Frequently Asked Questions

Most Matched Betting uses a technique called 'back and lay betting', which is the method of placing both a 'back' and 'lay' bet on the same outcome, i.e. both for and against a particular event result. This is done simply by placing a traditional bet using an online bookmaker, but also placing a bet against the same outcome on an available trading exchange. In doing so, we have mitigated any outcome-based risk as we have covered all possible outcomes.

By placing both a back and lay bet on a particular event outcome, we can qualify for the popular 'Early Payout' offer as advertised on popular bookmakers including Bet365 and Paddy Power. This is therefore named a 'Qualifying Bet', and is the first step towards attaining profit through this method.

This offer is currently one of the most popular and profitable for Matched Betting. The concept is simple; when your football team goes two goals up, they will pay out your bet as a winner. There are specific terms on the eligible competitions and maximum payout for each bookmaker, which should be studied before proceeding with attempting this offer. But put simply, if you place a pre-match bet on the standard Full-Time Result market, your bet will pay out early as a winner under the 'two ahead' condition, regardless of the full-time result.

To trigger the Early Payout we need to have qualified for this offer, by placing a bet (as part of a matched bet!) on a fixture outcome that qualifies for the offer. We therefore call this a qualifying bet.

To do this accurately and qualify for the Early Payout offer, you would need to calculate both the amount you stake at the bookmaker (back stake), and the amount you lay (lay stake) against the same outcome at the exchange so that your return isn't affected by the result. Typically, due to exchange commission rates the process of placing qualifying bets will result in a 2-4% loss of our original stake ('Qualifying Loss'). However, in doing so we have qualified for potentially larger profits with the Early Payout offer.

The Early Payout offer is triggered when a qualifying team goes two goals ahead in a fixture. Therefore, a 2up is described as a team that has done this and triggered the Early Payout!

Great! Having verified that the bookmaker has paid out of bet as a winner, we can now consider what action to take which our 'lay bet' at the exchange. We can now at any point choose to 'trade out/ cash out' our lay, safe in the knowledge that we have already received winnings for this outcome at the bookmaker. What you will see is that if the team subsequently; concedes one goal, or two, or proceeds to go behind, that the odds of them winning will increase and you therefore can cash out for more money than your original lay stake! This is the scenario in which we can take profit.

In the event of your selection not going two goals ahead, then sadly both your back and lay bets will pay a sum that is less than what you started with. And while we don't have a crystal ball, in approximately 3% of fixtures a team will go two goals ahead in a fixture and then go on to in fact lose, doing what is described as a 'Full Turn Around' and maximising our potential profit from the Early Payout Offer. In this scenario, your potential winnings will be far in excess of the collective losses resulting from bets that didn't result in the Early Payout offer being triggered. In the long run, this makes the offer potentially very profitable.