The recent US Masters has been a good example at how betting exchanges can be used to find good value bets. Better yet, betting exchanges can be a real life saver when your big bet looks to be going down. The final day of the US Masters was a classic for those who love to watch golf – it was a bit of a nightmare for those who like to bet on the sport.

Rory McIlroy went into the last day in complete control of the tournament. He was a short-priced favourite to win while players such as Tiger Woods and Charl Schwartzel were at any old price. McIlroy himself started the rot with triple bogeys and bogeys and suddenly tumbled down the leader board – as did his odds.

Tiger Woods put in a charge and one stage looked in a position to win. The day eventually went to Schwartzel, not in a storming finish, but by just plugging away and playing his own game. The signs were there halfway through his round. Smart punters started to lay both McIlroy and Woods early on the final day and betting exchanges are the best place to find good lay bets. Smart punters also bracketed Schwartzel, Day, and Scott as they contested the last half of their rounds.

In the end, it could have been any one of those three that won through. More importantly, McIlroy and Woods couldn’t finish off their good early work. Betting exchanges were busy late in the tournament as punters tried to recover their losing bets. What sets a betting exchange aside from conventional betting is that you can bet on someone losing rather than winning – often, it’s easier to pick the loser than the winner.