While a bird’s eye view of gambling or betting would suggest that it’s a game of pure chance, there are career professionals who would argue otherwise. Placing a winning bet that isn’t based on pure blind luck requires that the bettor use a cunning strategy that is made up of equal parts intuition and skill.
Even with a cursory understanding of math you know the principle of odds. Whether you’re betting on horses, sports or how often your neighbor is going to mow his lawn, there’s a likely outcome based on previous information. If your neighbor mowed his lawn 5 times out of the last 100 days, the odds are 5/95 that he’ll mow today. In other words, there’s a 5% chance he’s going to cut his grass before the day is out.
The lower the odds, the higher the payout. That’s because with low odds it’s unlikely that they’re going to win. This means doing your research and deciding your level of comfort with risk and reward. Do you want to play it safe on a “sure win” or risk never seeing your money again?
If you take this idea of odds and you apply it to making bets, then you know your own odds of winning. Math principles suggest the more you do something, the higher the chance of it happening again. Simple example: if you don’t bet then there’s 0% chance you’ll win. As soon as you place your first bet, that percentage goes up. It’s just the way the universe works.
What are Free Bets
Now let’s talk about free bets. What is a free bet exactly? Essentially, it’s where you use some sort of voucher or other non-cash means to place a bet. These are generally provided by a sports betting organization so are totally valid.
For example, you’re in England and you want to make some bets but also want to take advantage of any free bet promotions out there. Well, you could scour Free Bets UK for the best vouchers out there. Then you could snag and apply them. By finding an aggregate site where all free bet promotions exist, you could take advantage of multiple offers instead of being restricted to a single platform.
Free bets are a lot like coupons you’d receive from any establishment that rewards your loyalty. In other words, you get them for signing up with the organization or regularly betting through their platform. They’re especially common in online betting as a way to entice prospective “users” to visit their site and come back often.
Typically, when you first sign up for a platform to place bets, you’ll see a sign-up bonus that includes free bets credited to your account. You might have to place your first bet or meet other requirements before you see it show up. This might be as simple as depositing a minimum amount in your account like, let’s say, $10.
Once you are an established better through that platform, you’ll most likely see other free bet options available to you. They are always running promotions you can take advantage of through your desktop/laptop or mobile device. These “established bettor” free bet promotions might be tied to how your bet performs. This isn’t always the case, but you might find this in some promotions, especially in horse racing.
Let’s say you place a bet on a horse. There might be a promotion running where if your horse comes in 2nd by a certain amount, you’ll receive money credited to your account in the form of a free bet. So even if you lose your nut on the race, there’s a bonus waiting for you. Other sports bets might work the same way.
Now, something to be away of is some of these free bet “vouchers” might expire. The establishment will be up front about that, even if it’s just in the fine print. That means you want to use it before they dry up. It could be a week. It could be 10 days. Check the promotion and use it before it disappears.
How Do They Pay Out
Free bets don’t necessarily work the same as a regular bet where you’re putting down your own money. Namely, in the way they pay out. First, most or all platforms won’t allow you to withdraw the credit amount. You can only use it to bet and then withdraw your winnings. Second, they typically don’t pay out the stake because you didn’t put it up yourself. So you’re not going to see that as a refund when you collect your winnings.
Again, you’ll have to check the rules or fine print set forth by that particular establishment or that particular free bet. They’re not all built the same.
If you’re planning to place bets online, look out for free bets that will allow you to get in on the action without having to put up the money yourself.
