How to Bet on Football

 

Football is one of the most followed sports, with millions of fans worldwide. Therefore there are a huge number of football betting sites cropping up over the past few years. Unfortunately not everyone knows how to place football bets. This Football betting guide for beginners will take you through everything you need to know about football gambling.

 

How Football Betting Works

 

The only way to place football bets like a professional is to understand how football betting works. Football betting entails punting on select football matches. The events are sourced from different football tournaments such as the:
 -   Eredivisie
 -   English Premier League
 -   UEFA Champions League
 -   European Championship
 -   FIFA Club World Cup
 -   FA Cup
Each sportsbook provides you with a different number of football markets and varied odds sizes on which you need to place bets. Furthermore, some offer special features to assist with football betting. Therefore, it is up to you to decide which markets to pick and the odds to consider while placing football bets. Keep in mind that you can place pre-match and/or live bets. Also, most sportsbooks offer fixed odds betting and spread betting, making them accommodating.

 

Football Odds Explained

 

Football odds represent the probability of a football event occurring. They usually accompany betting markets on any football match. Using football odds, you can calculate how much money you will earn if you place a winning bet. That is why you are advised to only pick sportsbooks with significant odds. Odds can also be used to identify the favourite team and the underdog, especially if you are planning to place the simple Home Win or Away Win bet.
Note that different countries and continents use different odds formats. That explains why bookies offer odds formats such as American, Malay, Indo, Hong Kong, and Decimal to its players. It is vital to consider the odds of any bookie before signing up.

 

Most Common Football Betting Types Explained

 

It is impossible to place a bet without football betting types. Betting markets are used to guide you on the kind of predictions you can make on a sportsbook. Here are some common football betting types that you should know.

 

1X2

 

The most common betting market is the 1X2 market. A 1 stands for a win for the home team, an X for a draw and a 2 for a win for the away team. You will encounter this betting market at every match and it is therefore often at the top of the betting markets. If your placed bet remains correct after the end, you will receive a nice profit.

 

Outright (winner) bets

 

Outright Winner is a betting market that requires you to determine which team will win a specific tournament. It can be the UEFA Champions League or the English Premier League. For example, you can predict that Manchester United will win the competition. As a result, you will only earn a profit if Manchester wins the league. It is advisable to consider the Outright Winner option before the tournament begins to enjoy high odds.

 

Handicaps

 

Handicap is a common betting option whenever a superior team plays an inferior football club. The purpose of the handicap is to level the playing field by disadvantaging the superior team. For instance, if Manchester City is playing against Watford, the bookie can give Manchester City a -1.5 handicap. For Manchester City to win, the bookie will subtract 1.5 from Manchester City’s final score and compare the results to that of Watford. If Manchester City still leads, you win the bet. In football, there are two types of handicaps: Asian Handicap and European Handicap.

 

Over/Under Markets

 

Over/Under is yet another common football betting market in the football betting scene. The option is suitable if you want to predict variables and not the exact result. For example, you can predict the Total Score of a match to be Over 2.5. Therefore, you will win the football bet if the total match score is three and above.

 

Accumulators

 

An accumulator is a type of bet that contains multiple predictions combined into one. The main types of accumulators include:
 -   Treble
 -   Four-Fold
 -   Five-Fold
 -   Six-Fold
In a tournament, you can bet Arsenal to Win, Chelsea to Lose, Manchester City to Win, and Crystal Palace to Win. If all predictions are correct, you will win the accumulator. However, if any prediction is incorrect, you lose the entire bet.

 

Totals - Corners, Bookings, etc

 

Totals is yet another betting option common among bookmakers. The betting market requires you to determine the total number of corners, goals, or points earned in a match. You can also bet on the total number of bookings of an event. The Totals betting option is often used together with Over/Under. Suppose Arsenal is playing Leeds United. You can bet on Total goals over 2.5. To win the bet, the total scores made by both teams should be three and above.

 

Double Chance

 

Double Chance is an extension of the popular 1x2 football betting market. In this case, you get to predict two independent outcomes of a single event. You can choose Home Win or Draw or select Away Win or Draw. For instance, if Chelsea is playing Arsenal, you can pick Chelsea to Win or draw. Therefore, you will earn whether Chelsea Wins or Draws. However, the betting option usually has smaller odds since it is considered less risky.

 

Scorecast

 

The Scorecast is an excellent football betting option if you wish to combine two bets into one. Scorecast requires you to predict the initial Goalscorer and the Correct Score. Hence, if Liverpool is Playing Chelsea, you can predict Mohammed Salah to be the first Goal Scorer and Liverpool to win 3-1.

 

Half Time/ Full Time

 

Placing Half Time/ Full Time bets entails predicting the half time score and the full time result of the match. If it is a knockout, extra time does not apply but rather the usual 90 minutes of the match. Before placing the bet, you should know that halftime and full time have three possible outcomes. That is Home Win/Draw/Away Win. Therefore, for a Brentford Vs Leicester City match, you can Predict a Draw at halftime and Leicester City to win full time.

 

Long Term and Special bets

 

Long term and special bets are important to consider if you want to enjoy profitable odds. Long term betting involves placing a football bet on events weeks or months before they happen.

Some sportsbooks refer to long term bets as Futures.

 

The best type of long term bet is the Outright Winner or Tournament Winner betting option. On the other hand, Specials betting entails wagering on outcomes that may or may not occur during a football event. The best example of specials bets includes Manager bets or Player bets. Like long term bets, specials bets have competitive odds that you can benefit from when betting on football events. However, timing is key, especially if you are after enjoying the best odds across the market.

 

How Does Live Betting on Football Work?

 

Football betting is divided into two broad types; pre-match betting and live betting. Live betting involves punting on football events after they start. Usually, sportsbooks place their live football matches in the in-play section making them easily accessible. The advantage of in-play betting is that you get to be part of the action. You have to be keen on the match if you want to place a likely live bet. Therefore, you are advised to choose a sportsbook with special live betting features such as live stream and cash out.
With these functions, you will have complete control of your betting account. After all, the features allow you to watch live football events and withdraw your wager from a bet. But then, before you proceed to the in-play section, note that in-play odds vary depending on the action on the pitch. Furthermore, the operator may lock some markets, making them unavailable for betting.