I followed the Socceroos around the world to the 4 World Cup qualification playoffs and the finals in Russia. I paid for it all with crypto I won betting on the games! See the introductory post for details.
2018 FIFA World Cup Asian playoff
October 5th 2017
Hang Jebat Stadium, Melaka Malaysia
Syria 1 – Australia 1
~
October 10th 2017
Stadium Australia, Sydney Australia
Australia 2 – Syria 1
In a way, I was glad the Socceroos failed to qualify directly from our Asian World Cup qualification group. I think the 4 playoff games against tough opposition in front of big crowds is the best possible preparation for the tournament. I also look forward to the excitement and glory of winning.
I am confident of victory in this 1st tie because Syria has no home game and Australia has 2nd-leg home advantage. For the 1st-leg we just need to not lose and preferably not draw 0-0. A goalless draw would mean a draw with goals, like 1-1, in the 2nd leg would send Syria through on away goals.
Asian playoff expenses
So how much are both legs of the journey costing me in total? I have 2 advantages;
- By coincidence, I am starting out in Thailand, close to the 1st-leg in Malaysia.
- I have mates I can stay with for the 2nd-leg in Sydney.
Bitcoin was worth about $4000 USD at the time of the expenses.
| Item | USD | m฿ |
|---|---|---|
| Flight: Bangkok to KL | $292 | 73 |
| Hotel: Melaka 4-7 Oct | $465 | 116 |
| VIP ticket: Syria v Aus 5 Oct | $36 | 9 |
| Flight: KL to Sydney | $1893 | 473 |
| Ticket: Aus v Syria 10 Oct | $70 | 18 |
| Incidentals: $100 p/day 4-11 Oct | $800 | 200 |
| Total | $3544 | 886 |
Asian playoff bets
I have 2 separate bets on
- Double chance: Draw or Australia – in the 1st leg.
Risked 1510 m฿ to win 488 m฿. - Australia to qualify.
Risked 2826 m฿ to win 438 m฿.
If both bets win I will cover all the expenses for the trip. If Syria win the 1st leg and the “Double Chance: Draw or Australia” bet loses, I will double down on the “Australia to qualify” bet. However, the odds will be a lot higher which will keep the amount risked under control.
Double chance: Draw or Australia
This bet was up at odds around 1.2. However, by making the 2 bets separately at multiple sportsbooks I got equivalent odds of 1.23.
The odds then came right to 1.15. This means my bets at 1.23 are great value no matter what happens. I am not worried about the result because I made bets with positive expectations.
Nitrogen had the best odds so I started there. Unfortunately, they had low maximum bets on this event so I got the rest on at Lunarbets and mBit.
Screenshots and links to bet slips are below. Here is the bet matrix with figures in m฿.
| Bet | Odds | Stake | Result if Syria | Result if Draw | Result if Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1.909 | 1251 | -1251 | -1251 | 1139 |
| Draw | 3.45 | 691 | -691 | 1699 | -691 |
| Total | 1.23 | 1942 | -1942 | 448 | 448 |
Australia to qualify
The only crypto sportsbook I could find offering this bet was 1xbit. The odds were in line with government currency sportsbooks.
| Bet | Odds | Stake | Result if Syria | Result if Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1.155 | 2826 | -2826 | 438 |
While I might simply bet on Australia during the qualifiers I will not do that in the actual tournament. At the World Cup, I will use these betting strategies.
About Eugene Abungana
I have worked with several companies in the past including Economy Watch, and Milkroad. Writing for BitEdge is highly satisfying as I get an opportunity to share my knowledge with a broad community of gamblers.
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