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Bet X, Get Y

Level: Next steps
Updated: January 26, 2023

‘Bet X, Get Y’ offers are commonplace in the matched betting world, and they provide the most straightforward profits you’ll make as a matched bettor.

This guide will explain what ‘Bet X, Get Y’ offers are and show you how to calculate their value and take advantage.

What is a ‘Bet X, Get Y’ offer?

In a nutshell, a ‘Bet X, Get Y’ offer involves placing a qualifying bet to receive something in return, such as a free bet or bonus.

The reward is credited, no matter the outcome of your qualifying bet.

Example ‘Bet X, Get Y’ offers

Bookmakers are willing to spend big on getting new customers through the door. ‘Bet X, Get Y’ offers are a popular type of sign up offer, as you’ll see on my ‘New Customer Offers‘ page. Here are some examples.

Bet £5, get £20 in free bets
Bet £10, get £20 in free bets
Bet £10, get £30 in free bets
Bet £50, get £50 in free bets

They’re also a popular type of reload offer, although not quite as lucrative. Here are some examples.

Bet £5, get a £2 free bet
Bet £10, get a £5 free bet
Bet £20, get a £5 free bet
Bet £30, get a £10 free bet

You can find a comprehensive list of available ‘Bet X, Get Y’ offers on my Reload Offers Calendar. Click ‘Filters‘ at the top and select ‘Bet X, Get Y‘ from the ‘Offer type‘ dropdown.

How to profit from ‘Bet X, Get Y’ offers

Like the sign up offers listed above, most ‘Bet X, Get Y’ offers are quite obviously profitable. They often require small stakes for big rewards. Reload offers require a little more thought, but they’re usually profitable too. You’ll be able to weigh them up at a glance in no time.

You need to work out how much cash you expect to make from your free bet or bonus. Then, it’s a case of seeing if you can keep your qualifying loss low enough to leave a profit.

Let’s look at the following ‘Bet X, Get Y’ offer run by Betfred.

Betfred

You must always read the terms and conditions thoroughly before getting involved. Here are the main points to note for this Betfred offer.

  • The offer applies to pre-match single bets placed on Wolves v Chelsea.
  • Minimum stake of £10.
  • Minimum odds of 1.50 (1/2).

So, there’s nothing troublesome about this offer. Place an eligible bet on Wolves v Chelsea, and no matter the outcome, Betfred will give you a £5 free bet.

Step 1: Work out your incoming cash

You first need to consider how much cash you can make from your incoming reward.

You can convert free bets into 80% cash or thereabouts. So, for this offer, you should be able to make £4 cash from your £5 free bet.

Step 2: Check the odds at Betfred

Now you know there’s £4 cash available, you need to see if you can keep your qualifying loss low enough to leave a nice profit.

To work that out, you need to know the odds available. Here are the Match Result odds for Wolves v Chelsea at Betfred.

Betfred

Step 3: Check the lay odds at the exchanges

It’s entirely up to you which betting exchange you use to lay your bet. Your decision will likely depend on the commission rate you pay at each exchange and the lay odds available.

Here are the lay odds for Wolves v Chelsea at Betfair.

Betfair

Step 4: Assess the value of the offer

Now you have some back and lay odds; you can work out whether or not this offer is worth doing.

Looking at the odds above, Chelsea are the best option with back odds of 1.80 and lay odds of 1.83.

Let’s enter those numbers into my Matched Betting Calculator.

Select bet type

Back Bet (Bookie)

Advanced
%

Lay Bet (Betting Exchange)

%

Min £
Max £
Lay stake required: £
Bookie
Exchange
Cashback
Total
If back (bookie) bet wins
£
£
£
= £
If lay (exchange) bet wins
£
£
£
= £
Total profit: £

Optimal Underlay

Lay stake required: £
Exchange liability: £

If back (bookie) bet wins: £
If lay (exchange) bet wins: £

Optimal Overlay

Lay stake required: £
Exchange liability: £

If back (bookie) bet wins: £
If lay (exchange) bet wins: £

As you can see, the calculator tells you your maximum qualifying loss is £0.40. With £4 cash to come, this gives you a minimum profit of £3.60 on this Betfred offer.

Step 5: Place your bet at Betfred

Now you know the offer is profitable, you can go ahead and place your bets. So, you would bet the minimum stake of £10 on Chelsea at Betfred.

Betfred logo

Place £10.00 on Chelsea @ 1.80 = Potential profit of £8.00

Step 6: Place your lay bet at the exchange

The calculator above tells you to lay £10.11 against Chelsea.

Betfair logo

Lay £10.11 against Chelsea @ 1.83 = Potential liability of £8.39

Let’s look at your overall profit/loss for each possible outcome.

OutcomeBetfredBetfairProfit/Loss
Chelsea win+ £8.00– £8.39£0.39 loss
Chelsea lose or draw– £10.00+ £9.60£0.40 loss

So, no matter the outcome, you’ll make a maximum loss of £0.40 in qualifying for your £5 free bet. Once you’ve converted your free bet into £4 cash (80%), that’s a minimum profit of £3.60 on this Betfred offer.

Are all ‘Bet X, Get Y’ offers profitable?

The promise of a free bet or bonus doesn’t always mean there’s a profit available. If your qualifying loss is equal to or greater than the amount of cash you’ll be getting back, there’s no profit up for grabs.

Let’s look at the following ‘Bet X, Get Y’ offer run by Betfred.

Betfred

So, it’s the same offer as before, only this time the required stake is £100 instead of £10.

Let’s adjust the calculator to a ‘Back stake‘ of £100.

Select bet type

Back Bet (Bookie)

Advanced
%

Lay Bet (Betting Exchange)

%

Min £
Max £
Lay stake required: £
Bookie
Exchange
Cashback
Total
If back (bookie) bet wins
£
£
£
= £
If lay (exchange) bet wins
£
£
£
= £
Total profit: £

Optimal Underlay

Lay stake required: £
Exchange liability: £

If back (bookie) bet wins: £
If lay (exchange) bet wins: £

Optimal Overlay

Lay stake required: £
Exchange liability: £

If back (bookie) bet wins: £
If lay (exchange) bet wins: £

As you can see, the calculator tells you your maximum qualifying loss is £3.94. That means there’s barely any profit available with £4 cash to come from your £5 free bet.

Final words

‘Bet X, Get Y’ offers will be a staple of your matched betting activity. They’re the most straightforward type of offer you’ll face too.

Keep your qualifying losses to a minimum and enjoy fixed profits all the way!

Learn matched betting the free, easy way.

The Matched Betting Academy

  • Logically structured to tackle strategies and offers as you’re ready for them.
  • Bag profits every step of the way. About £600 from welcome offers, and another £500 monthly.
  • Make £15 from your very first offer.
Screenshot of the Matched Betting Academy

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Matt Kirman - Matched Betting Blogger

Matt KirmanMatched Betting Blogger

Since 2014, I’ve blogged over £90,000 worth of profit, and made it my mission to make matched betting accessible to everyone.