ComputerHunter.org

 

A NO B.S. Explanation of Spread Betting For Newbies


Note: The goal of this article is to give you the basic idea and an overview of what index betting. It is not meant to be a comprehensive and detailed explanation of the game.

Index betting, otherwise referred as Spread Betting is a bet type, where you are rewarded by the degree, in which you are correct in selecting a winner of a sporting event. The amount you stand to either win or lose is not fixed, and therefore, with index betting, you never really know just how much money you will win (or lose), until after the event is over, or until you have 'closed out' your bet.

Now straight up, I must say, that this form of betting appeals only to certain types of punters, because this can be a volatile type of investment. If the game or match doesn't go as planned, you can be exposed to fairly hefty losses, because your downside can be, to an extent, unlimited. Anyone, who has traded options on the share market, should grasp this concept without too much trouble.

The concept is similar to that of the stock market, where if you like a team/player you 'buy', but if you think that the team/player will perform below market (or the bookmaker's) expectations, you would 'sell'.

Spread companies offer a number of different markets on the one game/match. In some cases, it is staggering as to the number of index markets that they offer on the one event. The more common of these are the total point markets (where you bet on the total of the outcome scores), match margin (predicting the winning margin), and the performance indices (examples would be betting the finishing position of a player in a golf tournament, or the finishing position of a driver in a Formula One race).

Best Explained With an Example.

A Rugby Union match between Australia and England. The total points market is 44 - 47. This means that if you fancy that the game will be a high scoring game, and that both teams will score more than 47, you buy at 47. If the end total for the game were 57 points, then you would be correct, and you win ten times your stake. In this example your stake is $10 per point, and $10 x 10 equals a profit of $100.

However, if the game total were only 37 points, you would be wrong to the tune of ten points, thus losing $100 (the difference between the buy price at 47 and the actual score).

The difference between the buy and sell prices is how the bookmaker makes his money.

Let's look at a cricket game between Australia and England. Australia is batting first, and the quote reads 220 - 230 for Australian runs. If you believe that Australia will make more than 230 runs, you buy. If you believe that Australia will make less than 220 runs, you sell.

Australia goes on to make 290 runs after a brilliant knock by Matthew Hayden. If you had bought Australian runs, you would be correct by 60 runs (290 - 230). You would collect 60 times your stake.

However, if Australia finds it difficult to score runs, and makes just 170, you will be wrong by 60 runs (230 - 170), thus losing 60 times your stake or $600 if you are using $10 as a unit.

Be aware, that the bookmaker naturally biases the spread in favour of the buy price. That is to say, we have an inherent built-in disadvantage betting the buy price, because of the way the bookmaker structures his spreads. He attempts to make the buy price less appealing, because of the disproportional number of punters who bet on buy prices.

There is much more demand for the buy price than for the sell. After all, the nature of a punter is to find a team or player who will perform well, as opposed to seeking teams/players who the punter believes will perform poorly. So keep this in mind, if you think that index betting is for you. You will find it much easier targeting the sell prices. Of course, this is not to say, that you can't find good bets buying, but just, that they are a little more difficult to find.

You may make a play at how many points a team will score over the regular season. For example, you believe that NZ Warriors are set for an ordinary year, so you sell at the spread of 31 - 33. This means, that you are betting, that the Warriors will score less than 31 points over the course of the season.

Starting off, it can be quite confusing getting your head around the concept. (I know, because it took me some time to understand fully and to grasp what was going on, and how I could make money from this type of betting.)

This article has been just a very short overview of spread betting. If you are interested in the concept, and would like further information, go to www.puntingace.com and we have links to firms that deal in exactly this.

Spread betting is certainly not for everyone, and if you are not 100% confident in understanding the spread betting market, then I would seriously suggest that you stay out of it, until you gain more knowledge. You certainly can make a lot of money from successful spread betting, but the opposite is also true, you can lose a lot of money, if it all goes pear shape.

Australians Matt Elliott and Jess Kirley of http://www.puntingace.com , have been investing together professionally on sports for over 3 years now. They take a very mathematical approach to their betting, and liken it more trading a commosity like stocks than actual gambling. They continue to lead the industry with innovative approaches to sports betting and their reputation among their peers is a testinmony to that. Visit http://www.puntingace.com to discover how you too can turn your hobby of betting into a profitable endeavour.







Google News - Top Stories

USA Today

Poll: Americans feel good about Obama, Cabinet choices
USA Today - 1 hour ago
By Susan Page, USA TODAY WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama is riding a wave of good feeling toward him and his key Cabinet appointments, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds - positive attitudes that may give him some breathing room for tough ...
Video: Obama Picks Gates, Clinton for Foreign Policy AssociatedPress
Obama Dazzles Dems and GOP with Cabinet Picks FOXNews
Washington Post - ABC News - Financial Times - AFP
all 3,971 news articles


UPDATE: Ford Asks For $9 Billion Backstop Loan; Aims For '11 Profit
CNNMoney.com - 2 hours ago
(Updates throughout with details on Ford's letter to Congress, comments from CEO, auto sales information, context and latest share price.
Ford Makes Concessions in Effort to Get Government Help Washington Post
UPDATE 2-Ford seeks $9 bln line, aims to break even in 2011 Reuters
Bizjournals.com - The Associated Press - Detroit Free Press - ABC News
all 1,295 news articles


Canada.com

New template for terror?
Christian Science Monitor - 48 minutes ago
By Mark Sappenfield | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Reporter Mark Sappenfield discusses a question he posed to terrorism analysts for his story in Wednesday's edition of the Monitor.
India Rules Out War, Asks Pakistan to Deport 20 Terror Suspects Bloomberg
Report: Mumbai Gunmen Used Cocaine to Stay Awake FOXNews
Reuters - The Associated Press - Wall Street Journal - AFP
all 3,259 news articles


The Miami Herald

Mel Martinez won't seek Senate reelection
The Miami Herald - 2 hours ago
Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., speaks at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Sept. 4, 2008. Martinez , who has struggled to boost his approval rating since taking office, will not seek a second term in 2010, a state Republican party ...
Martinez will not seek re-election Bizjournals.com
Mel Martinez To Retire Washington Post
Reuters - Bloomberg - MyFoxOrlando.com - Sarasota Herald-Tribune
all 388 news articles


TPM Election Central

More ballots found in Ramsey County
Pioneer Press - 33 minutes ago
By Jason Hoppin Ramsey County election officials have found 171 ballots that were not counted on Election Day, a development that could have implications for the outcome of Minnesota's 2008 US Senate race.
171 uncounted ballots turn up in Ramsey County Minneapolis Star Tribune
New Signs That Recount Momentum May Be Swinging Back To Franken TPM Election Central
MinnPost.com - The Hill - KEYC - United Press International
all 168 news articles

Google
 

Copyright © 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base