By now you should have completed your first welcome bonus, and you’re probably keen to get on with the rest.

However, before you rush in, it’s important to understand the different types of bonus that are available. Each type should be approached differently in order to maximise your profits.

It is also important to know what kind of bookie you are dealing with.

Types of Deposit Bonus

Here are the main bonus types that you will find:

Deposit $XX, Get $XX in Bonus Bets (SNR)

​This is the most common type of offer that you will find, and it is the type we received at TAB in this lesson.

When you deposit a certain amount of money, the bookie will give you a certain amount in bonus bets.

The amount that the bookie gives you is often the same amount as your deposit. This is called a 100% match bonus. Other bonuses can offer as much as 500% e.g. TAB’s ‘Deposit $20, get $100 in bonus bets’.

Because the stake is not returned (SNR) with these bonus bets, it is best to place them at higher odds. Make sure you have the calculator set to the SNR setting and the ATM sorted by the SNR column.

When playing this kind of offer we suggest that you split the bonus into multiple smaller bets, if possible.

We’ll Match your First Bet Amount Up To $XXX

​This type of offer that is pretty self-explanatory. The bookie will give you bonus bets equal to the amount of your first bet, up to a certain limit.

By definition we first have to place a qualifying bet using our own cash. To do this we use the qualifier setting on the calculator and the SR column on the ATM.

When we receive the bonus bets they will be SNR so we have to switch settings.

The main drawback with this kind of offer is that in order to qualify for the maximum bonus you have to place quite a large qualifier bet. 

If your qualifier wins at the bookie it can take quite a big chunk out of your Betfair balance, so make sure you have sufficient funds before depositing. You can often split the bonus bets once you receive them, but make sure you check this beforehand.

Types of Bookie

Corporate Bookies

Unless you are a veteran punter, it is likely that most of the bookies you have heard off fall into the ‘Corporate’ category. These are the bookmaking giants that are traded on the stockmarket, and are often part of large multi-national conglomerates.

Examples of corporate bookies are Sportsbet, TAB, Bet365, Pointsbet, and Ladbrokes.

These bookies have millions of customers, and huge amounts of turnover. As a result, your matched betting activity will have less impact on them than it does on the other type of bookie…

Rails Bookies

‘Rails’ bookies are smaller, often privately owned, bookies that have historically done business in person at the racetrack. The name ‘rails bookie’ comes from the fact that they would stand at the rail of the racetrack taking bets.

Over the past few years more and more of these bookies have moved online. This has been great for us as matched bettors, but it doesn’t come without risks.

Due to their small customer base, rails bookies can be more seriously impacted by an influx of matched bettors. As a result they often have stricter terms & conditions, and are prone to more extreme reactions if they think you are matched betting. This can include removing bonuses and locking accounts.

To help minimise the risks to you as a new matched bettor, we have two pieces of advice:

1. Start with the corporate bookies – They are much safer for learning the ropes
2. When you bet at Rails, try to look like a Rails punter – The vast majority of bets that a Rails bookie takes will be on racing. Specifically, they will take lots of bets on races at metro tracks on a Saturday afternoon. This is the best option for turning over your bonuses. Betting on low liquidity races, or sports markets where they take hardly any other bets, is going to draw unwanted attention to your account. Some rails (e.g. PlayUp) have even been known to immediately ban anyone who uses bonus bets on sports. Try to blend in with the crowd.

Betting on racing is a little trickier than betting on sports (we have a whole other course for it), so stick to the corporate bookies until you are confident with the basics.

Time To Get Started

Now that you understand the different types of bonuses and bookies, you can start opening new accounts.

To get an idea of what type of bonus you can expect from each bookie you can check out the #bookie-info and #deposit-bonuses channels on our discord server. It is also a good idea to type the bookies name into the Discord search bar to see what other members have been saying about them recently.

After you have received a bonus you can add it to the #bookie-info channel to let others know what they are currently offering.

It’s time to take the training wheels off but, as always, there is plenty of support available in the community, or via email, for any questions that you have. You will also find answers to the most frequently asked questions in our knowledge base.

To keep track of the profits you are making, you can download a copy of our Bet-Tracker spreadsheet.