Sam Farley

Betting Analyst Years of Experience Icon

8+ years experience

Betting Analyst

8+ years experience

Sam is based in the United Kingdom, where he grew up living and breathing soccer, before discovering - and playing - a different kind of football at the University of Bristol. He’s worked in the media covering soccer and the NFL for the better part of a decade, and has been a regular on the Matchbook NFL Podcast. His work has also appeared in a wide range of publications including The Telegraph, The Independent, VICE, and MSN.

The search for great betting value is a daily one, and Sam always hunts out big prices with a particular focus on player props. Sam’s best advice for bettors is to track their bets on a spreadsheet, that way you can keep an eye on your P&L but also the types of bets and sports that you are most successful in. He also recommends using a variety of different sportsbooks, with bet365, Betfair and Paddy Power amongst his favorites.

Favorites

Team: Plymouth Argyle
Sport to bet on: NFL
Sports movie: Happy Gilmore
Sports snack: Buffalo wings
Covers feature: Line movement tracker

I saw an article on Alex Smith’s recovery and his ambition to play again, so I bet on Alex Smith to win Comeback Player of the Year. In my mind I was certain he’d win it even if he just made the field once for a kneel down at the end of a game. In the end he played a few games and performed well. It was super cool to win the bet (I had tickets from 33/1 to 16/1) and also to watch him make an amazing comeback.

Best Betting Memory

I feel like I haven’t had any truly gut-wrenching bad beats. I’m normally most annoyed with my losing bets when I’ve just followed my heart and not done any research. Generally when the reasoning behind my bets is solid (because I’ve used tools like those on Covers), even if they lose, I don’t get too salty.

Worst Beat