There is no single best Betfair trading strategy. There is a best strategy for where you are right now — and for most beginners, that is back-to-lay in a liquid market, with small stakes, while you learn how prices actually move. The traders who last are not the ones with a secret system. They are the ones who learned one approach properly, kept their losses small, and only added a second strategy once the first one was paying.
First, How Exchange Trading Works
On a traditional bookmaker you only ever back — you pick a winner and hope. On Betfair you can also lay, which means acting as the bookmaker and profiting when a selection loses. That one difference makes trading possible.
The core idea, in Betfair’s own words, is to “back high, lay low”. Back a selection at higher odds, lay it at lower odds once the price shortens, and the difference is your profit — locked in across every outcome. Betfair calls this a “green book”. You can also do it the other way round, laying first and backing later if you expect the price to drift.
Betfair charges commission on net winnings, typically 2–5% depending on your market rate. That matters: a strategy that makes a small profit before commission can lose money after it. Always work out your numbers after commission, not before. Betfair’s own starter guide is the best place to read the basics: How to Trade on Betfair.
Strategy 1: Back-to-Lay (Start Here)
This is the simplest trading strategy, and the one most beginners should start with.
- Find a liquid market — Premier League football or a big horse race — where plenty of money is changing hands.
- Back a selection before the market moves — the classic trigger is team news. Back a football team at 3.00 before the line-ups are announced; if the expected team is confirmed, the odds often shorten.
- Once the price has moved to, say, 2.50, lay the same selection at 2.50.
- You have now locked in a profit whatever happens.
The danger is holding on too long, waiting for a bigger move that never comes. Have an exit in mind before you enter — a price where you take the profit, and one where you get out for a small loss.
Strategy 2: Swing Trading (The Next Step)
Swing trading is back-to-lay with a longer horizon. Instead of targeting a move of a few ticks, you hold a position for a bigger price swing — 30–50% moves driven by match events, momentum shifts or market sentiment. A football team that goes a goal up will see its odds shorten sharply; a horse that trades short before the off and then drifts is a swing in the other direction.
This needs more patience and a bigger bankroll, because the swings are bigger in both directions. Do not move to swing trading until you have been profitable at back-to-lay for at least two months, with a record to prove it. If you cannot show a profit on the simple strategy, the harder one will not fix that.
Strategy 3: Scalping (Advanced, Not a Starting Point)
Scalping is the strategy most people have heard of, and the one beginners should leave alone until they know what they are doing. A scalper places opposing back and lay bets one or two ticks apart and closes the trade in seconds — back a horse at 3.05, lay it at 3.00, hedge, move on. The profit per trade is tiny, so it only works with volume and discipline.
What makes scalping work:
- Offer prices, don’t take them. Scalping trader Caan Berry’s best tip: always offer a price when opening a scalp — you are already ahead if the price does not move. His full beginner’s guide is worth reading: Beginners Guide to Scalping Betfair.
- Liquid, stable markets only. Scalping needs tight spreads and fast matching. A thin market will leave one side of your trade unmatched, which is how scalpers lose money.
- A ladder interface. Betfair’s ladder view shows the money waiting at each price, and that is what scalpers read. Without it, you are trading blind.
- Scratch the trade. If both sides have not matched and the price is not moving your way, cancel the unmatched bet at the same price — a “scratch” — and walk away. The discipline to scratch is what separates scalpers who last from those who blow up.
Scalping is high-frequency, tight-margin work. It is not a shortcut to easy money, and it is the strategy most likely to punish impatience.
Strategy 4: Lay the Draw (Football In-Play)
Lay the draw is the most popular football trading strategy, and it is easy to understand. Pick a match with a low chance of a draw, and while the score is level — 0–0, 1–1 — lay the draw. When the next goal is scored, the draw price rises, and you exit by backing the draw at the higher odds. Your profit is the difference.
Many traders wait for the draw odds to drop in-play before laying, because the lower the lay price, the smaller your liability. And you need an exit plan: if no goal comes, the draw price keeps falling and your loss grows. Set a time — say, 70 minutes — after which you get out whatever the score is.
One more warning on laying: your liability on a lay bet is (odds − 1) × stake. Lay £20 at 5.00 and you are risking £80, not £20. Always know your maximum loss before you enter a lay.
Which Strategy Should You Pick?
| Strategy | Skill level | Time needed | Risk | Best market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back-to-lay | Beginner | Minutes to hours | Low–medium | Premier League, big races |
| Swing trading | Intermediate | Hours to days | Medium | Football, horse racing |
| Scalping | Advanced | Seconds per trade | Low per trade, high if undisciplined | Liquid horse racing |
| Lay the draw | Intermediate | One match | Medium | Football in-play |
The right answer is to master one row of this table before moving to the next. Traders who jump between strategies every week never learn any of them properly.
The Discipline Rules
- Keep a record. Every trade, every price, every result. If you cannot show a profit over 200 trades, you do not have a strategy yet — you have a hobby.
- Trade liquid markets only. Premier League football and top horse racing have the money to get you in and out cleanly.
- Never trade angry. A losing trade does not get fixed by a bigger next trade. It gets fixed by going back to the record and finding what went wrong.
- Commission counts. Work out every result after Betfair’s commission, not before. A strategy that looks profitable gross can be a loser net.
If you like the numbers side of betting, our spread betting cricket guide explains a very different market where your win or loss grows with how right you are, and our premier league bet tips cover the angles for this weekend’s games.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Betfair trading strategy for beginners?
Back-to-lay. It is the simplest to understand, the risk is easy to see, and it teaches you the core skill — reading how a price moves — without needing fast execution or specialist software. Start there, in liquid markets, with small stakes.
How much money do I need to start trading on Betfair?
You can start with a small bank — many traders begin with £100 or less — because the point at the start is learning, not earning. What matters more than the size of the bank is the staking: never risk more than a small percentage of it on one trade.
What is scalping on Betfair?
Scalping means taking tiny profits from small price movements — usually one or two ticks — with opposing back and lay bets. It needs a liquid market, fast execution and a ladder interface, and only works with volume and discipline.
What does “lay the draw” mean?
It means betting against the draw in a football match while the score is level. When a goal is scored, the draw odds rise, and you exit the trade by backing the draw at the higher price. Your profit is the difference between the two prices.
Can you make a living trading on Betfair?
A small number do, and they treat it like a job: records, discipline, bankroll management, years of practice. Most people do not, and anyone promising a living from trading in weeks is selling a course, not a skill.
Trading involves risk. Never trade with money you cannot afford to lose, and if gambling stops being fun, help is free and confidential from BeGambleAware and GamCare.