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What Are Blackjack Side Bets?Side bets are bonus bets placed on a round of Blackjack on outcomes beyond whether the player or dealer will win. The majority are staked at the start of the round before the cards have been dealt alongside regular bets and many have fixed odds that usually offer greater payouts than the simple 2:1 rewarded for beating the dealer.Play Blackjack at Pinnacle Casino

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Side bets provide an exciting way to make Blackjack games more interesting whilst offering you a greater number of ways to win. So what are side bets, what side bets are available and are they worth it? Read on to find out.

Blackjack Side Bets Explained

Finding a niche market in betting can often lead to value. This can be anything from specialist knowledge of handball betting to extensive experience in betting on Japanese baseball. Providing you know more than the bookmaker, there is money to be made.  &lt;Bet on soccer at Pinnacle&gt; They also make for interesting and potentially profitable bets, as they can be a little more reliable

Soccer odds

A corner is one of the most inexplicably exciting events in soccer. Only around three per cent of them lead to a goal, but you can guarantee that the attacking team’s fans will roar their approval and encouragement if their team are awarded one. Read on to find out how you can benefit from betting on corners.

Corners betting in soccer: Value in a lesser-known market

Poisson Distribution is a mathematical concept for translating mean averages into a probability for variable outcomes across a distribution. For example, if we know Manchester City average 1.7 goals per game, so by putting the Poisson Distribution formula tells us that this average equates to Manchester City&nbsp;scoring 0 goals 18.3% of the time, 1 goal 31% of the time, 2 goals 26.4% of the time and 3 goals 15% of the time.

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Poisson Distribution: Predict the score in soccer betting

What is Expected Value?The amount a player can expect to win or lose if they were to place a bet on the same odds many times over, calculated through a simple equation multiplying your probability of winning with the amount you could win per bet, and subtracting the probability of losing multiplied by the amount lost per bet.A simple example of Expected Value (EV) put into practice -&nbsp;if you were

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The Expected Value of a bet shows us how much we can expect to win (on average) per bet, and as such is the most valuable calculation a bettor can make when comparing bookmakers' odds. How can you calculate Expected Value in sports betting in order to predict your winnings? Read on to find out.

How to Calculate Expected Value

Sam studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield before joining the team to indulge his long-established interests in writing, sports and betting. Whilst Sam’s speciality is soccer, he enjoys following most sports for their major events and exploring betting markets with his love of stats in tow in order to find value.

Sam Pearce

<h3>What is MMA? MMA rules explained</h3>

MMA is a same-sex full contact combat sport in which two fighters face off in organised fights, which are sometimes referred to as bouts. In MMA, fighters are allowed to attack with their full arms and legs, meaning they can punch, kick, elbow, knee, or grapple their way to victory across a number of different fighting styles and strategies.

MMA fights are comprised of five-minute rounds. The majority of MMA bouts feature three rounds (for a potential total duration of 15 minutes), while title and headlining fights often feature five, and can thus last for up to 25 minutes.

While MMA fights can take place in a ring similar to those used in boxing, they are most commonly held in a cage or octagon. These are octagonal-shaped stages that are 25 to 30 feet in length and bordered by six-foot high mesh netting.

There are five methods by which the winner of a MMA fight can be decided:

<div class="articleV2 unordered-list">
<ul>
	<li>Knockout (KO): One fighter knocks out the other.</li>
	<li>Technical Knockout (TKO): Either the referee, fight doctor, or fighter’s corner man ends the fight and declares the winner because they feel a fighter cannot intelligently or safely defend themselves while being repeatedly struck.</li>
	<li>Submission: When a fighter is wrestled to the ground and cannot escape or manoeuvre from their opponent’s grasp. A fighter can signify they wish to submit by tapping the floor or their opponent.</li>
	<li>Decision: If a fight lasts the duration without a KO, TKO or submission, the winner is decided by a three-person judging panel. If all three judges score the fight in favour of the same fighter, this is a unanimous decision victory, whereas if one of the three instead scores it as a draw or victory for the other fighter, this is a majority decision or split decision victory respectively. If at least two of the judges do not score the bout in favour of the same fighter, it is a draw.</li>
	<li>Disqualification (DQ): If a fighter severely or repeatedly breaks the rules during a bout, they can be disqualified by the referee for an automatic loss.</li>
</ul>
</div>

<h3>How are MMA fights organised?</h3>

Tough Guy Contest, the first regulated MMA league in the US, was created in 1980. Today, there are several different MMA organisations that host globally watched events and competitions situated around the world, of which the most popular is Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Other notable MMA fighting leagues include Bellator, Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB), Fight Nights Global (FNG), and ONE Championship.

Many of these typically hold their flagship events (which are often listed as the name of the organisation followed by a number, e.g. UFC 260), headlined by a title or other significant bout once every three or four weeks, with smaller events (such as UFC Fight Night or UFC on ESPN) taking place weekly or fortnightly.

Similarly to other combat sports such as boxing, professional MMA bouts are split into men’s and women’s divisions spanning several weight classes. Divisions typically list a ranking of their best combatants, such as in UFC, where the divisional rankings are comprised of the champion (the title holder) and the 15 next best fighters.

Different MMA fighting organisations award titles for differing division classes, but for reference, listed below are those used by UFC:

<table class="article-table ">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
			UFC Men’s divisions
			</td>
			<td>
			Weight bracket
			</td>
			<td>
			UFC Women’s divisions
			</td>
			<td>
			Weight bracket
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			Strawweight
			</td>
			<td>
			Up to 115lb (52.2kg)
			</td>
			<td>
			Strawweight
			</td>
			<td>
			Up to 115lb (52.2kg)
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			Flyweight
			</td>
			<td>
			116 - 125lb (52.6 - 56.7kg)
			</td>
			<td>
			Flyweight
			</td>
			<td>
			116 - 125lb (52.6 - 56.7kg)
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			Bantamweight
			</td>
			<td>
			126 - 135lb (57.2 - 61.2kg)
			</td>
			<td>
			Bantamweight
			</td>
			<td>
			126 - 135lb (57.2 - 61.2kg)
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			Featherweight
			</td>
			<td>
			136 - 145lb (61.7 - 65.8kg)
			</td>
			<td>
			Featherweight
			</td>
			<td>
			136 - 145lb (61.7 - 65.8kg)
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			Lightweight
			</td>
			<td>
			146 - 155lb (66.2 - 70.3kg)
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			Welterweight
			</td>
			<td>
			156 - 170lb (70.7 - 77.6kg)
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			Middleweight
			</td>
			<td>
			171 - 185lb (77.6 - 83.9kg)
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			Light Heavyweight
			</td>
			<td>
			186 - 205lb (84.4 - 93.0kg)
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			Heavyweight
			</td>
			<td>
			206 - 265lb (93.4 - 120.2kg)
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

Occasionally, catchweight MMA bouts are also held. These occur when two fighters agree to contest a bout at a specified and pre-determined weight, or a fighter misses the cut for their weight class but their opponent agrees to commence with the fight anyway.

<h3>MMA betting markets</h3>

Pinnacle lists odds for every bout at every event hosted by numerous MMA fighting organisations, including UFC, Bellator, and several others. Pinnacle offers two main markets for every MMA fight:

<div class="articleV2 unordered-list">
<ul>
	<li>Money Line: As per other sports, this is a simple bet on which fighter you think will win the bout.</li>
	<li>Over/Under Rounds: This is a bet on how many rounds you think will the bout will last for. For instance, if you bet on the bout to have over 1.5 rounds, for your bet to win the fight needs to last for two rounds or longer.</li>
</ul>
</div>

Other popular MMA betting markets include method of victory and whether or not the fight will last the duration (which may be covered by the Over/Under Rounds market). Certain bookmakers may also allow you to place a bet featuring a combination of these markets, e.g. Conor McGregor to win by KO or TKO in under 3.5 rounds.

<h3>How to find value in MMA odds</h3>

As per betting on any other sport, when it comes to MMA betting your priority should be establishing not only who you think will win a bout, but also whether a fighter’s given odds for it represent good value.

There are a multitude of reasons why a combatant might be listed as the favourite or underdog for a MMA fight, which should also inform your comparisons between them and their opponent. These include (but are not restricted to) their form and recent performances, fighting style and strategy, divisional ranking, and physical attributes.

<div class="articleV2 unordered-list">
<ul>
	<li><a href="/betting-resources/en/mma/how-often-does-the-favourite-win-in-ufc/ghjjm6gnz6qfzrsj/" id="articleLink" style="color: #f50;" target="_blank">How often does the favourite win in UFC?</a></li>
</ul>
</div>

On the latter point, this should be comprised of more information than simply who is taller, weighs more, or possesses the longer reach. Making weight can be an arduous process for MMA fighters – particularly if they are switching divisions for a bout – that is more than capable of adversely affecting their preparations.

One of the most notable examples of this occurred when Conor McGregor switched from Featherweight to Welterweight ahead of his first fight against Nate Diaz at UFC 196 in March 2016. McGregor struggled to adapt his fighting style to compensate for his recent increase in weight, which ultimately contributed to his second round and first ever UFC defeat.

<blockquote>It can be useful to preview bouts by trying to predict what tactics both fighters will deploy on the night.</blockquote>

This illustrates the point that bouts are not merely decided in the octagon. Exterior factors may play a role in determining the outcome, such as whether one fighter possesses home advantage for the bout, when and if the fighters are required to travel (given MMA fights take place across the globe), injury records, and any recent changes among either combatant’s training and coaching staff.

It is worth noting that certain fighters upload public videos of their training sessions that you can utilise to gauge their potential approach ahead of an upcoming fight.

This is particularly useful as if you’re new to MMA betting, an effective strategy to preview a bout is to try and predict what tactics both fighters will use on the night and how their respective styles will fare against each other. For instance, in a fight between an aggressive fighter who strives for early knockouts and a more passive opponent who seeks to craft victories over the distance, the victor will likely be who gains the upper hand in the opening couple of rounds.

This is where physical comparisons between the fighters may come into play. If the aggressive fighter possesses a greater reach than their opponent, they will likely be undeterred from their habitual approach and aim for a swift knockout from the outset. If the more passive fighter boasts the lengthier reach, they may be well-placed to fend off their opponent’s initial attacks and prime themselves to win the bout in the later rounds.

<div class="articleV2 unordered-list">
<ul>
	<li><a href="/betting-resources/en/mma/the-10-must-follow-twitter-accounts-for-ufc-betting/ukt2nur3jd7p4zr7/" id="articleLink" style="color: #f50;" target="_blank">UFC Betting: The 10 must-follow Twitter accounts</a></li>
</ul>
</div>

Depending on what you think might happen, at this stage you can also inform your predictions for other markets, such as the method of victory and duration of the fight.

To assist you in all of these tasks, there is a myriad of online data to hand capable of helping you to build a profile for a fighter. For instance, on the <a href="https://www.ufc.com/" id="articleLink" style="color: #f50;" target="_blank">UFC’s official website</a> you can compare fighters’ physical attributes, win methods, and significant strike and grappling stats ahead of every bout at every UFC event.

If you’re looking to get into or simply inform your MMA betting, don’t forget that Betting Resources has detailed previews on every UFC title bout, plus <a href="/betting-resources/en/mma/ufc-predictions/8k42vw9txhyp9k36/" id="articleLink" style="color: #f50;" target="_blank">expert insight from Adam Catterall</a> on each fight at UFC’s flagship events.

You can also check out the <a href="https://www.pinnacle.com/en/mixed-martial-arts/matchups/" id="articleLink" style="color: #f50;" target="_blank">latest MMA odds</a> for upcoming fights at Pinnacle.

MMA odds

How to bet on MMA: The ultimate guide to MMA betting

Learn how to bet on mixed martial arts (MMA), including the rules of the sport, the different MMA organisations, what MMA betting markets are available, and how to find value in MMA odds.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a sport that has enjoyed thoroughly increased interest during the last decade, and as a consequence it has also become popular to bet on. So what is MMA, how do MMA fights work, and how should you approach betting on them? Read on to learn how to bet on MMA and find value in the odds.