📚 Education & Getting Started

Learn & Get Started

New to sports betting arbitrage? This guide takes you from zero to your first profitable bet.

🚀 Getting Started in 6 Steps

1

Join Discord & Verify

Join our Discord — new members are landed in #verification. Click the green Verify button to unlock the full server. Keeps bots and spam out.

2

Set Your State

Use the /mystate slash command (e.g. /mystate state:Arizona) or type your state name in #select-your-state. The bot DMs you a custom guide with legal books, signup links, welcome bonuses, and your state's age requirement (21+ in most states, 18+ in NH/RI/WY/DC/MT).

3

Pick Your Sportsbooks

In #select-your-sportsbooks, use the 3 dropdowns (US, International, Fantasy/DFS) to select books you ACTUALLY have accounts on. You'll get role-pinged when picks drop on your books — not spammed with plays you can't take.

→ View Sportsbook Guide
4

Sign Up for More Books

More books = more opportunities. Pinnacle, Bovada, BetOnline, and Bet365 (international) unlock the biggest arb pool since many arbs involve at least one offshore leg. All four are available from any US state.

5

Place Your First Bet

When a pick drops, open the relevant sportsbooks, verify the odds still match, and place your bets. Each pick shows exact stakes for $100/$500/$1,000 bankrolls so you know what to wager. Arbs are usually 2-15 min windows — move fast.

6

Track Results Automatically

Every pick gets a ✅ WIN or ❌ LOSS reply from the bot once the game ends — full transparency, no manual tracking. Use /logbet, /pnl, /streak, /roi for deeper analytics.

🤖 Bot Commands

BetBot includes powerful Discord commands to enhance your betting experience. Some are free for all members, others require Premium.

🆓 Free Commands

  • /mystate — Get a custom betting guide for your state with signup links
  • /stats — View server stats and top performing picks
  • /calc — Calculate arbitrage stakes and profit for any two odds
  • /bankroll — Get bankroll management recommendations
  • /record — All-time surebet win/loss record
  • /ev — EV plays track record & ROI

👑 Premium Commands

  • /logbet — Log your bets for tracking
  • /history — View your betting history
  • /pnl — Check your profit & loss stats
  • /streak — See your current win/loss streaks
  • /edge — Analyze your edge over time
  • /rank — View your leaderboard position
  • /alert — Set custom DM alert preferences

🔔 Custom DM Alerts (Premium Only)

Set your sport preferences and minimum edge thresholds. When a pick matches your criteria, it gets delivered straight to your DMs automatically — with a direct signup link for the sportsbook involved.

Example: "DM me NBA picks with 5%+ edge" or "DM me all soccer arbs over 1.5%"

📚

Terminology & Glossary

New to sports betting? Our dedicated terminology channel explains 20+ betting terms in plain English. Never be confused by betting jargon again.

Terms Covered Include:

  • • Arbitrage (Arb)
  • • Expected Value (+EV)
  • • Vig (Juice)
  • • Sharp vs Soft Books
  • • Kelly Criterion

And Many More:

  • • Moneyline, Spread, Totals
  • • American vs Decimal Odds
  • • Closing Line Value (CLV)
  • • Variance & Standard Deviation
  • • Bankroll Management

Understanding the Strategies

Two proven approaches. One goal: consistent profit.

🔵

Arbitrage Betting

Also known as "surebets" or "arbs"

Arbitrage betting means placing bets on all possible outcomes of an event across different bookmakers. Because odds vary between books, you can lock in a guaranteed profit regardless of who wins.

// Example: NBA Game
Lakers vs Celtics
├─ Pinnacle: Lakers ML @ 2.10
└─ Bet365: Celtics ML @ 2.05
Bet $100 on Lakers @ Pinnacle
Bet $102 on Celtics @ Bet365
If Lakers win → $210 (+$8 profit)
If Celtics win → $209 (+$7 profit)
✅ ~1% guaranteed profit either way

✅ Pros

  • Zero risk — profit is locked in before the game starts
  • Consistent, predictable returns
  • No sports knowledge needed
  • Works in any sport, any market

⚠️ Cons

  • Margins are small (typically 0.5–3%)
  • Requires accounts at multiple bookmakers
  • Books may limit accounts if they detect arbing
  • Need a decent bankroll for meaningful returns
🟣

Expected Value (EV) Betting

Also known as "+EV" or "value betting"

EV betting means placing a single bet where the bookmaker's odds are higher than the true probability suggests. You won't win every bet, but over hundreds of bets, the math guarantees you come out ahead — just like a casino.

// Example: NBA Game
Lakers vs Celtics
├─ Fair odds (true probability): 1.90
└─ DraftKings offering: 2.15
Edge = (2.15 / 1.90) - 1 = 13.2%
Bet $100 on Lakers @ DraftKings
⚠️ This specific bet might lose
✅ But over 100+ similar bets, you profit ~13% on average

✅ Pros

  • Higher long-term returns (5–15%+ edge)
  • Only need one bookmaker per bet
  • Harder for books to detect — looks like normal betting
  • Accounts last much longer

⚠️ Cons

  • Individual bets can and will lose
  • Need 100+ bets for the edge to show
  • Requires emotional discipline during losing streaks
  • Need enough bankroll to survive variance

⚖️ Head-to-Head Comparison

🔵 Arbs
🟣 EV Plays
Risk per bet
None ✅
Some variance
Avg profit/bet
0.5–3%
5–15%+
Bets to profit
1 bet = profit
100+ for edge
Accounts needed
2+ per bet
1 per bet
Account limits
High risk ⚠️
Low risk ✅
Bankroll needed
Higher
Lower
Difficulty
Easy
Easy
Best for
Safe grinders
Long-term pros

🎯 Which Strategy Should You Use?

🔒

Use Arbs If...

  • • You want guaranteed profit on every play
  • • You have zero risk tolerance
  • • You want steady, predictable income
  • • You're building initial capital
📈

Use EV If...

  • • You want higher overall returns
  • • You prefer managing fewer accounts
  • • You want longer account lifespans
  • • You can handle short-term variance
🏆

Use Both (Best)

  • • Arbs for consistent cashflow
  • • EV plays for growth
  • • Diversified strategy
  • • Maximum long-term profit
🌍

International Sportsbooks Are Key

90% of arb opportunities come from international books

If you only have US-legal sportsbooks, you're missing the vast majority of arb opportunities. International and offshore books like Pinnacle, Bovada, BetOnline, and MyBookie are where most of the edge lives. Pinnacle in particular is the sharpest book in the world — their lines are the benchmark we use to calculate +EV.

Why International Books?

  • • 90% of arbs involve at least one international book
  • • Higher limits and fewer restrictions on winning bettors
  • • Pinnacle never bans or limits — the gold standard
  • • Available in all 50 states (offshore books)

Recommended Books

  • Pinnacle — sharpest lines, no limits
  • Bovada — most popular offshore for US
  • BetOnline — accepts all 50 states
  • MyBookie — aggressive promos, good props

Bottom line: Sign up for international books to unlock the most arb opportunities. In Discord, select your international sportsbook roles from the dropdown to get pinged on relevant picks.

BetBot Picks delivers both.

Surebets and EV plays, auto-detected and posted to Discord every 5 minutes. Free members get 3 picks/day. Premium gets unlimited.