The Big Four

A Quick look at the "Big Four", Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United, and Liverpool (perhaps no more but we'll take it from the start of the 09-10 season) shows us that if you backed each of the big four to win at home and lose away you would have come out on top.

That is 152 bets you are making, at £10 a bet you would get:

Bets won: 86
Bets lost: 66

This leads to £660 losses on the bets that you didn't win obviously but winnings of £1093.33 on the bets that you did win. This gives an overall profit of £433.33.

Just an added piece of info here. If you backed lawro's predictions on the bbc website for each premiership game he predicted, you would of had £184.77 profit (with £10 stakes).

Did Arsenal stun the Bookies?

The league season is over and we can now take a look at Arsenal's form at the bookies this year:

We will use £10 stakes for each game.

Betting on Arsenal to win each league game this season:
Loss of £31.23

Betting on Arsenal to draw each league game this season:
Loss of £140

Betting on Arsenal to lose each league game this season:
Loss of £63.75

This indicates what we all suspect about the bookies, that they tend to get it right most of the time!

But if we extend this to Home and Away games:

Betting on Arsenal to win each home league game this season:
Profit of £8.38

Betting on Arsenal to draw each home league game this season:
Loss of £110

Betting on Arsenal to lose each home league game this season:
Loss of £135

Betting on Arsenal to win each away league game this season:
Loss of £39.61

Betting on Arsenal to draw each away league game this season:
Loss of £30

Betting on Arsenal to lose each away league game this season:
Profit of £71.25

OK, so the profit on home league wins is marginal, and the profit on losing away from home can mainly stem from the two late defeats to Wigan and Blackburn, but those are the raw numbers. Make of them what you will.

You can be more sensible, more flexible and more acute with your selections. For example, betting without the Top 6.