Betting Guides

betting guides

Are you new to betting and want to learn how to place a bet? Are you here because you just want to brush up on certain things? Well we’ve got a host of betting guides for you to read over for free. From Accumulator to Yankee, we have covered everything for you so that you can improve your betting knowledge or simply boost your confidence when placing online bets. We’ve listed some of the most popular articles on MaxFreeBets that cover the basics of betting.

Betting Basics Sports Betting For Beginners

Online sports betting can be confusing especially if you are a new bettor. There are bet types, odds, and terminology that can take a while to learn. We’ve written a series of articles that can help you get started in a matter of minutes and remove some of the initial confusion. Of course, we can’t promise to make you an experienced bettor straight away, but working your way through the content on this page will help you massively.

If you are here, then you probably want to know what betting odds are? How they are calculated. How they can change depending on the type of bet you are placing. What money lines are and what an each-way bet it. There are way more betting terms to consider than that, so read our guides, and they will cover all that you need to know. We take a detailed look into all the key pieces of information you need to get started betting.

At one time, betting shops were the only place a punter could place their bets. Still, now when it comes to betting on sports, one of the most popular ways is to bet online using your computer or mobile phone, with many of the online bookmakers having a dedicated mobile app for you to download so you can bet on the go.

We’ve compiled similar betting strategies and betting tips that are great for beginners and packed with betting information, so it’s a good place to begin if you are just getting started. There is also much betting terminology used within the industry that you may want to become familiar with. Of course, it’s difficult to beat the bookie, but it’s not impossible, and the more information you have, the greater your chances of taking more from the bookmakers than they take from you.

A good place to start is to read our articles describing how betting actually works, as this is good foundation knowledge.

It All Starts With Betting Sites

In our guide to sports betting, this may be an obvious thing to say, but you will need to join a betting site to bet on horse racing, place a football bet, or any other form of betting on sports online. We’ve pulled together a selection of some great betting sites for you so you can get open an account with a reputable bookmaker and claim a betting bonus.

If you open a betting account with one of our recommended providers, then you can get yourself a welcome bonus in the form of bet credits or free bets, which will add a bonus to your betting bank and give you a bigger pot of money to place bets with.

Betting Strategies

If you are new to betting on sports, you may not be familiar with all of the different types of sports bets you can place; then, we have put together a collection of beginners guides for you. The betting industry seems to get bigger each year, with more and more people looking to bet on their favourite sport or event.

A betting strategy is a personal choice, but we feature some of the most popular ones and provide you with all of the information you need to understand the strategy. A betting strategy won’t guarantee profits, and ones that claim to do so are difficult to follow for a beginner.

Offers & Bonuses

You may wonder why betting sites offer bonuses to new and existing customers. Like any business, the best betting sites around want to do all they can to get you to bet with them rather than one of their competitors. So bet promotions are very popular. Sports Betting is a very competitive industry which is great for punters as it means there are plenty of offers available for you to take advantage of.

Offers normally come with some form of wagering requirements or restrictions, so it’s worth reading the terms and conditions to make sure you don’t do anything that will disqualify you from the offer.

Taking advantage of these offers is a key part of bankroll management and can maximise your chances of winning, so we’d recommend that when signing up to a betting site, you opt in for marketing preferences, and the betting site will send you a list of regular loyalty offers and promotions.

Mobile Betting

Mobile betting is probably the most common way to place your bets on most sports these days, as most people own a mobile phone.

Whatever mobile device you are using, all of our featured gambling sites will give you the option to bet via an app or using the browser on your mobile phone. Therefore, knowing your way around all the betting apps is key information if you want to master sports gambling.

Betting Guides By Sport

Depending on the type of punter you are, you may have one approach to bet on your favourite sport or the sport that you have the most knowledge about.

Football Betting

Betting on football matches is one of the most popular betting markets that punters like to bet on. So no online betting guide would be complete without teaching you the basics of betting on football matches. So we have a football betting guide that will cover everything you need to know about football betting, plus how to identify a good footballer tipster.

Premier League betting is probably one of the most popular events to bet on, and other major leagues in the world like La Liga in Spain or Serie A in Italy.

It’s not just the domestic leagues covered; you can also bet on domestic cup competitions like the FA Cup and the major European competitions like the Europa League and the Champions League.

There are also different types of football betting systems, football accumulators, and football bet types that you can learn about.

Football betting is one of the most simple ways to bet on sports. It can literally be as simple as Team A will beat Team B in a given match. With football betting, you could study the team’s form, the players, or even previous results as a guide, but in some cases, you may have a hunch on one team winning over another.

So, for example, you may fancy Liverpool to beat Manchester United given that they are the current league champions.

You can place more complex bet types like Half Time Full-Time betting. This is a common bet that online sportsbook websites offer; this type of bet offers increased odds because you aren’t just predicting what the result will be at the final whistle but what the result will be at Half Time and Full Time.

Check out this great selection of football betting sites and the bonuses you can claim.

Horse Racing Betting

Horse racing is another popular sport to bet on so no guide for beginners would be worthwhile if it didn’t cover all you needed to know about betting on the horses. Therefore, we have put together a racing guide and cover all of the different bet types you can place on horse racing.

We have listed the best sites for horse racing fans and which ones offer the best live streaming service. Each year the racing calendar is packed with high-quality races, and you’ll find that betting websites will run some excellent promotions in and around these events. The Grand National and the Cheltenham Festival are two of the most common events that people like to have a flutter on, and for winter racing, the King George VI chase is run every Boxing Day at Kempton.

If you like to bet on just the main events or follow ITV racing at the weekend, becoming more knowledgeable with horse racing betting will help you no end. Also, you can check out this great list of horse racing betting sites if you want to sign up for a betting account today.

Golf Betting

Golf betting is another popular form of betting, especially when the golf majors are happening. You can bet on who you think the winner of a tournament will be or who you think will be winning at the various points of a tournament. If you fancy a flutter on golf but don’t know where to start, why not check out our articles on golf betting strategies or our list of golf betting sites.

Tennis Betting

Tennis Betting is another popular form of betting as the types of bets you can place are limited compared to other sports. In tennis betting, you typically bet on the winner of a specific tennis game, set, or match or who you think will be an outright winner of a tournament.

Our tennis betting guide will help you get started straight away.

Political Betting

Political Betting has become more popular, with the last US election in 2020 being the most bet on a political event in history. Of course, political betting is not something that would form part of any weekly betting strategy. Still, if you know what is happening in the political arena, then it can be a good way to make some money from this knowledge.

If you’ve never looked at political betting before, our strategy for betting on politics is a good place to start.

Boxing Betting

Boxing Betting is prevalent, with the outcome of a fight being the most popular form of a bet. In addition to the outcome, you can bet on how you think the outcome will be decided, and if you want to enhance your odds, you can pick the round you think the fight will be won or a group of rounds.

Esports Betting

Esports Betting is one of the new forms of online betting and has gained more and more popularity. Its success in recent times is largely down to the fact that Social Media and live streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube mean that esports is more accessible. Therefore, it will come as no surprise that as esports has gained in popularity, so has the appetite to have a flutter on the various tournaments held throughout the year.

Types Of Bet

You may have heard the term each way bet, double bet, Trixie, Patent bet, treble bet, or Lucky 15 and are confused by these. All kinds of bets can be placed with a bookmaker, not just a single bet which typically covers a win, lose or draw scenario. We have a series of dedicated articles that can help you learn all you need to know and become an experienced bettor in no time.

There are so many different forms of betting; you don’t have to know them all inside out; the chances are you will try a few different ones and then stick with your favourite.

Some bet types are harder to understand, and the potential winning can change in play for better or worse. We’ve got a handy bet calculator with all the different bet types that you can place.

In Play Betting

In Play betting has become extremely popular as mobile betting has increased in popularity. So you can enjoy your favourite sports event and be able to get up to date odds. We’ve put together a selection of guides that you will find helpful if in play betting is something you want to understand more of.

Exchange Betting

Betting on the exchange is a term you may be familiar with, but exchange betting can be confusing for a new bettor. Probably the most well-known exchange betting sites is Betfair, which Irish sports betting firm Paddy Power owns.

Arbitrage Betting

Arbitrage betting is a common form of online betting that allows you to advantage the odds offered between different bookmakers.

Pool Betting

Placing a pool bet is quite common with punters who like a punt on the horses, particularly if you go to the races for a day out. In a pool bet, all the money bet on a race is pooled together, and the bookmaker pays out the winnings from the pool of money.

The attraction of pool betting over traditional fixed betting that bookmakers offer is the winnings can be far higher.

Accumulator Betting

This is one of the most popular forms of football betting as the odds are higher than what you can get from single, double or treble bets. The basis of an accumulator bet is predicting the outcome of several football matches. The bookie will provide you with greater odds because it’s much harder to predict the outcome from several matches vs a single match.

The great thing about accumulator betting is that you don’t need to pick matches that kick off at the same, they don’t need to be in the same league either. If you want to find out how to place an accumulator bet, read our guide on placing an accumulator bet at an online bookmaker.

Gambling Laws

No guide would be complete if it didn’t cover gambling laws, so we have pulled together various resources, not just writing bets explained articles. No one wants to be a victim of some of the various betting scams out there, and you will be pleased to know that gambling in the United Kingdom is heavily regulated and licensed to make sure that punters are protected. The gambling laws are there for two main reasons. The first reason is for safety and to ensure that punters’ money is protected, and should you be fortunate enough to win, you can collect your winnings.

The second reason the laws exist is that for a small percentage of punters, gambling can be addictive and therefore, the punter may become a problem gambler. The laws will detail how a gambling company needs to deal with problem gambling. For example, they should allow a punter to self exclude from gambling, set a limit or take a break for a while; these options and features need to be made available by the online gambling site or the betting companies mobile app.

All of the betting companies we mention are committed to responsible gambling to make sure that gambling stays fun and your betting experience enjoyable.

Payment Methods

There are many choices when it comes to the various payment methods that online sports betting sites accept. However, when opening a betting account, you want to pick one that allows you to make deposits using your favourite payment method. The most common payment methods are bank transfer, debit card, credit card, and ewallet services like Skrill & PayPal.

Not only will you want to pick a site that allows you to deposit easily, but a site that will offer you a fast payout is also essential.

Casino Offers & Slot Games

Many sports betting companies not only allow you to bet on sports there is also a wide range of casino and slot games that you can play. So if you decide to delve into the casino section of a sports betting website, you can see all of the options available.

As a new casino player or experienced, there may be some things that you don’t yet know. We’ve listed some of the best casino sites that you can sign up with today, as well as all the information that may help you find out how to master online slots. You don’t have to visit Las Vegas to play your favourite casino games; many online casinos will feature your favourite table games and typically have dedicated bonuses that you can use in their online casinos.

Frequently Asked Questions

Listed below are some of the common questions that we get asked.

Is Sports Betting Safe?

So long as you bet with a licenced sports betting company, you can be confident that it’s safe. Any sports betting website that the UKGC licenses can be trusted as it’s very difficult for websites to be granted a license from the UKGC.

Is It Legal To Bet Online?

Gambling online in the UK is legal and safe so long as you are betting with a company that holds a valid license.

Can You Win Money Sports Betting?

You can win money in sports betting, but it’s tough to turn a profit by gambling online. Some professional gamblers can do so, but we recommended that you view sports betting as a fun way to enhance your enjoyment of a sporting fixture.