One of the most common questions people have when starting off with sports betting is can you bet on both teams? Or to phrase it differently, can you bet on both sides?
Yes – there is nothing stopping you from placing a bet on both sides of a game or both teams. However, the sportsbooks create the odds so that it is not profitable to bet on both sides. If that wasn’t the case, then none of the sportsbooks would be in business.
However, if there is a promotion or odds boost, this changes the equation. With a promo or boosted odds, it can become possible to bet on both sides of a game and guarantee that you will win.
How is this possible? The promotions are generally a form of marketing and a way to attract new users so the sportsbooks may run them at a slight loss in order to make it up on following bets.
So, why don’t people bet both sides on sportsbook promotions more often?
We can think of a few reasons:
- Most people will find it more exciting to take a chance for a big win if they have a free bet or promo, rather than take the guaranteed winning with less upside. Our approach is to stick with the guaranteed winnings because they stack up over time.
- You need to calculate how much to bet on each side and most people are intimidated by math. Here’s our guide on how to calculate how much to bet on each side
- The terms and conditions can be confusing but we’re here to make you aware of the information you need to know
All that said, there are some things to avoid betting both sides on – mostly bets with multiple outcomes.
- Bets with multiple outcomes
- Parlays. A three-leg parlay for example can have eight different outcomes, which doesn’t make it profitable to bet on all of the outcomes. The more legs in a parlay, the number of outcomes grows exponentially.
- Events with multiple potential winners. For example, golf tournaments, races, MVP or championship futures bets, etc.
- Risk-free promotions which give you credits if you lose. This sounds counterintuitive but there’s often a catch, these site credits need to be used within a few days. So, the initial bet may be risk-free but if you lose your first bet, the following bets are not risk-free.
Betting on both sides can be an easy way to turn sportsbook promotions into guaranteed winnings. We’re here to provide the guidance to show you how.
