14 Football betting strategies & systems I Tested
Are you looking for the best football betting strategies and proven football betting systems? I’ve used many of them, and below, you can find out which ones are worth trying.
The football betting strategies mentioned in this article were tested, and some of them were even used for many years as my main income sources. The most successful strategies require an advantage against bookies.
This state appears when bookies offer wrong odds, lines, or bonuses that can be exploited.
In this definitive guide you will learn:
- About football betting strategies to find overpriced odds and successfully take advantage of them
- How to win with strategies based on statistics
- Football strategies with massive long-term returns
Edited on August 07th, 2025. Added new tips about value betting.
Which are the most profitable football betting strategies?
The most profitable football betting strategies are the ones that take advantage of bookie mistakes, such as wrong odds and lines.
The less risky football betting strategies are matched betting and arbitrage betting. Based on statistics, the most profitable, riskier, but proven football betting systems are value betting and bets.
#1. Exploiting bonus offers
Matched betting, or by other names, bonus hunting, is the best football betting strategy if you don’t have too much experience.
By this, I mean experience in sports betting or football.
Many football mathematical betting strategies can generate hundreds and even thousands of euros of profit each month.
But not every bettor knows enough to follow such football betting systems.
Matched betting is the technique used to take advantage of bookmaker offers.
With this system, you can complete the rollover requirements without risking your deposit/the bonus itself.
It is the most straightforward strategy if you want to bet without losing.
Why is matched betting the best football betting strategy for beginners?
- Everybody can start it even without any previous experience
- It can be started even with a smaller capital
- Many affordable software for this betting strategy
- The best system for learning about smart betting techniques
- You work more; you earn more -> flexible source of side income
How does this proven football betting strategy work?
- Make a list of your local bookmakers that offer bonuses.
- Select the ones that have a realistic rollover requirement (free bets, deposit bonuses with rolling over the bonus + deposit for less than 8-9 times)
- Deposit the maximum amount to match the whole bonus offer
- Use software to spot matched betting opportunities (bets where you can cover both outcomes on the market without losing money).
The odds between bookies are slightly different, and, commonly, some of them are offering a somewhat higher price for the same outcome.
Taking advantage of these overpriced markets is the most straightforward football betting strategy to help in bonus hunting.
It is the most popular betting system in the United Kingdom, where hundreds of betting sites try to attract new customers with bonus offers.
#2. Take advantage of odds differences between bookies
I’ve been practicing arbitrage betting for many years. It is my all-time favorite if I need a guaranteed profit in a fairly short time.
Sure betting is the best football betting strategy for bettors who don’t want to take risks, but they are out of bonus offers and want to make even more money.
This football betting system is very similar to bonus hunting.
Basics of this soccer betting system:
- Start using arbitrage betting software
- They spot wrong/overpriced odds at bookies
- You place bets on these wrong odds and cover the outcome at another bookie
- Use the right stakes with the help of calculators in this software
The profit with matched betting is generated only because of the bonus offers. With this betting technique, you place sure bets that have a very low-profit %. In many cases, this can be even below 0%.
With arbitrage betting, on the other hand, you are placing sure bets with a higher profit percentage on each bet. It’s not uncommon to find betting opportunities with a payout of above 5%-8%.
For example, you can find sure bets where both outcomes have an odds of 2.10. By covering each of them with the same stake, you can make a profit of 5% of your total stakes.
#3. Value betting – football betting based on wrong odds
I’ve been practicing value betting for around 4-5 years. Without any doubt, I can say that it is the most profitable football betting system on this list.
It’s not only my personal opinion and experience, but many other professional bettors think the same about it.
If you are looking for a football betting system that works in the long run and most bookies can’t spot it right away, you just found it.
How does this proven football betting system work?
Define the probability of the outcome
Each bookmaker tries to figure out the statistical chance of an outcome. Some of them are capable of predicting football matches correctly. These betting sites are called sharp bookies on betting forums/sites.
Following their betting lines will give you a good idea and direction about the true possibility of an outcome.
You can compare the odds between your local bookmakers and these sharp bookies manually. I’ve done this many times.
But using software that is capable of comparing odds between bookies will save you a lot of time. Most bookmakers got fast in correcting wrong odds.
So, spotting overpriced odds even with the cheapest software is what will boost your income with this football betting strategy.
Place bets on odds that will beat the bookmaker
Using a value bet finder software is fairly simple. You need to find betting opportunities where the odds are significantly higher compared to sharp bookie odds.
Calculating these value bets can get complicated if you start figuring out the math behind it.
I don’t like sharing information that needs too much learning or knowledge. Based on my experience, if you find arbitrage bets between your local bookie vs. sharp bookies, with a profit percentage over 0.5%, you can beat the bookies in the long run.
The bigger the profit percentage is, the faster you will end up in profit.
Deal with variance
Taking risks and losses is normal if you practice this football betting strategy. You are not covering each outcome, so facing longer losing streaks will be a daily phenomenon in this betting system.
Many people don’t have the experience and self-confidence to place the 14th bet after already losing 13.
But if you compare odds to sharp bookies and beat them on each of your bets, you will eventually end up in profits.
#4. Football betting strategy with historical data and statistics
The majority of football betting strategies are based on the possibility of an outcome and taking advantage of overpriced odds and betting lines.
The above-mentioned strategies require software that scans bookies and compares odds between them.
The biggest disadvantage of these techniques is the high number of players using them. When many bettors start placing bigger stakes on the same outcome/odds, the bookie algorithm starts noticing this uncommon behavior.
Each betting strategy mentioned above can generate large profits but with the risk of getting your maximum stakes limited.
Using a football statistic database, on the other hand, gives you an edge over these bettors and the bookies, too.
If you have some experience in football betting, you can spot valuable betting opportunities with the proper statistics.
Many services support the best, proven football betting strategies with historical data and statistics based on tens of thousands of events each year.
With the right algorithm, they offer predictions based only on pure data. If you have some experience in Live football betting, spotting great opportunities is possible.
I know bettors who started beating big betting sites like Bet365 on in-play football betting based on simple statistical tools like StatisticSports or PlayThePercentage.
Both of these software offer historical data and predictions for almost each football event.
Do you have a football betting strategy for corners, half-time goals, or Yellow cards? You can test it with the help of StatisticSports.
They offer the possibility of backtesting strategies based on historical data from more than 5 years of football events. It means their football betting algorithm is testing the viability of your football betting system, and you can know its profitability without having to risk your own money.
#5. Follow professional football bettors
Many people don’t have the time to learn and practice the strategies mentioned above, and I know from experience that each of them will require you to stay hours in front of your computer.
Both arbitrage and value betting are time-consuming. It’s not uncommon that I’m betting 10 hours a day to make a good profit in the long run.
If you don’t have the time to practice these strategies, following someone who gives betting predictions based on them might be a solution.
Many talented bettors offer tipster services on a platform like Tipstrr. I should warn you that following a tipster won’t offer guaranteed profits like at matched or sure betting.
But picking the right tipster who follows a proven football betting strategy can offer some profits without too much time investment.
I’ve been following tipsters and Tipstrr for a while, and some offer great predictions based on value betting.
Many of them check if their picks are useful by comparing odds to Pinnacle or other sharp bookmakers. These predictions can really offer long-term profits and can be good football betting systems.
#6. Staking system for football betting strategies
Many bettors don’t give enough attention to the importance of a proper staking system for their football betting strategy.
I know from my experience that even the most bulletproof strategy can be ruined with bad stakes.
Even the simplest flat staking method is better than not following any method.
Kelly criterion is a more advanced staking system that allows you to maximize your profits by minimizing the risks.
Here is are two short videos on how the staking simulators developed by BetMetricsLab work:
You don’t need to follow complicated steps to optimize your football betting system. It’s more than enough to use the same percentage of your balance every time.
Many bettors prefer betting with 3.5%-5% of their actual capital on their accounts. Every time you win, the stakes and the possible profits also increase.
If you face a longer losing streak, the amount you can lose with the next bet is getting smaller and smaller.
With a simple staking strategy like this, you can decrease the effect of bad losing periods.
#7. Try courtside betting
Courtside sports betting is based on exploiting bookie mistakes so that you can get some information faster than the bookies.
This strategy was famous for a long time when many bettors visited sports events (mainly tennis), placing bets from there.
Sometimes these bets are a guaranteed and instant win.
If you can watch an event on a faster stream than the bookies or be present at the match, you can take advantage of this.
For example, a team is scoring a goal, and you instantly place an over bet for that team or on similar markets.
After 4-5 seconds, your bet will be evaluated as a winner.
Courtside betting is not the best strategy for football for many reasons.
#8. Track your bets in a spreadsheet
I have not tracked my bets for many years.
If you have deep knowledge and experience in a sport, you can skip this betting tip.
But tracking your bets even in a simple spreadsheet can help you find errors, mistakes, and bad-performing markets or odds ranges.
A simple example of this is my last year’s basketball gambling activity.
I couldn’t figure out what I was missing or why I was underperforming even in the long run.
It was a lengthy task to complete (several hours), but I made an excellent history in a simple Excel file.
I filtered my bets based on markets, odds, and leagues, and I figured out certain leagues were useless for my strategy.
The situation is the same with football if you want to win in the long run.
Using a matched betting spreadsheet, for example, is not essential for everyone.
But in value betting, you can increase your profits drastically.
#9. Use trustworthy bookies with high odds
Many bettors don’t place enough energy on finding and using the right bookies.
Some of them have a massive amount of promotion on the internet, and you might think they are trustworthy.
But I suggest using only the ones that have a good reputation.
I also mentioned using bookies with high odds; it is a crucial part of every betting strategy.
If a bookie is offering odds with a profit margin of 8%-9%, they have to make a massive mistake to open the possibility of winning your football bets.
#10. Know a market inside out
While using one or more of these betting strategies, you will notice some patterns.
In football betting, the bookies make the most mistakes on handicap or corner markets, and some of them can’t offer a match without making some mistakes on these markets.
If you are following a bookie for a more extended period, you can notice and almost forecast these mistakes.
Becoming an expert in football betting requires patience and experience, but it can be a gold mine for many strategies.
#11. Take breaks after significant losses
This last part is important football betting advice from me.
Facing a longer losing streak or a big mistake in arbing can force you into bad decisions or even bigger mistakes.
Taking a short pause and getting calm will pay off in the long run.
#12. Use crypto bookies with bonus offers
Using cryptocurrencies as payment methods could seem very complicated.
But based on my experience, many crypto bookies are trustworthy and offer way higher bonuses and odds than their normal competitors.
For bettors who prefer anonymous bookies for various reasons, these are the perfect solution. Many countries have strict (and sometimes stupid) gambling laws.
Relevant article: check the following list of great corner betting sites that allow you to deposit with crypto.
I know some countries that have a monopoly on gambling laws.
Offering only one bookie for a whole country with garbage odds is what makes people start looking for crypto sports wagering apps that don’t require ID.
In the EU, most bookies are offering welcome bonuses below 100 euros and odds with a house edge of 8%.
I don’t think they can be in real competition with Bitcoin sports bonuses up to $1000 and high odds.
Betting techniques based on mathematics will always generate money in the long run.
#13. Accept that you don’t know enough about football
Winning in football betting starts with accepting that your knowledge about players, teams, and leagues is not enough to stay profitable.
A huge part of bettors are football fans, who won’t miss a single match with their favorite teams. This type of bettor knows many info, even insider info about the players and the chance of their team winning/losing.
However, my most important tip if you want to win and generate long-term profits is that you need to accept that traders at bookies have more info and sophisticated ways to calculate the right odds.
For this reason, you need better sources and better strategies to win in betting.
#14. Focus on single bets only
Parlay bets are well known to offer a higher edge for bookies.
By avoiding accumulator bets, bettors can gain back that edge more easily, even without following a math-based strategy.
The only exception under this tip would be when someone places accumulator bets where each leg has a positive Expected Value.
How to choose the best football betting technique for your needs?
Choosing a strategy that aligns with your goals and experience requires multiple steps.
1. Determine your starting capital
Knowing the amount of money you are willing to allocate for wagering purposes on football will show you the strategy you can practice.
A small betting balance of $100 will be enough for betting strategies such as matched betting or limited-value betting.
Arbing and other football strategies require a bigger starting capital.
2. Know your risk tolerance
Strategies such as value betting or bets based on statistics require a higher risk tolerance.
Other techniques, such as arbitrage or matched betting, are more beginner-friendly and risk-free.
3. Have a goal of desired profitability
Knowing your goals with a football wagering strategy is essential to avoid any disappointments.
While value betting is the most profitable wagering system for football, matched betting can generate only a few hundred $ profit each month.
Starting with a strategy with a low profit potential can easily lead to wasting time and energy.
Best beginner-friendly football betting system that works
Matched betting is the best football betting system that works even if you don’t have any experience. Many betting guides are helping to learn about this technique.
On the other hand, Arbitrage betting requires a little bit more experience. But starting small until you learn enough can put you in the right direction without risking too much of your capital.
Value betting requires more experience and persistence, but it is the best football betting strategy ever in the long run.
