Reading the Betfair Screen
In a nutshell
Each box on the Betfair screen shows the current odds (top) and liquidity (money) available (bottom).
The blue boxes represent the prices available to back (betting on something to happen), with the pink boxes showing the prices available to lay (betting on something not to happen).
The exciting thing about the Exchange is that it's live, with odds fluctuating constantly, and as bets are offered and matched. The lighter shaded boxes to the left and right of the back and lay prices (visible in landscape view on your mobile) highlight all the prices waiting to be matched.
So, if the price you like isn't showing, or there's only a small amount of money available to bet, refresh the page and watch the odds change.
Better still, set your own odds and wait for a fellow bettor to match your bet.
Unlike many bookmakers, the Exchange will show you all the rules for a particular market - simply press the 'i' icon in the top left.
If you are viewing a 'coupon' page with a number of markets included on mobile, you will need to switch to landscape view to see the lay prices.
Watch our Betfair Exchange explainer video to learn what it's all about!
Navigating The Betfair Exchange
In a nutshell
The Betfair Exchange is simple to use but the range of options you can choose means it can look complicated at first. Knowing your way around the Exchange is the way to unlocking its potential.
How does it work?
The Exchange is the home of in-play betting. It's where you can bet on events while they're taking place. That includes lay betting - betting against an outcome - but, if you're using the Exchange app, you'll need to switch to landscape view to be able to see the in-play lay betting odds.
If you ever get lost on the Exchange just click Home and you'll return to where you started. In the meantime, here are some key links you might want to follow from the Home page.
Next Races
Click into 'Today's Card' for time and venue of all the forthcoming races, and how long left until they go to post. Click the name of the race (eg. "14:00 Ayr") to see the market where the latest back and lay odds will be displayed.
Sports
Choose which markets you want to see by clicking on the A-Z Menu. Here you'll find every sport you can bet on from American football to Tennis in alphabetical order. In fact, you'll find more than sports on this list of links, with politics, special bets and much more displayed here.
Search
If you know exactly what you want to bet on - horse/football team/basketball player/whatever! - then the easiest way to find your bet is to use the search facility. Located at the top of the screen for both desktop and mobile sites, all you have to do is click into the box, enter your search term and you will be presented with all relevant betting markets. The search facility can handle minor misspellings so if you type Aguoro instead of Aguero we'll still know who you're searching for.
In-play
Click this link and the list of in-play events will appear in the centre of the screen categorised by sports. Click on an event to see its full range of markets.
Cash Out
Click on Cash Out to find out how you even have even more control over your bets, by locking in profits and cut losses in-play.
Quick links
This will include highlights of the sporting calendar - Wimbledon or the Tour de France in summer, for example - while other events, such as the Champions League, will almost always be listed. Click on the event to see the range of markets available.
If you think a football team's odds are too short and are prone to a slow start, ask for a bigger price and wait for a fellow bettor to take you on once the game is underway.
Using 'My Bets'
In a nutshell:
My Bets is where you can get immediate access to your betting history. It will give you the vital information on your bets - event, date, odds, stake, outcome - which means you don't have to try to keep it all in your head or set up a sprawling spreadsheet.
How does it work?
Simply sign in to your Betfair account then click 'My Bets' on the top the page. Alternatively, click 'My Account' and choose 'My Exchange Bets' in the drop down.
On mobile, you will see three tabs at the top of the page - Open, Settled and Multiples.
'Open' bets are those you've placed in markets which are yet to be settled or from which you haven't cashed out.
'Settled' bets is where you can see your full betting history - the ups and downs, the smart moves and blunders.
The 'Multiples' tab will show you any Sportsbook bets you have placed.
Use the 'options' dropdown to amend your search - for example, changing the date range if you're looking for a particular bet.
By clicking on the 'Exchange Bets' drop down you can see your betting history on the Exchange as well as Exchange Games and Tote Bets if you use those products.
The desktop page is similar but you will also see tabs for 'matched' - those that are live - and 'unmatched' bets, those where a fellow bettor is yet to accept your price offered.
Now read more of our Betfair Exchange guides here.