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sports spread betting beginner's guide

A ‘spread’ is essentially a prediction of what will happen in a specified market for a given sports event, expressed as a SELL-BUY range. For example, the ‘spread’ for Total Goals in a football match may be 2.8 – 3.0.

This means if you think the market, or outcome, will end up higher than said range, you would BUY. If you think it will end up lower than said range, then you would SELL.

With sports spread betting, the more right you are, the more multiples of your stake you can potentially win. But get it wrong, and the more multiples of your stake you can potentially lose.

Your stake is the amount you decide to bet, per point movement, so a £10 bet on Total Goals could win or lose £10 per goal. It is important to choose your stake accordingly for different spread betting markets, as will be explained in more detail later.

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sports spread betting 'how to' video guide

For a short sports spread betting explainer, watch our educational ‘how to’ video guide below. Alternatively, read on for our written guide.

 

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WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SPORTS SPREAD BETTING?

If you are new to sports spread betting, you may be wondering what the benefits are over traditional fixed odds betting.

1. Rewarded the more you are right.
With a fixed odds bet, you are either right or wrong. But with sports spread betting, the more you are ‘correct’ in the bet you place, the more money you stand to win. 

2. 1000s of markets on 100s of sports.
If you can think of it, it is very likely that Spreadex offers a spread bet on it. Not only the classics, like Corners in football or Batsman Runs in cricket – alongside long-term prices on every major and most minor sporting events – but more esoteric offerings as well such as Players Under Par in golf or how many points or aces a tennis player may score.

3. Get against a favourite rather than just backing a favourite
Spread betting offers you the chance to get against a favourite by selling on the spread – this is the equivalent to laying a bet on a betting exchange. For example, if you don’t fancy the horse leading the betting in a particular race you can simply sell on our Race Index spread. More on this is explained here.

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4. Spread bet in-play
Yes, you can bet in-play on fixed odds, but spread betting was the originator of in-play betting. The method of buying or selling means this is a very fluid way to bet on live events allowing you to either close out positions partially or completely during a match or event, or even change your mind and go completely the other way with your bet!

5. Bet over a whole meeting or tournament rather than specific race or match
Spread betting can allow you to take a longer-term view over a horse racing meeting or event, or over an entire sports tournament. Horse racing spread betting, for example, allows you to bet on things like Winning Distances (distance of winning horse for each race at a meeting or full festival, aggregated) or cricket spread betting allows you to bet on a player’s predicted runs for an entire Test series or over a whole competition, such as the World Cup.

6. Bet on specific players or jockeys
You can even use spread betting to drill down on to individual competitors in a race or match. For example, you could place a Player Performance bet on a football or cricket match, or with horse racing spread betting you can place a Match Bet on how well one horse will fare against another horse, or bet on the performance of a named jockey over a meeting or full festival.

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WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF SPORTS SPREAD BETTING?

The main difference between spread betting and fixed odds betting is that it is possible to lose more than your initial stake and the funds in your account. Therefore you should keep these things in mind:

1. Understand the difference in volatility in different markets.
Some spread betting markets can be more ‘volatile’ than others – this means the potential final outcomes or ‘make-ups’ can be very large in some markets and much smaller in others. For example, Total Goal Minutes in a football match is far more volatile than Total Goals in a football match.

2. Work out your worst potential downside.
Taking the example above, if the Total Goals spread in a football match was 2.8 – 3 and you bought at 3, then your worst case scenario would be a 0-0 draw where you would lose 3 times your stake. However, the Total Goal Minutes spread may be 140 – 150 so if you bought at 150, your worst case scenario of a 0-0 draw here would mean you would lose 150 times your stake.

3. Manage your stakes.
By using the example above, you can work out how much you should stake on each market to risk the same amount of your cash. So a £20 buy of Total Goals at 3 would be risking £60 ((0 – 3) x £10) whereas for Total Goal Minutes you would need to lower your stake considerably to 40p to risk £60 (( 0 – 150) x £0.40).

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HOW TO PLACE A SPORTS SPREAD BET

Try our interactive widget below for examples of how sports spread betting works for a theoretical £10 bet on different football markets.

Alternatively, read on for more examples explaining how to place a sports spread bet.

The widget shows in more detail how spread betting markets can differ in volatility. As explained above, the range of the outcome for a Total Goal Minutes football spread bet is far greater than for Total Goals. Therefore, it is important to choose a stake level you are comfortable with for different markets.

Try using the widget for different football markets to see how potential profit and loss levels can vary. This will help you practice sports spread betting and give you an idea of how the markets work before you try for real yourself.

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FOOTBALL SPREAD BETTING ‘BUY’ EXAMPLE

You think the afternoon’s big Premier League game will be an end-to-end, open affair and so view Spreadex’s Total Goals spread betting market.

Spreadex is quoting Total Goals at 2.8 – 3, so you decide to buy £50 at 3. The game does indeed prove to be a bit of a thriller, ending in a 4-2 home win. That means you would make a profit of £150 ((6 – 3) x £50). If the match had ended 3-2 you would have made a profit of £100 ((5 – 3) x £50) and if the match had ended 2-2 you would have made a profit of £50 ((4 – 3) x £50).

If the match had ended 2-1 you would have broken even ((3 – 3) x £50) however if fewer than 3 goals were scored in the match you would have lost money.

A 1-1 draw would have resulted in a loss of £50 ((2 – 3) x £50), a 1-0 score would have resulted in a £100 loss ((1 – 3) x £50) and a 0-0 draw would have resulted in a £150 loss ((0 – 3) x £50).

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FOOTBALL SPREAD BETTING ‘SELL’ EXAMPLE

You feel that the evening’s FA Cup clash will be a tight contest, with little goalmouth activity, so take a look at Spreadex’s Total Goals spread betting market.

Spreadex is quoting Total Goals at 2-2.2, so you decide to sell £50 a point at 2. Your instincts prove correct, and the game ends in a 0-0 draw. That would mean you made a profit of £100 ((2 – 0) x £50).

If the match had ended 1-0 you would have made a profit of £50 ((2 – 1) x £50) and if the match had ended 1-1 you would have broken even ((2 – 2) x £50).

If any more than 2 goals were scored you would have ended up losing money. If the result was 2-1 you would have lost £50 ((2 – 3) x £50). If the result was 2-2 you would have lost £100 ((2 – 4) x £50) and so on.

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SPORTS SPREAD BETTING V FIXED ODDS BETTING

If you are new to spread betting, it may be that fixed odds betting is the only form of betting you have previously encountered. However when compared to sports spread betting, some of the limitations of the more traditional form of betting are revealed.

Take horse racing – perhaps the sport most associated with fixed odds betting. It can be very difficult to gain large returns backing a favourite, especially if it is odds-on. Yet with sports spread betting, there is more room to manoeuvre.

Let’s think of an example scenario. Say you think the favourite looks strong at Cheltenham. The horse’s fixed odds price might be 2/5. But its Race Index spread – where 50 points are awarded to the first placed horse, 25 points to the second placed horse and 10 points to third placed horse – might be 35 – 38.

You place a £10 bet, and the horse wins. If you had placed a fixed odds bet, your winnings would only be £4. Yet if you had placed a spread bet, your winnings would be £120 ((50 – 38) x £10).

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Another downside of fixed odds betting is that it required you to make more of an exact prediction than most spread betting markets.

Let’s take an example from cricket spread betting. Heading into the Ashes, you want to bet on how many runs England’s star batsman will make in the first innings of the first Test. He is being offered at a fixed odds price of 3/1 to score 80 runs or more. Meanwhile, the same player’s Batsman Runs spread is 56 – 60.

You choose to place a £2 fixed odds bet. If said player then went on to have a cracking first innings, and scored 120 runs, you aren’t rewarded by your fixed odds bet for the player well exceeding the target. I.e. your fixed odds winnings would be £6 whether they scored 90 runs, 100 runs, 110 runs or more. But the £2 spread bet would have won you a handy profit of £120 ((120 – 60) x £2).

Of course, it’s important to remember that with spread betting you can lose more than your initial stake, unlike fixed odds betting. So in the horse racing example above, if the favourite finished second you would have lost £130 ((25 – 38) x £10), if it finished third you would have lost £280 ((10 – 38) x £10) and if it finished outside the top 3 you would have lost £380 ((0 – 38) x £10). And for the cricket example, if the batsmen was bowled out for a duck you would have lost £120 ((0 – 60) x £2).

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USING SPREAD BETTING TO GET AGAINST A FAVOURITE

As mentioned earlier, one of the main benefits of spread betting over fixed odds betting is the ability to ‘sell’ on a spread to get against a favourite.

Let’s use the horse racing example mentioned in the section above, but this time looking at if you’d sold on the spread rather than bought.

The 50-25-10 Race Index spread was 35 – 38 so if you didn’t fancy the favourite here you would sell at 35. Let’s say you sold £10 at 35 and the favourite won, you would lose £150 ((35 – 50) x £10).

Any other finishing position for the favourite, however, would result in a profit. If it finished second, you would win £100 ((35 – 25) x £10), if it finished third you would win £250 ((35 – 10) x £10) and if it finished outside the top three you would win £350 ((35 – 0) x £10). This is a quick and easy alternative to laying a bet on a betting exchange.

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HINTS AND TIPS FOR SPORTS SPREAD BETTING BEGINNERS

While none of these are hard and fast rules, the following hints and tips are worth keeping in mind for when you first start your sports spread betting journey:

1. Work out your worst case scenario.
Yes, it’s great to think about how much you can win from spread betting, but before you place a bet, make sure to work out what the worst case scenario would be should a bet go against you.

This will allow you to determine your stake size and is a vital part of your training! For example if Bookings in a football match (10 points per yellow card, 25 per red) were quoted at 36 – 40 then a £10 buy at 40 would be risking £400 if there were no bookings in the match but a £1 buy at 40 would be risking £40 if there were no bookings and a 10p buy at 40 risking just £4 if there were no bookings.

2. ‘Paper trading’.
Quite simply, this is a way of simulating placing a sports spread bet without having to cough up any money! Write down bets and record the profit or loss each would have made. This will allow you to gain a better understanding of how the mechanics of spread betting works, as well as a way to assess the kinds of losses and gains that can be made.

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3. Use your sporting knowledge.
Especially when starting out, it is best to focus on those sports and markets that you are already familiar with. This way, your judgements stand a better chance of being accurate, and therefore more profitable.

4. Keep watching!
If you are betting in-play, then make sure you are able to watch your event live to really maximise your ability to react accordingly.

5. Hover over the ‘i' button.
Spreadex are dedicated to giving you all you need to understand sports spread betting and to help to educate you about any new markets we may introduce. That means if you are unclear about how a given market is calculated, hover over the ‘i' button found next to the market for an explanation of how it works.

6. Stick to your plans!
This doesn’t mean never changing your mind, but rather avoiding the fatal mistake of raising your stake sizes after a couple of wins to try and secure bigger profits, or in order to chase your losses. Remember to refer to spread betting training tip number 1 at all times before placing each bet!

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THE BENEFITS OF BETTING WITH SPREADEX

These are just some of the reasons why Spreadex is the best place for sports spread betting.

1. Bet with a trusted, reliable, financially secure and award-winning company
Spreadex was formed in 1999 and has won many awards for customer service and technology-leading betting platforms, plus we have a 4 star rating on Trust Pilot from hundreds of client reviews.

2. Only firm to offer sports spread betting and fixed odds betting from the same pricing page
As well as offering a huge range of sports spread betting prices, Spreadex also offers a full fixed odds betting service with prices easily navigable by tabs between spreads and fixed odds on each sport pricing page.

3. Spread bet from the sofa, desk, train – or anywhere!
Spreadex’s desktop platform and range of dedicated mobile and tablet apps for iOS and Android allow you to bet online either via your computer, mobile smartphone or tablet device. Or, if you want the personal touch, you can place bets over the phone by calling our traders on 08000 526 575.

4. Live Streaming
When you join Spreadex you can watch many of your favourite sports via Live Streaming through the Spreadex desktop platform or apps while you bet.

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5. Create your own bets with our Bet-Builder feature
If you’re not satisfied with our huge range of sports betting markets then simply create your own with our Bet-Builder feature – available for both spreads and fixed odds.

6. Casino betting
You can also access the Spreadex casino with many games available from slots to roulette to blackjack – and including Live Dealers.

7. Political betting
Don’t miss our wide range of political markets whether that’s predicted party seats at the UK General Election or Supremacy spreads on Electoral College Votes and States Won during US presidential elections.

8. Financial trading
A Spreadex account also gives you access to financial trading on world markets such as shares, indices, commodities, FX, bonds, CFDs, Cryptocurrencies, Options and much more.

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SPREADEX SPORTS SPREAD BETTING WELCOME OFFER

When you create a new sports spread betting account with Spreadex, we will give you £300 cashback once you have staked £300 or more on qualifying sports spread betting markets in your first 28 days. Or, if you’d rather, a 10.2inch Wi-Fi 32GB iPad!

If you stake a lower amount you will get cashback matching that level. For example, if you have staked £50 on the qualifying sports spread bet markets after 28 days you will be given £50 cash on your account.

Read the full terms and conditions, including the list of eligible markets, here.

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FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SPREAD BETTING ON INDIVIDUAL SPORTS

If you need to further educate yourself on how sports spread betting works on certain sports, click on the links below to find out more about our range of markets in each area, together with video guides and examples.

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FOOTBALL SPREAD BETTING

Bet on Corners, Goal Times, Player Goal Minutes, Shirt Numbers, Bookings, Match Performance and much more.

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HORSE RACING SPREAD BETTING

Bet on Winning Distances, Favourites, SPs, Jockey Performance, Double Numbers, Match Bets and much more.

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CRICKET SPREAD BETTING

Bet on Runs, Bowler Performance, Fall of Next Wicket, Player Performance, Wides, 4s, 6s and much more.

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RUGBY UNION SPREAD BETTING

Bet on Total Points, Time of First Try, Total Tries, Tryscorers' Shirt Numbers, Match Performance, Bookings and much more.

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GREYHOUNDS SPREAD BETTING

Bet on Racecards, Traps, Favourites, Race Index, Starting Prices and more!

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TENNIS SPREAD BETTING

Bet on Total Points, Total Games, Supremacy, Cross Courts, Index-based bets and much more.

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GOLF SPREAD BETTING

Bet on Finishing Positions, Match Bets, Leaderboard Index, Hotshots Index, Winning Score, Player Under Par and more!

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DARTS SPREAD BETTING

Bet on Supremacy, Outright Index, 25-0 Index, Highest Match Checkout, Total Legs, Total 180s and more!

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SNOOKER SPREAD BETTING

Bet on Supremacy, Index, Frames, Points, 100 Indices and more!

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AMERICAN FOOTBALL SPREAD BETTING

Bet on NFL, Supremacy, Index, Touchdown, Points, Team Performance, Field Goals and more!

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BASKETBALL SPREAD BETTING

Bet on Points Supremacy, Supremacy Plus, Total Points, Team Points, 100 Indices and more!

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F1 SPREAD BETTING

Bet on Drivers' Championship Index, Race Index, Live Index, Matchbet, Podium Car Numbers and more!

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