This term refers to the tipster’s top stake of the day and signifies the wager most likely to win. Although the term is most commonly used in horse racing it can be applied to other sports such as football and so on.
What is a Nap?
It signifies the strongest bet of the day as suggested by an expert. The “Betting nap” term comes from the card game Napoleon. In this game, when someone thinks they have the winning combination, it’s called ‘NAPoleon’.
The term is usually used in horse racing. It’s the tipster’s top recommendation, for example, which horse will win or finish in the placings. Tipsters are people who offer expert advice and predictions on the outcomes of sports. Naps in betting are the wagers they believe have the highest probability of success.
Sometimes you will see ‘NB’ (next best). It is the second favourite of the day.
Betting Strategies
The success rate of the nap depends on the tipster. You can see statistics in special tables that show how well the expert predicts. The table has a Bet Level column and sometimes a number with a plus or minus sign in front of it.
A plus sign suggests a higher chance of success when you follow the analyst’s advice. However, a minus sign indicates negative statistics.
You can merge nap and NB predictions to form complex stakes such as Round Robins, Canadians and Lucky 15s. This increases the probability of a successful bet, even if one of the choices fails.
Here are several strategies that use tipster predictions.
The ‘Nap Attack’ System
This is one of the nap betting strategies in which expert choices are used. The strategy consists of making identical bets on picks of the day with odds from 2.00 to 5.00 (4/1). On the odds above 5.00, you need to wager each way (to win and to place). Note, that the number of runners and the type of race defines what place terms will be offered.
Example: Let’s take a table according to which the best choices for the horse race on 4 March 2024 are Havanazam, Samazul, Saligo Bay, Soloman Lane, and Mi Sueno. According to the strategy, let’s wager £20 on Saligo Bay and Soloman Lane (2 stakes of £10 each way), and for the remaining, we will pick a win and bet £10.
Out of the 5 predictions, only 2 were successful. Soloman and Mi Sueno won their runs and we had £116 after spending £70. The net win was £116-70=£46.
Lucky 15
You can also use combinations with other nap betting strategies, such as Lucky 15. It is a 4 selections bet consisting of 15 wagers: 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles and one accumulator.
Let’s take the first matches of the 2022-23 Champions League quarter-finals as an example.
A nap involves the following:
- Real Madrid will win against Chelsea (1.70)
- Inter will beat Benfica (1.60)
- Manchester City will be stronger than Bayern (1.69)
- Napoli will beat Milan (2.92)
From these selections, these bets would be made:
- In four singles, we will choose a winner in each match.
- Six double.
- Real will win against Chelsea and Inter will beat Benfica.
- Chelsea and Bayern will lose.
- Madrid and Napoli will succeed.
- Benfica and Bayern will be defeated.
- Inter will win against Benfica, Napoli will beat Milan.
- Bayern and Milan will lose.
- Four treble wagers.
- Real Madrid, Inter and Manchester City will succeed.
- Madrid, Inter, and Napoli will succeed.
- Real Madrid will beat Chelsea, Manchester will win against Bayern and Napoli will beat Milan.
- Benfica, Bayern, and Milan will lose.
- One four-strong accumulator, where all four selected favourites will win.
So we made 15 wagers of £10 each. Even though one of the stakes failed (Napoli lost), we still received £28.84.
Advantages and Risks
- Tipsters provide predictions based on their knowledge and analysis, so the wager’s success rate may be higher than random betting.
- The nap strategy helps beginners to choose a bet more easily without deep knowledge.
- Loss risk – sports results are unpredictable, so even the best nap can fail.
- You need to find a tipster who offers reliable picks.