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I was also a bit confused with playing with free bets before now because I taught I actually never got the figure that I was supposed to win whenever I placed a bet and saw the potential winning amount but it wasn't until a while ago I fully understood the concept of the actual free bet amount not being calculated to part of your stake, like for example if I bet with the 25$ free bet on a total odd of 2.00 then I get the 25$ as possible win seeing that my stake is not added to the full winning amount.
The stake makes the difference here. If you place a bet and provide the money for it yourself (i.e. you don't have a free bet), you give your money as a guarantee for the bet. If you win the bet, you get your stake back and also the winnings. Technically, however, you get just as much money back with a free bet as with a bet you have paid yourself - the stake is otherwise also gone if you lose the bet.
My bets for the coming weekend are the following:
