Do you bet on football opportunities? And do you know that besides the odds on the winner, there are hundreds of other opportunities on which to bet? Take a look at our overview and learn more about betting on football.
Betting on Football
Football is a global phenomenon. Bets on football make up the main turnovers of bookmakers (source: pixabay.com)
Football is the most watched and played sport on the planet, and it naturally holds the top spot among bettors as well. Globally, bets on football matches make up the largest volume for bookmakers. Each week, you can choose from thousands of matches and countless markets to bet on. To help you better navigate football betting, we have created an article that guides you through general information on how to bet on football.
How to bet on football
In principle, football is a very simple game in which two teams of eleven players face off. A football match is played for 90 minutes, divided into two 45-minute halves. In certain competition formats, the match may require extra time (2x 15 minutes) and then a penalty shootout. The goal of a football match is to score more goals than the opponent. Betting on football is not just about predicting the outcome of the match. You can choose from a wide range of side bets, the success of which does not depend solely on the result of the match. You can bet on the number of corners, yellow cards, number of shots, individual player performance (goals, shots on target, etc.).
Basic types of football bets
Now we come to the basic football markets, which are the events most commonly bet on in football. The first that comes to mind is the bet on the match winner, where you simply bet on the home team, the away team, or a draw. Another popular choice is the bet on the total number of goals in the match and the so-called Asian handicap.
1 – X – 2
This is the so-called main market, i.e., odds on the match winner. A football match can end either with a home team win (also marked as 1), a draw (also marked as X or zero 0), or an away team win (also marked as 2), so you have these three options. In cases where extra time is considered, such as in the World Cup playoffs, in addition to the 1 – X – 2 bet, you may also encounter the bet Match winner until a decision. In such a case, a draw is not an option, and you bet on the team that wins including extra time and penalties. A modification of the bet on the winner is the so-called double chance, where you can bet that your team will not lose or that there will be no draw in the match. The odds are then much lower than in the case of “sharp” tips.
- 1X (also 10) – home team does not lose
- X2 (also 02) – away team does not lose
- 12 – no draw
Bet on the number of goals
A very popular type of football bet is the bet on goals. In this case, you are not betting on the match winner, but on the number of goals scored, or whether the number of goals will be higher or lower than the line set by the bookmakers. The basic line in a football match is 2.5 goals, and you simply bet whether there will be a maximum of 2 goals (UNDER 2.5) or 3 goals or more (OVER 2.5). In addition to the total number of goals in the match, odds are also set on the number of goals by individual teams, the number of goals in the first or second half, the exact number of goals, etc. There are really many possibilities.
Asian handicap
Handicap betting is very close to betting on the winner, with the difference that the bookmaker assigns one team a virtual lead, which is added to the total score of the match. Given that there are generally few goals scored in football, unlike, for example, in basketball, this handicap is low (commonly AH-/+ 0.5 goals and AH-/+ 1.5 goals). You will encounter a larger handicap, for example, in a match between a clear favorite and a football minnow, such as a qualifying match between England and San Marino, where you can encounter handicaps on England winning by 4.5 goals (England AH -4.5). For your bet on England at a 4.5 goal handicap to win, England must overcome the handicap and win by at least 5 goals. On the other hand, if you bet on San Marino at a 4.5 goal handicap, you must hope that San Marino loses by a maximum of 4 goals. The Asian handicap is much more complex and offers many more bets and permeates other markets. Therefore, before you start handicap betting, read our comprehensive article Asian handicap, where we discuss this bet in more detail.
Side markets
Given the popularity of football betting, you will not be surprised that the range of betting opportunities for football matches is the most diverse. You can bet on halftime opportunities, individual player performances (e.g., whether a specific player will score a goal, the number of shots on target, etc.). Recently, so-called statistical bets have become very popular. Especially in the largest European competitions, such as the Champions League or Premier League, the offer is extremely rich. In addition to corner kicks or yellow cards, you will find opportunities to bet on the number of fouls, the number of shots on target, the number of fouls, or even the number of offsides. Bets on the performance of individual players (how many times a player will shoot on target, how many fouls they will have, how many successful passes they will complete, etc.) are not an exception. These opportunities are usually listed as OVER / UNDER, which means you are betting on whether there will be more or fewer corners/shots on target/cards, etc., than the bookmakers listed.
Long-term bets
Don’t mind investing money in bets with a longer time horizon? Then take a look at the offer of long-term opportunities. For example, you can bet on the overall winner of the competition (or tournament such as EURO or the World Cup) or the top scorer. There are many more opportunities. It is not an exception to see odds on which team will be relegated or which coach will be the first to be dismissed in the season. It all depends on what the bookmaker offers at the time. Interesting betting opportunities are also offered by odds on the head-to-head battle of two teams. For example, you can encounter bets on which team will finish higher in the competition or tournament or which team will score more goals, etc.
What factors to watch when betting on football
The value of the odds and probability – successful betting is about finding valuable odds. Every bettor should be able to calculate the implied probabilities that the listed odds represent and evaluate whether it is a valuable offer or not. In connection with this advice, there is another recommendation. Have an account with multiple bookmakers and always bet where you get the highest odds.
- Placed odds vs. closing odds – especially in the main markets, where the turnovers are the largest, the difference in the odds at which you placed the opportunity and the closing odds, at which it was possible to bet just before the start of the match, has an extremely important indicative value about your bets. A great indicator is the closing odds of the professional bookmaker Pinnacle (bet through Sportmarket). Do you regularly beat the closing odds (i.e., you bet at higher odds than it was possible to bet just before the start of the match)? That is a good sign because you are probably placing valuable bets.
- Form – an important factor in assessing quality is current form. But look not only at the results and the table but also at the game being played. This often has a greater indicative value about the current form and mood in the team than the number of points collected.
- Motivation – does one team have extra motivation? Or, conversely, do you know that one of the teams will not go into the match at 100%? First of all, consider whether to bet on such a match at all. And if so, consider the motivation of both teams.
- Injuries and expected lineup – although football is a team sport, each team has key players. Is someone important injured, or will the coach give them a break after a tough cup match and change the lineup? Such information will come in handy.
- Statistics – primarily useful for bettors who focus on statistical bets. The table and the number of goals scored and conceded are not enough. In today’s world of various metrics (e.g., xG), it is possible to study the smallest details. If you also bet on cards or fouls, don’t forget to take referee statistics into account.
- Head-to-head records of teams and coaches – monitor how the individual teams and coaches fare against each other. Tactics and playing style play an important role, and bettors must know how to handle this.
- The course of the match itself – do you have the opportunity to watch the match live? Use the offered live opportunities and bet according to how the match develops. The live offer is usually as rich as the prematch one.
Do you want to be successful in football betting? Bet on valuable odds
Finally, we must mention that no matter how big a football fan you are and have a perfect overview of all possible statistics, you only have a presumption to be profitable. Your success will depend on whether you can bet on odds with a positive expected value. This is the alpha and omega of success. We therefore recommend starting with our article Value betting – betting on odds with a positive expected value.
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Frequently asked questions
1️⃣ In which bookmakers can I bet on football?
Football is the most watched and most bet on sport in the world. Therefore, all bookmakers offer football. The difference is, of course, in the listed competitions and markets. There are significant differences between individual companies in this regard. While with one bookmaker you can bet on the number of goals in the 2nd Bangladesh league match, with another, the offer will be considerably narrower.2️⃣ What is most important when betting on football?
The same as when betting on any other sport. Your success will depend on whether you can bet on odds with a positive expected value.
3️⃣ Can I bet on opportunities other than the match result?
Of course. There are hundreds of opportunities to bet on. Want to bet on the number of cards or corners? No problem! Everything, of course, depends on the offer of the specific bookmaker.
Michael Cermak
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