Betfair Scalping: How to Make Small, Quick Profits

Scalping is high-frequency trading for Betfair. Profit from tiny price movements (1-2 ticks) by entering and exiting positions rapidly. High volume, small margins, consistent gains.

What is Scalping?

Scalping = taking small, quick profits from minor price movements.

Characteristics:

• Hold positions for seconds to minutes
• Profit from small tick movements
• High trade frequency (10-30+ per day)
• Accumulates to significant daily volume

How Scalping Works

Why Scalping Works

1. Constant Movement: Odds tick up and down hundreds of times per event

2. High Probability: Small movements are predictable and frequent

3. Low Risk: Exit quickly if trade goes wrong

4. Compounding: Small profits add up over many trades

Best Markets for Scalping

Highest liquidity required:

• Premier League football (£500K+ traded)
• Grand Slam tennis (£200K+ traded)
• Major horse racing (£100K+ traded)

Avoid:

• Lower leagues (less than £50K traded)
• Niche sports
• Low-liquidity markets

Scalping Strategies

Strategy #1: Momentum Scalping

Setup: Odds moving in one direction

Action:

1. Identify trend (odds shortening or drifting)
2. Enter in direction of trend
3. Exit after 1-2 tick movement
4. Repeat

Example: Team dominating, odds shortening from 2.00 → 1.98 → 1.96

• Back at 2.00, lay at 1.98 (2 tick profit)
• Back at 1.98, lay at 1.96 (2 tick profit)

Strategy #2: Range Scalping

Setup: Odds bouncing between two levels

Action:

1. Identify range (e.g., 2.00-2.04)
2. Back at bottom (2.04), lay at top (2.00)
3. Repeat as odds oscillate

Best when: Match is balanced, no clear momentum

Strategy #3: Event Scalping

Setup: Predictable price movements around events

Football:

• Back before corner kick, lay after (odds shorten temporarily)
• Lay before goal kick, back after (odds drift temporarily)

Tennis:

• Back before serve, lay after (odds adjust to server)

Execution Speed Matters

Manual trading: Too slow for consistent scalping

Traderline advantages:

• One-click trading
• Pre-set stakes
• Automatic calculations
• Faster execution

Risk Management

Scalping risks:

• Death by a thousand cuts (many small losses)
• Overtrading leads to mistakes

Protection:

• Track win rate and adjust your strategy
• Take breaks after consecutive losses

Common Scalping Mistakes

Scalping vs Other Strategies

Scalping:

• ✅ High frequency, more opportunities
• ❌ Requires constant attention

Swing Trading:

• ✅ Less intensive than Scalping
• ❌ Fewer opportunities

Choose based on: Your time availability and personality

Tools for Scalping

Essential:

• Traderline (one-click trading)
• High-speed internet
• Dual monitors (optional but helpful)

Advanced:

• Ladder interface
• Hotkeys for instant execution
• Real-time charts

Next Steps

Scalping isn't for everyone - it requires discipline, speed, and constant attention. But master it and you'll have a consistent profit stream.