Guide to Football Betting

No matter what the Americans drabble on about, Football (or Soccer as they like to call it), is the biggest sport in the world. For hundreds on countries around the globe, football is their biggest sport and they all want to compete in it at the highest level. Every other sport has had to play second fiddle to football for decades now and it's not surprising with the amount of entertainment any one game can produce. 

Football is also where the bookies make most of their cash. Of course, Horse racing wouldn't be too far behind in terms of the amount matched on each individual race but even horse racing doesn't come close to the amount spent betting on football. The mass amount of leagues around the globe means betting on football is always available night and day, seven days of the week. 

Football Betting Guide 

Picking a match winner in football betting 

The Win-Draw-Win market as it sometimes known is generally the more popular type of market in football as it's probably the easiest to bet on. You basically have to choose who you think will win the match in 90 minutes of play. If you think the sides are evenly matched then you can choose to bet on the match ending in a draw. This market is where the vast majority of the money goes in a game, especially when the match is available on in play betting as matches tend to have several twists and turns. 

Here we have listed a few brief tips on picking a potential match winner: 

Teams - Ensure you get to grips with knowing the teams you're betting on. Analyse the key players for each side, pick out the danger-men, spot both sides strong points and weaknesses. This is a list of just some of the information you will need to take into account when choosing which side has the best chance of winning. 

- Starting Line up & formation 

- Missing Players (Injuries & Suspensions) 

- League position 

- Their recent fixture list (League & Domestic Cups) 

- Their form heading into the match 

- Their style of play 

Form - Confidence is huge in football and you get this from winning games. If a team is winning games regularly then their confidence, not only as individuals but also as a team, will grow. Teams on a hot winning streak are very hard to oppose. 

However, if a team is on a poor run of results and are struggling to put any wins together then the confidence and morale of the whole team will be at a low. This will in turn have a negative affect on their performance and teams with poor form should be avoided. 

Conditions - Weather plays a big part in how a game pans out. Different weather conditions will benefit certain sides more than others, especially those who are not used to a change of scenery. Rain and heat are the main conditions that affect games. You will normally find that the advantage of weather is in Internationals or European competitions as the weather varies from country to country. 

Rain adds a completely different aspect to any game. The ball won't bounce much on the surface and the overall tempo of the game will become a lot slower. Teams that are accustomed to rainy conditions will benefit from this. 

Example: If England are playing at home to Brazil and the forecast is for heavy rain then England would have the advantage of having played in rainy conditions more then the Brazilians. England will react faster to the slower conditions whereas the Brazilians may take a while to adjust to the conditions. 

Heat is definitely the hardest weather condition to play under. In extreme heat, teams will become tired faster and fatigue will start to kick in a lot earlier then it would under an average game temperature. You will see a lot more substitutions as the match goes on as players become very tired. 

Example: If Brazil were playing England at home and the temperature was 36c then the Brazilians would be able to handle the humidity a lot better. They have more experience with playing in the hot weather whereas England might not be too familiar with the extreme heat. However, with heat, it will normally only take affect in the latter stages of a match where players become tired, exhausted and possibly dehydrated. 

Weighing up goals 

Predicting how many goals there will be (Referred to as Over/Under) in a game of football is not only our favourite type of market but it's also a personal favourite of millions of punters everywhere. With the exception of the Win-Draw-Win market, the goals markets are where the most of the punters money goes. To be successful in this area you will need to familiarise yourself with several aspects. We have listed a few below to aid your chances of success. 

Teams 

Style of play - The way a team tends to play is very important when betting on goals. If a team is known for it's defensive prowess then it's likely that they won't concede many goals. In this case it's advise you stay away from Predicting lots of goals. If a team consists of several quality forwards or some creative midfielder's then the chances of them scoring a few goals should be high. 

Gulf in class - If there is a big class difference between the two sides then more times then not it ends up in a big scoreline. Make sure you check which league both sides are in or if it's a European tournament then read up on both countries. However, if two of the better sides in the league are playing each other then the match could be very close and neither team will want to lose. This could lead to both teams taking a more cautions approach to the game and could end in a low scoring affair. 

Situation - This is the most important factor when betting on goals. Before heading into a game, the managers of both sides will know vital information on the other team. They will also have one eye on a result they would prefer or need. This factor normally comes into play in cup competitions but it's important in every competitive game. 

Example: 

League - If a side is fighting with relegation and only need a point to secure survival then they may very well play with a defensive mindset in a bid to secure the draw they need. This could lead to a low scoring game. 

If Man Utd are second in the table and can only win the title by beating Bolton by 4 or more goals then expect Man Utd to attack at every opportunity. 

Cup - If teams are playing a two-legged tie where both teams will play home and away then expect a tactical battle. If Liverpool win the first leg at home 2-0 against Chelsea then chances are Liverpool might line up in the second leg to defend the 2-0 lead. This could lead to a low scoring game. Then again, Chelsea know they need to score three goals to go through. Cups are the hardest to predict and you really do need to weigh up all the information and statistics. 

Conditions - Just like predicting a match winner, the weather conditions will come into affect when betting on goals. If there's heavy rain then the ball tends to get stuck on the ground and passing on the ground will become harder. Shots will also become a lot slower and in general, goals are hard to come by when there's a lot of rain. 

With heat comes exhaustion. When the temperature is very hot and you've put your money on goals, you'll basically be hoping for a few early goals. The second half is where players will become tired fast and their energy levels will drop. This will lead to very few goalscoring opportunities and players simply won't have the energy required to create enough decent goalscoring chances. 

Cultural style of play - Every country plays football in a unique way. This can range from a patient passing game to an all-out attack minded side. Both are just as good as another in terms of helping a side win a game but they can affect the amount of goals scored, despite the quality of the players on show. 

Every country is different and each has it's own plus and negatives. We have provided an example of just two countries but it's best you watch a couple of Internationals whenever you can to try and familiarise yourself with each countries style of play. After just a couple of views, it will become second nature assuming how each country/team will play. 

England - The English game has been touted as the best in the world. The Premiership is known for being the hardest league in the world as it takes a while to adapt to the fast pace of their game. Teams from England tend to play on the front foot and spend little time passing the ball about. If they see an opportunity, they go for it. You will often see lots of attempts on goals and generally, a lot of goals. 

Portugal - The Portuguese like to pass the ball around a lot! Instead of seizing on the odd half-chance that may come their way, the prefer to pass their way into space. Teams in Portugal are very patient on the ball and appear to be in no rush to score. The national side is often criticised for trying to score the perfect goal by passing the ball into the net. With all this passing, comes a lot of time wasted. They can keep the ball for large periods of time and this tends to end in low scoring affairs as goalscoring chances are at a premium. 

Whatever you fancy 

As football is arguably the most popular sport in the world, the bookies have thought up literally hundreds of different markets for punters to wager on. There is now very little in football you cannot predict through betting with the bookmakers, especially online. Your local betting shop will be very limited in not only the range of markets they can accept but also the amount they can afford to pay out. For more betting opportunity's you really do need to visit the web. Online bookies such as Bet365, Ladbrokes, Bwin, Betvictor & PaddyPower all have everything in regards to football to suit your needs. 

Range of markets: 

Win-Draw-Win 

Half-time/Full-Time 

Correct Score 

Total Goals 

Asian Handicaps 

DrawNoBet 

First Goalscorer 

Last Goalscorer 

Anytime Goalscorer 

Corners 

Team Goals 

That is a very short list of some of the markets available. You will need to visit one of the many online bookmakers to see the huge list of markets they allow you to have a punt on. Trust us, there's a lot! 

Best for value 

This is a question often asked by punters. With so many bookmakers out there now, they will now be competing against each other for clients. Many will focus on sweet introductory offers to entice potential punters onto their site but some will ensure they offer the best prices on the market. Getting the best price is hugely significant to every punter as each fractional difference in price could decide whether you receive an extra £5 in winnings or an extra £50. 

Our favourite bookmakers for prices: 

PlanetOfBets

Bet365 

SkyBet 

PaddyPower 

Expekt 

All four listed above tend to give out the more generous prices when it comes to football. However, if you don't trust our word for it then you could just check them all yourself by using an odds comparison site - like www.oddschecker.com or Odds Comparison at Online - Betting .me.uk 

Football Tools 

To become more successful at predicting the outcomes of football games you will need to do some homework. We have provided a few links that will aid you in your bid to become a better all round football predictor. 

Statistics - http://www.soccerstats.com/ 

Gathering information beforehand is crucial before betting on any game. The site listed above should provide you with vital information such as; League standings, teams form, goals scored, goals conceded, the amount of goals scored on average in each league, plus much more. 

Latest Scores - Online Betting Live Scores 

Keep yourself informed on what's going on around the world in regards to football matches. The link above will provide you with the latest scores from football matches across the globe including all the major European countries and even teams from South America & Africa. 

Line Ups - Live Centre at Skysports 

Before betting on any match you should find out who's starting for both teams. SkySports have made a free livescore site where anyone can view not only the latest scores from all the major European leagues but it will also allow you to see who's playing and the formation of the teams. Internationals, English premiership, Spanish La Liga and the Champions League are just some of the competitions that feature on this site. 

We hope you found our little football betting guide interesting! 

Football Betting Prices Explained

General football betting prices explained. To get the most out of football betting online, then you will of course, want to be fully conversant in reading football betting prices. This can also fall under the category of football betting basics. So, explained forthwith are the answers to some of the questions you may have been having about what prices really mean, what’s the difference between fractions and decimal, how are they set and how do you make the most of them? Have more questions about football betting prices? Explained here is a guide to the odds you see at online bookmakers. 

To explain football betting prices from the beginning, the basis of all football betting prices is down to probability. You are, for all intents and purposes, doing two things when you place a bet on a team to win a football match. Firstly you are backing a team to win, but more importantly at the same time you are betting on an event NOT to happen (i.e. the other team winning or the match ending in a draw). Let us take an Arsenal v West Ham match for example. First and foremost, online bookmakers determine prices on an event not happening, and that is when they “lay” a bet and post a price, in this case say Arsenal to win at a price of ¼. While this is suggesting Arsenal will win, at the same time it is saying that West Ham are NOT going to win this match, and it is NOT going to end in a draw. As for the odds themselves, Arsenal would be clear favourites to win the game, and therefore the bookmakers don’t want to lose money by setting generous odds on the Arsenal win, or else everybody would be backing them heavily and the bookmaker would be bankrupt. So then you, the punter have options. You either agree and risk a larger sum on Arsenal winning for a quarter of your stake in profit, or you can come along and back the bet by saying fine, I’ll have £10 on the Hammers winning at say 6/1. The probability is that they won’t, but the price is too enticing not to have a crack. The Hammers subsequently lose as expected, and the bookie is up £10 instead of you being up £2.50 if you had backed the Gunners. 

This leads to the next question. How do you determine what the probability of an event happening or not happening is? Well this comes from reading the odds themselves. Basically the shorter the odds, the more likely something is to happen. What are short odds? Anything at lesser value than Evens (the odds at which two outcomes are equally probable) can be considered short odds. The shorter the odds, for example, Arsenal’s price of ¼, the higher probability is that that will be the outcome. But of course, if you have a very unlikely priced two horse race with one at 10/1 and the other at 5/1, then the 5/1 would be short odds even though it is still a very good price. It just means that the horse with the shorter odds has more of a likelihood of crossing the line first. Online bookmakers set prices based on the likelihood of outcomes happening against ones not happening, and that is represented in these football betting prices. Explained in general betting, is the point that you risk more on short odds generally, as you have to bet bigger in order to get the equivalent returns. For example, at the price of 2/1 a £10 bet would bring you £20 profit. Whereas a price of 10/1 would only take a £2 stake to reap the same rewards. But are you more likely to lose that £2 than the £10 stake? There you have to weigh up risks of loss and potential return. 

Fractional odds

When you are wanting some football betting prices explained, then the likelihood is that you are looking at fractional odds such as 4/6, 3/1 and 41/40. What does it all mean? Well, “Evens” is the important benchmark in betting as all prices will fall either side of this focal point (Evens is where the profit gained will be exactly the same as your stake, so if you bet £10 you will win £10). To get a visual, remember back in physics class a see-saw perched on a triangular fulcrum. When it is perfectly balanced, then this is Evens, as both teams have an equal chance of winning. When a heavy favourite sits on one end of the see-saw though, they will drag their own side down below Evens, and at the same time will be raising the price of the underdog team at the other end. From the above example, if Arsenal and West Ham sat on the bench, Arsenal would be near to the ground, while West Ham would be kicking their legs in the air. With Arsenal being a strong favourite in this match, the odds of ¼ represent very short odds. When the first number is smaller than the second number then you know that you are looking at short odds (and a favourite), and you are not getting great value in terms of profit. So let’s take a quick look at how to read the figures of the two differing bets. 

Example of a £10 bet on an Arsenal win at 1/4 

£10 x 0.25 (which is the decimal conversion of the quarter fraction of the bet, so winnings would be a quarter of your stake) which brings a return of £2.50 profit. 

Example of a £10 bet on an Arsenal win at 2/5 

£10 x 0.20 (which is a fifth in decimal terms) x 2 (as these odds work out as your profits being two fifths of your original stake). So if you put £10 on the Gunners, then one fifth of ten is £2.00. Your bet is for two fifths, so that’s £4.00 in profit for your £10 stake. 

Example of a £10 bet on a West Ham win at 6/1 

£10 x 6 = £60 profit. 

One quick way to look at fractional bets in order to work out your returns, is to look at the second number and say that for every one of those, you will win one of the first number. For example, a 6/1 bet simply means that for every “one” you bet, you will get six back (whatever the “one” is in terms of your stake). So you bet £1 then you get £6 back. It is the same principle on a ¼ bet, just this time, for every “four” you bet, you will only get one back. So you bet £4 to get £1 back as winnings. The first bet is obviously the more lucrative one, but has less chance of happening. 

How do bookmakers come up with odds such as 2/5 in the first place? For all intents and purposes to get a quick idea of value, you can just break the fraction down in half, which equates to ½.5 which isn’t a fraction and cannot be represented as so. But it gives a guideline as to what your winnings may be. To be more accurate, mathematics determines that the ½.5 fraction is expanded (doubled) up to odds of 2/5, and 2/5 lies somewhere in between Evens and 1/3. 

Decimal Odds

This system is favoured more in Europe, and in ways it is a little clearer to see the profit margins. Instead of reading fractions, you just read decimal numbers related to a match in football betting. So, let’s stick with the Arsenal v West Ham match and the same odds of ¼ and 6/1 resepectively. In decimal odds, this would translate to: 

Arsenal to win: 1.25 

West Ham to win: 7.00 

How is this worked out? The difference between the decimal odds and fractional odds, is simply that the decimal odds show everything you will get back as a whole. This means that included in the price are both winnings and the returned stake. In fractional odds, you only get to see your potential winnings. So, because a £10 bet on odds of 6/1 would bring £60 winnings + £10 stake, it would be represented in decimal odds of 7.00, which equates to a £10 x 7.00 = £70, otherwise the same amount. This is why, in decimal odds betting, Evens is represented as 1.00 because whatever stake you bet multiplied by 1.00 will give you exactly the same amount as your stake. 

In ways it is quicker to see, because you know exactly what the bookmaker will be handing back to you, stake included. The odds and returns all come out the same, whether you are looking at it from a decimal or fractional point of view. Again, the higher the decimal odds, the more unlikely the event is to happen. When you look at odds like the Arsenal bet of ¼ translated into decimal at 1.25, it looks more lucrative perhaps, but of course it is not. You are still betting at quarter odds, but the “1” simply represents the stake you would get back as well, which is not represented in fractional odds. So if you again you bet £10 x 1.25 = £12.50 which is winnings and stake all rolled into one. 

Football Betting Basics

Football Betting basics should not be too hard to pick up, which means that you can dive quite quickly into the world of online betting to show your skills off. Along with horse racing, football betting is one of the most popular online betting markets there is. Just head to any online bookmaker and you will see, either on the home page news and features, or by the organisation of their sports book menu, that there is a lot of preference given to football. This of course makes getting started with football betting basics a whole lot easier. First of all you will need to find an online bookmaker with which to do your betting. This is easily done by looking over our list of recommended online bookmakers and finding the one that is best for you. All of them will have a strong presence in football betting, and therefore you will need to discover your personal preference of which site, or sites, to use. Once you arrive then you start your football betting. 

Football betting basics rest simply in the fixed odds presentation of a market. Let us say the market is for a Chelsea v West Brom match for example. Your online bookmaker will present the fixed odds for the match, which is all based on probability. The odds will read something like Chelsea ¼, Draw 4/6, West Brom 6/1 just for pure example. What can we read from this? That Chelsea are the outright favourites to win the match because the bookmaker has placed them at the shortest odds (basically less risk, less return). So now you have your football betting options with a mythical £10 in your hand. You can either put the money on the Chelsea win, which will bring winnings of £2.50 (plus stake return), or back the underdog West Brom to win, in which case if it happens then your winnings will be £60 (plus stake return). This is the fun of football betting, do you go big on a banker or take a giant roll of the dice on the unexpected happening? This is the most basic form of football betting, and the fixed odds method is still one of the most tried and tested than punters lean towards. But there are other options to explore, which may just bring higher rewards. To start with football betting basics, the knowledge of how to read odds is vital. 

Looking at the example above, backing Chelsea means risking all your money for just a little return, but the bigger risk is backing their opponents and losing your stake. So is a little better than nothing? Of course. But in order to enhance your football betting experience, then it is worth exploring sub markets on a match with your online bookmaker. When you find the market match that you want to bet on, you will generally see the option to click on further bets, and in there you can find a wealth of exciting football betting opportunities. This is really where football betting basics can be stepped up a small notch, as you can find markets such as First, Last or Anytime Goalscorer; Winning Margin; Correct Score; Scorecasts (first Goalscorer plus correct score); Over/Under Goals (where you bet on whether you think the match will have over or under the amount of goals in it, which is generally 2.5); Draw No Bet (where you back a team to win, but get a refund on your stake if the match is tied); Total Corners, Asian Handicap betting and a lot more, depending on which online bookmaker you are using. These are the kind of football markets which are worth taking some time on exploring, and when online bookmakers offer cash back promotions on certain matches, more often than not, Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast bets are covered. 

That is just a brief example of how varied even football betting basics can be. There is another valuable factor to take into consideration when getting into football betting, and that is the all important statistical data. Online Bookmakers have grown significantly in this department to include vital stats along with their football markets. The studying of form in football betting, just as it is in horse racing, can mean the difference between winning and losing. You will want to learn to look at things like current form (going back six matches should be ample), head to head stats, key injuries and historical data, as they will play their part in nailing a winner come match day. There’s no need to be overwhelmed at first, as form and head to head data will set you on the right track. The trick is to learn to spot trends and streaks which do happen a lot in football. One player may not score for six months and then suddenly he hits two in two games, that kind of streak. Football betting basics start with the right online bookmaker, one which offer competitive odds on matches and then the exploration of individual betting markets. Start small with individual fixed odds match betting, and when you are comfortable, up the ante and explore submarkets, accumulators and all the treasures that your online bookmaker will hold. 

How to make money at Online Bookmakers

Can you make money when it comes to sports betting?

There are many people that make money from sports betting, although there are also lots of people who lose money overall. Many customers treat betting as a social activity and don’t mind losing a few quid as they place bets which give the potential of winning a big amount. If you are looking to bet in order to make a profit, then you need to work out a plan for how that might happen.

The first thing to do is make sure you are prepared to be disciplined. The most successful gamblers in the world are the ones that are patient and only bet on selections where they feel that the odds are too big for that particular selection. There’s a concept called ‘value betting’ where people tend to create their own prices on a sporting event and then match them to what the bookmaker is offering.

In play betting is probably the hardest way to make money as you have little time to consider the odds and it’s hard to compare the various prices with different bookmakers as the clock is ticking away. It’s better to spend time looking at pre-match odds and working out a plan of action. Some people follow a staking plan where they have a gold, silver and bronze betting system according to how strongly they feel about a particular bet.

What strategies can be adopted to make money from sports betting?

The most important rule with betting is only gamble what you can afford to lose. Something else that’s important to remember is that you will rarely make money from chasing your losses. One thing that’s almost certain is that you will lose on some bets with the bookmakers, so it’s a case of trying to work out a way whether you win more than you lose.

Of course, if you are backing 10/1 chances every time, then you only need to win on these twice out of ten in order to make a profit. Something you can do is decide on a maximum amount that you are comfortable with losing for a particular month and set that money aside from the rest of your funds. You should also decide on the sports that you feel you know most about as the bookmaker trading teams will also be knowledgeable.

A lot of successful gamblers will spend a lot of time studying the horse racing form or looking at the football league tables to try and determine bets that might stand out. For football, something that’s definitely worth thinking about is looking at the lower leagues where the bookmakers don’t take as much money as the Champions League. It’s here where you can strike gold.

What’s the best way to get an edge over the bookmaker?

The first thing to do is make sure you don’t waste your free bet when you first open an online betting account! Many people get a free bet in their hands, think of the potential winnings and back a 20/1 horse that ultimately loses and they have lost it. It’s worth having a good think about what your free bet selection will be as that could help you make a winning start and have a nice bet balance to start things off. There’s nothing easier than betting with profit!

There are also some markets where the bookie has a bigger edge than others. While accumulator bets can produce a big return, we are yet to meet someone who has won by backing ten football teams in a multiple bet. Considering the draw and the opposition are runners each time, the chances of ten selections all winning is a remote one (more about football accumulator tips).

The same applies to bets like a scorecast where you pick the First Goalscorer and the Correct Score. That’s a combination of two difficult markets to predict and the bookies will enjoy accepting your scorecast bets every weekend! Instead, it’s worth looking at bets like Asian Handicap and Draw No Bet.

Asian Handicap betting gives the bookmaker a very low edge and it takes the draw out of the equation so you are betting on Team A to beat Team B with for example a 0.5 goal start. So they would only need to draw the match in order to make a profit. While match betting with the draw is a lot more popular, this is far riskier and the Draw No Bet market works in much the same way.

Similarly, you can pick five teams for the Saturday matches but combine them as trebles rather than put them all together in an accumulator. So for example, you could do 10 x 50p trebles which would be a total stake of £5 and you might make a small profit if 3 out of the 5 teams won their matches. It’s often worth looking for bets which are going to provide you with some insurance.

What type of bets will help me make a profit?

For football betting, it’s worth checking out markets like Anytime Goalscorer, Draw No Bet and Asian Handicap betting. You can also bet on whether a team will ‘Win to Nil’ which often provides far better value than if a side will simply win their match. The anytime scorer market is good as it’s often unpredictable as to which player will score the first goal, although if a player is in hot form, then he may find the net at some stage of the match.

As we all know, anything can happen in a football match and that’s why many punters instead like to bet on Antepost markets where they can bet on a team winning a particular division or a player finishing top goalscorer for that particular league. That way, you remove the unpredictability of match-to-match betting and instead enjoy your bets for a much longer period of time.

More information:

How to bet on football