Tip

A tip is the single call you make on an event. You predict, say, that the home team wins or that the match has more than two goals. On its own, the tip is just a forecast. It becomes a bet with a chance of a payout only once you put money on it.

So the tip is the content of your prediction. The bet is the formal agreement with the bookmaker, which is sealed by the stake. In everyday use the two words are often swapped, but strictly speaking the tip is only one part of the bet.

Every tip relates to a particular betting market. On the same match you can tip the winner, the number of goals or a detail such as the first goalscorer, and each of these tips has its own odds.

In everyday speech the word tip carries two meanings. One is your own prediction, the one you place. The other is advice from someone else, as when a friend gives you a tip on a match. Either way it remains a judgement with no guarantee.

The guide Filling in and placing a betting slip covers this in detail.

A tip can stand on its own or join others, and that is what gives you the different bet types.

• Single tip: one tip on a slip, in other words a single bet.
• Combined: several tips on one slip, an accumulator, where all of them have to come in.
• Result tip: a call on the winner or a draw.
• Goals tip: a call on the number of goals, for example over 2.5.

A single tip is a good place to start, because only one call has to be right. An accumulator raises the possible payout, but it raises the risk too, because one wrong tip loses the whole slip. So think carefully about how many tips you bundle together.

An example shows the step from tip to bet. You tip a home win and stake 10 euros. The table sets out the result.

If the tip comes in, you get 18 euros. If you are wrong, you lose the 10-euro stake. The tip itself, the home win, stays the same call. Only the stake and the odds turn it into a concrete bet with a particular payout.

Many tips draw on information such as the form of the teams, injuries, head-to-head records and how much the match matters. Even so, every tip stays a judgement. Sport offers no certainty, not even with a clear favourite.

• Form: how have both teams played in their last matches?
• Personnel: are key players out through injury or suspension?
• Odds: do they match your own assessment?
• Importance: is a lot riding on the match, or does it count for little?

Information makes a tip easier to follow, but no more certain. That applies to a tip on your favourite team too.

Be wary of other people's tips from the internet too. Nobody can call the outcome with certainty, and promises of sure winnings are a clear warning sign. You are better off deciding for yourself, on the basis of information you can follow.

At the betting shop you give your tip at the counter or pick it at the self-service terminal. You receive a betting receipt that records your tip and your stake. Keep this receipt safe, because it is what a later payout rests on.

Always treat a tip as a judgement, never as a sure thing. Stake only amounts you can afford to lose, and use your provider's protection tools. Gambling is permitted only from the age of 18 (21 in Bremen) and can be addictive.

It helps to set yourself a fixed budget each week and stick to it. A tip should add to the excitement of watching, not put you under financial pressure. If you notice yourself chasing losses, take a break.