How to Find Value Bets: 3 Proven Methods

There are three commonly used approaches to identifying value betting situations, and these methods can be combined to broaden the range of opportunities available for analysis.

The most challenging way of finding value betting opportunities is by searching for them manually. Your budget-friendly method will be using a free value bet finder.

Paid positive EV calculators and scanners typically offer more comprehensive data coverage and faster updates compared to free tools.

What are the methods to spot value bets?

There are three main possibilities for finding/spotting value bets or positive EV bets at bookmakers:

Searching for value bets manually by opening the same match at your local bookie and comparing the odds with the ones from a sharp betting site (*)
Using free value betting software that displays betting opportunities with some limitations applied to them
Using paid positive EV bet finder service for searching value bet opportunities

All these ways of finding value bets have their benefits and disadvantages as well.

In the following sections, the different methods are compared in terms of accessibility, complexity, and typical use cases for different experience levels.

*Sharp bookmaker: a betting site that is capable of defining the true probability of an outcome way more accurately than other regular/local betting sites.

Their betting odds have a smaller house edge due to higher accuracy, which makes them excellent to compare other slower bookie lines to their odds.

1. The Manual Method

The industry of smart betting has evolved a lot in the past few years. The value bettors and the smart bettors, in general, develop new ways of beating the bookies.

It is important to understand that this approach requires consistent time investment and a solid understanding of odds behavior and market dynamics.

Every day, bookies are also getting smarter and have better-developed algorithms to spot value bettors as well.

Back in 2010-2015, it was fairly easy to find value bets manually.

The bookmakers have made a lot of mistakes, and you could place bets easily before the odds dropped.

In most cases, bookies flagged your account only for winning too much, not for placing bets on overpriced odds.

As time passed, the value betting finders got more popular, and they scanned a lot of bookmakers.

These services got greater attention from bettors, so more and more of us started actively using them.

While scanner services have reduced the visibility of obvious pricing discrepancies, manual analysis can still uncover situations that automated tools may not highlight.

The more people who use these services, the more people are betting on the same outcome of a match.

This means that a value betting opportunity is getting too much attention, and the odds on those bets are dropping faster.

For a beginner value bettor, this means that the chance of finding a value opportunity is getting harder.

Below are practical observations that can help improve the efficiency and structure of manual odds comparison.

These odds comparison sites can not scan every bookmaker and every market on sports events. Knowing this, you can have better chances of finding value bet opportunities manually.

Steps on how to find value bets manually:

Below, you can check which bookies are scanned by the value betting tool of RebelBetting, which is one of the most recommended value betting software in the US and Europe as well.

Find some bookmakers that are available in your country (and they are also trustworthy, based on other bettors’ opinions)
Have a look at value scanner services, whether they are scanning that bookmaker or not (it is hard to find one that is not scanned, but hope for the best)
Choose a sport that you are familiar with. At the start, you should stick to football and tennis. They are fairly predictable, and you can find many value betting opportunities on these
Open the same sports event at your local bookie and at a sharp bookie such as Pinnacle
The easiest way to look for a value bet is to compare the same market/outcome between your local bookie and Pinnacle
In the beginning, try finding positive EV bets on markets with only two outcomes: over/under goals, over/under corners, and over/under cards.
If the odds at your local bookie are significantly higher than at Pinnacle (ex., 1.80 instead of 1.65 or 2.60 instead of 2.40) it might be a value bet

To make sure you are not mistaken, I would advise opening a free account at RebelBetting or BetBurger so you can use their free sure bet calculators
If you insert the overpriced odds on one side and the other outcome odds from Pinnacle, the calculator will display if there is a sure bet (no matter which outcome wins, you could make a guaranteed profit on that)
If the calculation results in a theoretical arbitrage margin above 0%, this indicates that the odds at the local bookmaker are higher than the reference pricing.
If you are familiar with handicap markets, you will need to check those as well. I found many value bets on these that were not displayed by the main tools
For manual search, I would suggest paying more attention to tennis markets between your bookmaker and a sharp bookie
For comparing odds, you can find several free calculators by searching on Google for an arbitrage calculator, but I would advise using the ones mentioned above.

Identifying value situations manually before an event starts can be challenging due to rapid odds adjustments.

Manual analysis during live events requires significant experience, but it is often less dependent on automated patterns than scanner-based approaches.

But finding wrong odds and value opportunities in a live event is still a good possibility these days.

If you are a beginner in value betting, it is good to know that bookmakers are making the most of their mistakes on live events.

Even though you have more value bet possibilities, the odds are changing really fast.

Being successful in manual searching at live events needs a lot of experience, but it is also one of the least suspicious ways you can make money.

I genuinely think that if a scanner is covering your bookies, you will make significantly more with a paying service.

For example, RebelBetting displays value betting opportunities from 100+ bookies and they also have a 14-day free trial period.

Or OddsJam, on the other hand, is covering 50+ bookies from the US (and 100+ international ones) and has a 7-day free trial.

I don’t get why someone with a starting capital of at least a few hundred euros would not take advantage of a free opportunity like this. These tools can significantly increase the number of observable opportunities compared to manual searching alone, depending on usage and market conditions.

Tips for finding value betting opportunities manually on live events

Markets with fast-changing odds are one of the best opportunities for finding positive EV bets
Markets that are excellent for finding value bets on football: over/ under goals, corner, handicap markets, next corner market, over/under red or yellow cards
Markets for value betting on tennis: over/under games in the set and the match too, handicap markets, set winners. It is better to wait for the breaks to place your bets.
This way you reduce the chance of running into dropping odds or risking the chance of betting on outcomes that did not have a true value on them (not even Pinnacle can offer sharp odds every time)
Good markets on Basketball could be over/under points, handicaps, and winners in quarters, or halves

Finding value bets on live events is mostly for more advanced bettors, so if you just started your betting journey, you can have more success and less risk with the next method of finding value bets.

2. Use a free software

For beginners, this method can provide structured exposure to value betting concepts while reducing the need for manual calculations.

These services scan bookmakers with complex algorithms and compare their odds of finding value opportunities.

Before opting into a free value betting software, make sure to check how they find betting opportunities. Many services offer predictions that don’t even beat the CLV in the long run.

Advantages of using free value scanners:

If you are a beginner value bettor, you can gain experience without paying for the service
Compared to manual searching, automated tools can surface opportunities more quickly, which may affect volume rather than outcomes.
You can check which bookmaker is good for your needs
You can complete your bonus requirement rollovers faster

Disadvantages of using free value scanners:

The maximum % of return on value bets at free scanners is only 2%
Most of them are showing the value bets with a delay of approximately 1 minute. So those who have paid for the value scanner service have a 1-minute advantage for placing those bets before the odds start dropping
A lot of people are using these free services, so the chance of being flagged as a smart bettor is pretty high
You miss a lot of good opportunities because of delays and the 2% limit on profit

Down below, you can find some positive EV bet scanner services which have a free version as well:

Service name	Web or app	Max arb %	Delay
RebelBetting	App	2 weeks free trial	No
Betburger	Web	1%	60s Prematch 15min live
OddsJam	Web	7-day trial	no

You might ask: how to find value bets with free software that is still available?

It’s a fair question. Everybody can have access to the same markets, bookies, and betting opportunities as you when using a free tool.

I’m trying to help people find the best tools for their activity and won’t tell a big secret when I say that most people are looking for a free tool.

How to find value bets that are still available

First things first, you need to use software that does not have a significant delay in displaying the odds.

For this matter, BetBurger can seem almost useless when looking for a free value bet finder.

But professionals use their free services to spot potential events and markets for sure betting can profit from their scanner as well.

Based on my experience, the 2-week free trial of RebelBetting (for Europe and the US mainly) and the 1-week trial of OddsJam (USA and Canada) are your best shots for pre-match sure betting.

Both of them offer their services with a slight limitation on the profit % (in the free trial), which allows you to spot value bets that are still live.

3. Use a paid/premium +EV bet finder

Using the paid version of these services most of the time has a significant impact on the quality and the number of your value bets.

This way, you will not face delays, and there will be no maximum profit % limitation at value bets.

Advantages of using paid value scanners:

No delay in showing new positive EV betting opportunities
No profit % limitations
You can see value opportunities that are not available in the free version due to these limitations
Broader access to data and faster updates may influence long-term analytical consistency.

Disadvantages of using paid value scanners:

Some of the subscriptions can be expensive for a beginner’s experience and bankroll
There is a chance that you get limited at bookmakers before the subscription ends at the scanner service – if you do not have new accounts, that could mean dead money
You might feel pushed to use the software even if you do not have the mood or time for work (because you paid for it).

To avoid any misunderstanding, I have to note that price differences at these do not mean a very big quality difference as well.

Steps for spotting value betting opportunities

Make a list of your bookies: to identify the right value betting opportunities, you need to have a list of your local bookies.

I would advise using only the ones with a good reputation. This betting technique is not welcomed, so the last thing you want to experience is facing a bookie who has a background of banning accounts for no reason.
Open the events at sharp/Asian bookies: To practice value betting with success, you need at least one sharp bookie that has already proven to be able to display accurate odds.
Set up the filters: after opening accounts at the above-mentioned bookies and having some funds on your accounts, you need to set up your filters with the value betting software. To identify the right value betting opportunities you need to open the settings and choose only the bookies that you have funds + the sharp bookie.
You need to fix the sharp bookie so the tool will compare each odds to theirs, not between soft bookies. These settings are different from one software to another.

For many, it might sound like a piece of obvious advice, but believe me, many people (me included) need to know the very basics when they are beginners.

Selecting the required sports, markets, and odds ranges can come when you already have an idea about how to find value betting opportunities at your local bookies.
Follow the right sure bets: the right way to find and identify the value bets that are good is by looking for sure bets that are available for several seconds or even minutes. Many of these opportunities disappear in one second to another. These can happen because of a short delay at one bookie, not because of a real sure betting opportunity.
Calculate the stakes: now you know how to get value bets displayed on your screen. The next step is calculating the right stake for your bets. Each relevant value betting finder has a dedicated calculator for each betting opportunity.

You will notice them as a calculator icon on each sure betting opportunity pop-up window. Here you can fix one leg of your bets and include the stake you need at your slow bookmaker. The tool will display the right stakes for the other outcome.
Place the bets: You succeeded in learning how to find value odds and how to calculate the right stakes. Here comes the hardest part of your activity. Getting the best value opportunities is not enough. Execution speed becomes increasingly important due to frequent odds changes and market adjustments.

Opening the right event and market in time and inserting the right odds is the crucial part of profitable value betting. The odds might change from one second to another, and if you are not fast enough, sometimes you need to cover your bets with a loss.

Relevant article: +EV betting vs arbitrage betting – in-depth comparison of these strategies