Ross holds a First Class MA in Creative Writing from Plymouth University and has been a self-confessed sports nut his entire life. After just shy of a decade spent teaching in Asia, he channeled his passion for sports news and betting into a successful writing career. Now, with nearly a decade of experience in the industry, Ross's contributions are featured on esteemed platforms across the US and UK, including GiveMeSport and Fight Bananas. His expertise spans a wide array of sports, with a primary focus on the NFL, UFC, NBA, and soccer.
All posts by Ross BennellickDutch betting is a concept where bettors can wager on more than one outcome (sometimes all) to lock in a certain profit on a match or event. This betting strategy is very simple and easy to learn, and it can be used across all of your favorite sports.
However, to help explain this method further, our experts are on hand to explore every aspect of dutching in betting and how you can use this valuable strategy. We’ll also explore the best betting sites to consider when dutching and how it can be best used across all major US sports.
Dutching Betting Explained
Dutch betting is a special matched betting strategy that can be applied at most of the best US sportsbooks today. The general concept requires the bettor to cover all possible outcomes in a single market to guarantee a profit.
Essentially, you’re backing all outcomes so that your profit will be equal – regardless of the result of the sporting event. The origin of this very popular betting strategy dates back to the early 20th century, specifically the 1930s.
It was invented by an American mobster, Dutch Schultz, who was Al Capone’s accountant and manipulated trackside odds in horse racing. Schultz profited greatly from this strategy, and because there are several odds providers setting odds for different sportsbooks, history has been very kind to it, which is why it remains popular today.
Dutch betting minimizes the risk of the bettor losing money. To correctly take advantage of a Dutch betting opportunity, one must bet with extremely precise odds and wagers.
How Does Dutching In Betting Work
Dutch betting requires the bettor to choose a two-way market, such as a moneyline bet on a soccer game. First, you need to back one of the teams to win and wait until suitable odds become available to back the opposite outcome with another sportsbook.
Your odds and wagers need to be perfect so that the payout for both outcomes results in the same profit. This allows you to take full advantage of the free bets and welcome offers for each sportsbook.
Example Dutching In Betting
To help you better understand how Dutch betting works, let’s run through a few examples so they are easily digestible. We can consider betting on an NBA game between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, with odds provided by one of our recommended offshore sportsbooks for 2024.
Sportsbook 1 Sportsbook 2 Celtics Odds -200 Lakers Odds +250 Stake $30 Stake $12.86 The total stake is $42.86 Profit $2.14 Profit $2.15 As you can see in the above example, Sportsbook 1 had the Celtics at -200 odds to beat the Lakers. At Sportsbook 2, oddsmakers have priced the Lakers at +250 to beat Boston.
Using a Dutch betting calculator, you can determine that a $30 wager on the Celtics with Sportsbook 1 and a $12.86 wager on the Lakers with Sportsbook 2 will result in a guaranteed profit of $2.14—regardless of the outcome.
Our total wagers come to a combined $42.86, and the total payout for either scenario is $45. Dutching is best used to take advantage of the free bet offers from the different US sportsbooks to lock in profit with low wagers.
Equal Stake vs. Split Stake vs. Set Profit Dutch Betting
There are multiple strategies to consider when betting this way – such as equal stake, split stake, and set profit.
- Equal stake Dutch betting means staking the same amount on each selection and having different winnings depending on the betting odds. For example, let’s pretend you want to bet $10 on two big underdogs for the Super Bowl.
If the Las Vegas Raiders are +9000 to win Super Bowl LIX and the Indianapolis Colts are +5000, split your $10 between each selection, with $5 on Las Vegas and $5 on Indianapolis. If the Raiders win, you’d profit $440, and if the Colts win, you’d profit $250.
- Split-stake Dutch betting means the bettor stakes to win the same amount. For example, if you wanted to wager $20 on two outsiders in a horse race, you could split the stake so that an equal profit is made on both selections.
Using a dutching calculator, you can back horse A (+500) with an $11.43 wager and horse B (+700) with an $8.57 wager to guarantee a profit of $48.57.
- Set-profit Dutch betting guarantees a profit by backing every outcome. For example, imagine an NFL game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. Use a $100 stake to split it across the two outcomes. This ensures a profit of $2.73, no matter the result.
If the Patriots are priced at -278 and the Seahawks are priced at +320, backing the Patriots with $75.45 at -278 and backing the Seahawks with $24.46 at +320 guarantees a profit of $2.73 no matter who wins the game.
What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Dutch Betting?
As with all gambling strategies, there are several pros and cons to consider when it comes to mastering what dutching is in betting.
Advantages- Guaranteed profit – If you’re Dutch betting correctly and you learn to take advantage of the various sportsbook free bets and opening offers, you can guarantee yourself a tidy profit.
- Easy to understand and execute – Dutch betting has its roots in mathematics, so using the common formula is simple to understand and execute—whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned gambler.
- Can be used for any sport – It doesn’t matter what sport it is. You can apply Dutch betting to anything you wish
Disadvantages- Can be tricky to find the right odds and wagers – Sportsbooks are smart, and they’re very aware of Dutch betting, so they’ll do their best to make it as hard as possible. However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible, and there are opportunities out there daily.
- Frequent dutching could see you receive a ban from the sportsbook – As well as keeping an eye out for bettors who are dutching, the sportsbook can also take action and ban you from their service if you’re winning consistently – so it’s important to be as careful as possible.
Dutch Betting Can Also Be Used To Cover ALL Outcomes In Certain Events
Dutch betting is essentially a form of arbitrage, and there aren’t many differences between the two. Arbitrages require the bettor to have access to a betting exchange, where they place a bet on one outcome and lay the other outcome on a separate exchange.
The main contrast between the two is that dutching aims to achieve equal profit regardless of the result. Arbitrage betting, conversely, aims to secure any profit whatsoever.
How To Use Dutch Betting With Sportsbook Betting Offers
Dutch betting lets the bettor turn the tables on the sportsbooks to extract their free bets and offers. Doing so has the potential to lock additional profits alongside your dutching strategy. For instance, you might find a dutching opportunity betting on the NFL that also comes with a rebate, meaning you’d also receive back a small percentage of your losses.
Unfortunately, the free bet offers run out eventually, and you cannot do this forever, but you can make a healthy amount for as long as the ride lasts, which makes it a worthwhile endeavor.
Use Dutching Calculators To Help Work Out Bets
There are many different dutching betting calculators on the web. Their purpose allows you to enter the odds of your chosen markets. Then, you can adjust your wagers to see how much you need to risk on each to secure a profit when trying to perfect what is dutching in sports betting.
What Are The Best Strategies, Hints, and Tips?
1. Stick to two-way betting
Two-way betting is most convenient when dutching because there are only two outcomes. Three-way markets throw in an extra variable, making things very difficult.
2. Practice what you know
Stick to the sports that you know best when you’re Dutch betting. When you venture outside of your own knowledge, you can risk exposing yourself to the sportsbook.
3. Gamble responsibly
Don’t gamble with money that you can’t afford to lose. If you’re struggling to find any opportunities to dutch, patience will pay dividends.
Is Dutch Betting Illegal?
No, there are no laws against Dutch betting. However, some sportsbooks may consider it a violation of their terms and conditions, which could lead to restriction. Don’t use the strategy too often to avoid this.
If you’re consistently winning in a short time, the sportsbooks will not hesitate to shut down your account and no longer accept your business.
What Are The Best Sports For Dutch Betting?
Dutch betting is available for any sport, but we’ve outlined some of the most suitable ones below.
Horse Racing
Dutch betting in horse racing can be very tricky due to the field sizes. Unless you can find races with six or fewer participants, you’ll need plenty of bankroll to cover the entire field. The best-known dutching strategy for horses is to bet on as many of the top six as you can using several Racebooks.
NFL
NFL is quite a popular option for dutching because there are many different markets to choose from. You can dutch on all top markets, like moneyline, totals, and quarter markets. Sports like American football, with plenty of betting options, work best when attempting to dutch using NFL betting sites.
NBA
The NBA is similar to the NFL because it is useful for dutching. This is due to the vast number of markets available to wager your money on. Different sportsbooks usually house different odds, too. Hence, it’s not hard to find positive dutching opportunities with the best NBA sportsbooks, especially given the frequency of NBA games during a season.
The Final Word
Successful dutching requires a commitment to line research across multiple sportsbooks as you seek to find the best opportunities. Hence, if you are a fan of data analysis and light math, this sports betting strategy might appeal to you. In addition, despite combined efforts from sportsbooks to eliminate dutching opportunities, openings still present themselves, and eagle-eyed bettors still catch them.
Of course, success in gambling is never guaranteed. However, dutching is a worthwhile strategy, so long as you have the patience for it.
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