Making consistent profits in sports betting is not easy and the successful punters I know spend many hours looking for that little something that will give them an edge over the bookmakers.

In some cases that could mean phoning the local pub in Kimberly to see what the weather is like ahead of a Griquas Currie Cup Rugby match and in others, keeping a close eye on team selections and I can recall waking up at 06h00 every morning in one of the Rugby World Cups because that was the time the teams were announced. By the time the bookmakers opened their eyes I had already grabbed the value.

With information freely available these days it is harder to get any sort of clear advantage in the main stream sports and that is why when something like the Varsity Cup comes along, the shrewd rugby punters rub their hands in anticipation.

In the Varsity Cup very few of the players are well-known and because the competition is intensive with games taking place so close to each other plenty of squad rotation takes place. This was the case on Tuesday when Wits played against the Madibas. Wits had lost their opening 4 games, but all against top teams and in each of them they had been competitive and had their chances to win.

They made a few changes to the team, but nothing too drastic and when well-known rugby punters @son_of_a_punt on Twitter pointed out that the Madibas were fielding what was effectively a C Team, the line quickly moved from (-14.5) Wits to (-21.5). In the end that line movement wasn’t enough to save the bookmakers and Wits ran out massive 70 point winners.

Those who took the Wits minus never even had to sweat.

Sadly for me I missed out on the action as was in Sun City for the week and by the time I tried to get a bet on, the bookmaker had suspended the market, but well done to the lads for doing their homework and to all of their followers for jumping on and ultimately getting their reward.

If you are battling to make money sports betting then perhaps shift your attention to a sport or competition where knowledge and information are less freely available. Do some extra homework and that could be just what you need to get ahead.

Twitter: @BrentGraham.

This article was written for the CitiGaming supplement of the Citizen Newspaper and was published on the 29 April 2021.

Brent Graham is a blogger on www.goodforthegame.co.za and sends a free weekly e-mail list just CLICK HERE to register