds-on selections. You're decreasing your chance of winning for next to no extra cash. This is really easy to do in tennis.

It's the opening week of a Grand Slam and you see the top players are all drawn against relative unknowns. It would seem like a great idea to lump them altogether in a multiple to try and win some easy money. But this would be a mistake. It would make more sense to do some research and find an up-and-coming player who has a favourable draw and back them at a better price.

Again, once you've done enough research, you should know you're sport well enough to find better value in the hundreds of other markets the bookies offer. It is arguably a way for the bookies just to provide you with more ways to lose but you can find the good prices if you look hard enough. For example, you might not feel safe putting Leicester City to beat Man City in your accumulator.

They're higher than them in the league but does that mean they're a stronger team? That's for the football pages to discuss. But just a minimal amount of research shows that Jamie Vardy is the league's top scorer. So betting on him to score anytime is as safe as bets come. While we're on the subject of the less obvious markets, if you do pick an obscure one, make sure to check the terms with the betting shop staff.

If you back your team to win both halves, you are betting on them to win the first half and the second half separately. The team must score more goals than the opposition in both halves for you to win your bet. It's a subtle difference but frustrating for punters who come looking to collect winnings when they're team was leading at half time and won the match The second-half score must have been and so the bet goes down.

You might really want your team to win. You want it so badly you even start to convince yourself it's possible. Before you know it, you believe it so much that you've put your money on it. And bookies love it because each week they'll rake it in from all the home fans willing their soon-to-be relegated team to beat the table leaders. Similarly, avoid important events like derby games. The unpredictable element is magnified because there's more at stake and players may elevate themselves for that extra degree of honour and pride.

If you must bet on these events, consider the other markets. They probably won't beat the table leaders but could they get a goal? Result and both teams to score could be a more sensible bet. Some will do this for the full day of the event itself.

Others will boost a price for a set period at random points meaning unless you spend the day in the shop, you'll only come across these by chance.

If it's a particularly popular event, the bookies will almost certainly be promoting it with offers designed to persuade you to part with your cash. As bookmakers try and offer more and more ways for us to hand over our cash, they are forever expanding the list of sports and markets they cover. This undoubtedly means that they are covering sports they might not know as much about as they would like. A good example is MMA. The sport of mixed martial arts is on the rise and so we are getting increasingly more coverage and more information about competitors.

But why was Rousey at such a short price? Everyone will have good days and bad days but follow these tips and you should soon be able to spot the best value bets available and hopefully reap the rewards! Just remember only bet what you can afford to lose, never chase your losses and if the fun stops, stop! Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Rugby Newsletter.

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