With the high volume and wide variety of casino promotions available to matched bettors, it’s easy to see how even the most experienced of us can occasionally make mistakes. This guide outlines some of the more common mistakes, and what we can do to avoid them.
Taking -EV offers
If we are to make a profit long-term, the most important question we should be asking ourselves before we even begin an offer is if it has a positive Estimated Value (EV). This is the foundation of all matched betting decisions; we should only ever do offers which slide the EV in our favour, otherwise, we are just regular punters.
The New Customer Offers and Daily Offers listed on Profit Squad will always be +EV with the value of each offer displayed. However, if we find an offer that’s not listed and want to check if it is +EV, we can use the Casino Calculator. This requires us to carefully read the Terms and Conditions of the offer and to know what strategy is best to implement. Luckily, if we are still unsure, we can always check the training guides or ask for advice.
Playing at untrustworthy casinos
The chances are if you have been matched betting for a while you would have been sent emails with huge offers such as a 400% deposit match from un-heard of casinos. These types of casinos will usually have ridiculously high wagering or relatively low win caps which can actually make the offer -EV.
The chances are if you find a casino that is not listed on Profit Squad then there is a good reason. As well as checking that their offers are +EV, we should also check they have the proper licences, specifically from the UK Gambling Commission. Additionally, we can search online ourselves to see if they have been blacklisted from review sites for issues such as delayed withdrawals or even game-fixing.
Game-specific mistakes
A search through casinos will bring up hundreds of different slots. A common mistake is not checking the Return to Player (RTP) percentage of the slot we have chosen. Where possible, we should be aiming to use a slot with an RTP of 96%+. Whilst a quick google search often gives the RTP of a slot, we should always double check that this is the RTP for the site we are playing on, by checking within the game menus. Additionally, the large variety of slots available means that the increase/decrease bet, or total bet buttons are often configured differently. When playing a slot for the first time we should take our time, be sure the total bet is what we expect and avoid hitting the dreaded ‘max bet’ button by mistake!
It is also possible for us to make mistakes when playing blackjack, particularly live blackjack where we have a set time to make our decision. If you are new to blackjack it is best not to play multiple hands or tables at once. We should always have the Perfect Blackjack Strategy to hand so we can make the optimum decision for when to hit, stand, split or double.
Breaking terms and conditions
A matched bettor’s worst nightmare is being refused a withdrawal due to breaking a Term or Condition during an offer. The majority of offers will have max bets and excluded games in the terms as well as occasionally max winnings, which can affect our decision on how much to buy in with. We can avoid such mistakes by always following the instructions given on the Profit Squad website as well as always double checking the Terms and Conditions ourselves in case they have been changed without notice.
Summary
We are human so will all undoubtedly make some mistakes during our matched betting careers. However, making use of the training and tools available to us, taking our time with unfamiliar slots or games and always double checking the terms and conditions of offers will help to limit this.
