A Beginners Guide to Betting on Football

Tips

Getting into football betting can sometimes seem like an uphill struggle, full of strange termanology and an army of bookmakers trying to take your cash. However, with a bit of guidance and common sense, you’ll quickly be able to get the hang of things.

Basic Terms

• ● Stake: The size of the bet you place, and what you stand to lose.


• ● Accumulator: A series of picks on multiple results that form a single bet. The risks of losing are higher, but so are the rewards.


• ● Half Time/Full Time: A two-way bet on both the halftime and final scores in the match.


• ● Banker: Also known as a “near cert”, this is a result everyone sees coming, when a much stronger team play an underdog. Typically, the odds will be very short on these matches.


• ● Over/Under: A bet on the final score, and whether you think it will be over or under a certain amount of goals.


• ● Returns: This is the amount you stand to win back on an outcome, which will be relative to the odds on a given wager.

Common Events to Bet On

Since football has such a large global audience, the coverage most bookies offer is extensive. Outside of international tournament like the World Cup and Euro, the biggest leagues revolve around European football such as the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League.

Different Markets for Football Betting

Before you go making any wagers, get acquainted with the different kinds of major markets you can bet on around a given game.

• ● Outright Result: This is a straightforward bet on whether the outcome of a match will be a win/lose/draw.


• ● Correct Score: A wager on the score by the final whistle. Risky, but profitable if you get it right.


• ● First Goalscorer: A wager on who scores the first goal of a match. Can be on either team.


• ● Anytime Goalscorer: A bet backing a certain player to score at some point of a match. Expect the odds to be much shorter on star strikers.


• ● Goals: Different bets you can lay on various goal outcomes, such as odds/evens, over/unders and first half/second half.

Doing Your Homework

The more time you invest researching a bet, the more likely you’ll wager correctly, and the better the chance you’ll have at finding the right odds for that pick. With the internet, there’s no excuse not to do some detective work and reap the rewards.

Watch the Stats

Stats on teams, players, and past performances are easily discoverable, helping fans bet smarter. Things like past outcomes, home/away performances and head-to-head results are all crucial, with special attention given to injuries.

Find the Right Bookmaker

The majority of big bookmakers take football action, since it’s the biggest sport on Earth. Find one that gives you competitive odds (which you can check with an odds comparison service) and keep an eye out for lucrative promotions. Always check the small print, however, and check that a bookmaker you like the look of has the betting markets you want on a particular match.