Price Boost Guide for Betting Returns
Price boosts are one of the easiest and most reliable ways to increase your Matched Betting profits. They are a low-effort, high-reward opportunity that takes very little time, making them a favourite among both beginners and experienced Matched Bettors.
By using these boosted odds, you can lock in profits with zero risk providing you back and lay the bet correctly, and with the right tools at your disposal, you can stay ahead of the competition.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about price boosts, how to spot and profit from them, and why using tools like the Price Boost Tracker can help you get the most value out of this lucrative opportunity.
What Are Price Boosts?
Price boosts occur when bookmakers deliberately enhance the odds for a particular event or market. These boosts are often promotional and are designed to attract more attention to a specific event, like a major football match, horse race, or other popular sporting event.
For example, if a team’s odds to win a match are normally 2.0, the bookmaker might boost them to 2.5 for a limited time to encourage more bets.
From a Matched Betting perspective, these temporary boosts give you the chance to guarantee profits by backing the selection at the boosted odds and laying the same selection at lower odds on a betting exchange such as Matchbook.
How Do Price Boosts Work In Matched Betting?
The process of locking in profit from a price boost with Matched Betting is simple and effectively works in the same way as a normal qualifying bet:
- Back at boosted odds: First, place your back bet on the selection at the bookmaker’s boosted odds.
- Lay at lower odds: Next, head to a betting exchange such as Matchbook and lay the same selection at lower odds. This is where the profit comes from.
- Calculate your profit: By using the Matched Betting calculator in “normal” mode, you can determine the exact stake you need to lay in order to lock in a guaranteed profit. The calculator will show you the potential earnings before you even place the bet.
Why Bookmakers Offer Price Boosts
You might wonder why bookmakers would intentionally offer better odds than the betting exchange, potentially giving Matched Bettors an easy win. The answer lies in their marketing strategy.
Bookmakers use price boosts as a way to attract recreational punters who might not usually place a bet but by offering enhanced odds, they generate more interest in a particular event, aiming to draw in more traffic to their site and receive more bets.
While most punters will place these bets and leave it up to chance, as a Matched Bettor, you can take advantage of the discrepancy between the bookmaker’s odds and the exchange’s lay odds to lock in a profit.
How To Find Price Boosts
Price boosts can be found across a variety of sports, with bookmakers often offering enhanced odds on high-profile events like football matches, horse races, and even novelty bets like politics or entertainment.
The key is knowing where to find them and how to act quickly when they’re available, as price boosts are often short-lived.
Here are some ways you can find price boosts:
- Bookmaker Websites: Many bookmakers promote price boosts directly on their home pages or within specific event pages. Keep an eye on banners and promotional sections, especially during major sporting events.
- Direct Messaging: Some bookmakers will notify you of upcoming price boosts via text messages, emails, or app notifications. It’s a good idea to opt-in to these alerts, you might get some junk from them but occasionally can provide you with a heads-up for time-sensitive offers.
- Social Media: Bookmakers often use their social media platforms, particularly X (Twitter) and Facebook, to promote price boosts. You can follow bookies social media accounts to ensure you don’t miss any tasty opportunities.
- Forum Threads: On platforms like Outplayed, dedicated price boost threads exist where staff and community members post details of boosted odds as soon as they appear. Following these threads is an excellent way to stay updated on the latest boosts across multiple bookmakers.
- Price Boost Tracker: If you’re looking to streamline the process of finding and profiting from price boosts, the Price Boost Tracker available with an Outplayed Pro membership is an invaluable tool. The Price Boost Tracker displays all current price boosts in a simple, easy-to-navigate table. This allows you to quickly identify profitable opportunities and place your bets within seconds, which is critical given how short-term price boosts can be. the tracker ensures you stay ahead of other Matched Bettors and value bettors who are searching for the same opportunities.
How To Profit From Price Boosts
Now that you know what price boosts are and where to find them, let’s break down the process of profiting from them step-by-step:
1. Spot the Boost
Start by identifying a price boost that’s worth taking advantage of. You can do this by monitoring bookmaker promotions, checking your notifications, or using the Price Boost Tracker to find the best odds
2. Place Your Back Bet
Once you’ve found a price boost, place your back bet on the boosted odds at the bookmaker. Ensure the boosted odds are still available before placing your bet, as they can disappear quickly.
3. Lay the Bet on a Betting Exchange
Head over to a betting exchange like Matchbook and lay the same selection at lower odds than the boosted odds. Providing the lay odds are lower than the back odds ensures that no matter the outcome of the event, you’ll be able to lock in a profit. Use a Matched Betting Calculator with the bet type set to “normal” to calculate the optimal stake for your lay bet. In rare circumstances where the lay odds have changed since placing your back bet, you can simply adjust the lay odds on the calculator to see your new lay stake.
4. Calculate Your Profit
By entering the boosted back odds and the lay odds into the calculator, you’ll see exactly how much profit you can lock in. This makes price boosts one of the easiest ways to profit consistently from Matched Betting.
Price Boosts vs Arbitrage Betting
Although similar, it’s important to know the difference between price boosts and arbitrage betting. Both involve finding discrepancies between bookmaker odds and exchange odds, but they work a little differently:
Price Boosts: The bookmaker knowingly offers boosted odds for a limited time. You can profit by backing at the enhanced odds and laying at lower odds, with little risk of account restrictions (as long as you don’t overdo it). Many regular punters will be placing these highly advertised bets.
Arbitrage Bets: In arbitrage betting, the odds discrepancy occurs because a bookmaker is slow to update their odds in response to market changes. While arbitrage betting can be profitable, doing it regularly may lead to account restrictions or gubbings, as bookmakers are not fond of bettors exploiting these lags. Only people with odds matching software will be able to consistently find profitable arb bets making them stand out and are vulnerable to account restrictions.
Since price boosts are intentional promotions, you can use them regularly without the same risk of being gubbed, provided you don’t consistently place only price boost bets.
Will Using Price Boosts Get You Gubbed?
One of the most common concerns for Matched Bettors is the risk of being gubbed or having their accounts restricted by bookmakers. Whilst there are no guarantees, the good news is that price boosts are generally safe to use since bookmakers are actively pushing these enhanced odds as a promotion.
So they’re less likely to view you as a “bonus abuser” if you regularly bet on price boosts.
However, as with any profitable betting strategy, moderation is your friend. Here’s a couple of tips to reduce the risk of being gubbed when using price boosts:
- Mix Up Your Bets: Don’t only bet on price boosts at a particular bookmaker. Try placing a variety of bets, whether that is other types of Matched Betting offers or mug bets with no value, to appear more like a regular punter.
- Don’t Use The Maximum Stake Every Time: Price boosts will typically have a maximum stake limit which is sometimes stated in the terms or alternatively, you can test by entering in a large stake in your bet slip and a warning message will come up with the maximum amount. If a pricer boost has a max stake of £50, consider not always taking that amount and instead sometimes use £40 or £30. This will help your account avoid getting flagged for taking the exact maximum stake every time.
Using The Price Boost Tracker To Stay Ahead
As mentioned earlier, the Price Boost Tracker available with Outplayed Pro is one of the most efficient ways to ensure you’re capitalising on all available profitable price boosts.
This tool displays all known current price boosts in a single, easy-to-read table, allowing you to act quickly when boosts become available.
Here’s why the Price Boost Tracker is an essential tool for any serious Matched Bettor:
1. Boost Listings
The Price Boost Tracker lists all current known boosts across multiple bookmakers, so you don't need to spend any time searching individual websites. In one glance, you can see which boosts are available, the boosted back odds and the current exchange lay odds.
2. Speed
Time is of the essence when it comes to price boosts, as they tend to be very short-term promotions. With the Price Boost Tracker, you can quickly identify the most profitable boosts and get your bets placed in a matter of seconds using the in-built calculator to see your lay stake amounts. Each bet has a direct link to each price boost ensuring you can find your bets super quick and don’t miss out.
3. Personalised Boosts
The Price Boost Tracker allows you to set up personalised filters so you can choose which bookies you’ll see boosts for with all bets listed in order of value so you can cherry pick the most profitable offers first.
4. Beat The Competition
Since many value bettors and Matched Bettors rely on price boosts to make easy profits, competition for these boosts can be fierce. By using the Price Boost Tracker, you can get ahead of others and secure the best odds before they’re gone.
How Much Can You Make From Price Boost Offers?
With the huge number of boosts available, earning from price boosts will vary enormously depending on factors such as your ability to get on the boosts quickly and if your bankroll allows you to cover multiple boosts.
To give you an idea of the potential monthly profits of price boosts, we tracked all the value posted in our forum price boost thread in 2023.
The monthly average for 2023 was well over £400 of price boost value.
It’s unrealistic to bet on every price boost available but if you manage to place around half of the posted opportunities you could make over £200 each month just from these simple price boost offers.
Summary
Price boosts are a fantastic way to increase your Matched Betting profits with very little effort. They are widely available, easy to take advantage of, and much lower risk than some other betting strategies.
Whether you’re just starting or looking for ways to take your Matched Betting to the next level, including price boosts into your routine is a no-brainer.