Looking into live betting part 3

Before you really start to wager for substantial amounts of money or any money at all for that matter then it really makes sense to get a feel for the betting exchange. You can do this by simply downloading the software and trying out a few things. Don’t worry because you cannot come to any real harm. In fact you cannot even place a bet by accident because the system warns you and then asks you to verify your bet.

But the operating instructions are very extensive indeed and also far more up to date so I would literally advise any new betting exchange user to read them and to really get used to the system before you jump in and take the plunge.

What confuses many new betting exchange users is the sheer number of options that they face whenever they place a bet. If we take a look at a typical betting exchange screen for a Champions League match between Arsenal and Juventus would show us something very similar to this.

BET LAY

Arsenal

2.2        2.3       2.4         2.6           2.7          2.8
3240   2170      630       1720        450        8230

Juventus

2.8        2.9       3.0         3.1           3.2           3.3
160      3450     5675      1230       3812      4560

Draw

3.0        3.1        3.2         3.4           3.5           3.6
2130    1120      310         590        6720       3915

This shows us the current prices not just to back Arsenal to win but to also lay Arsenal to lose. We can also see the price for Juventus to win and also to lose and on top of that we also have the price of the draw and the lay price of the draw. So here we have six separate individual bets on one single football match.

The best price at this particular moment in time for Arsenal to win the game is 2.4. If you thought that the gunners were unlikely to win this game then you basically have one of two options. You could BACK Juventus at sports betting odds of 3.0 AND BACK the draw at 3.2 or you could simply LAY Arsenal to lose at 2.6. It needs to be pointed out here that the prices that are underlined represent the best available prices to back and lay at this particular moment in time and the figures underneath those prices are the amounts that are available to back and lay.

Obviously whether you want to back Arsenal, Juventus or the draw then you want to do so at the best available prices and the best available prices at this particular moment in time are Arsenal at 2.4, Juventus at 3.0 and the Draw at 3.2.

But the pace of exchange betting is so frantic and especially as an event nears kick off that the odds and amounts that you see on the screen are really only a small fraction of time as money is being pumped into the market every second and prices are being taken and asked for every single second as well.

One of the first things that confuses novice exchange users is the difference between the back and lay sides and I will set about explaining that here. If you want to back Arsenal to win for £20 in the above example at 2.4 then you can as there is a total of £630 waiting to be matched at that price. But for every backer then there must be a layer and that £630 at 2.4 represents the total money that has been placed at that price by all of the people who are looking to LAY Arsenal at 2.4.

Likewise if you wanted to LAY Arsenal at 2.6, this means that if you lay them to lose at that price then you are entering into a bet with someone or some people who want to BACK Arsenal at that price. This might seem terribly confusing at first glance but it is really rather simple once you get the hang of it. On the screen then those prices and amounts are situated in boxes and to place a bet then you simply click on the box in question and follow the simple steps.

Carl “The Dean” Sampson