How did your tipster adventure begin? How long have you been betting, and what inspired you to start?
Sylwester Zalewski: I used to bet a bit. At first, it was the standard betting method: the famous paper betting slips. Then, with the advent of the internet, I moved online. It was a mixed bag. I usually lost more than I won, so at some point I was about to give up. But recently, I thought, "Oh, I'll look for a site where I can play for free." I typed "free bets" into the search bar, and around March or April, I came across JohnnyBet. I went in, saw: a free competition, cool prizes. So, let's play! It started completely spontaneously.
How did you feel when you saw you'd won the season?
Sylwester: At first, I couldn't believe it at all! I entered the competition for fun, and suddenly, I won first place. After the season ended, I tried to stay calm. Until I saw the prize transfer, I told myself, "Okay, no need to get too excited." Especially since people were leaving unnecessary comments on the forums. But I wrote to the winner of the previous edition, who reassured me that he'd been waiting for about two weeks. That's exactly when I received my prize for winning the Tipsters League. And then I felt incredibly happy!
What sources of information do you use most often when preparing your predictions? Analysis and hard statistics, or intuition and heart?
Sylwester: Definitely results websites and hard data. Following intuition or fandom is a mistake I sometimes make myself and later regret. When you have favorite teams – for example, Tottenham, Lech Poznań, or the LA Dodgers in baseball – sometimes you go for it blindly, without checking their form. And then you screw up! (laughs) That's why I try to rely solely on cold analysis: I look at head-to-head records, home and away form. If the teams have never played each other before, I simply skip the match because there's nothing to draw conclusions from.
How much time do you spend on analysis before placing a bet each day?
Sylwester: A single bet takes me about 5 to 10 minutes. I mostly place my coupons right before the match itself – a few minutes or so before the whistle, and sometimes even live during the game. Then I quickly review the statistics, close the tab, log in again just to be sure, and place my bet. I have a job that gives me the comfort of being able to follow live matches even during the game and dedicate some time to it.
What strategy do you use when choosing your bets? What are your guiding principles?
Sylwester: I don't have a hard-and-fast rule that I only bet on straight wins or points. I look for a happy medium between winnings, handicap, and points total. A very important rule: selection. In July, I had a moment of "mania" – I was betting 50 matches a day because I thought I had it all figured out. The result? I ended up with a huge loss. Now, I only choose the most reliable bets from the wide selection of matches on offer.
Do you have your own "specialty"? A league or discipline where you feel most confident?
Sylwester: I love American sports – NBA, baseball (MLB, plus the Japanese and Korean leagues), and I'm looking forward to the NFL season most of all. There, when there's a favorite, it usually delivers! Interestingly, the sport that brought me the most points in the competition was... football (soccer). But that's simply a matter of scale, since football just has the widest range of offerings and is hard to avoid, even though personally I prefer the excitement of American sports.
Do you have a "sweet spot"? A league or discipline you feel most confident in?
Sylwester: I love American sports – the NBA, baseball (MLB, the Japanese and Korean leagues), and I most look forward to the NFL season. When there's a favorite, they usually win the competition! Interestingly, the one that earned me the most points in the competition was... soccer. But it's simply a matter of scale, because soccer offers the widest range of options and it's hard to avoid it, although personally, I prefer the excitement of the USA.
What do you consider your greatest success as a tipster last year?
Sylwester: Of course, winning the Tipsters League! At the end of the season, I was secretly hoping for a top-three finish, and I would have been thrilled with that. But the win was a complete success. I also had very fond memories of the atmosphere on the forum – the Polish players were fantastic and kept their fingers crossed for me until the very end.
Perhaps you could share some tips for beginner bettors?
Sylwester: Keep a cool head and don't get worked up. And most importantly – be consistent, but don't overdo it. Place a maximum of 5-10 well-thought-out bets per day. Many people think that the more events they put on their bet slip, the bigger the winnings. The truth is, the more matches, the greater the chance of failure. You need to be able to create a strong filter and eliminate anything uncertain.What are your goals for the upcoming Tipsters League season?Sylwester: Ambition, of course, dictates defending the title, but you have to keep your feet on the ground – I see other players working hard for their results. If I finish in the top 20 in January or February, I'll be very happy. For now, we have a marathon ahead of us, and we've only run the first 100 meters. Time will tell!
Thanks so much for the interview, and good luck in the new season!
Sylwester: Thank you so much!
Expert of the 2025/2026 Season: Sylwester Zalewski
How did your tipster adventure begin? How long have you been betting, and what inspired you to start?
Sylwester Zalewski: I used to bet a bit. At first, it was the standard betting method: the famous paper betting slips. Then, with the advent of the internet, I moved online. It was a mixed bag. I usually lost more than I won, so at some point I was about to give up. But recently, I thought, "Oh, I'll look for a site where I can play for free." I typed "free bets" into the search bar, and around March or April, I came across JohnnyBet. I went in, saw: a free competition, cool prizes. So, let's play! It started completely spontaneously.
How did you feel when you saw you'd won the season?
Sylwester: At first, I couldn't believe it at all! I entered the competition for fun, and suddenly, I won first place. After the season ended, I tried to stay calm. Until I saw the prize transfer, I told myself, "Okay, no need to get too excited." Especially since people were leaving unnecessary comments on the forums. But I wrote to the winner of the previous edition, who reassured me that he'd been waiting for about two weeks. That's exactly when I received my prize for winning the Tipsters League. And then I felt incredibly happy!
What sources of information do you use most often when preparing your predictions? Analysis and hard statistics, or intuition and heart?
Sylwester: Definitely results websites and hard data. Following intuition or fandom is a mistake I sometimes make myself and later regret. When you have favorite teams – for example, Tottenham, Lech Poznań, or the LA Dodgers in baseball – sometimes you go for it blindly, without checking their form. And then you screw up! (laughs) That's why I try to rely solely on cold analysis: I look at head-to-head records, home and away form. If the teams have never played each other before, I simply skip the match because there's nothing to draw conclusions from.
How much time do you spend on analysis before placing a bet each day?
Sylwester: A single bet takes me about 5 to 10 minutes. I mostly place my coupons right before the match itself – a few minutes or so before the whistle, and sometimes even live during the game. Then I quickly review the statistics, close the tab, log in again just to be sure, and place my bet. I have a job that gives me the comfort of being able to follow live matches even during the game and dedicate some time to it.
What strategy do you use when choosing your bets? What are your guiding principles?
Sylwester: I don't have a hard-and-fast rule that I only bet on straight wins or points. I look for a happy medium between winnings, handicap, and points total. A very important rule: selection. In July, I had a moment of "mania" – I was betting 50 matches a day because I thought I had it all figured out. The result? I ended up with a huge loss. Now, I only choose the most reliable bets from the wide selection of matches on offer.
Do you have your own "specialty"? A league or discipline where you feel most confident?
Sylwester: I love American sports – NBA, baseball (MLB, plus the Japanese and Korean leagues), and I'm looking forward to the NFL season most of all. There, when there's a favorite, it usually delivers! Interestingly, the sport that brought me the most points in the competition was... football (soccer). But that's simply a matter of scale, since football just has the widest range of offerings and is hard to avoid, even though personally I prefer the excitement of American sports.
Do you have a "sweet spot"? A league or discipline you feel most confident in?
Sylwester: I love American sports – the NBA, baseball (MLB, the Japanese and Korean leagues), and I most look forward to the NFL season. When there's a favorite, they usually win the competition! Interestingly, the one that earned me the most points in the competition was... soccer. But it's simply a matter of scale, because soccer offers the widest range of options and it's hard to avoid it, although personally, I prefer the excitement of the USA.
What do you consider your greatest success as a tipster last year?
Sylwester: Of course, winning the Tipsters League! At the end of the season, I was secretly hoping for a top-three finish, and I would have been thrilled with that. But the win was a complete success. I also had very fond memories of the atmosphere on the forum – the Polish players were fantastic and kept their fingers crossed for me until the very end.
Perhaps you could share some tips for beginner bettors?
Sylwester: Keep a cool head and don't get worked up. And most importantly – be consistent, but don't overdo it. Place a maximum of 5-10 well-thought-out bets per day. Many people think that the more events they put on their bet slip, the bigger the winnings. The truth is, the more matches, the greater the chance of failure. You need to be able to create a strong filter and eliminate anything uncertain.What are your goals for the upcoming Tipsters League season?Sylwester: Ambition, of course, dictates defending the title, but you have to keep your feet on the ground – I see other players working hard for their results. If I finish in the top 20 in January or February, I'll be very happy. For now, we have a marathon ahead of us, and we've only run the first 100 meters. Time will tell!
Thanks so much for the interview, and good luck in the new season!
Sylwester: Thank you so much!