Pre-match trading or 'scalping' is a technique which locks in profit before football matches have even kicked off.
It can be tricky to make consistent profits in this way, so we decided to trial a scalping tool called 'Pre-Match Trading' in hope that it would simplify it.
Also known as 'PMT', Pre-Match Trading is a football markets model based on probability theory and statistics.
The software uses prices in liquid markets and calculates relevant prices in secondary markets, thus allowing users to spot mispriced events and profit from trading them before the match kicks off.
We asked system tester Dave to give the software a trial run and we were pleased to report that he was able to make a profit.
Read on for our full Pre-Match Trading review, or click here to get started.
Review profit/loss | +£76.72 profit |
Stakes | We used £20 for testing |
Starting bank | User discretion |
Average no. bets | Varies |
Price | From £39 per month |
Rating | PASS |
Pre-Match Trading Software
The software identifies out of line odds in the following markets:
Here, you can see an example of the software at work with the Newcastle v Man City game.
On the left is the current Betfair odds, followed by the odds calculated by PMT. It also has prices from Pinnacle, SBO and spread firms, which can offer some insight to which way the market is going to go.
One of the more recent upgrades to the software is the Draw Inflation tool, which spots games where the draw has been calculated too high or low.
There are a number of strategies available in the help section, which explain the recommended action in various scenarios, such as trading matches with a short priced favourite or what to do with a high or low draw inflation.
The software may look a bit complicated at first; especially if this is the first time you are dipping into football trading.
However, there is plenty of support available starting with the tutorial videos and examples of the software at work with previous successful trades. There is also a chat room with some experienced traders who can offer advice, as well as email support for any other issues.
The software is browser-based, so it works on Windows, Mac & Linux.
Month One Update
After the first month of using the software, Dave was able to make a profit of £60.34 using £20 stakes and on his best day, he saw a profit of £17.73.
He found that the amount of information given on the website was, to say the least, a little overwhelming and it was difficult for him to know where to start.
The authors had used a very simple colour coding method to try and simplify things, but as prices moved very quickly in some markets, these were constantly changing. Sometimes the bet that you were going to make was moments later no longer a qualifier.
He attempted some trades using Bet Angel in reverse mode, but initially he had great difficulty in getting his bets matched even though liquidity in the markets that he chose were very good.
After that, he tried to concentrate on markets where he might have been able to spot a gap between the back and the lay price, in the hope that he could take advantage of that to get his bets matched.
There are a multitude of videos on the site to assist with using PMT, but Dave found that most of them assumed a level of familiarity with the tool that most would not possess, especially when starting out. They could appear somewhat bewildering to a new user.
He thought that this was yet another piece of software that would greatly benefit from a good, simplistic written manual.
The authors also sent out periodic e-mails with predicted price movements, but he found that those were quite difficult to get matched as obviously, everybody was trying to do the same.
He took a break from using the tool until the Euro 2016 tournament started and hoped that as he got more used to it, he would be able to increase the profit.
Month Two Update
During Euro 2016, Dave managed to make a small profit of £16.38, again using £20 stakes. That gave him a total profit of £76.72, which wasn't spectacular but nonetheless, it was a profit.
He opted to use small stakes during the review to try and get to grips with the software, but many people experienced in scalping may opt to use stakes ranging from £100 - £1000.
In reality, the full stake is never at risk as the idea is to trade out with a small loss if the odds do not move in the right direction.
To give an example of what could be achieved, using £100 stakes during the review would have resulted in a profit of £383.60, £500 stakes would have made a profit of £1,918 and £1,000 stakes would have given a profit of £3,836.
Euro 2016 Results
| Date | Match | Bet | Back Price | Lay Price | Profit/Loss | Running Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14/06/2016 | Austria v Hungary | 0-0 | 8.80 | 8.6 | £0.47 | £2,000.47 |
| 1-0 | 6.00 | 5.9 | £0.34 | £2,000.81 | ||
| O/2.5 | 2.42 | 2.38 | £0.34 | £2,001.15 | ||
| Portugal v Iceland | 1-0 | 6.00 | 5.90 | £0.34 | £2,001.49 | |
| 2-0 | 6.80 | 6.60 | £0.61 | £2,002.10 | ||
| 15/06/2016 | Russia v Slovakia | 0-0 | 8.60 | 8.40 | £0.49 | £2,002.58 |
| 2-0 | 12.50 | 12.00 | £0.83 | £2,003.41 | ||
| Romania v Switzerland | 0-0 | 8.60 | 8.40 | £0.49 | £2,003.90 | |
| 0-1 | 7.60 | 7.40 | £0.54 | £2,004.44 | ||
| 1-0 | 9.80 | 9.60 | £0.42 | £2,004.86 | ||
| 2-0 | 12.50 | 12.00 | £0.89 | £2,005.69 | ||
| 16/06/2016 | England v Wales | 0-1 | 16.00 | 17.50 | -£1.71 | £2,003.98 |
| 1-0 | 6.80 | 6.60 | £0.61 | £2,004.59 | ||
| 2-0 | 7.80 | 7.60 | £0.53 | £2,005.12 | ||
| 2-1 | 10.50 | 11.00 | -£0.91 | £2,004.21 | ||
| Ukraine v N Ireland | 0-0 | 7.80 | 8.00 | -£0.50 | £2,003.71 | |
| 2-0 | 8.00 | 8.20 | -£0.49 | £2,003.22 | ||
| 2-1 | 11.50 | 11.00 | £0.91 | £2,004.13 | ||
| 17/06/2016 | Czech Rep v Croatia | 0-0 | 7.20 | 7.60 | -£1.05 | £2,003.08 |
| 1-0 | 10.50 | 11.50 | -£1.74 | £2,001.34 | ||
| 1-1 | 7.00 | 7.20 | -£0.56 | £2,000.78 | ||
| 0-2 | 10.00 | 9.60 | £0.83 | £2,001.61 | ||
| 18/06/2016 | Belgium v Rep Of Ireland | 0-0 | 8.60 | 8.40 | £0.48 | £2,002.09 |
| 0-1 | 13.50 | 14.00 | -£0.71 | £2,001.38 | ||
| 1-0 | 6.60 | 6.40 | £0.63 | £2,002.01 | ||
| 1-1 | 7.80 | 8.00 | -£0.50 | £2,001.51 | ||
| 2-0 | 9.00 | 8.80 | £0.45 | £2,001.96 | ||
| 19/06/2016 | Romania v Albania | 0-0 | 9.40 | 9.20 | £0.43 | £2,002.39 |
| 1-0 | 7.20 | 7.40 | -£0.54 | £2,001.85 | ||
| 2-1 | 11.50 | 11.00 | £0.91 | £2,002.76 | ||
| France v Switzerland | 0-0 | 7.40 | 7.20 | £0.56 | £2,003.32 | |
| 0-1 | 6.40 | 6.20 | £0.65 | £2,003.97 | ||
| 0-2 | 9.40 | 9.20 | £0.43 | £2,003.40 | ||
| 1-2 | 11.00 | 10.50 | £0.95 | £2,004.35 | ||
| 20/06/2016 | Slovakia v England | 0-0 | 8.20 | 8.00 | £0.50 | £2,004.85 |
| 0-2 | 8.60 | 8.40 | £0.48 | £2,005.33 | ||
| 1-0 | 13.50 | 14.00 | -£0.71 | £2,004.62 | ||
| Russia v Wales | 0-0 | 7.80 | 7.60 | £0.53 | £2,005.15 | |
| 0-1 | 8.40 | 8.20 | £0.49 | £2,005.64 | ||
| 1-0 | 8.00 | 7.80 | £0.51 | £2,006.15 | ||
| 2-0 | 15.00 | 14.50 | £0.69 | £2,006.84 | ||
| 2-1 | 14.00 | 14.50 | -£0.69 | £2,006.15 | ||
| O/3.5 | 6.20 | 6.40 | -£0.62 | £2,005.53 | ||
| O/4.5 | 15.50 | 15.00 | £0.67 | £2,006.20 | ||
| 21/06/2016 | Croatia v Spain | 0-0 | 7.00 | 6.80 | £0.59 | £2,006.79 |
| 0-1 | 6.60 | 6.80 | -£0.59 | £2,006.20 | ||
| 0-2 | 10.00 | 10.50 | -£0.95 | £2,005.25 | ||
| 1-0 | 11.50 | 11.00 | £0.91 | £2,006.16 | ||
| 1-1 | 7.20 | 7.00 | £0.57 | £2,006.73 | ||
| O/4.5 | 16.00 | 16.50 | -£0.61 | £2,006.12 | ||
| Czech Rep v Turkey | 0-0 | 10.50 | 11.00 | -£0.91 | £2,005.21 | |
| 0-1 | 11.00 | 11.50 | -£0.87 | £2,004.34 | ||
| 1-0 | 9.00 | 9.20 | -£0.43 | £2,003.91 | ||
| 1-1 | 8.20 | 8.40 | -£0.48 | £2,003.43 | ||
| 2-0 | 13.50 | 14.00 | -£0.71 | £2,002.72 | ||
| 2-1 | 11.50 | 11.00 | £0.91 | £2,003.63 | ||
| 22/06/2016 | Italy v Ireland | 0-1 | 8.40 | 8.20 | £0.49 | £2,004.12 |
| 1-0 | 7.40 | 7.60 | -£0.53 | £2,003.59 | ||
| 2-0 | 12.50 | 12.00 | £0.83 | £2,004.42 | ||
| 2-1 | 13.00 | 12.50 | £0.80 | £2,005.22 | ||
| O/3.5 | 6.80 | 7.00 | -£0.57 | £2,004.65 | ||
| O/4.5 | 17.50 | 18.00 | -£0.56 | £2,004.09 | ||
| Sweden v Belgium | 0-0 | 9.40 | 9.20 | £0.43 | £2,004.52 | |
| 0-2 | 9.20 | 9.40 | -£0.43 | £2,004.09 | ||
| 1-0 | 13.00 | 12.50 | £0.80 | £2,004.89 | ||
| 1-2 | 11.00 | 10.50 | £0.95 | £2,005.84 | ||
| O/4.5 | 11.50 | 11.00 | £0.91 | £2,006.75 | ||
| 26/06/2016 | Ireland v France | 0-0 | 7.80 | 8.00 | -£0.50 | £2,006.25 |
| 0-1 | 19.50 | 19.00 | £0.53 | £2,006.78 | ||
| 1-1 | 10.50 | 11.00 | -£0.91 | £2,005.87 | ||
| 2-1 | 11.00 | 11.50 | -£0.87 | £2,005.00 | ||
| 2-0 | 6.40 | 6.20 | £0.65 | £2,005.65 | ||
| 26/06/2016 | Germany v Slovakia | 2-0 | 6.00 | 5.90 | £0.34 | £2,005.99 |
| 3-1 | 19.00 | 18.50 | £0.54 | £2,006.53 | ||
| 3-0 | 11.00 | 11.50 | -£0.87 | £2,005.66 | ||
| 2-1 | 11.00 | 11.50 | -£0.87 | £2,004.79 | ||
| Hungary v Belgium | 0-0 | 8.80 | 8.60 | £0.47 | £2,005.26 | |
| 0-1 | 5.90 | 6.00 | -£0.33 | £2,004.93 | ||
| 0-2 | 8.20 | 8.40 | -£0.48 | £2,004.45 | ||
| 1-0 | 18.50 | 18.00 | £0.56 | £2,005.01 | ||
| 1-2 | 10.00 | 10.50 | -£0.95 | £2,004.06 | ||
| 1-1 | 8.40 | 8.20 | £0.49 | £2,004.55 | ||
| 27/06/2016 | Italy v Spain | 0-2 | 10.00 | 9.80 | £0.41 | £2,004.96 |
| 1-1 | 7.40 | 7.20 | £0.56 | £2,005.52 | ||
| 1-2 | 13.00 | 13.50 | -£0.74 | £2,004.78 | ||
| 1-0 | 9.80 | 9.60 | £0.42 | £2,005.20 | ||
| 0-1 | 6.20 | 6.40 | -£0.62 | £2,004.58 | ||
| O/4.5 | 19.00 | 20.00 | -£1.00 | £2,003.58 | ||
| O/3.5 | 7.60 | 7.80 | -£0.51 | £2,003.07 | ||
| 27/06/2016 | England v Iceland | 2-0 | 6.80 | 6.60 | £0.61 | £2,003.68 |
| 3-0 | 10.50 | 11.00 | -£0.91 | £2,002.77 | ||
| 3-1 | 17.00 | 16.50 | £0.61 | £2,003.38 | ||
| 30/06/2016 | Poland v Portugal | 0-0 | 6.40 | 6.20 | £0.65 | £2,004.03 |
| 0-1 | 6.60 | 6.80 | -£0.59 | £2,003.44 | ||
| 0-2 | 12.00 | 11.50 | £0.87 | £2,004.31 | ||
| 1-1 | 7.40 | 7.20 | £0.56 | £2,004.87 | ||
| O/3.5 | 7.40 | 7.20 | £0.56 | £2,005.43 | ||
| 01/07/2016 | Wales v Belgium | 0-1 | 6.80 | 6.60 | £0.61 | £2,006.04 |
| 0-2 | 9.20 | 9.00 | £0.44 | £2,006.48 | ||
| 1-0 | 14.00 | 13.50 | £0.74 | £2,007.22 | ||
| 1-1 | 7.80 | 8.00 | -£0.50 | £2,006.72 | ||
| 1-2 | 11.50 | 11.00 | £0.91 | £2,007.63 | ||
| O/3.5 | 5.10 | 5.00 | £0.40 | £2,008.03 | ||
| 03/07/2016 | France v Iceland | 2-1 | 9.20 | 9.40 | -£0.43 | £2,007.60 |
| 3-0 | 11.00 | 10.50 | £0.95 | £2,008.55 | ||
| 3-1 | 16.50 | 15.50 | £1.29 | £2,009.84 | ||
| 2-0 | 7.20 | 7.00 | £0.57 | £2,010.41 | ||
| AOH | 7.20 | 7.00 | £0.57 | £2,010.98 | ||
| 06/07/2016 | Portugal v Wales | 0-1 | 10.50 | 10.00 | £1.00 | £2,011.98 |
| 2-0 | 11.00 | 11.50 | -£0.87 | £2,011.11 | ||
| 2-1 | 12.00 | 11.50 | £0.87 | £2,011.98 | ||
| O/3.5 | 5.50 | 5.40 | £0.37 | £2,012.35 | ||
| O/4.5 | 13.50 | 14.00 | -£0.71 | £2,011.64 | ||
| 07/07/2016 | Germany v France | 0-1 | 8.60 | 8.40 | £0.48 | £2,012.12 |
| 0-2 | 16.00 | 15.50 | £0.65 | £2,012.77 | ||
| 1-1 | 6.80 | 6.60 | £0.61 | £2,013.38 | ||
| 1-2 | 12.50 | 12.00 | £0.83 | £2,014.21 | ||
| 10/07/2016 | Portugal v France | 0-1 | 6.60 | 6.40 | £0.63 | £2,014.84 |
| 0-2 | 10.00 | 9.80 | £0.41 | £2,015.25 | ||
| 1-0 | 11.50 | 11.00 | £0.91 | £2,016.16 | ||
| 1-2 | 11.50 | 11.00 | £0.91 | £2,017.07 | ||
| O/4.5 | 14.00 | 14.50 | -£0.69 | £2,016.38 |
Review Summary
Scalping is a typical Marmite thing... you either love it or you hate it.
Many people cannot seem to get to grips with scalping or are not comfortable enough to make bets large enough to make a tick here or there worthwhile.
As for the PMT software itself, Dave said that he sometimes felt a little overwhelmed at the sheer amount of information that was available. He also found it confusing when a bet was indicated and then a few minutes later this was no longer the case.
This may be something that would beome easier to deal with in time, after becoming more comfortable with the software.
In addition, Dave suggested that Pre-Match Trading could do with a simplified manual for beginners to help them get started, but the videos should be a good starting point.
In conclusion, we have placed Pre-Match Trading in the 'Pass' category as it performed as expected and returned a profit.
I tried this service myself too, and I agree, the documentation and instructions showing you how to use it are terrible. They obviously cant be bothered to make a proper manual.