Sure bet risks

Sure bet is not always a real 100% chance of the win

Sure bet is really a 100% chance of winning only in a theory. In fact there are some aspects which you should consider about and be always prepared for losing your money. The possible scenarios are:

A mistake by placing the wrong bet

When you are in a hurry (and that happens almost always when you are playing sure bets) it is easy to make a mistake. You try to react quickly and you may click at the wrong event especially when you do not have much experience in betting online. It is good to practice a little before going into the real betting - just try to do some paper betting for two or maybe three weeks. Write the odds and your stakes on the paper and check for the outcomes and the winnings until you are more experienced.

Limit your stake amount

The most important thing is that the bookmaker knows which events make a sure bet. When he notices that you play only sure bets he will start to limit your stake amount - mostly without a warning. This happens usually after a few dozen of bets depending on the bookmaker (pinnacle is said to be the least annoying in this respect). So you may stake an exactly counted amount at one bookmaker and then realize that you can not stake the exact amount at the other bookmaker so you can not play a sure bet. Luckily you can bet at betting exchanges such as betfair which has no limits. So if your sure bet is at a bookmaker and a betting exchange it is good to bet at the bookmaker firstly and then - at the betting exchange.

Different bookmaker's rules

The bookmakers rules may be different from each other. In case of an abnormal outcome of the event (walkover, changing the playground, fan riots) you may for example loose money at one bookmaker and get the stake back from the other - so it will be the loss on the whole. The advantage however is that you may sometimes win the same event at every bookmaker only thanks to a bookmakers' rules differences.

Odds changes

The odds are changing all the time and your reaction should be as quick as possible. It means that you may bet at the first bookmaker but in the meanwhile the second bookmaker changed his stakes or even withdraw the event from his offer. In fact you will not encounter this situation very often but you should take this into your consideration.

Obvious bookmaker's mistake

The bookmaker has made an obvious mistake. If the sure bet's profit is greater than a few percent (let's say 4 percent) the bet becomes risky. You should remember that the bookmaker may always said that the bet was a mistake and simply void your bet and returns you the stake. It is wise not to play sure bets with suspicious great profits.

Bookmaker's reservations

The bookmaker states that the event must not be played as a single bet (it has to be play as a combo - that is in the combination with other events. If you have already made a bet at another bookmaker you may not finish your sure bet because of this restriction. Sure bets are almost always the single ones.

Hardware failures

There is always a little possibility of other risks such as a sudden breakdown of an internet link or a computer - but it is clearly obvious and you realize this for sure.