Knowing how to beat the bookies is considered the holy grail, with the possibility of walking away with a profit the aim for all for bettors. But is it possible? And what can you do to turn the odds in your favour? We will answer both of these questions on this page and also look at some of the key things you should keep in mind every time that you head to a betting site – whether you are playing casino games or betting on esports or sports markets.
- 1. Best Bookies To Beat
- 2. Can You Beat The Bookies?
- Casino
- Esports Betting
- Sport Betting
- 3. Top Tips For Winning At The Bookies
- Utilise Cash Out and Live Betting
- Dos and Dont's
- Avoiding Basic Mistakes
- 4. The Importance of Odds
- 5. Utilizing Welcome Bonuses
- 6. Best Games for Beating the Bookies
- Live Betting
- Casino
- 7. Beating The Bookmakers: Summary
Best Bookies To Beat
One surefire way to increase your chances of beating the bookies when you bet on any event is to seek out the top odds available across the industry. By getting the top price on your selections and incorporating some of the tips and tricks advised in this guide, you give yourself the very best chance to walk away with a profit whenever you place a wager on an esports or sportsbook market.
The websites below regularly appear on lists of best-priced operators and each comes with a fantastic welcome offer to set you on your way.
Can You Beat The Bookies?
Before looking at how to beat the bookies, it is well worth defining what we mean. We classify beating the bookies as getting a profit over a sustained period of time. You could class a “win” as any wager that then wins, but this can clearly be misleading if you have lost multiple others before or after.
So by this definition, let’s take a closer look at exactly how a bookmaker can be beaten depending on the market you are betting on.
Casino
Beating the bookies over an extended period at an online casino is no mean feat and depending on the games that you are playing, it may come down to pure luck or skill. Still, there are things that any player can do to get the upper-hand; when it comes to video slots, for example, you will want to focus on titles with a high RTP (return to player) percentage that is well above 96%. Statistically this will give you regular returns in the long-run, but there is still a sizable house edge and you must consider volatility as well.
For table games, crypto baccarat and poker are renowned for requiring skill and strategy, whereas blackjack and roulette are much more luck-based, though you can use strategies to increase your chances.
Esports Betting
How to beat the bookies at esports betting? Well it is certainly possible, but getting a profit from your wagers over a period of time will require consistency, strategy and a bit of luck. We will give you some key tips below, but ultimately you will be better off betting on an esport that you actually enjoy; this is clearly more fun – especially with a live stream – but you will also know more about the competitors and can compare form with the esports odds.
Sport Betting
Similarly, sports betting is so extensive that there are always events to bet on, with different time zones meaning that bookies never sleep. Beating the bookies, then, is generally down to a lot of research, both in of getting the best odds but also on the form of players and teams. Live betting adds a different dimension due to the fact that odds fluctuate based on what is happening as the event takes place, so this is one way that experienced sports fans can get one over the betting site.
Top Tips For Winning At The Bookies
The old adage says that there is more than one way to skin a cat – and this extends to bagging a profit at the bookmakers. There are several practices that you will need to adopt to give you a chance of becoming a regular winner.
- Look for value – we have reviewed dozens of the very best specialist esports bookies, where top odds can regularly be secured. By finding the best price on all markets, you can maximize your winnings when your judgment is spot on.
- Research the form – one of the reasons that bookies are so hard to beat are the resources that they divert towards research. Top bookmakers employ Counter-Strike, Valorant, and FIFA specialists who provide unerringly accurate information about the winning chances of tournament participants. You need to be equally clued up to spot when the bookies have made a pricing mistake.
- Consider the betting margin – the betting margin on all esports markets is easy to calculate. You will always have a greater chance of turning a profit when you bet on markets where the margin is smaller. In two runner races, both participants are likely to be priced up at around 10/11, giving the bookies a theoretical edge of around 4.7%. This advantage will be among the smallest that top bookmakers will be willing to accept when marketing an esports event. You should focus on these options.
- Grab a bonus – beating the bookie becomes a lot easier when you are playing with free cash. A number of the bookmakers listed in our reviews section offer big bonuses to new and existing players, giving you the chance to pick up a winner for a minimal outlay.
- Stay within the rules – you should always bet within the rules set out in your bookmakers and conditions section. If you fail to follow these instructions your winnings are at risk of being confiscated and your could be closed. If you need to know more, take a look at our esports betting reviews for more details.
Utilise Cash Out and Live Betting
In sports betting and esports betting, cash out is a brilliant feature that can really help you. Unique to live events, cash out betting sites are plentiful and allow you to take an early profit if your bet is performing well. Many punters wonder how to beat the bookies in football betting. For example, if you have backed Real Madrid to beat Barcelona in El Clasico and they are leading at half-time, then you may get a cash offer that is a profit albeit less than the odds you would receive at full-time.
If you are unsure about the outcome then this is a great way to ensure a profit. It can also be used to limit your losses if the reverse is true and you are sure that your team is not going to make a comeback. So, cash out can be a very useful tool in beating the bookies, though it is a case of knowing when in best to take an offer from the bookie – and that is not always an easy skill.
Dos and Dont’s
To consistently gain the upper hand in your dealings with your favorite bookmakers there are rafts of advisable actions to consider when placing your bets.
Dos | Don’ts |
✅Bet with bookmakers that provide the most generous odds on your selections | ❌Never bet more than you can afford to lose |
✅Pick a bookmaker that offers a great welcome bonus; you will have plenty of options when following our suggestions | ❌Never chase your losses. You can’t win them all. The art of being a consistent winner requires you to recognise when it’s not your lucky day |
✅Wager on events that provide the bookies with the lowest profit margins | ❌Avoid markets where bookmakers have a substantial profit advantage |
✅Keep up to date with the results and news relating to your bet selections | ❌Bet on a whim. You may get lucky, but betting blind is almost guaranteed to see your bankroll fall longer-term |
✅Follow your bets In-play to take advantage of your bookies generosity | ❌Place a bet at bookmakers where players are unable to access bonus rewards |
Avoiding Basic Mistakes
Perhaps the best advice we can give you when it comes to beating the bookies is to avoid rookie mistakes. Now of course that is easier said than done, but we have years of experience at EsportsBets so if you follow our lead then you could well save yourself some heartache. One major thing to avoid is to back massive underdogs. In events like FIFA betting it can be very attractive to heavily back the underdog in the hope that you get a big return on your wager.
However, underdogs are classed as such for a reason, so we suggest that you seldom back teams with very long odds, and if you do then ensure that it is only a small amount. If you plan your bankroll well enough then you can certainly pick up some occasional wins this way whilst focusing on bookies with competitive odds to earn money on wagers that are more likely to come off.
The Importance of Odds
You can never learn how to beat the bookies if you don’t understand the importance of odds. Odds are your bookmakers shorthand for the percentage chance they give to an event occurring. However, you will always find that the odds compilers at your favorite betting firm will ‘overround’ the total of all options to more than 100%. The extent of this gap represents your bookies expected profit margin on every market that they price up. Because of this association, it is always advised that you should restrict your punting forays to bets where the bookies edge is the smallest.
One way to do this is by keeping an eye on our odds tracker. Here you will find the best odds available on all of the top esports tournaments.
Image credit: Wpadington/Shutterstock
Utilizing Welcome Bonuses
Putting your own cash at risk when placing an esports bet always comes with an element of jeopardy. However, this problem is diminished in situations where your bookie gives you cash to place your next wager.
Esports betting bonuses come in all shapes, but the welcome bonus tends to be the most lucrative version offered by the majority of bookmakers. As an enticement to get new players through the door, top bookies often first deposit bonuses amounting to hundreds of dollars. With a bit of luck and an amount of good judgment, esports fans can turn these freebies into a bankable profit.
Always though, that bookmakers are not in the business of giving out funds without expecting something in return; they apply potentially prohibitive restrictions to bonus winnings before these can be successfully withdrawn. Reading the small print is essential looking to profit from such schemes.
GGBet Esports is a live stream esports specialist that loves to attract new customers. Take a look at the range of bonuses that are d on this impressive site to see how you can benefit.
Best Games for Beating the Bookies
Beating bookmakers is a situation that can never be guaranteed, otherwise every player would be doing it. However, if you focus your energies on games that you enjoy to watch and that come with a wide range of alternative markets, your chances are increased. In the esports realm it is no surprise to see that popular options for betting purposes include Dota 2 betting.
Not only are these sports competitive, exciting to watch in live stream mode, and the home of some of the biggest gaming celebs, but they also offer multiple markets for esports enthusiasts to pore over.
Whether you want to keep things simple by picking the match winner or utilize your game-specific knowledge through a first blood or a map handicap bet, you can at many of the top bookmakers that have been reviewed by our team of experts.
Live Betting
One of the biggest developments in the world of esports betting in recent years is the ability to see many of your bets play out in real time through HD-quality live betting feeds.
Not only is live betting a great way to see how your money is won or lost, but it can also be a lucrative way to beat your bookie. The more events that you watch in play, the more experienced you will become in determining which team has the upper hand and where value can be found. If your instincts are better than those of your odds provider, you can walk away with a profit and an entertainment fix to boot.
Casino
As we mentioned earlier, the casino section is a great way to beat the bookies and potentially get a profit fast. It can also be a way to burn through your bankroll, so prudence and restraint is key. Games such as roulette and blackjack offer quickfire rounds, especially if you are playing against the computer. Still, they offer the opportunity for you to walk away with an immediate profit it that is what you are after. Similarly, slots have an RTP percentage that indicates how likely you are to pick up wins over an extended period of time – while this is only a guide, you can really increase your chances of some winning spins by researching the data and planning your wager amounts accordingly.
There are also very modern options that require no previous experience; crash games are gaining huge popularity and are available at plenty of BC.Game. In titles such as Limbo and Aviator you wager on a plane or rocket and watch the multipliers climb as the flight takes place, with a winning bet if you cash out before the crash takes place.
Beating The Bookmakers: Summary
It is a fact of life that beating your bookmaker is always an uphill task, and can never be guaranteed. However, by consistently seeking out bookies that offer the best odds on events of interest, and potentially lucrative welcome and ongoing bonuses, you put yourself in the best possible place to gain an advantage over your sportsbook or casino site.
Win or lose, responsible gambling behaviors should always be at the front of your mind. Sticking to a budget that you can afford and resisting the temptation to chase your losses are the building blocks beating bookmakers and are rules that should always be adhered to.
Armed with the knowledge on this page, take a look at our updated list of recommended esports betting specialists for information on market-leading odds and see if you now know how to beat the bookies!
Brand image credit: alphaspirit.it/Shutterstock