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Arbing

stephenoleary

Having read the posts in a similar thread recently, I wanted to get people's opinions / advice / thoughts on arbing.

I have traded in play on betfair and can see the similarities between this and arbing in terms of locking in a profit. However, clearly the difference is the profit is guaranteed when you arb.

I know part of the thrill in gambling is the potential loss vs gain, and as result the odds tend to be better.

However, if you can guarantee a profit by arbing, why is it that more people are not doing it full-time?

I realise the profit margins (1-3%) are minimal, and as a result you need a serious bankroll, but surely this is risk free money?

I am a recreational gambler at best, and I certainly have very limited knowledge of arbing, but it would be great to get the thoughts of others who may have tried it in the past, and the problems they have encountered?

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Browney7

I find arbitrage opportunities hard to come by to be honest.

With oddschecker you can see instantly where they exist so I suppose you have to get in early like

thedini

There's loads of pitfalls to arbing. The price is usually snapped up very quickly (ie you get the bet matched on one side but then the price has changed so you quite frequently even have to trade out for a loss). You need to know how much you can get on with the different bookies. You need to have substantial funds. You need loads of different accounts with different bookies/login details to hand etc etc.

Famous45

arbitrage opportunities hard to come by

unless you have 36 hours in a day you most likely will be lucky to find 1 in a week.

Famous45

Your best option is to choose your main sport for knowledge, spend the hours studying every avenue of the match and do your own odds compiling on it before you view the bookies prices - just because a specific betting office has a price does not mean it's the true price. That's how their odds compiler sees it, after you've done your homework and made out the pro's and con's for each "team", allocate the price you think represents the true odds of what conclusion you have come to - then visit the online betting sites and match your price up with that, wherever the best odds lie, place your wager if you feel that the price isn't correct.

In my opinion this is the best method for anyone who punts on a regular basis, there's nothing better than your own wisdom, you just have to trust it.

timaaaaay

You dont necessarily have to lock in an equal profit no matter what the outcome.
You could also arb for a profit if the fav wins and to break even if it doesnt.

E.g. I back a team to win @ odds of 1.5.
I lay them on betfair at 1.3 a few days later.

I dont see the point of guaranteeing a profit on the draw or the outsider, I prefer to arb to have a "free bet" on the fave.

ErinGoBrath

timaaaaay wrote: »

E.g. I back a team to win @ odds of 1.5.
I lay them on betfair at 1.3 a few days later.

That's not arbing. That's locking in a green book.

Difference is the price of your team may have gone the other way too i.e. 1.7 after 3 days. This method does not guarantee profit, it's a gamble.

stephenoleary

Famous45 wrote: »

unless you have 36 hours in a day you most likely will be lucky to find 1 in a week.

This was my concern - however, having done some research, there appears to be a large number of arb tipping sites, indicating all arbs available, including many in obscure sports.

Now, with many of the sites, arbs with a 1% return are offered for free, while, arbs with a return of 2% or more require a subscription.

Some also indicate where an arb with a double-digit % return can be placed if bonuses (such as initial sign up bonuses, etc) are included.

I guess what I'm curious about is, with profits as tight as 1%, is professional arbing a realistic option?

ArmaniJeanss

Famous45 wrote: »

Your best option is to choose your main sport for knowledge, spend the hours studying every avenue of the match and do your own odds compiling on it before you view the bookies prices - just because a specific betting office has a price does not mean it's the true price. That's how their odds compiler sees it, after you've done your homework and made out the pro's and con's for each "team", allocate the price you think represents the true odds of what conclusion you have come to - then visit the online betting sites and match your price up with that, wherever the best odds lie, place your wager if you feel that the price isn't correct.

Agree with this. And the more obscure the entity that you specialise in the better. Bookies know the Premier League, Championship etc inside out, but if you specialize and do tonnes of research in Scottish Lower League football, or European basketball etc then you have a realistic chance of beating them.

whodini wrote: »

This was my concern - however, having done some research, there appears to be a large number of arb tipping sites, indicating all arbs available, including many in obscure sports.

Now, with many of the sites, arbs with a 1% return are offered for free, while, arbs with a return of 2% or more require a subscription.

Some also indicate where an arb with a double-digit % return can be placed if bonuses (such as initial sign up bonuses, etc) are included.

I guess what I'm curious about is, with profits as tight as 1%, is professional arbing a realistic option?

You should reread thedini's post (any relation to you :pac:), the main peril is only able to get on at one side of the bet and having to take a big hit.
If you are only arbing at 1% per event, then having to take the hit even in one in 20 occasions can wipe out a lot of your profits.

loyatemu

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

Agree with this. And the more obscure the entity that you specialise in the better. Bookies know the Premier League, Championship etc inside out, but if you specialize and do tonnes of research in Scottish Lower League football, or European basketball etc then you have a realistic chance of beating them.

if you start putting on big bets on obscure markets, you'll quickly find your account getting limited. Plenty of forums online where arbing is discussed in detail - you can make a living at it if you have a big enough starting float, but it looks deadly boring and on an individual bet is not entirely risk-free (bookies can go bust while you have large sums in their account, or refuse to honour particular bets etc).

Healio

You also have to bear in mind that certain bookmakers have different rules on each sport.

Like in tennis when a player pulls out injured, or in Basketball when a match goes into overtime, the handicaps may not apply to OT with one bookie etc.

stephenoleary

I really appreciate all of the info - looks like it's not a quick road to riches after all.

I think it's worth trialling with small amounts as a tester. I may give this a go, and will post the results - perhaps beginning with a single arb per day.

Any further advice or information is appreciated as always.