The best bookmaker to use online is Betfair.

With Betfair you can bet against other punters and set the odds yourself, which means they’re up to 20% better than traditional bookmakers.

You can either make a bet (bet on who’s going to win, just like you always have) or lay bet (bet against something happening - you probably haven't done this before).  Betfair matches people on either side of the bet with the odds they agree. Simple.

For example, someone thinks Chelsea will win the premiership but you can offer them odds they won’t.  Betfair matches you up. All you need to do is to have opinion (and we all know there are plenty of those around)

Decimal odds.

Why , oh why do the bookies use decimal odds?  They’re so much easier. All you have to do is multiply your stake by the odds to get your return.  So a back bet with a £10 stake at odds of 4.0 returns £10 x 4.0 = £40

That’s a £30 profit and your £10 stake back.  Easy.  No more working out whether 13/8 is a better price than 7/4.  In addition, a new feature allows you to view fractional equivalents compare to decimal odds.  To use this new feature, simply click on ‘options’ and select ‘Display fractional odds on mouse-over’ when logging into your account.  You will be able to view those when rolling over decimal odds with your mouse.

In-play.

The beauty of  sport is that it’s not over ‘til it’s over.  In-play betting allows you to bet at any point in the game.  It could be the first fence in the National, the second innings of a test match or the final whistle of football match.