FOR the past few weeks I've been doing a little experiment on Ladbrokes' moneyback acca coupon.
Using a grid loyalty card you have to pick at least five teams (max stake £25) and if you get one wrong your stake is refunded as a free bet.
I don't often do five-team accas but there is a lure of money back – and of course many bookies offer this service online too. One reason I go to Ladbrokes and William Hill shops is to walk the dug but also to have a bit of banter with a few of the regulars and staff.
Live sport is always on and a cup of coffee on offer too – and the dug's quite happy to lie on the carpet and have a nap. Anyway enough of my exciting lifestyle – let's get on with the gambling.
The last five bets I've placed using this coupon have seen me end up with four out of five using a tactic that involves taking four short prices and a long shot. And strangely only twice has the long shot beaten me – for example on Sunday it was Celtic and on Tuesday it was Portsmouth.
Last night my long shot was the one to trip me up as Bologna lost at Frosinone but Guingamp, Fiorentina, Juventus and Barcelona all won so again my stake is returned.
This weekend I'm doing to do two lines – one on five short-priced favourites and the second has more odds-on sides and a long shot in Charlton at 7-4 with Blackpool game called off.
This weekend isn't the best for “bankers” although you could take Ross County at 1-14, Celtic at 1-50, Barcelona at 1-6 and Juventus at 1-5. A max £25 on those four pays just £35 but because one wrong gets you money back – assuming those four are going to win – you have a risk-free £25 going on any team you like. For example it could go on Burnley at 13-10. It's all about personal choice and tactics.
I've picked my selections and will keep a tab throughout the month of how many times I'm refunded and what the wins or losses amount to.
Anyone who gets 5 from 5 will be celebrating and 4 from 5 means a refund. But here's how you can get your money back with two wrong on a line of at least 5 selections.
Place a bet using your grid card on the moneyback acca coupon and if you get 3 correct let me know. Simply put up details of the bet and I'll pick one person with 3 from 5 to have up to £25 refunded to his card and you can say Grid Riddance to bad luck.
But we don't want to just see the losers – let's have the winners too. And if you have a tactic when it comes to this type of offer let us know.
Saturday's Bets
Spurs 9-20
Middlesbrough 4-7
Northampton 1-2
Dundee 4-9
Dunfermline 1-2
£25 pays £213.87
Cardiff 5-6
Charlton 7-4
Ross County 1-14
East Fife 4-5
Atletico Madrid 4-11
£10 pays £153.17
February Stats
1 bet (1 void)
Profit/Loss: 0pts
Resident football tipster at Scotland's most read newspaper, the Daily Record, for over 20 years and proud host of one the best betting communities on the web with daily betting tips.
Hi Paul, I’ve been doing this ‘grid’ bet for some while and had reasonable success. I had communicated with yourself on a previous occasion about this grid acca and as you rightly said at the time, the odds in comparison to online etc were not in the punter’s favour. Similar to what you state in your post I mix a few long shots with one or two shots around even. The long shot odds are beyond ridiculous at times, but hey it’s about trying to get at least four out of five correct. One word of caution, I’ve put on a few grid accas where one game has been postponed and they have stated to myself that they wouldn’t pay out (I have had 3 out of 4 on a couple of occasions) unless I got 4 correct out of 5 ie 3 out of 4 is no good (ie no stake returned as free bet) even if one of the selections has been postponed after you put the line on. I’ve managed to argue my point on both occasions with different workers, but they told me that they wouldn’t pay me out again in similar circumstances. There’s plenty of ladbrokes shops and plenty of workers so if someone took this stance again I would just erm…..shop around ( ;
This week my two £5 lines were Middlesborough, Northampton, Boreham Wood, Tranmere, Ross County (3 out of 5) and Bolton, Cardiff, Southend, Cambridge and Celtic (pending) That will be 4 out 5 if Celtic win tomorrow and I’ll get a free £5 bet. I like the enjoyment this kind of bet gives (it seems to appeal to my wdw love which is the kind of bet I was raised on) although I’ve probably had more successes with dnb, 2.5 goal bets.
Well done today with your winning bets.
Cheers
Charliescot.
charliescot, their rules state all games must be played but as you say in most cases they’ll refund unless they think you’ve deliberately tried to pick a postponed game.