What Are Back And Lay Bets?

Last Updated on December 20, 2022 by The Betting Dad Team

You may have wondered what is back and lay in betting.

Back bets and lay bets are very important to understand in order to start profiting from betting.

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What Is Back And Lay In Betting?

Back and lay bets are frequently used when Matched Betting in particular.

Understanding the difference between these bets will help you learn the basics.

A back bet is a bet placed on something that you think WILL happen.

This is a traditional/normal bet that you can place at any bookmaker shop or online.

Example:

You bet £10 on SHEEP TO WIN the 2023 Farmyard chase.

You would only win this back bet if your selection SHEEP wins the race.

So, if any other animal wins the race, you lose the bet.

This is called a back bet.

This is a bet placed on something that you think WILL NOT happen.

Lay bets can be placed using betting exchanges. Such as the Betfair Exchange.

Example:

You bet £10 on SHEEP NOT TO WIN the 2023 Farmyard chase.

You would only win this bet if your lay selection SHEEP did not win the race.

So, if any other animal wins the race you win the lay bet.

If SHEEP wins the race, you lose the lay bet.

This is called a lay bet.

You can place back and lay bets together to lock in betting profits.

The most common strategy using these bets is Matched Betting.

Matched Betting is a low-risk betting technique that allows you to lock in profits by covering all outcomes of an event.

The profit comes from the free bets and incentives offered by bookmakers.

You can also use back and lay bets to profit from opportunities known as Arbs or Sure bets.

These bets differ from Matched Betting as they do not require bookmaker offers in order to make a profit.

As a result, profits can be locked in faster.