There is nothing more irritating to a punter than not getting value for your dollar. Everyone in the betting community knows this. Experts, mugs, high rollers, two dollar punters-they all have a story about how they got it right, but the payoff didn’t show. These tales are a dime to the dozen. I’d be teeing off with Kerry and Lloyd if I had a dollar for every one I’d heard. On the recently completed (and ill fated) Ashes series, I thought Warney would get a hat full of wickets. Dizzy was struggling and English wickets really don’t suit Lee. Only Old Faithful, Glenn McGrath, would take away from Warney’s tally.

Most punters whose thinking followed similar lines would have headed down to their local TAB agency or called their favourite sportsbook and backed Warney to top Australia’s series wicket tally. They may have got $4 but more likely, somewhere around the $3.50 mark. Congratulations to everyone who did this. They’re pockets are lined with gold and their bragging rights remain untarnished.

But Warney was going to get heaps of wickets. How can I cash myself up on this? How can I really make this pay? How do I maximise the correlation between incoming cash and a Shane Warne wicket? Answer: Spread betting.

If you had of “bought” Shane Warne Series Wickets at the start of the series, you would have won 15 times your stake. The spread on Warne Series Wickets at the start of the series was 23-25. It was money for jam and the great thing was, every wicket counted.

Even better, the risk was minimal. It can be managed like fixed odds betting. The most you could lose was 25 times your stake and that was only if the greatest leg spin bowler of all time did not take one wicket. That was never going to happen. Come that last, Ashes defining day at The Oval, when Warne caught Harmison’s edge for his 40th series wicket, the Ashes may have been lost but you’re cash certainly wasn’t.

If you didn’t clean up during The Ashes, don’t despair. The Super Test and World XI One-Dayers will provide everybody with a fine opportunity to fill their punting kick.

If you don’t want to risk too much of your hard earned, there are many markets available that are not overly volatile. For the upcoming Super Test, a market like individual ton-ups (where you can bet on how many runs a player will make over 100) would suit perfectly. Similarly, a One Day markets such as total sixes or total wides would probably be your bag.

For those with a taste for risk, there is a veritable myriad of options: Total innings runs, total batsman runs, fall of next wicket, multi-wides (total wides in the first innings multiplied by the total wides in the second innings) and match supremacy are all available.

For those looking for a bet during the upcoming series against the World XI, you should have a very hard look at spread betting. There is no other bet type that provides the same value for money. Your opinion, if right, really gets rewarded. Runyon was right to a point, the race isn’t always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that’s the way to bet. Well, true, that is the way to bet but you need the payoff to reflect the work. Spread betting gives you this.

And now, for those after a tip...buying the World XI Total Runs in their first innings seems like a good bet. Lara, Sehwag, Smith and co on a pitch that is traditionally a road is too irresistible to let slide by. The quote will likely be around the 460-480 mark and that just seems a little too juicy not to be part of.

Buying individual ton-ups for a number of the World XI players would also be a smart bet. Players like Graeme Smith, Brian Lara and Rahul Dravid are all run accumulators and buying these players in ton-up markets could lead to some hefty collects with very little risk. Just ask all those who bought Brian Lara Ton-Ups when he scored his elegant 400. The only complaint Lara backers had was the declaration!

If you’re keen to make a buck this summer, have a look into spread betting because with spread betting, the more you’re right, the more you’ll get paid. And that’s what this game is all about.