Betting numbers are the figures used by bookmakers and betting exchange websites to determine the amount of money that you need to bet to secure a certain return on your investment. Simply put, the lower the number, the more you have to stake to get your money back with a profit. The opposite is true for bets placed on sporting events with higher number values.
The main difference between betting with cash and betting with credit card is that when you place a bet with cash, the odds are generally fixed so there’s no real advantage to hunching over the counter and the margins are usually much lower. But, with credit cards, the advantage is that you’re getting all the odds that you could want and the margins can be a whole lot stronger because the credit card company isn’t making any money off your winning bets.
The main reason why you would want to use a credit card instead of cash is that it’s much easier to track your money when using a credit card. If you go overboard with your credit card usage and get into financial trouble, it might be hard to establish exactly how much you’re liable to pay. When using cash, there’s no middleman to contend with, and the money is technically yours once you’ve walked away with it. The other reason why credit cards are popular is that they give you the opportunity to perform ‘chase activity’. When you use a credit card to place a bet, the system will automatically ‘chase’ the money for you so that the credit card company doesn’t go into debt – the bet being the maximum amount you could spend. If you cash out all your winnings on a single bet, you’ll end up paying the credit card company, not the bookmaker. This could be beneficial if you’re new to gambling and need some help keeping track of your money.
Fixed Odds or Freerolls
When you place a bet with a bookmaker using fixed odds, your desired outcome will be determined by what is listed on the board at the time the bet is placed. This is usually the case when you’re placing a bet on a horse race or a football match. The advantage of using fixed odds is that the bookmaker takes the risk of the outcome so there’s no need for you to worry about the weather conditions, the quality of the field or the injuries that the players might sustain.
However, fixed odds can be tricky to predict if there’s ever any uncertainty regarding the outcome. If you’re not comfortable with having your fate determined by the roll of a dice or the turn of a football, then fixed odds might not be for you. On the other hand, freerolls are exactly what they say they are – a free-for-all. When someone says a horse race is going to be a freeroll, it simply means that all the entrants have to make the race, the outcome is entirely down to luck and there’s no strategy involved at all. In other words, it’s a 50/50 shot on whether you win or lose. This is mostly done to make money off wagering on a sporting event where the outcome is uncertain and there’s little strategy involved. For instance, a $2.50 tennis tournament where the winner is decided by which player scores the most points is a classic case of a free-for-all. These types of bets are generally available at larger bookmakers. It’s worth noting that in the vast majority of cases, the house advantage will be built into the odds, which means that even if you’re playing against the odds, you’re still technically beaten. This is why it’s preferable to play against the odds instead of with them.
Build-in House Advantage
If you’re a seasoned gambler and you’re used to playing against the odds, you’ll know exactly what kind of advantage a bookmaker can legally build into their odds. Most of the time, this advantage is built into the price of the bet. In other words, you’re expected to lose money on most winning bets because the bookmaker has to make up for their losses from other bets. Some of the more popular examples of built-in house advantages are:
- Tiger Woods odds – 1.65
- Celine Dion odds – 1.60
- Gennady Golovkin odds – 1.50
- Leicester City odds – 1.48
- Deandre Hopkins odds – 1.34
The reason why these are popular bets is because golf, Celine Dion and Tiger Woods are all highly rated sporting events and many gamblers feel that they can get luck on their side. It’s also a great opportunity to make money off a British soccer team after their incredible success in the last few years. The fact that the odds are generally high means that there’s more money to be made from this particular type of bet.
Locked In
When you’re playing against the odds, you have to keep in mind that the house has the potential to change the amount they owe you. The reason why this is an issue is that if the house changes the pricing structure of the bet mid-game, it’ll be hard to establish how much you actually won or lost. What makes this even trickier is that in most cases, the number of winning bets the house makes will determine the size of your winnings. This is problematic because even though the odds might appear to be in your favour, you’ll actually end up losing money in the long run. An example of this would be if you’re playing against the odds on a $2.50 tennis match and the server makes a comeback to claim the first set, which he does. In this case, your match wager would become a $5.00 wager because the server’s earnings from the comeback would be included in your winnings. As a result, you’d be paying $400 to play the $2.50 game.
Hidden Benefits
While it’s always great to win money on poker games and casino slots because these types of bets offer massive bonuses and additional perks, it’s not always the case. In some instances, the bonuses might not be as advertised or the odds might be rigged against you. Since you’re not supposed to know these additional benefits, you might not be able to realize the full potential of winning a game or slot machine. For this reason, it’s always a good idea to read reviews before making any type of wager. By doing this, you’ll be able to find out everything there is to know about a particular game or slot machine, including any hidden benefits. For instance, if you stumble upon a review for a casino game that lists a free spins bonus, you might assume that this is a perk that you’re going to automatically receive when you make a certain bet. However, you might notice that this bonus is only given to certain players or it might have a set limit attached to it. In these types of instances, it’s always better to walk away rather than risk losing the bonus along with your money.
To summarize, betting numbers are used by bookmakers and betting exchanges to determine the amount of money that you need to bet to secure a certain return on investment. Simply put, the lower the number, the more you have to stake to get your money back with a profit. The opposite is true for bets placed on sporting events where higher number values are used. When using credit cards to place bets, the money is technically yours once you’ve walked away with it. However, it’s important to keep in mind that in most cases, the house advantage will be built into the odds which means that even if you’re playing against the odds, you’ll still be beaten in the long run. This is why it’s preferable to play against the odds rather than with them. Finally, be sure to check out our guide on how to place a winning bet so that you can secure your $2.50 and keep improving your chances of hitting the jackpot!