Online Betting Guide

One of the main reasons why bookies are so successful is not only down to the fact that they set their odds slightly in their favour, it's also down to silly mistakes that punters make when online betting - be they real-money bets or when placing free bets that bookies offer new signups.

This includes not thinking straight at the time of clicking that bet button or even not having done sufficient research on the sports betting market before placing the bet.

If you don't 100% understand what your betting on and you haven't researched it thoroughly then don't bet on it. Its not as fun and you're far more likely to lose - even using free bets!

Good Online Betting Techniques

Research your Bet: If your online betting on sport you know little about then it's time to step back and ask yourself if you would benefit from a little research.

Doing sufficient research helps you understand all the various risk involved, you learn from losses a lot better and will probably get more satisfaction when you beat the bookies!

Set a Betting Budget: It's usually a good idea to set yourself a maximum amount of money that you can afford to lose in a month and stop betting online just before you pass it.

Online betting with a set amount of money each month ensures that it never becomes a problem but more like an expense that you expect to encounter each month.

To increase your betting budget it may be worth claiming as many new customer offers as you can afford. We recommend starting with the bet365 free bet offer below and taking it from there, as they are, in our personal opinion, one of the best bookies in the business.

Don't forget to divide your monthly pot into days/weeks so that your certain how much is available for each particular day/week. Another good idea is to set yourself a daily maximum loss figure as this too makes it easier to see if your betting more than you should be.

Set a Daily Win Limit: It's just as easy to to get carried away with a winning streak and believe that you're invincible. So, if you decide on 4 horses at the beginning of the day, leave it at that.

If they all win you're more likely to get greedy and look for more betting opportunities leaving you wide open to betting irrationally and giving some of your winnings back to the bookie!

Take a Break: It can be a good idea to step back, clear your head and evaluate where you stand financially. A series of big wins is a great forerunner to over confidence just as a series of bad losses makes impulsive online betting more likely and in turn further losses likely.

Bad Online Betting Techniques

Betting at Bad Odds: The online betting odds being offered for a particular sports bet can vary massively between even the best bookies we've reviewed by as much as 20%!

If you're not getting the best odds for the bet your making then when you win may only be claiming a fraction of what you could have potentially won if you'd gone to the best bookie.

If you're not getting the best odds for the bet your making then when you win may only be claiming a fraction of what you could have potentially won if you'd gone to the best bookie.

For this reason it sometimes pays to have registered with a variety of bookies so that your able to pick from more odds for your bets - and you get to claim more free bets too!

Chasing Losses: Chasing after your losses is one of the biggest traps that punters fall in to. Everyone has good and bad days but following a bad day it's much more sensible to save your online betting money for when the right opportunities come along.

Losing too much in one day tends to lead to desperate and irrational betting.

Trying to find that one big bet that will get you out of debt very rarely does, and in fact, regularly gets you into even bigger trouble. The best way to combat a heavy loss is to learn from the mistakes and then try recuperating losses via a series of smaller, less riskier bets.

Being Greedy: Being money mad is not a good trait when betting online. As well as not betting too much, it's also pretty important to be realistic when it comes to placing bets.

Online bookies are brilliant at coming up with attractive betting offers and interesting new markets for us punters to bet on, however, most are only devised to be so complex that it can be hard to determine whether the odds being offered are even any good.

Some of the higher odd's bets like Scorecasts, First Goal Scorer or Correct Score bets are generally poor value. A better approach is to seek out good value bets rather than seeking out something to bet on. It may be a good idea to only go for bigger odds bets for trivial stakes.

Betting too Much: This is a touchy subject for most as the thrill of betting online is the actual element of risk in comparison to the potential windfall. Betting small amounts obviously limits the amount your capable of winning and isn't far off from not betting at all.

The key to online betting is to be prepared for every bet, bet it real-money or free bets, to be a losing bet. This way if the worst happens and you aren't a winner, while you may be disappointed, it won't be as serious an issue as you'd prepared for the loss anyway!

Frequently Asked Questions About Free Bets

Before you go ahead and claim your first free bet offer, here are quick answers to some of the most common questions that we regularly get asked:

• What Are Free Bets?
  Free bets are a type of betting offer that bookies use to both attract new customers, and to reward loyalty. They let you place a bet for free, without using any of your own money.
• Are Free Bets Really Free?
  Free bets are real credit that a bookie adds to your account, but can they really be called 'free'? We explain how they work, the catches to look out for, and what 'free' really means.
• How Do Free Bets Work?
  A free bet is promotional credit added to your account by a bookie. They allow you to place a bet without risking your own funds. If it wins, you receive the profit but not the stake.
• What Are Risk Free Bets?
  Risk free bets are offers that bookies use to encourage betting engagement. With a risk free bet, you bet using your own money, and it's refunded as credit on your account if it loses.
• Do You Get Your Stake Back on Free Bets?
  No, unfortunately you don't get your stake back on free bets. Most bookies offer them under "Stake Not Returned" rules, so if they win you get the profit, but not the stake back.
• What Does Money Back as a Free Bet Mean?
  Money back as a free bet is a type of betting promotion. If a bet loses and meets the criteria set out in the offers terms and conditions, you get your stake back in free bets.
• Can I Cash Out a Free Bet?
  Yes, some bookies do allow you to cash out free bets, but it's not common. You'll need to check the offer's terms and conditions to know whether you can use cash out or not.
• Are Free Bets Worth It?
  Yes, free bets are worth It - if you know how to use them. Read our expert analysis about free bet conversion rates, and the best strategies to maximise their value.

Now that you have a feel for how these promotions work, why not compare the free bets that bookies are currently offering, and find a deal that suits your betting needs.

Responsible Gambling: Free bets should enhance your enjoyment of betting, not create problems. Make sure that you only bet what you can afford to lose. If you're worried about your gambling habits, free and confidential support is available at GambleAware.org.