Arbitrage Betting Tips – Sure Betting Tips in 2023

After several years of arbitrage betting, I’ve seen many and lost thousands of euros on this so-called sure betting strategy.

Don’t get me wrong; it wasn’t because the strategy was not working, but because of the mistakes I made during my activity.

Here are some arbitrage betting tips so you won’t make the same mistakes:

1. Start learning pre-match arbitrage
2. Make a list of every bookmaker
3. Sign-up and deposit funds at 2-3 bookmakers included in arbitrage scanner services
4. Open the matches at both of the bookmakers
5. Tips for arbitrage betting stake calculation
6. Tips for Placing the arbitrage bets
7. Start with low stakes
8. Arbitrage bets with smaller returns
9. Don’t withdraw money until it’s necessary

Arbitrage Betting Tips – basics

Arbitrage betting is one of the most basic but profitable mathematical betting strategies.

Bookmakers are trying to determine the true odds for every outcome in sports.

These true odds are the decimal format of the real probability to win that particular outcome.

To determine these odds, bookmakers use historical data about the previous matches of the teams or players and every available present information about them.

In some cases, their information is not complete which is causing the odds generated by them not mirroring the outcome’s chance for winning.

Arbitrage bettors are taking advantage of these wrong odds.

They are placing bets on outcomes with wrong odds, and to make it a guaranteed win, covering the other outcome at another bookmaker is the best choice.

For beginners, the easiest way of starting arbitrage betting is by subscribing to services, that offer pre-match (before the event starts) arbitrage opportunities.

This is the best way to start getting experience.

It’s because the odds are moving slowly, and you have the chance to complete the stake calculation, the opening of the match, and the market before the odds would drop.

Arbitrage betting tips step by step for beginners

1. Start learning with pre-match arbitrage

If you are a beginner in arbitrage betting, as I already mentioned, you should start betting before the start of the event

1. Deciding if the arbitrage opportunity is good enough for you: percentage and league
2. Opening the matches at both of the bookmakers
3. Calculating the needed stakes for both legs of betting
4. Placing the bets

My most important advice is to try using sure bet finders that are perfect for your starting capital.

I have a detailed article about the best arbitrage bet finders.

You can find a table with the right software based on your experience/budget.

For beginners, I advise taking arbitrage opportunities under 2% or even using fake bookmakers because (for the very first bets) on those, the odds are less likely to drop so fast.

One of the most useful arbitrage betting tips for beginners is to avoid betting on lower leagues.

Bookmakers can’t determine true odds every time, but on lower leagues they often make mistakes.

These mistakes can mean a very big arbitrage opportunity for you.

But they know that the offered odds are often wrong, so placing bets on these leagues can harm them.

If you are greedy and place arbitrage bets on lower leagues like the third league in Austria, or the second league in Venezuela, your account can be limited or banned by bookmakers in a very short time.

The best is to place bets only on the first leagues, in the beginning, to stay under the radar of bookmakers.

Use smaller stakes for the first bets (15-25 at least would help).

2. Make a list of every bookmaker

Making a list with every bookie available is the second step in arbing.

To know your future possibilities in arbitrage betting, you may have to research how trustworthy your local bookies are.

This list will help you start your betting strategy with the ones with a good reputation and probably will let you place more bets if you don’t make major mistakes.

The more money you have for betting purposes, the more betting sites you can use immediately.

This will help you find more sure bets and keep you under the radar for a longer period.

3. Sign-up and deposit funds at 2-3 bookmakers included in arbitrage scanner services

A bookmaker scanner service is the easiest way to find sure bets still up.

Using these services will help you maximize your profits and your workflow, on the other hand, you will spot more arbitrage betting opportunities.

Think about it! Which is faster?

Searching manually in many events one by one or applying a filter in a service that scans almost every market on every match every 2-4 seconds?

You can read this article on how to find arbitrage bets and the following article for free arbitrage betting finders.

4. Open the matches at both of the bookmakers

Both bookmakers should be opened at this moment on different tabs.

If you have the bookies already opened, and logged in to your account, money already deposited to the account, you will save valuable seconds.

This can mean the difference between success and failure in sure betting.

5. Tips for arbitrage betting stake calculation

If you want to be fast and successful in sure betting, you will need an arb calculator that suits your style and needs.

For this, you can use my arbitrage bet calculator.

You can introduce the total amount you want to place on a specific sure bet and the odds as well on both outcomes. 

The arbitrage betting calculator will display the stake you must place on the other bookmaker.

If you have this calculator opened in a different tab, you can save time again, leading to more sure bets placed.

6. Tips for Placing the arbitrage bets

While pre-match arbitrage betting, placing a bet after clicking on the button is almost instant.

So most of the time, it does not matter which bet you place for the first time.

Even though this process is instant, you can reduce the risk of placing one leg of the arbitrage bet and not being able to place the other one.

It can be done as follows:

-> if you insert the stake on both bookies and click on the place bet button at the bookie with more mistakes.

You can check my detailed comparison table about the best arbitrage scanner services here:

Review of best arbitrage bet finders

7. Arbitrage betting tip: start with low stakes

In arbitrage betting, like in most money-making businesses, you need some initial funds to make more.

If your resources are limited, I advise starting with matched betting to take advantage of free bets of 5 — 10 — 20 euros.

You should already have the list of bonuses at this stage, so finding them will be easy.

With a capital of 100 – 150 euros, I would start with the smaller bonuses mentioned above.

If you have a bankroll of 200 — 300 euros, you can start completing roll-over requirements on bonuses between 30 — 50 euros, but with low stakes.

You don’t want all of your money to end up at the bookie with the bonus.

Low stakes will help you complete the requirements before getting into this trouble.

In my arbitrage betting vs value betting article, I’m writing about the main advantage of positive EV betting.

Which is not being forced to use big stakes for decent profits.

This will help you keep your betting account healthy for a longer time.

8. Arbitrage bets with smaller returns

Your biggest goal as a smart bettor and as an arbitrage bettor is to stay under the radar.

You don’t want to get noticed by bookmakers.

If you get caught while arbitrage betting, your account can get limited right from the start.

A worse situation is when they limit your stakes before you complete the roll-over requirements on bonus offers.

It’s not the best feeling to find out that you have to place 300 bets with a maximum stake of 1 euro.

Placing arbitrage bets close to 0% or even slightly under will decrease the chance of getting caught.

After you finish with the bonus, higher profitability is a must for successful sure betting.

9. Don’t withdraw money until it’s necessary

The withdrawal process will always fire up a verification process that you don’t want when arbitrage betting.

It’s a sad but very important rule that sure bettors must remember that money management is your best friend.

You need to use stakes and odds that help you avoid winning too much at the slow/soft betting site.

Of course, it’s impossible to prevent winning on this side.

But using smaller stakes without an aggressive playstyle can keep you longer in a stage where you are not forced to ask for a withdrawal.

Other useful sources about arbitrage betting:

• Arbitrage betting vs matched betting
• How to find arbitrage bets
• Arbitrage betting UK
• Arbitrage betting USA
• Arbitrage betting Australia
• Arbitrage betting formula & calculation
• Football arbitrage betting

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