World Cup Holders Crash to 5-1 Defeat
June 2014
So far the FIFA World Cup has thrown up a surprise or two, not least of them being cup holders Spain suffering a crushing 5-1 defeat by Holland.
Fortunately for the reigning champions, this defeat happened during the first of the group games and that means they can come back strongly to win their remaining games and still qualify to play in the last 16. In fact, for those that like to quote statistics, Spain actually lost their first group game in the last World Cup to Switzerland, then went on to win the competition.
So what does this mean for sports bettors? Well, it's a harsh wake up call to anyone who thinks they can bet and win on what they believe to be a sure thing. In sports, while the odds may favour one competitor or other, it doesn't mean the result is a one hundred percent surety.
Betting Safely
There will be those that bet heavily on Spain winning their first match, believing the side to be just about invincible. That was a costly mistake. A safer bet would have been to spread the bets across several teams to cover any eventuality while still ensuring that the overall win rate provides an overall profit.
To the novice bettor, this method might seem like a difficult and time consuming way to spend their money. It sure seems a lot easier just to bet your bankroll on a single team that you support and hope for the win.
That can be pretty amazing if your team wins, but if it loses, that's all your betting money gone in a single wager. The sensible punter spreads their bets wider across many teams and not necessarily the one they support!
Where to Get the Best Odds
Another useful bit of insider knowledge is in knowing which bookmakers offer the best odds for certain matches. The savvy sports bettor will spend some time checking through some of the top online bookies to see what odds they are offering on the matches they have chosen to put their money on.
The power of the Internet makes this technique possible, where 20 years ago the only way to do this would have been by doing your own serious legwork in visiting several local high street bookies and checking their odds manually. The other way would have been to join a syndicate where that information would have been gathered by several foot soldiers and compiled into a common list that members would have paid to access.
Now you can do your research in a matter of minutes by checking several top bookies like William Hill, Betfred or Ladbrokes, as well as looking at some of the better known online bookmakers such as Mobibet or 10bet. Because these online sportsbook sites provide their odds in an easy to access and read sheet, it really doesn't take very long to open them all in separate browser windows and make your comparison visually or copy/paste into a spreadsheet to pour over later.
Enjoy the rest of the World Cup and here's wishing you good luck and good fortune in your betting and may your team do well!
