Monday 23 April 2012

Chapter 43 - 188bet

188bet were doing a risk-free offer of £25. However, I had trouble depositing money and accidently ended up depositing £50 rather than £35.

I bet £25 that the correct score in the match between Sporting Lisbon and FC Metalist Kharkiv would be 1-2 at odds of 15 and placed a lay of £20.65 against a 3-2 score at odds of 17. Thankfully I lost this bet so received a payout of £19.64, leaving me with a loss of £5.36. Poor effort...

I then contacted 188bet about withdrawing the remaining £25 of my own money but was told that I must bet it before withdrawing it. I bet £25 that the correct score in the match between Schalke and Athletic Bilbao would be 2-2 at odds of 15, and placed a lay of £25.08 against a 2-2- result at odds of 15. However, I won this bet so received a payout of £375.00 at 188bet but paid out a liability of £351.12 at Betfair, leaving me with a small loss of £1.12.

I then received a £25 refund into my account. I bet £25 that the correct score in the match between Chesterfield and Wycombe Wanderers would be 2-2 at odds of 15 and placed a lay of £25.77 against a 2-2 score at odds of 14.5. I lost this bet so received a payout of £24.51 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £24.51 - £5.36 - £1.12 = £18.03

Overall profit: £704.61 + £18.03 = £722.64

Friday 20 April 2012

Chapter 42 - 888sport M

888sport were doing a small mobile offer where they would give you a free bet of £5 for a mobile deposit of £10.

I deposited and bet £10 that Malaga would beat Rayo Vallecano at odds of 1.73 and placed a lay of £10.30 against Malaga at odds of 1.73. I won this bet so recieved £17.27 at 888sport but paid out a liability of £7.52 at Betfair, leaving me with a small loss of £0.25.

My account was then credited with a free bet of £5. I bet £5 that the correct score in the match between Manchester United and QPR would be 2-1 at odds of 11 and placed a lay of £4.57 against a 2-1 result at odds of 11. I lost this bet so received a payout of £4.35 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £4.35 - £0.25 = £4.10

Overall profit: £700.51 + £4.10 = £704.61

Sunday 15 April 2012

Chapter 41 - Betsson

Betsson were doing an offer where I received a 50% deposit bonus of up to £25. However, the rules stated that I must rollover the deposit and the bonus 10 times - I aimed to avoid this! Tough challenge!!

For my first bet I bet £20 that the HT/FT result in the match between Tottenham and Stoke would be Stoke/Tottenham at odds of 24 and placed a lay of £18.42 against Stoke/Tottenham at odds of 30. Somewhat risky as I was overlaying. Thankfully I lost this bet so received a payout of £17.52 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £2.48.

My next move was to bet £20 that the HT/FT result in the match between Chelsea and Tottenham would be Tottenham/Chelsea at odds of 27 and to place a lay of £20 against Tottenham/Chelsea at odds of 28. Again, slightly risky since I was overlaying. Thankfully I lost this bet so received a payout of £19.02 at Betfair, leaving me with a small loss of £0.98.

I then bet £10 that the correct score in the match between Tottenham and Bolton would be 3-2 at odds of 35 and placed a lay of £10.95 against a 3-2 score at odds of 32. I lost this bet - and since the odds had been so good I received a payout of £10.41 from Betfair which gave me a (small) profit of £0.41. Decent!

I was now onto betting with the free money. I bet £14 that the correct score in the match between Sheffield United and Chesterfield would be 3-2 at odds of 29 and placed a lay of £13.09 against a 3-2 result at odds of 30. I lost this bet so receied a payout of £12.38 at Betfair.

My final bet was to bet £11 that the correct score in the match between Bayern Munich and Marseilles would be 3-2 at odds of 40 and to place a lay of £12.64 against a 3-2 result at odds of 34. Thankfully I lost this bet, and thanks to the brilliant odds I stumbled across I received a payout of £12.01 from an £11 bet. Good to end on a high note!

Profit from this chapter: £12.38 + £12.01 + £0.41 - £2.48 - £0.98 = £21.34

Overall profit: £679.17 + £21.34 = £700.51

Monday 9 April 2012

Chapter 40 - Blue Square Reload Bonus

I received an email from Blue Square informing me that they had credited my account with a free £3.

I used this free £3 to bet that the correct score in the match between Burnley FC and Birmingham City FC would be 2-2 at odds of 15.0 and placed a lay of £2.55 against a 2-2 result at odds of 16.5. I lost this bet so received a payout of £2.42 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £2.42

Overall profit: £676.75 + £2.42 = £679.17

Friday 6 April 2012

Chapter 39 - Bet365 Moblie

Bet365 were doing a nice mobile bet where they would give you a free bet up to £50.

I deposited and bet £50 that there would be less than 2.5 goals in the game between Rangers and Dundee United at odds of 2.15, and placed a lay of £50.95 against there being under 2.5 goals at odds of 2.16. Thankfully I lost this bet so received a payout of £48.45 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £1.55.

I then used the free £50 to bet that Near The Water would win at the Fontwell races at odds of 9.0. I then placed a lay of £50.28 against Near The Water at odds of 9.0. I lost this bet so received a payout of £47.77 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £47.77 - £1.55 = £46.22

Overall profit: £630.53 + £46.22 = £676.75

Wednesday 4 April 2012

Chapter 38 - Betfred

Betfred were doing an offer where they would give you a 100% bonus up to £50.

I deposited and bet £50 that Wycombe would beat Exeter at odds of 3.0 and placed a lay of £49.18 against Wycombe at odds of 3.1. I won this bet so won £150 at Betfred but paid out a liability of £103.28 at Betfair, leaing me with a loss of £3.28.

My account was then credited with a free bet of £50. I bet £15.50 that Un Ami would win at the Chepstow races at odds of 9.0 and placed a lay of £14.17 against Un Ami at odds of 8.8. I lost this bet so receied a payout of £13.48 at Betfair.

With the remaining £34.50 of free balance I bet that Blackburn would beat Manchester United at odds of 8.5 and placed a lay of £28.91 against Blackburn at odds of 9.0. I lost this bet so received a payout of £27.46 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £13.48 + £27.46 - £3.28 = £37.66

Overall profit: £592.87 + £37.66 = £630.53

Monday 2 April 2012

Chapter 37 - March summary

Haven't been dedicating much time to matched betting this month. However the big bets at Bet365 and Coral really helped boost my profits.

Overall profit (January): 192.02

Overall profit (February): £201.31

Overall profit (March): £199.54

Not too shabby!

Overall profit: £592.87

Wednesday 28 March 2012

Chapter 36 - Coral

Coral were doing an offer where they would give a 100% bonus up to £50.

I deposited and bet £50 that Stevenage would beat Colchester at odd of 2.0 and placed a lay of £51.28 against Stevenage at odds of 2.0. I lost this bet so receied a payout of £48.77 at Betfair - a loss of £1.23.

I then received a £50 free bet. I bet £50 that the score in the match between Portsmouth and Hull would be 0-0 at odds of 9.0 and placed a lay of £42.78 against a 0-0 draw at odds of 9.4. I lost this bet so received a payout of £40.68 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £40.68 - £1.23 = £39.45

Slightly less that I had hoped I would get from a £50 free bet.

Profit so far: £553.42 + £39.45 = £592.87

Saturday 10 March 2012

Chapter 35 - Bet365

Bet365 were doing a rather juicy offer where they would give you a 100% refund up to £200.

I deposited £200 and my account was credited with a free bonus of £200. I bet £100 that the match between Bologna and Fiorentina would result in a draw at odds of 3.2 and placed a lay of £98.46 against a draw at odds of 3.3. I lost this bet so lost my £100 at Bet365 but received a payout of £93.54 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £6.46.

My next move was to place a £50 bet that the correct score in the match between Marseilles and Inter Milan would be 0-0 at odds of 9.0. However, I became confused as to whether the bets at Bet365 were SR or NSR. In the end I placed a lay of £44 against a 0-0 score at odds of 9.6. I lost this bet so lost my £50 at Bet365, but received a payout of £41.80 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £8.20. This indicated that the bet was SR.

I next placed a £20 bet that at half-time the match between Club Brugge and Hanover would be in a draw at odds of 2.25, and placed a lay of £20 against a half-time draw at odds of 2.3. I lost this bet so lost my £20 at Bet365, but received a payout of £19 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £1.

My final qualifying bet was to bet £30 that Rangers would beat Inverness CT at odds of 1.8 and to place a lay of £30 against Rangers at odds of 1.85. Alas I won this bet, so I won £54 at Bet365 but paid out a liability of £25.50 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £1.50. This meant that in order to avoid a rollover I would have to bet £54 again.

To avoid said rollover I bet £54 that the match between England and Holland would result in a draw at odds of 3.25, and placed a lay of £52.39 against the draw at odds of 3.4. I lost this bet so lost my money at Bet365, but received a payout of £49.82 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £4.18.

I then moved on to betting with the free £200, with the aim of losing at Bet365 so I wouldn't have to rollover any money. My first move was to bet £50 that Mr Knightley would win at the Lingfield races at odds of 8.0 and to place a lay of £49.08 against Mr Knightley at odds of 8.2. I lost this bet so received a payout of £46.68 at Betfair.

My next bet was to bet £20 that Handy Andy would win at the Newbury races at odds of 8.0 and to place a lay of £45.71 against Handy Andy at odds of 8.8. However, I won this bet!! Not happy. I won £400 at Bet365 but paid out a liability of £355.94 at Betfair, leaving me with a profit of £44.06.

My third free bet was to bet £50 that Easement would win at the Sedgefield races at odds of 11.0 and to place a lay of £52.63 against Sedgefield winning at odds of 10.5. I lost this bet so received a payout of £50.05 at Betfair.

My fourth free bet was to bet £50 that Old Pride would win at the Leopardstown races at odds of 11.0 and to place a lay of £50.23 against Old Pride winning at odds of 11.0. I lost this bet so received a payout of £47.77 at Betfair.

I was then left with £400 in my Bet365 account which I could not withdraw so had to bet with to fulfill the rollover requirements. my next move was to bet £200 that Chelsea would beat Birmingham at odds of 1.8 and to underlay by placing a lay of £194 against Chelsea at odds of 1.84. I won this bet so won £360 at Bet365 but paid out a liability of £162.96 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £2.96.

I next bet £100 that AC Milan would beat Arsenal at odds of 3.4 and placed a lay of £ against AC Milan at odds of . I lost this bet so lost my £100 at Bet365 - however, I only won £76.08 at Betfair - a loss of £23.92. Fucked this one up SO badly!!

I next bet £100 that Stenhousemuir would beat Stirling at odds of 1.8 and placed a lay of £62.74 against Stenhousemuir at odds of 1.85 and a lay of £32.50 against Stenhousemuir at odds of 1.86. I won this bet so won £180 at Bet365, but paid out a liability of £81.28 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £1.28.

My next bet was to bet £100 that there would be under 2.5 goals in the game between Bolton and QPR at odds of 1.95 and to place a lay of £100 against there being under 2.5 goals at odds of 2.0. I lost this bet so received a payout of £95.10 at Betfair - a loss of £4.90.

I then bet £100 that there would be more than 2.5 goals in the game between Manchester United and West Brom at odds of 1.57 and placed lay of £100 against more than 2.5 goals at odds of 1.61. Just my luck - I lost this bet so received a payout of £95.10 at Betfair, leaving me wih a loss of £4.90...

I then bet £100 that Manchester United would be winning at half-time in their match with West Brom at odds of 1.72 and placed a lay of £94 against Machester United winning at half-time at odds of 1.79. Thankfully I won this bet so won £172.73 at Bet365 and paid out £74.26 at Betfair. This left me with a loss of £1.53 - much better!

My final bet was to bet £46 that Manchester City would beat Swansea at odds of 1.61 and to place a lay of £43.47 against Manchester City at odds of 1.68. Tragedy. I lost this bet, resulting in a payout of £41.34 at Betfair and a loss of £4.66.

Profit from this chapter: £46.68 + £44.06 + £50.05 + £ 47.77 - £6.46 - £8.20 - £1.00 - £1.50 - £4.18 - £2.96 - £23.92 - £1.28 - £4.90 - £4.90 - £1.53 - £4.66 = £123.07

Very poor from a £200 free bet. Dissapointing, to say the least.

Overall profit: £430.35 + 123.07 = £553.42

Friday 9 March 2012

Chapter 34 - Unibet

I next signed up to Unibet who were doing a risk free offer of £20.

I deposited and bet £20 that the score in the match between Paraguay and Panama would be 3-0 at odds of 9.25, and placed a lay of £18.44 against a 3-0 score at odds of 9.0. I lost this bet so lost my £20 at Unibet, but received a payout of £17.54 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £2.46.

I then received a free bet of £20. I bet £20 that ESTAC Troyes would beat Tours at odds of 3.45 and placed a lay of £19.43 against ESTAC Troyes at odds of 3.55. I won this bet so won £69 at Unibet but paid out a liability of £49.55 at Betfair, leaving me with a profit of £19.45.

However, before I could make a withdrawal I had to rollover the bonus amount (£20). I therefore bet £20 that the correct score in the match between Juventus and Chievo would be 2-0 at odds of 6.0 and placed a lay of £19.51 against a 2-0 score at odds of 6.2. Thankfully I lost this bet so received a payout of £18.55 at Betfair, leaving me with an overall loss of £1.45.

Profit for this chapter: £19.45 - £2.46 - £1.45 = £15.54

Overall profit: £414.81 + £15.54 = £430.35

Friday 2 March 2012

Chapter 33 - Expekt

Another bet I did was with the bookie Expekt. They were offering to give me a free bet of £50 once I'd deposited and bet £100.

I started off my depositing £100. However, when using my (debit!) card I noticed that Expekt charged a 2.5% fee - this meant that to deposit £100 I had to deposit £102.50 - a small loss of £2.50.

For my qualifying bet I bet £100 that Shrewsbury would beat Hereford at odds of 2.10, and placed a lay of £100.48 against Shrewsbury at odds of 2.14. I won this bet so won £210.00 at Expekt but paid out a liability of £114.49 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £4.49.
My account was next credited with a bonus of £50. I tried to bet £50 that the correct score in the match between Internacional and Juan Aurich would be 1-0 at odds of 7.0 - however, Expekt only matched my bet to £35 and left £15 pending for consideration. To balance out the £35 that had been matched I placed a lay of £34.27 against a 1-0 score at odds of 7.2. I did this because the figures generated by Expekt indicated that the bonus was SR. Expekt did not match the remaining £15 from the free bonus. I lost this bet so received a payout of £32.56 at Betfair.

I still had £15 from the free bonus left. I bet £15 that the correct score in the match between Villarreal and Granada would be 0-0 at odds of 11.0 and placed a lay of £14.41 against a 0-0 score at odds of 11.5. I lost this bet so received a payout of £13.69 at Betfair.

However, the terms and conditions of the promotion at Expekt required me to roll over the bonus. I tried to place a £50 bet but Expekt could only match it to £14 - I therefore placed a £14 bet that the correct score in the match between Bologna and Fiorentina would be 0-0 at odds of 8.0 and placed a lay of £13.41 against a 0-0 score at odds of 8.4. I lost this bet so lost my £14 at Expekt, but received a payout of £12.74 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £1.26.

I then placed a bet of £36 that FC Basel would beat Bayern Munich at odds of 6.5 and placed a lay of £34.67 against FC Basel at odds of 6.8. Alas, I won this bet so won £234  at Expekt - however, I paid out a liability of £201.09. This left me with an overall loss of £3.09.

However, I still had to rollover more money! I bet £200 that Leicester would beat Derby at odds of 2.15 and placed a lay of £200 against Leicester at odds of 2.2. I won this bet so won £430 at Expekt - however, I paid out a liability of £240 at Betfair, leaving me with an overall loss of £10. Not pleased.

My next bet was to bet £100 that Leeds would beat Portsmouth at odds of 2.35 - but Expekt would only match my bet to £5! I placed a lay of £5.09 against Leeds at odds of 2.36. I lost this bet so lost my £5 at Expekt, but received a payout of £4.84 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.16.

I then bet £95 that Dundee Utd would beat Hearts at odds of 3.1 and placed a lay of £96.56 against Dundee Utd at odds of 3.1. I won this bet so won £294.50 at Expekt - however I paid out a liability of £202.77 at Betfair. This left me with an overall loss of £3.27.

Profit from this chapter: £32.56 + £13.69 - £4.49 - £2.50 - £1.26 - £3.09 - £10.00 - £0.16 - £3.27 = £21.48

Very dissapointing!!

Overall profit: £393.33 + £21.48 = £414.81

Wednesday 29 February 2012

Chapter 32 - February summary

Haven't had as much time this month for matched betting, what with university restarting, refreshers week being messy, and my five-day mini-holiday. Am hoping to dedicate more time to it in March...

Overall profit (January): 192.02

Overall profit (February): £201.31

Not bad at all. Almost funded my little holiday too!

Overall profit: £393.33

Sunday 26 February 2012

Chapter 31 - Bwin

Bwin were doing a nice offer where you bet £25 and get a £25 free bet.

I deposited and bet £25 that Blackburn would beat QPR at odds of 2.4 and placed a lay of £24.69 against Blackburn at odds of 2.48. I won this bet so won £60.00 at Bwin, but paid out a liability of £36.54 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £1.54.

My account was immediately credited with a free bet of £25. I bet £25 that the correct score in the match between Sparta Prague and Slovacko would be 2-1 at odds of 9.5, and placed a lay of £23.87 against a score of 2-1 at odds of 10. I lost this bet so lost the free money at Bwin, but received a payout of £22.68 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £22.68 - £1.54 = £21.14

Overall profit: £372.19 + £21.14 = £393.33

Friday 24 February 2012

Chapter 30 - Bodog

I then placed bets at Bodog where they would refund my first bet of £10 if it lost.

I deposited and bet £10 that the correct score in the match between Middlesborough and Sunderland would be 1-2 at odds of 9.0 and underlayed by placing a lay of £7.37 against a 1-2 score at odds of 10.5. I lost this bet so received a payout of £7.00 at Betfair, resulting in an overall loss of £3.00.

My account was then deposited with a bonus of £10. I bet £10 that Aston Villa would beat Manchester City at odds of 5.5 and placed a lay of £9.91 against Aston Villa at odds of 5.6. I lost this bet so received a payout of £9.41 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £9.41 - £3.00 = £6.41

Overall profit: £365.78 + £6.41 = £372.19

Wednesday 22 February 2012

Chapter 29 - Betinternet

Betinternet were doing a nice offer where they would refund 50% of your first bet up to a maximum of £25.

I deposited and bet £50 that at half-time there would be a draw in the match between Sakaryaspor and Boluspor at odds of 2.2 and placed a lay of £52.13 against a draw at half-time at odds of 2.16. I lost this bet so lost £50 at Betinternet but gained £49.52 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.48.

I then received a £25 free bet. I bet £25 that Nacional Montevideo would beat Vasco da Gama at odds of 8.5 and placed a lay of £21.43 against Nacional Montevideo at odds of 8.8. I won this bet so won £187.50 at Betinternet but paid out a liability of £165.89 at Betfair, leaving me with a profit of £21.61.

Profit from this chapter: £21.61 - £0.48 = 21.13

Overall profit: £344.65 + £21.13 = £365.78

Monday 20 February 2012

Chapter 28 - Bet 770 Bonus

I received an email (and a phonecall) from Bet 770 asking me to confirm my identity. I did so, and they gave me a free bet of £30. However, no matter how much searching I did I could not confirm whether this free bet was a SR or a NSR bet.

I decided to play it safe by splitting them £30 into smaller bets. I bet £10 that the correct score in the match between Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea would be 1-0 at odds of 6.5. The bet confirmation slip on Bet 770 stated that the returns from this bet would be £65 - this would mean that the bet was a SR return. Hoping that the bet was indeed a SR bet I placed a lay of £10.24 against a 1-0 score at odds of 6.4. I lost this bet so received a payout of £9.73 at Betfair. I thus concluded that the extra bonus at Bet 770 is SR.

With the £20 remaining I bet £20 that the correct score in the match between Panetolikos and Doxa Dramas FC would be 1-0 at odds of 5.5 and placed a lay of £19.47 at odds of 5.7. I lost this bet so received a payout of £18.50 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £9.73 + £18.50 = £28.23

Overall profit: £316.42 + £28.23 = £344.65

Saturday 18 February 2012

Chapter 27 - 888sport (Stage 10)

On to the final round of the 888sport offer!

For my first qualifying bet I bet £10 that AFC Wimbledon would beat Aldershot Town at odds of 2.3 and placed a lay of £10.31 against AFC Wimbledon at odds of 2.27. I lost this bet so lost £10 at 888sport but gained £9.79 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.21.

For my second bet I bet £10 that Basingstoke Town would beat Farnborough at odds of 2.3 and placed a lay of £10.31 against Basingstoke Town at odds of 2.28. I lost this bet so lost £10 at 888sport but gained £9.79 at Betfair - a loss of £0.21.

For my third bet I bet £10 that Leicester City would beat Middleborough at odds of 2.0 and placed a lay of £10.47 against Leicester City at odds of 1.96. I lost this bet so received a payout of £9.95 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.05.

For my fourth and final qualifying bet I bet £10 that AC Milan would beat Lazio at odds of 2.3 and placed a lay of £10.31 against AC Milan at odds of 2.28. I lost this bet so received a payout of £9.79 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.21.

My account was then credited with a free bet of £10. I bet £10 that the correct score between Osnabruck and Rot-Weiss Erfurt would be 1-0 at odds of 8.0 and placed a lay of £8.81 against a 1-0 score at odds of 8.0. I lost this bet so received a payout of £8.37 at Betfair.

Profit for this chapter: £8.37 - £0.21 - £0.21 - £0.05 - £0.21 = £7.69

Overall profit: £308.73 + £7.69 = £316.42

Wednesday 15 February 2012

Chapter 26 - 888sport (Stage 9)

On to the next stage of the 888sport offer.

For my first qualifying bet I bet £10 that Valencia would beat Levante at odds of 2.2 and placed a lay of £10.14 against Valencia at odds of 2.22. I won this bet so won £22 at 888sport but paid out a liability of £12.37 at Betfair, leaving me with an overall loss of £0.37.

For my second bet I bet £10 that Guinea would be winning at half-time in the Botswana v Guinea match at odds of 2.8 and placed a lay of £10.26 against Guinea winning at half-time at odds of 2.78. I won this bet so won £28.00 at 888sport but paid out a liability of £18.27 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.27.

For my third bet I bet £10 that Leyton Orient would beat Colchester United at odds of 2.2 and placed a lay of £10.14 against Leyton Orient at odds of 2.22. I lost this bet so received a payout of £9.63 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.37.

For my fourth bet I bet £10 that Huddersfield Town would beat Tranmere Rovers ar odds of 2.0 and placed a lay of £10.36 against Huddersfield at odds of 1.98. I lost this bet so lost £10 at 888sport but gained £9.84 at Betfair - a loss of £0.16.

I then received a free bet of £10. I bet £10 that the correct score in the match between Valencia and Barcelona would be 1-1 at odds of 8.5 and placed a lay of £8.77 against a 1-1 result at odds of 8.6. I won this bet so received £75 at 888sport but paid out a liability of £66.65 at Betfair, leaving me with a profit of £8.35.

Profit from this chapter: £8.35 - £0.37 - £0.27 - £0.37 - £0.16 = £7.18

Overall profit: £301.55 + £7.18 = £308.73

Sunday 12 February 2012

Chapter 25 - 888sport Special Offer

888sport were doing a special offer - bet £5 on who would score next in the match between Liverpool and Man City while it was in play and get a free bet of £5. However, it was slightly risky as I could not find a market for who would score next on Betfair.

I decided to take up this offer anyway (probably not my wisest of decisions but hey). I chose the player with the lowest odds (Edin Dzeko, at odds of 6.5) and bet £5 of my own money that he would score next. Alas he did not score next! So I lost £5. Upsetting.

My account, however, was credited with a free bet of £5. Realising that I had screwed this whole offer up, I tried to minimize my losses by using the free bet to bet that the HT/FT result in the game between Swansea and Chelsea would be Swansea/Swansea at odds of 10.0. I placed a lay of £4.62 against a HT/FT result of Swansea/Swansea at odds of 9.8. I lost this bet so received a payout of £4.39 at betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £4.39 - £5 = - £0.61

Overall profit: £302.16 - £0.61 = £301.55

Thursday 9 February 2012

Chapter 24 - Bet 770

Bet 770 did a good offer where you deposit and bet £70 and if your bet loses, they give you a refund of £70.

For my £70 bet, I bet that Real Madrid would beat Barcelona at odds of 5.1. I then tried underlaying and placed a lay of £59.78 against Real Madrid at odds of 5.6. I used trickybet to work out that if Real Madrid won then I would lose £13.21 but receive a free bet of £70, but if they were to win then I would receive £12.01. Thankfully the match ended in a 2-2 draw so I lost my £70 at Bet 770 but received a payout of £56.79 at Betfair. This left me with an overall loss of £13.21. Not ideal, but at least I was prepared in case I did lose the bet.

My account was next credited with £70 as a refund. My aim was to bet this £70 in a way that I made the smallest loss possible, but at the same time bet it on odds I would most likely lose (or otherwise I would have to roll over the money). I was also limited by my funds in the betting exchange. In the end I decided to bet this £70 on the match between Blackburn and Newcastle resulting in a draw at odds of 3.4. I placed a lay of £68.99 against the draw at odds of 3.5. Thankfully I lost this bet so received a payout of £65.54 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £65.54 - £13.21 = £52.33

Overall profit: £249.83 + £52.33 = £302.16

Tuesday 7 February 2012

Chapter 23 - Boylesports

Boylesports were doing a nice offer where you deposit £20 and receive a free bet of £20.

For my qualifying bet I bet £20 that Norwich would beat West Brom at odds of 3.9 and placed a lay of £20.26 against Norwich at odds of 3.9. I won this bet so won £78.00 at Boylesports but paid out a liability of £58.66 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.66.

My account was then credited with a free bet of £20. After a good few days of trying (and failing) to find decent bets to bet on at Boylesports I gave up and placed a bet on the best bet I could find at a given moment. I bet the free £20 that Bianca di Medici would win at the Kempton races at odds of 8 and tried to place a lay at odds of 8.4 but disaster - Betfair couldn't match my bet and the odds for the lay had shot up to 9. I waited for a while in the hope that the odds would go back down but they only went up. Grudgingly, I placed a lay of £15.30 at odds of 9.2. I lost the bet so lost the free money at Boylesports but gained £14.53 at Betfair.

Profit for this chapter: £14.53 - £0.66 = £13.87

Dissapointing to only receive £13.87 from a £20 free bet.

Overall profit: £235.96 + £13.87 = £249.83

Sunday 5 February 2012

Chapter 22 - 888sport (Stage 8)

Continuing with the offer at 888sport...

For my first qualifying bet of £10 I bet that at half-time in the match between Notts County and Preston North End there would be a draw at odds of 2.37, and placed a lay of £10 against a half-time draw at odds of 2.42. I won this bet so won £23.75 at 888sport but paid out a liability of £14.07, leaving me with an overall loss of £0.32.

For my second bet I bet £10 that Tamworth would beat Ebsfleet Utd at odds of 3.25, and placed a lay of £10 against Tamworth at odds of 3.3. I lost this bet so lost £10 at 888sport but gained £9.50 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.50.

For my third bet I bet £10 that Chievo would beat Siena at odds of 2.37 and placed a lay of £10.17 against Chievo at odds of 2.38. I lost this bet so lost my £10 at 888sport but gained £9.66 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.34.

For my fourth bet I bet £10 that Lierse would beat Cercle Brugge at odds of 2.4 and placed a lay of £10.30 against Lierse at odds of 2.38. I lost this bet so lost £10 at 888sport but gained £9.78 at Betfair - a loss of £0.22.

I then received my free £10 bet. I bet £10 that By Implication would win at the Kempton races at odds of 9.0 and placed a lay of £9.36 against By Implication at odds of 8.6. I lost this bet so received a payout of £8.89 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £8.89 - £0.32 - £0.50 - £0.34 - £0.22 = £7.51

Overall profit: £228.45 + £7.51 = £235.96

Saturday 4 February 2012

Chapter 21 - 888sport (Stage 7)

On to the next stage of the 888sport offer.

For my first qualfying bet I bet £10 that Reading would beat Hull at odds of 2.0, and placed a lay of £9.95 against Reading at odds of 2.06. I lost this bet so lost £10 at 888sport but gained £9.45 at Betfair, leaving me with an overall loss of £0.55.

For the second bet I headed over to the cricket market. I bet £10 that England would beat Pakistan at odds of 3.0 and placed a lay of £10.17 against England at odds of 3.0. I lost this bet so lost my £10 at 888sport but gained £9.66 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.34.

For my third bet I bet £10 that Inverness CT would beat Dunfermline at odds of 2.10 and placed a lay of £9.95 against Inverness CT at odds of 2.16. I lost this bet so lost my £10 at 888sport but gained £9.45 at Betfair - a loss of £0.55.

For my fourth and final qualifying bet I bet £10 that Athletic Bilbao would beat Rayo Vallecano at odds of 2.5 and placed a lay of £10.20 against Athletic Bilbao at odds of 2.5. I won this bet so won £25 at 888sport but paid out a liability of £15.30 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.30.
I then received a free bet of £10. I bet £10 that Meet Joe Black would win at the Kempton races at odds of 13. I tried to place a lay of £8.92 against Meet Joe Black at odds of 13.5 but Betfair matched it to odds of 13. Not a disaster though - I lost the bet so received a payout of £8.47 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £8.47 - £0.55 - £0.34 - £0.55 - £0.30 = £6.73

Overall profit: £221.72 + £6.73 = £228.45

Thursday 2 February 2012

Chapter 20 - Stan James (Round 5)

The final round of the Stan James offer was that they would give me a free bet matching the average of my next 5 bets, up to a maximum of £50.

For the first bet I bet £90 that Fulham would beat Blackburn at odds of 2.6, and placed a lay of £93.98 against Fulham at odds of 2.54. Fulham did not beat Blackburn, so I lost my £90 at Stan James but gained £89.20 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.72.

For the second bet I bet £80 that Pescara would beat Verona at odds of 2.05 and placed a lay of £82.41 against Pescara at odds of 2.04. Pescara won indeed, so I won £164 at Stan James but paid out a liability of £85.71 at Betfair. This left me with a loss of £1.71.

However, MAJOR DISASTER! I tried placing some bets and noticed that Stan James was unable to match them fully. Slightly worried, I checked my email and found an email from Stan James letting me know that following a review of my account, they would no longer be able to offer me the best odds. Upsetting!

Downhearted, I placed a third bet. I tried to bet £20 that Chesterfield would beat Oldham at odds of 2.6 but Stan James could only match this to £15.50. I accepted this, and headed over to Betfair where I placed a lay of £15.32 against Chesterfield at odds of 2.68. Chesterfield did end up winning the match so I won £40.30 at Stan James. However, I paid out liability of £25.67 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.87.

For the fourth bet I tried to bet £20 that the match between Dundee and Kilmarnock would result in a draw at odds of 3.6, but Stan James could only match this to £13. I accepted this, and placed a lay of £13.18 against the draw at odds of 3.6. The game did not end up in a draw so I lost my £13 at Stan James but received a payout of £12.52 at Betfaor, leaving me with a loss of £0.48.

For the fifth and final qualifying bet I tried to bet £51.50 that Marajaa would win the race at Kempton at 16:55 on 18/01/2012 at odds of 2.25. However, Stan James could only match this to £15.50 so I accepted and placed a lay of £15.78 against Marajaa at odds of 2.26. Marajaa did not win so I lost my £15.50 at Betfair but received a payout of £14.99 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.51.

My account was then credited with a free bet of £42.50. I tried to place a bet of £42.50 on various football matches with good odds but the highest I could get my choice matched to was only £4.00! I ended up placing a £4 bet on the game between Wolves and Aston Villa ending up with a score of 0-0 at odds of 11, and placing a lay of £3.65 against a 0-0 score at odds of also 11. I lost this bet so received a payout of £3.47 at Betfair. Better than nothing, I guess...

I next managed to get Stan James to match my bet of a 0-0 score between Morocca and Tunisia to £4.25 at odds of 8.0. I placed a lay of £4.16 against a 0-0 score at odds of 7.2. Tunisia won the match 1-2 so I lost the free money at Stan James but received a payout of £3.95 at Betfair.

Next I placed a bet of £3.30 that the score between Mali and Guinea would be 0-0 at odds of 10 and placed a lay of £3.18 against a 0-0 score at odds of 9.4. I lost this bet so I received a payout of £3.02 at Betfair.

I then placed a bet of £2.55 that Arctic Ben would win at the Warwick races at odds of 11, and placed a lay of £2.23 against Arctic Ben winnng at odds of 11.5. I won this bet (surprisingly!) so won £25.50 at Stan James, but paid out a liability of £23.42 at Betfair, leaving me with a profit of £2.08.

Finally, I found a bet which would let me bet a decent amount of money! The drawback however was the not-so-great odds... I placed a bet of £12.50 on Bristol City beating Reading at odds of 5.0 and placed a lay of £9.90 against Bristol City at odds of 5.1. I lost this bet so received a payout of £9.40 at Betfair.

I then managed to place a bet of £7.10 on Watford beating Tottenham at odds of 8.0 and placed a lay of £5.81 against Watford at odds of 8.6. I lost this bet so received a payout of £5.52 at Betfair.

I placed a £8.70 bet on Northampton beating Torquay at odds of 5.0 and placed a lay of £6.89 against Northampton winning at odds of 5.1. I lost this bet so received a payout of £6.55 at Betfair.

This meant that I had £0.40 left from my free bet. I found a bet I liked the look of and bet £0.40 at Stan James that Aiteen Thirtythree would win at the Doncaster races at odds of 9.0. I went to place a lay at Betfair but alas, the minimum lay possible at Betfair is £2. I forgot about that. I decided that £0.40 is not too great a loss so didn't bother laying the bet. I lost this bet so lost nothing.

Profit from this chapter: £3.46 + £3.95 + £3.02 +£2.08 + £9.40 + £5.52 +£6.55 - £0.72 - £1.71 - £0.87 - £0.48 - £0.51 = £29.70

Disappointing to only receive £29.70 from what could have potentially have been at £50 free bet, but it's better than nothing!

Overall profit: £192.02 + £29.70 = £221.72

Tuesday 31 January 2012

Chapter 19 - Miscellaneous bets & January summary

Alas. I was a silly fool and tried placing a few non-matched bets on a few games here and there. The Gods were NOT on my side...

What can I say apart from that I managed to lose £30 through my silly behaviour.

I will try to update my blog as regularly as I can but I will be spending the next week on a remote island so I may not be able to place many bets. Thanks for following my blog through the last month though!

Overall profit (January): £222.02 - £30 = £192.02

Monday 30 January 2012

Chapter 18 - Blue Square

Blue Square were doing an offer where you bet £25 and then receive a £25 free bet.

For my qualifying bet of £25 I bet that there would be under 2.5 goals in the match between Fleetwood Town and Braintree at odds of 2.75. I tried to place a lay of £25.56 against there being under 2.5 goals at odds of 2.74 but Betfair could only match it to £22.02. I accepted their offer and placed a further lay of £3.51 at odds od 2.76. I lost the bet so lost my £25 at Blue Square but received a payout of £24.25 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.75.

For my free bet of £25 I bet that the correct score in the game between Sudan and Angola would be 0-0 at odds of 7.5, and placed a lay of £22.11 against a 0-0 score at odds of 7.4. I lost this bet so lost the free £25 at Blue Square but received a payout of £21 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £21 - £0.75 = £20.25

Overall profit: £201.77 + £20.25 = £222.02

Saturday 28 January 2012

Chapter 17 - 888sport (Stage 6)

Stage 6 of the 888sport offer.

For my first bet I bet £10 that Dundee Utd would beat Motherwell at odds of 2.2, and placed a lay of £10.33 against Dundee Utd at odds of 2.18. I lost this bet so lost £10 at 888sport but gained £9.81 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.19.

For my second bet I bet £10 that Hamilton would beat Ayr at odds of 2.4, and placed a lay of £10.21 against Hamilton at odds of 2.4. I lost this bet so lost my £10 at 888sport but gained £9.70 at Betfair - a loss of £0.30.

For my third bet I bet £10 that Preston North End would beat Leyton Orient at odds of 2.05, and placed a lay of £10.10 against Preston North End at odds of 2.08. I lost this bet so lost £10 at 888sport but gained £9.59 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.41.

For my fourth qualifying bet I bet £10 that there would be more than 2.5 goals in the game between Betis and Sevilla. I lost this bet so lost £10 at 888sport but received a payout of £9.45 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.55.

My account was then credited with a free bet of £10. I bet £10 that Beggers Belief would win at Kempton at odds of 11 and placed a lay of £9.13 against Beggers Belief at odds of 11. Beggars Belief did not win so I received a payout of £8.67 at Betfair.

Profit for this chapter: £8.67 - £0.19 - £0.30 - £0.41 - £0.55 = £7.22

Overall profit: £194.55 + £7.22 = 201.77

Thursday 26 January 2012

Chapter 16 - 888sport (Stage 5)

The fifth stage of the 888sport bet once again involved placing four bets of at least £10 and recieving a free bet of £10.

For the first qualifying bet I bet £10 that Pacos Ferriera would beat Setubal at odds of 2.1, and placed a lay of £9.86 against Pacos Ferriera at odds of 2.18. Pacos Ferriera won so I won £21 at 888sport but paid out a liability of £11.63 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.63.

For the second bet I bet £10 that Fulham would beat Newcastle at odds of 2.1, and placed a lay of £10.14 against Fulham at odds of 2.12. Fulham did beat Newcastle, so I won £21 at 888sport but paid out a liability of £11.36 at Betfair, leaving me with an overall loss of £0.36.

For the third bet I bet £10 that Glentoran would beat Ballymena at odds of 2.2, and placed a lay of £10.33 against Glentoran at odds of 2.17. Glentoran won the game so I received £22 at 888sport but paid out a liability of £12.08 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.08.

For the fourth an final qualifying bet I bet £10 that Peterborough would beat Brighton at odds of 2.1, and placed a lay of £9.95 against Peterborough at odds of 2.16. I lost this bet so lost £10 at 888sport but gained £9.45 at betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.55.

For the £10 free bet I bet that the result between the Leicester v Nottingham Forest game would 0-0 at odds of 10.0, and placed a lay of £8.61 against a 0-0 result at odds of 10.5. I lost this bet so lost my free £10 at 888sport but recieved a payout of £8.18 at Betfair. A profit of £8.18.

Profit from this chapter: £8.18 - £0.63 - £0.36 - £0.08 - £0.55 = £6.56

Overall profit: £187.99 + £6.56 = £194.55

Wednesday 25 January 2012

Chapter 15 - 888sport Mobile

888sport had a mobile offer which I took up. The offer was that if I were to place a bet (minimum bet £1, minimum odds 1.5) and if it were to lose then they would give me a refund (up to £5).

For the first bet I bet £5 that St. Mirren would beat Hamilton Academicals at odds of 2.2. When laying the bet, I decided to try underlaying so I placed a lay of £4.21 at odds of 2.28. I used the trickybet lay calculator to work out that if I were to win the bet then I would get a profit of £0.61, whereas if I were to lose then I would make a loss of £1.00 but would also get a £5 refund. St. Mirren won 1-0 so I won £11 at 888sport but paid out a liability of £5.39 at Betfair, leaving me with an overall profit of £0.61.

I still have a long way to go before I get the grasp of these risk-free bets...!

Profit from this chapter: £0.61

Overll profit: £187.38 + £0.61 = £187.99

Monday 23 January 2012

Chapter 14 - 888sport (Stage 4)

The fourth stage of betting at 888sport once again involved me placing four bets of at least £10 in order to recieve a free £10 bet.

For my first qualifying bet I bet £10 that Maastricht would beat Willhem II at odds of 2.6, and placed a lay of £10.20 against Maastricht at odds of also 2.6. Maastricht won, so I won £26 at 888sport but paid out a liability of £16.32 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.32.

For my second bet I bet £10 that the HT/FT result in the match between Manisapor and Fenerbahce would be Fenerbahce/Fenerbahce at odds of 3.0, and placed a lay of £9.84 against Fenerbahce/Fenerbahce at odds of 3.1. I lost the bet so lost my £10 at 888sport, but gained £9.35 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.65.

For my third bet I bet £10 that match between Adanaspor and Denizlispor would end up in a draw at odds of 3.25, and placed a lay of £9.85 against a draw at odds of 3.35. The match indeed ended up in a draw, so I won £32.50 at 888sport but paid out a liability of £23.15, leaving me with a loss of £0.65.

For my fourth and final qualifying bet I bet that Adanaspor would beat Denizlispor at odds of 2.0, and placed a lay of £9.76 against Adanaspor at odds of 2.1. This was split into two lays of £6.45 and £3.31, both at odds of 2.1 - this was because I had trouble trying to match all of my bet in one go. In the end Adanaspor did not win so I lost my £10 at 888sport but gained £9.27 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.73.

My account was then credited with a free bet of £10. I bet this free £10 that the score in the match between Real Madrid and Barcelona would be 1-1 at odds of 7.5. I placed a lay of £8.39 against a 1-1 result at odds of 7.8. I lost this bet so received a payout of £7.97 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £7.97 - £0.32 - £0.65 - £0.65 - £0.73 = £5.62

Overall profit: £181.76 + £5.62 = £187.38

Saturday 21 January 2012

Chapter 13 - 888sport (Stage 3)

The third round of the 888sport offer involved me placing 4 bets of at least £10 and receiving a £10 free bet.

For my first qualifying bet I bet £10 that Marseilles would beat Lille at odds of 2.0. I intended to place a lay of £10.05 against Marseilles at odds of 2.04, but accidently placed a lay of £10.50 instead... Marseilles did not beat Lille so I won £20 at 888sport, leaving me with an overall loss of £0.92.

For my second bet I bet £10 that Marseilles would be ahead of Lille at half-time at odds of 2.87 and placed a lay of £10.14 against Marseilles being ahead at odds of 2.88. I lost this bet, so I lost my £10 at 888sport but received £9.63 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.37.

For my third bet I bet £10 that the HT/FT result in the Marseilles v Lille game would be Marseilles/Marseilles at odds of 3.6, and placed a lay of £10.29 against Marseilles/Marseilles at odds of 3.55. I lost this bet so I lost my £10 at 888sport, but gained £9.78 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.22.

For my fourth and final qualifying bet I bet £10 that the match between Laval and Istres would end up in a draw at odds of 3.1, and placed a lay of £10.16 against the draw at odds of 3.1. I lost this bet so lost my £10 at 888sport but gained £9.65 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.35.

I then received a free bet of £10. I placed it on a result of 0-0 in the game between Wigan and Man City at odds of 17.0, and placed a lay of £8.67 against a 0-0 result at odds of 18.5. Man City won the game 1-0, so I lost the free £10 at 888sport but gained £8.24 at Betfair.

Profit for this chapter: £8.24 - £0.92 - £0.37 - £0.22 - £0.35 = £6.38

Overall profit: £175.38 + £6.38 = £181.76

Friday 20 January 2012

Chapter 12 - 888sport (Stage 2)

The second stage of the 888sport offer was that they would give me a free bet of £10 after placing four £10 bets.

For my first qualifying bet I bet £10 that AC Milan would beat Inter at odds of 2.2, and placed a lay of £10.14 against AC Milan at odds of 2.22. I lost this bet, so I lost my £10 at 888sport but gained £9.63 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.37.

For my second bet I bet £10 that Cesena would beat Novara at odds of 2.0, and placed a lay of £9.95 against Cesana at odds of 2.06. Cesena did beat Novara so I won £20 at 888sport, but paid out a liability of £10.15, leaving me with a loss of £0.15.

For my third bet I bet £10 that Braga would beat Lisbon at odds of 2.5, and placed a lay of 10.12 against Braga at odds of 2.52. I won this bet, so won £25 at 888sport but paid out a liability of £15.38 at Betfair, leaving me with an overall loss of £0.38.

For my fourth and final qualifying bet I bet £10 that Parma would beat Siena at odds of 2.2, and placed a lay of £9.87 against Parma at odds of 2.28. Parma did beat Siena so I won £22 at 888sport but paid out a liability of £12.63, leaving me with a loss of £0.63.

For my free £10 bet I bet that the HT/FT result in the match between Anderlecht and Club Brugges would be Brugges/Brugges at odds of 10, and places a lay of £8.61 against Brugges/Brugges at odds of 10.5. I lost this bet so lost my £10 at 888sport but gained £8.18 at Betfair.

Profit for this chapter: £8.18 - £0.37 - £0.15 - £0.38 - £0.63 = £6.65

Overall profit: £168.73 + £6.65 = £175.38

Wednesday 18 January 2012

Chapter 11 - 888sport (Stage 1)

The next bookie I signed up with was 888sport. They did an offer exclusively through olbg where you could claim up to £100 in free bets.

The first stage of this offer was to place a £10 bet in order to receive a free bet of £10. I bet £10 that Albion would beat Stirling at odds of 2.0. I then decided to try underlaying, so I placed a lay of £9.80 against Albion at odds of 2.02. Albion did not beat Stirling, so I lost my £10 at 888sport but gained £9.31 at Betfair, resulting in a loss of £0.69. Would have been better to not underlay...

I then received a free £10 bet. I bet that the HT/FT result in the Newcastle v QPR game would be QPR/QPR at odds of 10, and placed a lay of £8.61 against QPR/QPR at odds of 10.5. I lost this bet so lost my free £10 at 888sport but gained £8.18 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £8.18 - £0.69 = £7.49

Overall profit: £161.24 + £7.49 = £168.73

Monday 16 January 2012

Chapter 10 - Ladbrokes Mobile

Ladbrokes were doing a nice offer - deposit £10 in you first transaction using your phone on their mobile web page and they will give you 3 x £10 in free bets.

For my qualifying bet I bet £10 that Barcelona would beat Espanyol at odds of 1.25. I then placed a lay at Betfair of £10.33 at odds of 1.26. The match ended up in a draw, so I lost the £10 at Ladbrokes but gained £9.81 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £0.19.

For my first free bet of £10 I bet that the score between Tottenham and Wolves would be 1-1 at odds of 13.0, and placed a lay of £8.92 against a 1-1 score at odds of 13.5. The result of the football match was indeed 1-1 so I won £120 at Ladbrokes but paid out a liability of £111.50 at Betfair, leaving me with a profit of £8.50.

For the next free bet of £10 I bet that Sunderland would beat Chelsea at odds of 9.0, and then placed a lay of £8.56 against Sunderland at odds of 9.4. Sunderland did not beat Chelsea, so I lost the free £10 at Ladbrokes but gained £8.13 at Betfair.

For the final free bet of £10 I bet that the HT/FT result in the Brighton v Bristol City game would be Draw/Bristol City at odds of 9.0, and placed a lay of £8.74 against Draw/Bristol City at odds of 9.2. I did not win this bet, so I lost the free £10 at Ladbrokes but gained £8.30 at Betfair.

Profit for this chaptet: £8.50 + £8.13 + £8.30 - £0.19 = £24.74

Overall profit: £136.50 + £24.74 = £161.24

Sunday 15 January 2012

Chapter 9 - Titan Bet

Another bet I did was the bet £25 get £25 bet over at Titan Bet. I deposited £25 and found I had a bonus of £0.01 - how generous of them. I placed a £25.01 bet on Sunderland to beat Wigan at odds of 2.75 and placed a lay bet at odds of 2.88. Sunderland won indeed so I won £68.78 at Titan Bet, but paid out a liability of £45.68 at Betfair, leaving me with an overall loss of £1.90.

For the free bet I didn't have much luck finding lucrative odds with liabilities that I could afford. Aware that time was running out on the free money I bet £25 that the match between Forfar and Aberdeen would end up in a draw at odds of 4.88, and placed a lay of 18.48 at odds of 5.3. The match was won by Aberdeen so I lost the free money at Titan Bet but gained £17.56 at Betfair. Not the best return from a £25 free bet.

However, Titan Bet works in Euros, and the bank I'm with has exchange rates for withdrawals and deposits in Euros. When I withdrew £25 my bank statement records me withdrawing £22.71 (what I suspect happened was they debited my account 25 € and then my bank applied extra charges). When I withdrew winnings of £68.78 my bank statement shows I received 59.58 €. When factoring in the exchange rates, this means that for the qualifying bet my overall loss was actually £8.81. I am not a happy bunny!!

Profit from this chapter: £17.56 - £8.81 = £8.75

Overall profit: £127.75 + £8.75 = £136.50

Friday 13 January 2012

Chapter 8 - Stan James (Round 4)

On to the fourth round of the Stan James offer where they match the value of your next four bets with a free bet (up to £40). For the first qualifying bet I bet £40 that Sunderland would beat Peterborough at odds of 2.0 and placed a lay of £39.80 against Sunderland at odds of 2.06. Sunderland indeed won, so I won £80 at Stan James but paid out a liability of £42.15 at betfair, leaving me with an overall loss of £2.15.

For the second qualifying bet I bet £40 that Sevilla would beat Rayo Vallecano at odds of 2.4 and placed a lay of £39.18 against Sevilla at odds of 2.5. Rayo Vallecano won, so I lost the £40 at Stan James but gained £37.22 at Betfair - leaving me with a loss of £2.78.

For the third qualifying bet I bet £40 that West Ham would beat Sheffield Wed at odds of 2.5, and placed a lay of £40.82 against West Ham at odds of 2.5. In the end West Ham lost against Sheffield so I lost the £40 at Stan James but gained £38.78 at Betfair, leaving me with an overall loss of £1.22.

For the final qualifying bet  I bet £20 that Napoli would beat Palermo at odds of 2.2, and placed a lay of £39.11 against Napoli at odds of 2.3. Napoli won indeed, so I won £88 at Stan James but paid out a liability of £50.84 at Betfair, leaving me with a loss of £2.84.

My account was then credited with a free bet of £40. I tried to place a bet on the result of the Angers v Monaco game being 0-0 at odds of 8.5 but Stan James could only match this to £20. I accepted this, and then placed a lay of £17.14 against a 0-0 result at odds of 8.8. I ended up losing this bet so lost the free £20 at Stan James but gained £16.28 at Betfair.

For my second free bet I bet £20 that Panionios would beat Panathinaikos at odds of 7.0. I placed a lay of £18.90 against Panionios at odds of 6.4. I lost the bet and therefore lost the free £20 at Stan James, but gained £17.95 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £16.28 + £17.95 - £2.15 - £2.78 - £1.22 - £2.84 = £25.24

Overall profit: £102.51 + £25.24 = £127.75

Thursday 12 January 2012

Chapter 7 - Victor Chandler

So my next move was to bet £25 at Victor Chandler in order to open up a £25 free bet offer. I bet £25 that Dundee would beat Aberdeen at odds of 2.00 and placed a lay of £24.63 at odds of 2.08. However, Dundee did not win so I lost the £25 at Victor Chandler but gained £23.40 at Betfair - an overall loss of £1.60.

For the free bet I bet £25 that the match between Espanyol and Barcelona would result in a draw, at odds of 7.0. I then placed a lay of £20.89 against the draw at odds of 7.2. The match indeed ended up in a draw so I won £150 at Victor Chandler but paid out a liability of £130.07 at Betfair, leaving me with a total of £19.93.

Alas, winning at Victor Chandler meant I had to stake at least 4 times my promotional bonus before I could withdraw my winnings - I had hoped to avoid this... Having gained £25 free cash this meant staking £100. Firstly I bet £50 that Angers would beat Monaco at odds of 2.05 before placing a lay of £49.04 against Angers at odds of 2.14. Angers won indeed so I won £102.50 at Victor Chandler but paid out a liability of £55.66 at Betfair, leaving me with an overal loss of £3.16.

To reach a total stake value of £100 I had to place another stake of £50. I bet that Manchester City would beat Liverpool at odds of 2.2 and placed a lay of £49.33 at odds of 2.28. In the end Manchester City did not win so I lost the £50 at Victor Chandler, but gained £46.86 at Betfair. This left me with an overall loss of £3.14.

Profit from this chapter: £19.93 - £1.60 - £3.16 - £3.14 = £12.03

Overall profit: £90.48 + £12.03 = £102.51

Tuesday 10 January 2012

Chapter 6 - ApolloBet

So I noticed ApolloBet were doing a nice little offer and decided to try it out. Deposit £40, bet it on odds of evens (2.0) or greater and get a £20 free bet. However I did run into dificulties when I noticed that ApolloBet wasn't listed on either freebets4all or oddsmonkey - both of which I use to help me find the best odds to place bets on. So I resorted to doing the betting manually. Decided to stick to just the English football and after a LOT of cross-referencing found the best deal was to bet £40 that Birmingam would beat Wolves at odds of 2.4, and to place a lay against Birmingham at odds of 2.56. Addmittedly this was not a particularly good bet but it was the best bet going at the time. The match ended up as a draw so I lost the £40 bet at ApolloBet but gained £36.34 at Betfair - and overall loss of £3.66.

Once that bet had been settled I emailed the support team at ApolloBet requesting my free bet. I got a free bet of £20 and after a lot of manual searching I placed it on the best bet I could find - I bet that Sheffield Wed would beat West Ham 2-1 at odds of 11.0. I then placed a lay of £16.74 against a 2-1 score at odds of 12.0. In the end Sheffield won 1-0 so I lost the free money at ApolloBet but gained £15.90 at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £15.90 - £3.66 = £12.24

Overall profit: £78.24 + £12.24 = £90.48

Sunday 8 January 2012

Chapter 5 - Stan James (Round 3)

The third step at Stan James was that they would give me free bet of up to £30 for the average of my next three bets.

For the first bet I went over to the Spanish football market again and bet £30 that Sociedad would beat Real Mallorca at odds of 2.1, and placed a lay of £30.42 against Sociedad at odds of 2.12. Sociedad won so I gained £63 at Stan James but paid out a liability of £34.08 at Betfair, leaving me with an overall loss of £1.08.

For the second bet I bet that Cambridge United would beat Southport at odds of 2.1, and placed a £29.86 lay against Cambridge at odds of 2.16. However, I was multi-tasking by betting with a few facebook conversations and completely fudged the numbers, panicked at for some reason ended up placing a £14.22 bet on Cambridge at Betfair... Luckily, Cambridge won. I received a £63 payout at Stan James, and somehow ended up with a payout of £18.71 at Betfair. Factoring in the £20 I bet at Stan James and the £14.22 I bet at Betfair, my overall loss was only £0.07.

For the third bet I returned to the Spanish football scene and bet that Cordoba would beat Espanyol at odds of 2.75, and placed a lay of £30.22 against Espanyol at odds of 2.78. Cordoba won, so I won £82.50 at the bookies but paid out a liability of  £53.79 at Betfair, leaving me with an overall loss of £1.29.

For the free bet I tried to bet the free £30 that the final score between Gimnastic and Murcia would be 0-0, at odds of 8.5. However, Stan James could only match my bet for £26. I accepted this offer and placed a lay of £21.31 against a 0-0 result at odds of 9.2. With the remaining £4 I bet that the score between Guadalajara and Elche would be 0-0, at odds of 9.0, and placed a £3.06 lay at odds of 10.5. Neither of the matches resulted in a 0-0 draw so I lost all the free money at Stan James, but gained £20.24 and £2.91 respectively at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £20.24 + £2.91 - £1.08 - £0.07 - £1.29 = £20.71

Overal profit: £57.53 + £20.71 = £78.24

Friday 6 January 2012

Chapter 4 - Ladbrokes

Another bet I did was over at Ladbrokes, where I placed a £20 bet on Inverness CT to win at odds of 2.5 over St. Johnstone, in order to unlock a free bet. I placed a lay of £11.86 at Betfair... however, disaster! When calculating what lay to place I forgot that the £20 was a SR bet! I ought to have bet £19.76 instead!

Thankfully by the time I realised my mistake the match between Inverness CT and St. Johnstone had been cancelled... The Gods must be on my side! The bets were classed as 'void' both at Ladbrokes and at Betfair so I lost nothing at Betfair and got my £20 back at Ladbrokes.

I then placed the £20 bet on the football - bet that Everton would beat Bolton at odds of 1.53. Placed a lay bet at odds of 1.55. However Everton did not win, so I lost my £20 at Ladbrokes but gained £19.38 at Betfair - an overall loss of £0.62.

For the free bet I bet the free £20 that the score at the end of the game between Wycombe Wanderers and Huddersfield would be 2-1. The odds at Ladbrokes were 9.0. I then tried to place a lay bet of £16.08 - but I made the silly mistake of not checking whether all of my lay bet would all be matched. It turned out that only £7.95 of my bet was matched, and that the odds for the lay had gone up to 10.5. The match was beginning shortly, and not wanting to leave over half my bet unmatched I grudgingly placed the rest of my lay bet (£8.13) with odds of 10.5. Not sure if it was the right thing to do or not... In the end Wycombe lost to Huddersfield 0-6. I lost the £20 free money at Ladbrokes by gained £15.28 at Betfair. Not my best day.

Profit from this chapter: £15.28 - £0.62 = £14.66

Overal profit: £14.66 + £42.87 = £57.53

Wednesday 4 January 2012

Chapter 3 - Stan James (Round 2)

The next stage of the offer at Stan James was that they would give me a free bet matching the value of my next two bets, up to a value of £20.

So I checked out the Spanish football market and bet £20 that Mirandes would beat Santander at odds of 2.5, and placed a lay bet of £20.41 against Mirandes at odds of 2.5. Mirandes won so I received £50 at Stan James but paid out a £30.62 liability at Betfair. This left me with a loss of £0.62.

For the second bet, I bet £20 that Bristol City would beat Millwall at odds of 2.25, and placed a lay bet of £20.55 against Bristol City at odds of 2.24. Bristol City won so I received £45 at Stan James, but paid out a £25.48 liability at Betfair. This left we with a loss of £0.48.

My account was then credited with a free bet of £20. Using freebets4all I found a horse with decent odds, with a liability I could afford - 7.5 for, 7.0 against. I used the free bet to bet on the horse at odds of 7.5 and headed over to Betfair to place a lay of 7.0. However, when I checked Stan James again I noticed that my bet hadn't gone through because the odds had changed. I'd simply gone straight onto Betfair without checking it - rookie error. The new odds were 6.5, but since I'd already placed the lay I saw no option but to place the bet. The horse in question didn't win so I lost the free money at Stan James, but ended up with an £18.30 profit at Betfair.

Profit from this chapter: £18.30 - £0.48 - £0.62 = £17.20

Overall profit: £25.67 + £17.20 = £42.87

Monday 2 January 2012

Chapter 2 - Stan James (Round 1)

Have decided that matched betting is a nice little profitable scheme!

So my next bet was to place a £10 bet over at Stan James in order to open up a £10 free bet. I bet £10 of my own money that Everton would beat West Brom, and placed a £10 lay bet against Everton. Sure enough, Everton won, leaving me with a profit of £27.50 at Stan James and a liability payment of £18.00 at betfair. Factoring in the original £10 bet, the overall loss from this was £0.50.

Now onto the bet using the free £10. I placed that bet on the horse racing at Folkstone and bet that You're So Vain would win at odds of 9.0. Placed a lay bet with odds of 8.6. The horse didn't win, so I lost the £10 free bet but won £8.89 at Betfair. Result!

Profit from this chapter: £8.89 - £0.50 = £8.39

Overall profit: £17.28 + £8.39 = £25.67

Sunday 1 January 2012

Chapter 1 - The Beginning - Skybet

So I'm sat in my room on New Years Eve feeling rather sorry for myself, casually surfing the internet on my laptop. Boredom leads me to log onto TSR (http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/) to check out the forums, and I stumble across a thread entited Money for uni by matched betting. In the back of my mind my remember reading a few pages of this thread a few months ago and making a mental note to save it for a rainy day. I think back to the £400 holiday I paid a deposit for a few days ago and think to myself... could I fund my holiday through matched betting alone??

And here we go - welcome to my diary on matched betting!

Firstly I read through the first page or so on TSR to refresh my memory. Secondly I read through this rather helpful thread on moneysavingexpert.com. And then I placed some bets...

£10 NSR (no stake return) free bet at Skybet - bet that Mostly Bob would win the Cheltenham on January 1st at odds of 12.0.

Headed over to Betfair and placed a lay of £8.49 on Mostly Bob at odds of 13.0. Deposited £110 to cover the £101 liability.

The results:

Mostlt Bob won (at odds of 11/1). Checked my Skybet account and I had £110 profit. Checked Betfair... and it was telling me that the odds had been 11.92! Which means my liability payout was *only* £92 or so, leaving me with a grand profit of £17.28! From a £10 NSR free bet!

No idea what happened there!

Profit from this chapter: £17.28

Overal profit: £17.28