Our Guide to Free Bets and Betting Tips
Most betting sites offer free bets to encourage people to register and start gambling with them.
It’s a free bet a bookmaker allows you to wager under certain conditions. If your selection loses, you lose nothing. Normally, if your pick wins, you receive the profit portion of the free bet – not the stake itself.
Different bookmakers have different types of free bet offers.
Different Types of Bets
With several sporting events going on at a time, there’s always an opportunity to have a flutter. The question is, what sort of bets are right for you.
Over the years, the sports bookmakers have devised different types of bets, often at the request of punters. The most popular bets have always been straightforward head-to-head win bets. The variation on these bets are the points start and winning margin bets.
With so much sport now being shown live on TV, live betting is popular because punters can bet on outcomes at any given point. For example, in tennis, you can bet on the current set’s winner or the current set’s winning score. In Soccer, you can bet on who will score the next goal – either by a player or a team.
One trend that is now developing with online sports bookmakers is to offer special bet outcomes. For example, in football (NFL spreads), a special free bet can be in the form of Team A losing after scoring before team B.
Other special outcome bets may include refunds. Some bookmakers offer refunds on the French Open if a player loses the match after three successive tie-break games.
With all the different types of bets available, it’s no longer a matter of deciding who you will bet on; it’s now a decision on who and how. Still, it makes the viewing of sport a lot more interesting.
Types of Free Bet Offers
Free Match Bet
Bet $25, get $25: It’s one of the most popular types of free bets. Open an account and bet the required amount. The bookmaker will match that sum with a free bet token. There is usually a minimum and maximum limit on the value the bookmaker will match with a free bet.
Series of Free Bets
Bet $30, get 3x $10 bets: Similar to a match bet, but the free bet is split into several bets. So you may be required to place your first bet of $30, and then your account will be credited with three $10 tokens.
Bet Bonus
Open an online account, and the bookmaker will pay you a bonus if your first bet is a winner.
Deposit Bonus
A very popular form of bonus at present is the matching deposit bonus. Open a new account and deposit money into that account. The bookie will then deposit a sum equal in value up to a set maximum. Make sure you know when this bonus can be withdrawn from your account.
Cashback
Open a new account and receive a cashback on your first bet up to a maximum amount. Rather than a free bet, your account is credited with cash. Check the details as to when you can withdraw this cash.
Don’t Miss Out On Free Bets
If you see free bet offers and are placing a bet on that event, read the terms to know if you qualify, and you will receive it.
Note; Many online casinos and bookies do not automatically give you your free bet. With some establishments, you need to contact their customer service center to claim it. Also, ensure to read their terms & conditions.
With that, we want to share some betting tips which can also be applied to free bets:
Betting Tips – Do You Follow The Money?
They say money talks, but does a sudden flow of money become an excellent betting tip when it comes to gambling? I know of many punters who believe in the philosophy of following the money. But how does it work, and can it work for you?
What is Following the Money?
Sometimes, a betting option suddenly has a lot of money on it. If you take a golf Open Championship game, Stewart Cink was at 250/1 but midway through day three, the money had come for him, and he was suddenly backed into 30/1. Of course, other players also shortened but not to the same degree as Cink.
The concept of following the money is to back what everyone else is backing. Generally speaking, everyone backs the favorites; that’s why they are favorites. Following the money is not meant to follow favorites – it’s looking to see who the money is going on apart from the favorites.
Should You Follow The Money?
Following the money can be a fast track to the poor house. Just because other punters want to bet on a particular result doesn’t mean you should follow. Like all bets, if you want to make a profit, you will need to do some research. It would be best if you asked the following questions:
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Why is the money coming?
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What has changed (weather, scratchings, etc.)?
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Have the favorites drifted?
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Is there still value in the bet?
When You Shouldn’t Follow The Money
There are times when following the money could be a big mistake. Golf and tennis betting are two classic areas where big money comes in only to see the bookmakers walk away with big smiles. Andy Murray at Wimbledon is an excellent example of this.
Once Rafael Nadal was confirmed as a non-starter, everyone wanted to back Murray – or of course, there was still one big problem – Roger Federer, the master of the majors. If you were to use the steps mentioned above, you would have stopped and thought carefully at number three – the favorite, Roger Federer, was also firm in the market, and his price was not drifting at all.
In summary, our betting tip for today is quite simple. Don’t blindly follow the money even when using free bets! Still, do your research and only bet if there is real value and if the outcome has a realistic chance of success.