Introduction to Football Betting
There is no bigger sport in the world for betting than football. From the heights of the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League to the competitive Championship and FA Cup, there has never been a busier time for club football.
With the mix of international football like the World Cup and European Championships also presenting plenty of betting opportunities, it’s a good idea to get a betting strategy to cover it all.
Popular Football Betting Markets
For any football match, you can find a huge range of popular markets to bet on, and here are some prominent ones.
Match Result (1X2 Betting)
A home win, a draw, or an away win can be selected from the match result market (sometimes listed as 1×2).
Over/Under Goals
The standard line is over/under 2.5 goals, which is typically closest to even money. Bettors have the opportunity to challenge that with options like over 3.5 goals or under 1.5 goals.
Both Teams to Score (BTTS)
A both teams to score bet is deciding whether both teams will hit the back of the net in the match. The match result is unimportant.
Handicap Betting
Handicap betting is advantageous for games where there is a heavy favourite and therefore not much value in the match result market. A -1.5 handicap on Man City, for example, would require them to win by at least two clear goals. A +1.5 handicap would require them not to lose by more than one.
Correct Score
The correct score market is popular, but because of the higher risk in the unpredictable market, you can find high odds even on common results like 1-1, 2-1, and 1-0.
First Goalscorer
The first goalscorer market is a pick of which player will open the scoring. Long odds can be found in this market, as there are many variables.
Effective Football Betting Strategies
Follow these helpful guidelines for creating an effective strategy for your football betting.
Bankroll Management
Control your betting budget by planning exactly how to best use your stake for bets, and a plan helps avoid large losses. Figure out how much you can afford to lose, and only bet with disposable income.
Research and Analysis
Research and stats should guide your football betting picks. The deeper the analysis into form and trends, the better. Check vital records like current form, average goals conceded and scored per game, and clean sheets.
Value Betting
Value bets are opportunities created by a bookmaker potentially underestimating an outcome. Research your probability of an outcome and figure out what odds you expect it at. If a bookmaker has it at a longer price, then the value bet opportunity has arisen.
In-Play (Live) Betting
If a pre-match favourite has a player sent off in the first 10 minutes, that could change the direction of the match. By studying live games, options like the next team to score, over/under bets, and the match outright can be strategized with live betting. A common in-play strategy is waiting as long as possible with the match at 0-0 before placing an over 2.5 goals bet because the value will have increased above the pre-match quote.
Accumulators (Parlays)
Short odds from multiple selections are multiplied together in an accumulator to get bigger cumulative odds. These are popular bets because of the potential of a big payout from a small stake, but are higher as it takes only one wrong selection to ruin it.
Betting on Favourites and Underdogs
Betting on the favourites all the time is not a sound strategy because the small profit from wins ends up not covering the outlay on bets where the favourite loses. Similarly, betting only on underdogs will produce fewer but higher-paying wins. The balance is to find the right time to back a favourite or an underdog.
Fading the Public
Track public percentages on a market to see where money is going. Public support will typically overvalue a favourite, leaving bookmakers to lengthen underdog odds. That’s an opportunity to bet against the public, especially if you had already planned on doing so, as your bet value would increase.
Advanced Football Betting Techniques
The more you explore football betting, the more techniques and strategies you will be able to unravel and explore. Here are a few.
Expected Goals (xG)
Expected goals combine many complicated factors to suggest how likely a team is expected to score from the quality of chances created. The xG statistic isn’t to be solely relied upon for betting decisions, but it can help indicate how strong an attack is likely to be against a certain defence for a match.
Trading Bets
Betting exchanges offer the chance to trade bets. Backing Juventus pre-match for a home win could lead to laying them in play (not to win) if they get off to a bad start. The skill of trading is getting the lay bet done at the right time at the right odds so that no matter the outcome, profit is earned.
Arbitrage Betting
This is where a player attempts to cover all the potential outcomes in a market by using the differences in market odds at different bookmakers. This is a very fine balancing act but can lead to guaranteed profit regardless of the outcome of the match.
Why Football Betting Is Popular
Football is played all across the world, from a grassroots kick-around in the local park to the top international level. The sheer volume of games and fanatical support for teams helps to drive the popularity of football betting, and bookmakers offer hundreds of games per week.
Sportsbooks typically provide more than 100 pre-match options on high-profile games, ranging from total corners and the number of assists by a player to goals and unique bet builder options, so there is something for everyone.
Dynamic in-play football betting opportunities are another reason why football betting is so popular, giving bettors the chance to make knowledgeable calls while play is ongoing.
Conclusion
The path to football betting starts on the training ground of research. Look into the relevant statistics that apply to the markets you are most interested in, like goal averages for over/under and BTTS bets.
Everything stems from analysing statistics and understanding odds to spot value in the markets. Improve your football betting experience by adopting some of the strategies above, but remember to always balance the bankroll and bet responsibly.