Being gubbed is something you’ll experience from time to time no matter how cautious you are. When a bookmaker gubs us, this means we're unable to take part in their free bet promotions. However, this doesn't mean the account is useless, there are still certain things we can do, like price boosts and extra places.

We want to minimise our chances of getting gubbed and keep our accounts healthy so we can continue to profit long-term. Luckily, there are a few things we can do to try and keep the bookies from gubbing us:

Pick a team –  Betting on your favourite team every week is something a mug punter would be doing so you could do that too. Choose a team and bet on them to win every week, again laying the bet.

Deposit more than needed – Quite often, an opening offer will require a qualifying bet of £10 so instead of depositing exactly £10, deposit £20 or a different amount. This makes the bookie think you are there for more than just their opening offer.

Mix it up – Don’t go for the full refund every time. On the horses for example, there are often money back offers for coming second. They are usually capped at £10. Instead of betting £10 why not bet £50 or even go higher and bet £15. We still qualify for the offer but it makes it less obvious we are just after the refund.

Mug Betting –  This is the process of placing a bet with the bookie that has no offer attached. Usually it’s a good idea to bet on high profile football matches or other high profile events. This will make us look like a typical punter and not someone who is purely interested in extracting bonuses. Of course we are matched bettors so we don’t want to lose any money, so we always lay these bets off at the exchange in the same way we would a qualifying bet.