Live odds and feeds are now so good that some of the best betting sites are starting to offer the function to edit your bets before they settle.
This can be by swapping or adding lines to single selection bets and also removing selections from singe line accumulator bets.
Used well these features can be used to mitigate risks and enhance winnings or reduce loses.
Ultimately the tool puts more control in the hands of the punter and that can only be a good thing.
These tools mainly rely on the Cash Out feature however so there are factors to be aware of such as double margins which you can read about in this article.
Betting Sites With Bet Editing Features
Edit Bet gives you the ability to add, swap or remove selections and increase the stake on unsettled bets both pre-match and In-Play. You can also use the feature to change your bet type to any applicable multiple option. For example, you have the ability to turn your unsettled treble into three doubles.
The Edit Bet feature is offered when Cash Out is available for all unsettled selections within your bet and where the outcome of the bet has not already been determined. This means that even if a number of selections within your accumulator have already been settled, you still have the option to use the Edit Bet feature.
When a bet is edited using the Edit Bet feature the new stake will be equal to the current Cash Out value of the bet. The only exceptions to this are: where Edit Bet is used to add a selection to a bet or to increase a stake where all selections in the original bet are still pre-match and where no odds changes have occurred (in this instance the new stake will be equal to the original stake amount or, where the stake has been increased, the increased stake amount); or where the bet type is changed and the Cash Out amount cannot be split equally across all parts of the new bet (in this instance the stake will be rounded down to be applied equally across all parts of the new bet with any excess returned to your account).
When editing a bet using the Edit Bet feature, all prices on the new bet placed will be updated to reflect the current odds and not the prices initially taken. Registration required.
Although it only covers multiples the Ladbrokes Edit My Acca feature is still a great feature and for removing teams from live football accumulator bets.
The tool allows you to remove selections from active football accumulators before the games finish or the markets close and is available for doubles up to 14-fold’s.
With Ladbrokes Edit My Acca when you remove a selection you are effectively cancelling your first bet and then placing a second wager with less selections using the cash out value from your first bet.
The editing function is available on any football accumulators that also have the cash out feature. For more details visit the Ladbrokes website below.
10bet have the facility, known as Add2Bet, that lets you add as many new selections as you like to an existing open bet. The facility is open to any wager that is offering cash out.
When you add in your new selection(s) the bet is recalculated with the cash out value used as your new stake.
Unlike the Ladbrokes version you can’t remove markets with 10bet yet but still this gives you more control to change your bets than with many other sites. The benefit of the 10bet feature is you can use it on any bets with cash out available, not just football markets.
How to Change a Bet After You’ve Placed it
The ability to change a bet after you’ve placed it is a feature not available with most betting sites.
There are a few top online bookmakers (listed above) that will let you edit a bet after it has been placed though, and when available this certainly puts more control into the punters hands.
The process will be slightly different depending on the brand you bet with, but in general it will be a case of going to your betslip and looking for the option to edit the bet. It will just be a button you need to click.
From this point you will be able to add selections, remove selections, change the stake etc.; again, it depends what features your bookie has allowed. It should be self explanatory though, and the image above from one of my edited bets can be used as a broad example.
Once you are happy with the new bet, just confirm or accept and you are away.
Like most things in life however, this flexibility doesn’t come without some costs.
If you are adding to a bet before the event has started then there are no additional costs to worry about. They will let you add selections to an existing pre-match bet without any penalty to your stake.
If however you are editing a live bet then there are some factors to be aware of to make sure you get the most from the feature.
Mitigating Risks – Both You and the Bookmaker
When editing a live bet you are in effect cancelling your first bet, taking the cash out amount, and then immediately placing a second new bet.
Bookies build margins into bets, this is how they make profit, so in this scenario, by placing two bets you are paying a double margin. The first margin is paid when you placed the initial wager, and then another following the edit.
Of course, if you think about this it makes sense. Betting sites provide tools like cash out and bet editing to give punters more options but these are not free to run and they are not free from risk for the bookmaker.
To get the best out of bet editing it is all about risk management. For example, it is worth paying a double margin to the bookmaker by editing a bet if this means you get paid out when you otherwise would not have done. That said, this is done by weighing up the chances of your current bet losing versus the cost of placing a new bet using your cash out amount. Only you can decide this.
My recommendation would be to use the tool sparingly, use it only when you really think your bet is going to lose or if you think you can significantly enhance your bet by adding or swapping something. Try to always bear in mind that each time you use the edit feature you are in effect paying another commission.
You can read more about how bookmaker margins work in our dedicated guide.
Live Editing Relies On Cash Out Values
Cash Out values are used when calculating the stake amount for live bet editing.
This value can be more, or less, than your original stake amount depending on how the selections in your wager are performing at the time you want to make the edit.
If you think about it, bet editing and cash out are basically the same thing except with editing you are cashing out and then immediately staking that amount on a new edited line.
Of course, you could do this manually yourself with any betting site that provides cash out but this would-be time consuming, especially in play where odds can move fast.
For more about how cash out and partial cash out work read our guide.
Cash Winnings
Editing a bet is just a matter of changing one wager into another and so all eventual winnings are, or should be, paid in cash.
There shouldn’t be any maximum cap on what you can win beyond the standard payment maximum for that market either.
The bookmakers I talk about on this page all pay out in cash without additional caps, and i’ve never personally heard of a bet editor that does things differently.
To be honest, if a bookie ever tried to do something like pay out edited bets in free bets or bonus cash or something, I would stop betting with them.
Be Careful Bet Editing With Promotions
Editing a live bet is a form of cash out as I’ve explained, so if you do use the feature alongside a promotion there is a possibility you could invalidate the offer or lose any associated bonus.
This may also not count towards any rollover requirements if using promotional cash.
For example, many regular money back and free bet offers as well as sign up bonuses do not count if you cash out a bet.
It is worth your while checking the exact terms of any offer before deciding to use the bet editing or cash out function with it.
In general, if in doubt it’s best to steer clear of bet editing when utilising other offers.
Adding and Swapping Selections
Bet editing is not just about dropping selections that your think are going to lose, it can also be about adding picks or swapping them to enhance your payout.
If you think your existing bet is looking good to win, then adding in a new selection could give your winnings a nice boost if you don’t push things too far.
Alternatively, swapping out one prediction for another at the right time could prevent a bet from losing.
Here are three different scenarios where you might use the bet edit function:
- Scenario 1: You’ve placed a double on two football teams kicking off at the same time on a Saturday afternoon. It’s half time and both your teams are winning comfortably, this is perhaps the time to think about adding in a third pick that could increase the odds and therefore your final payout amount.
- Scenario 2: Your four-match accumulator is live in play, three of your teams are winning but one team is drawing 0-0. It’s 70 minutes in and the game is drab, you think nothing is going to change. On the other hand, a team you haven’t bet on are also drawing, but they have been hammering the opposition goal for 15 minutes and you’ve got a feeling they are more likely to grab a win. Swapping your existing selection in this scenario could turn your bet from a loser to a winner.
- Scenario 3: You’ve bet on Chelsea to win, they are 1-0 up with ten minutes to go and are looking comfortable. Suddenly the goalkeeper gets injured and the second-choice keeper looks nervous, you don’t fancy the chances of your bet winning any more. Arsenal are also winning 1-0 at home and have similar odds, you swap your bet from Chelsea to Arsenal without much of a cost and you now have more confidence in your wager.