The wild world of bizarre bets

In the wild world of bizarre bets, bookies will have you believe all things are possible. BetVictor (#PriceItUp), Sky Bet (Requestabet) and Paddy Power (#WhatOddsPaddy) are among the growing number of betting sites inviting customers to dream up their own bets for which the traders will often provide a price.

To fuel interest in live televised sports betting, bookies are accepting complex combinations of singles bets on a match or event and giving prices on request.

The idea has certainly caught the imagination of football punters who are asking for odds for combinations of such things as team to win, player to score, number of corners, number of goals, the woodwork to be hit and many other scenarios that could play out during the course of a match. One of the attractions for punters is the opportunity to win big on a single game for a relatively small stake as many of the bets are effectively accumulators.

Bookmakers are now providing a ready-made list of propositions as well as giving odds on many bizzare bet combinations on request. Sky Bet has trademarked the term Requestabet and has been promoting the service widely on their website and on social media, and have run promotions offering free bets for trying the service.

The offer of a free bet naturally piqued our interest here at Matchedbets.com but guaranteeing a profit from the Requestabet offer proved elusive. Basic matched betting relies on finding the same market on a betting exchange in order to cover both win and lose outcomes of the bet. This allows matched bettors to acquire a free bet for no, or little cost, and using a similar technique, make a guaranteed profit from the freebie.

However, Requestabet propositions tend to be so unique and obscure that it’s impractical for betting exchanges to provide markets on which matched bettors can place lay bets, thus leaving punters with two tries for the price of one. That’s a nice offer for a typical punter but not an obvious attraction for matched betting.

At first glance it may appear that this phenomenon of building your own multiple bets is of no value to matched betting, after all the name of the game here is to make money from betting offers and how is that possible without the means to bet on both outcomes? But, matched betting has evolved from the traditional practise of exploiting sign up offers and money back offers for profit, to looking for any edge that can make money betting.

Advantage play is a large part of matched betting nowadays, typically involving free bet promotions but anything that provides a profitable edge is of interest to experienced matched bettors. The popularity of casino offers is a good example. There are many offers that provide what is known as positive expected value which means a profit can be made from playing such offers regularly, accepting a share of losing experiences for long term gain.

It may seem unlikely given their complex nature but it is possible to find positive value in some Requestabet propositions. Somewhat similar to price boosts, bookmakers and Sky Bet in particular, can offer some outstanding value.

One example we have found is on the much hyped Mayweather v McGregor fight. Sky Bet’s featured Requestabets includes Mayweather to be knocked down and to win the fight at 8/1 (9.00). That’s a huge price given the odds for Mayweather to be knocked down are a little over 3/1 (4.4), the price to win is around 3/10 (1.32), making fair odds of under 5/1 (5.80) and giving this proposition a significant positive expected value.

We may be entering a wild world of bizarre bets but you can count on matched betting to explore the possibilities for a winning edge.