As we approach another weekend of action, there have been a fair few sporting moments to savour throughout the week. We saw cup football from England and Spain as well as league action from Holland and Germany, quarter-final and semi-final action from the Australian Open tennis, and more cricket from the Big Bash League.

As always, we have picked out three big winning spread bets from Wednesday & Thursday’s action!

Please remember that unlike fixed odds betting, when spread betting losses can exceed deposits.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

HOBART HURRICANES V BRISBANE HEAT – LAUNCH! (SETTLED AT 840)

In the Big Bash League, the Hobart Hurricanes grabbed a tight 2-run victory over Brisbane Heat on Wednesday. However, it was (unfortunately for them) in vain as although this gave them a slim chance of making it through to the BBL playoffs - provided Melbourne Stars stars beat Sydney Thunder during the second game of the day - that result did not follow, and meant the Hurricanes exit the competition.

On a two-paced surface which proved difficult for batting, Brisbane Heat appeared on course for victory at 103 for 4 in the 17th over. However, it did not prove to be that easy and it came down to a dramatic last over where Heat needed 10 runs to secure a home knockout final. Ultimately, although Tim David held his nerve with the ball, it wasn’t quite enough for Hobart Hurricanes.

Amongst the exciting action, where was the betting value?

With this market being fairly volatile, there are usually large returns for punters successfully buying or selling. With a pre-match spread of 1300 - 1400, punters who decided to sell won 460x their stake!

AJAX V VOLENDAM – AJAX CORNERS SQUARED (SETTLED AT 169)

In the Dutch Eredivisie, Ajax took on the relegation-threatened underdogs Volendam at the Johan Cruyff Arena and scraped a 1-1 draw after a late equaliser, although they were heavily favoured to grab a comfortable victory. Interestingly, this result was Ajax’s FIFTH consecutive draw in the league, and third consecutive 1-1 scoreline, which has dropped them to fifth place in a league they have so dominated in recent years.

Although the stats showed a totally dominant display by Ajax with 31 shots compared to two, 84% possession compared to 16%, and 13 corners compared to 0, this was another example that the only statistic that ultimately matters is how many goals hit the back of the net.

In terms of profitable markets for punters, there was plenty to choose from in this match, but corners were a decent choice. With the Ajax Corners Squared market opening at a spread of 73 – 82, the total of 13 meant a squared make-up of 169, meaning buying punters would have been left with 87x their opening wager!

DJOKOVIC V RUBLEV – TOTAL POINTS (SETTLED AT 180)

Novak Djokovic – perhaps predictably – keeps motoring on Down Under in Melbourne, and at the time of writing is well on the way to securing another place in the final. However, in his quarter-final match up with Andrey Rublev the Serb was in imperious form and thoroughly dominated his opponent in straight sets.

Djokovic has been steadily looking stronger and stronger as the tournament has gone on, seemingly defying a leg injury to march his way towards what would be a 10^th Australian Open title and 22^nd Grand Slam.

But where were the profit opportunities for punters from his quarter-final success?

In terms of the Total Points market, a make-up of 180 meant that anyone who foresaw a short night’s work for the Serb and sold on the opening spread of 230 – 237 would have been left with a return of 50x on their opening wager. Game, set, and match!

Please note that these are examples of winning bets from the past week, and it is important to remember that spread betting carries a high level of risk to your capital and can result in losses larger than your initial stake/deposit.