Making a Profit from the 2up offers with Bet365 and Paddy Power is one of the best, if not the best, Matched Betting tactics. In fact, it’s a bit of a gold mine!
What is the 2up offer and how does it work?
This promotion is offered by both Bet365 and Paddy Power (at the time of this article). Ordinarily it is offered on a selection of the major leagues across Europe such as the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A, but this is subject to change. Needless to say of course that they run this offer because sides going ‘2up’ usually win the match anyway.
If you back a team to win and they go ‘2up’ (take a 2 goal lead), then they pay out the bet as a winner. As a result, we can profit from this by placing a ‘lay’ against the team on a betting exchange. Therefore, if the team achieves ‘2up’ we have options open to us to make money.
How do we profit from this offer?
We search for selections to back with Bet365 of Paddy Power that have close odds to the betting exchange. For example, if you can get Chelsea at 4.0 to back and 4.0 to lay when playing Liverpool at Anfield its worth a shot. We then let the match commence and if our selection takes a 2 goal lead we have the ability to take a profit. But, if the selection doesn’t achieve the lead we will have to accept a break even position, or a small loss (depending on what prices you were able to match up).
Once a team does go ‘2up’ you have a few options which can be broken down into three;
| Guarantee a profit | We can do this by ‘Cashing Out’ the lay bet that is in place on the Exchange. Since the bookmaker will have paid you out as a winner there is no need for the lay. ‘Cashing Out’ will therefore reduce your Matched Bet liability to lock in a profit. |
| Wait for extra profit | If the losing team scores a goal to reduce the gap to only 1 goal, then the odds change in your favour (assuming its not the last minute of injury time!). Waiting to ‘Cash Out’ the exchange lay at this point will have increased your profit return. |
| Go for double bubble | If the team that went ‘2up’ throws the lead away then you are in for the big win. You have already been paid by the bookmaker AND you will be paid as a winner on your lay position with the exchange. Double bubble! These are the way to make big profit from 2up offers |
Choosing the teams
One of the most used tools within the Oddsmonkey* website is the OddsMatcher. All you have to do is include the text filter of ‘2up’ and limit to bookmakers running the offer (Bet365 and Paddy Power usually). In addition, you can also apply restrictions to the rating and minimum odds if you wish to do so. Beyond this, you can also set up email alerts and you will receive a notification by email when a team reaches your qualifying criteria.
Which teams or matches should I target?
Whilst there may be some statistics out there to show which teams are most likely to go ‘2up’ or most likely to throw away a lead, there is one simple criteria for selecting teams. Close odds on the OddsMatcher is the criteria you need. Ideally, you should be selecting a +95% rating to limit your loss exposure. However, the option is open to your own interpretation and some people like to underlay to give themselves a small bet on the game.
As a rule, favourites are more likely to go into a 2 goal lead, but if they do so, the returns on an immediate cash out will be small. However, on the other hand, if you have a close match on the prices its still worth getting involved. Also, if you can back an outsider at 4.5 (say Southampton away to Leicester City) and you can lay at 4.5 then you have a free hit at the 2up offer.
How much money can I make from the 2up offer?
The answer to this question is linked to factors such as the Pre-Match Odds and the stakes used. For instance, a short priced favourite will see the odds go very short if they go ‘2up’ which may restrict your options. Similarly, with an underdog you may be able to cash in quite a handsome profit immediately. Below is an example of some of the potential profits if your team goes ‘2up’, based on a £100 stake;
| Starting Price | Odds when ‘2up’ | Guarantee a Profit | Odds if concede a Goal Back | Goal back Profit | Double Bubble Profit |
| 1.8 | 1.08 | £13.33 | 1.25 | £36.00 | £180.00 |
| 2.5 | 1.13 | £28.76 | 1.35 | £64.80 | £250.00 |
| 3.5 | 1.20 | £58.30 | 1.55 | £124.20 | £350.00 |
| 4.0 | 1.28 | £87.50 | 1.60 | £150.00 | £400.00 |
| 5.0 | 1.37 | £135.00 | 1.86 | £231.20 | £500.00 |
In conclusion, this offer can be quite a money-spinner. As a rule, if you lay a team at around 97-98% of the bookmakers odds, then you will have a small ‘potential loss’ with the opportunity to hit some lucrative returns. Subsequently, what you are doing is using the bookmakers offers to give yourself the ‘Edge’ in the market.
Assuming that you have only one lay in place on your chosen betting exchange, you can simply use their Cash Out functions to take your profit from this offer. Alternatively, you can simply choose to BACK the side that you have the lay against to reduce the liability (remember, the bookmaker has already paid you a WINNING bet).
Do you want a worked example of this offer?
Hitting the bookmakers to make a profit from 2up offers is a personal favourite mine. For example, the memorable night when Tottenham recovered from 2-0 behind against Ajax in the Champions League Semi-Final of 2019 was a good money spinner – click here to see how it played out.
Sign up here to use the tools within the Oddsmonkey* website to take advantage of the 2up offer.
If you have any questions about exactly how to profit from 2up offers then please complete the form below to reach out to us.