Best Type Of Bet For Football

Sports Betting Guide

Football bets

1X2 (Home win, draw, away win) - The most popular type of bets on football, the aim of which is to predict the final result of the match, either the win of the home team (1), a draw (X) or the win for the guests (2). Approximately, ¾ of all bets on football are 1X2 bets. Despite being the most popular type of bet in football, it is not considered the best. The reason for this is that despite there are matches where the winner is quite obvious, the odds for the favourites in such events are at a really low level. No experienced and respected punter will ever place a bet with the odds of about 3/10 (1.30) and lower. It is advised to bet with the minimal odds of 1/2 (1.50). What is more, the probability for successfully predicting the result in such bet is 33,3%, while in other types of bets it could even get up to more than 50%. This type of bet is often used in multiple bets such as double or treble accumulators (combo bets), in which you have to correctly predict the outcomes of few events to win an overall bet.

Example:
Real Madrid 3:1 Barcelona (1)
We win the bet as we successfully predicted the win for Real Madrid. If we had placed the bet for the draw or the win of Barcelona, we would have lost.
1X, X2, 1 or 2 (Double Chance) - A bet that is much safer than the classic 1X2. Here, we pick one of three options, a win for the home team or a draw, a draw or a win for the away team or a win for any side of the match. If any of the two results that we have chosen happen, we win the bet. Thus, we have 66.6% chances of winning a Double Chance bet. What is more, it is statistically proven that the most frequent half-time result is a draw. Because of its high probability, the odds for this type of bets are most times really low. We advise to bet on the draw or the underdogs using this option as the odds for them will be much higher. This option is less riskier than regular 1X2 bet on the underdog as we can win the bet even in case of a draw. Double Chance bets can be successfully used in betting on the events where it is hard to pick a winner because the odds on all results are relatively high and we still have very good probability.

Example:
Manchester United 2:2 Chelsea (1X)
Despite that the side we have picked - Manchester United, failed to win, we win the Double Chance bet because of the draw in this match.
DNB (Draw No Bet) - In general, this kind of bet is very similar to the Double Chance bet with the exception that in case of a draw, we will get the void of our entire stake instead of winning (1X or 2X) or losing (1 or 2) the bet. DNB bets are quite popular because they decrease the probability of a lost bet and the odds offered for them are higher than those offered for Double Chance bets. Punters are aware that a draw is very common result in football and that is why they often choose DNB as it narrows the possible outcomes of the match from three-way to two-way. It must be said that this kind of bet might not be available for all selections and at all bookmakers.

A Goliath requires 8 selections and is made up of a massive 247 bets. In this bet you get doubles, trebles, 4-folds, 5-folds, 6-folds, 7-folds and an 8-fold acca. This is a very expensive bet which leads people to betting at lowest possible stakes. Even as low as £0.10 stake which totals £24.70. UEFA Champions League (Europe) Country: Europe. Total Teams: 32. Founded: 1955 (Rebranded in. Best Betting Tips Are These The Best Betting Tips Today? Our best bets today are not necessarily the best football betting tips today, for today's matches, however given our large audience they are probably a good pointer to the bets and games that you might want to research further to see if there are any reasons behind the popularity of these bets. The majority of my football betting is made up of Asian Handicap betting in singles, and I tend to think it's one of the better ways of consolidating a long-term profit with good discipline.

Example:
Borussia Dortmund 3:1 HSV Hamburg (Draw No Bet Borussia)
We win the bet because we correctly predicted the win for Borussia Dortmund. If there would be a draw in this game, we would get a complete return or our stake. We lose the bet if Hamburg would win this match.
Over / under - also known as total bet, it is a type of bet in which a punter must decide the total number of goals in a match. The bookmaker is setting the goal line and the punter’s job is to predict whether there will be more or less goals than the proposed line. It must be said here that in this bet we predict the combined number of goals in the match. This means that even if one of the teams do not score at all, we still can win the bet. There are also many variations of this type of bet, for example, you can bet on the total goals in the particular half or the total goals of one of the teams. One of the more popular versions of the Over / Under bet are the Asian goal lines. It is worth mentioning that the most popular goal line for Over / Under bets is set at 2,5 goals. In this type of bet it is good to look through the past performances of both teams and the numbers of goals they scored and conceded. You should also remember not to bet with odds lower than 7/10 (1.70).

Example:
PSG 1:2 Nice (Over 2,5)
We win the bet because there is more than 2,5 goals in the game. Whatever the score would be, we win the bet if there was at least 3 or more goals. If there was only 2 or less goal we would lose the bet.
BTTS or BTS (Both teams to score) - is a type of bet in which you predict whether both teams will score goals in the match or not. It should be noted that if only one team does score, regardless of the number of goals, the bet would be counted as lost. There are matches in which there is a very high probability of goals from both sides. Some teams score a lot of goals, but also concede many as well. They are the perfect pick for BTS option. What is more, it is advised to bet on this option if much better team plays a weaker one in an away game. Even the weakest side can manage to net a goal and you are almost certain that the favourite will score as well as he needs to win this game. As in case of other bets, it is best to not bet for Both to Score bet with odds lower than 7/10 (1.70).

Example:
Porto 0:1 Benfica (BTS)
We lose the bet because both teams did not scored. If Porto had managed to score as well we would win the bet.
Handicaps - is a type of a bet in which the bookmaker gives a disadvantage to the favourite or an advantage to the theoretically weaker team. In case of football, this is done by adding or removing goals from particular team to even the chances of victory for both sides. There are two types of handicaps - European and Asian. The latter is more popular because it decreases the number of possible outcomes to two, not three as it is in case of the European handicap. For example, in AH -1 (Asian handicap) we win the bet if the team that we placed our money on, wins the match with at least 2 goals difference. If that team wins with the difference of only one goal we get a complete void (return) of our stake. We lose the bet if our team draws or loses the match. Handicaps are getting more and more popular, especially among football punters. Read this guide on Handicaps to know more.

Example:
Manchester United 3:0 Manchester City (Manchester United AH -2)
We win the bet because our team have won with more than 3 goals difference. If they have scored less goals, drew or lost the match, we would lose our bet.

Corner bets - is a conditional bet for the number of corners in a match. It is similar to Over/Under bet in that there is a line provided by the bookmaker and the punter’s job is to decide whether there will be more or less corners than the offered line. It is one of the more riskier bets but the odds for it are mostly rather high. The most important factor here is the line offered by the bookmaker. Sometimes, to get good odds you must bet on the line of 14-15 corners. And although the statistics show that there is a few corners in every match, it is still a very unpredictable thing. It must be noted that the odds for lower lines such as 5 or 6 corners are very low. There is also an option to bet on the number of corners in a particular half. Furthermore, you can also bet on the number of corners of one of the teams. It is advised to bet on Over corners in matches of teams which prefer offensive style of playing. In such games you can expect both goals and a number of corners.

Example:
Arsenal 4:1 Everton - Overall 12 corners (Over 14 corners in a match)
We lose the bet as there was less corners than we have predicted. If we had made a bet for Under 14 corners in the game, we would have won.
Number of cards in a match - is another interesting conditional type of a bet in which you have to predict the number of either yellow or red cards in a match. This type of bet is similar to Over/Under bets in that you have to predict whether there will be more or less cards than the line proposed by the bookmaker. This kind of bet is recommended to more experienced punters who possess considerable knowledge about football. The most important thing here is to thoroughly analyse the event: the history of direct matches between the teams, their relations - whether they are rivals or not, relationships between the players, coaching staff or even fans and the style of playing of both teams. Often, there are games where you know there will be penalty cards even before the first whistle. While analysing a match, you cannot forget about the referee, who have great impact on the final result of the game. Read this article if you want to know more about bets for the the penalty cards.

Example:
Rangers 2:1 Celtic - Yellow cards: 8 (Under 6 yellow cards in a match)
We lose the bet as we have unsuccessfully predicted the number of penalty cards in a match. If there was less than 6 yellow cards we would have won.
Half time / Full time bets - also known as double result, a kind of bet in which you have to predict the outcome of the match at both half-time and full-time. In this type of bet the punter must decide which side will be winning at the end of the first half and which will win the game overall. You can bet that one of the teams will have the lead before the break and will ultimately finish victorious or you can decide to bet for different results at both halves. This type of bet is recommended mostly for more experienced punters who are not afraid to risk. It must be said, that sometimes, even the favorites may struggle in the whole game, not mentioning the first half. What is more, the statistics prove, that the most frequent football result at the half-time is a goalless draw. Because of that, the odds for such bets can be really attractive. Even when betting on a clear favourite, if you bet that he will be winning at half time and will keep the score till the final whistle, you can make quite a lot money. Nevertheless, it is often very hard to predict and thus win such bet. Sometimes all it takes is for the better team not to score in first half and finish the game in the second period. In other case, a team could win 2:0 or 3:0 at the half-time and will draw or lose the game. A great example of such result is the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final between AC Milan and Liverpool won by the Reds 3:2 in penalties despite losing 3:0 at half time.

Example:
AS Roma 2:0 (1:0) Inter Milan (AS Roma half time/full time)
We win the bet as we have correctly predicted that AS Roma will be winning after the first half and will win the match overall. If one of the results of the halves would be different we would lose the bet.
Correct score - As the name suggest it, in this bet, you have to predict the exact outcome of the match. This type of bet is advised only for the most experienced punters with nerves of steel or those who rely almost entirely on luck. It is one of the most difficult bets to win. Because of its low probability and a number of different variables, the odds for such bets are extremely high. Even with staking a single unit (for example $1 or 1£) you can win a lot of money because the odds for such bets can rise up to 500/1 (501.00). In most cases, the odds for quite probable results such as 1:0, 1:1 or 0:0, which are by the way the most common results in football, are roughly between 5/1 (6.00) and 15/1 (16.00). Thus, they are still high enough to make a lot of money with a smaller stake. This is the reason why a lot of punters attempt to bet using such bets. However, only a few are successful in a long-term.

Example:
Ajax 2:1 PSV (Correct Score 1:0)
We lose the bet as the result of the selected match is different from the one we have predicted. In this type of bet we need to exactly predict the final outcome of the match in order to win.
Goal scorer - is a conditional bet where a punter must pick the goal scorer in a match or a competition. There are both bets for a player to score a goal in a particular game as well as an outright bets for the top goal scorers in the whole competitions. It must be said though, that in both cases, the odds for the best attackers of top teams are quite low. When a player scores 30-40 goals per season, you can be sure that the odds for him to score in a match or to become a top scorer will be very low. The key in betting on goal scorers is to place such wagers very early on, before the odds will drop. In single match betting, you can also risk betting on less-probable options with players that usually do not score many goals, but it is either their birthday, they recently became a father or they play against their old team and want to prove themselves. Such occasions are perfect to commemorate your performance in a match with a goal. It is even more probable when you realise that in such situations, that player’s teammates will try their best to help him score, giving him a penalty to take or creating good chances to score.

Example:
Real Madrid (Ronaldo 3’, 27’, Morata 73’) 3:0 Valencia (Cristiano Ronaldo to score in a match)
We win the bet because the player we have selected, Cristiano Ronaldo, scored at least one goal in this match. There are different types of goal scorer bets, such as a bet for the particular player to score two or three goals in a match. A player needs to score at least the amount of goals that we selected for the bet to be successful.

If you’re new to football betting and keen to get involved
then you’ve just come to exactly the right place. On this page
we will teach you all the basics of betting on football, and
make sure that you are on the right track from the moment you
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In our opinion this is one of the most useful beginner’s
guides to football betting
you’ll find anywhere on the internet.
It covers everything you need to get started, and yet you don’t
need to worry about getting overwhelmed with detail as we keep
our explanations as simple as possible.

For those who are only really interested in wagering for a
bit of fun, you’ll be ready to go as soon as you’ve finished
reading this page. For those of you with ambitions of making
long term profits, we also point you towards a wide range of
additional information and advice that will help you to achieve
such goals. We’re not promising that we’ll make you an instant
expert, but we’ll certainly give you the chance to become one.

Team

If you’re simply just looking to bet on football games right now we have
listed our top recommendations for online betting sites below. These
are sites that we have found to be trustworthy with our money and
offer football bettors true value.

We recommend reading through this whole page from start to
finish, but we’ve listed the various topics we cover below if
you’d prefer to skip straight to something specific.

How to Bet on Football: Page Contents

Before You Start: Recommended Reading
Different Types of Football Bets
Where to Place Your Bets
Using Online Betting Sites
Essential Advice for Beginners
Improving Your Football Betting Skills

Before You Start: Recommended Reading

If you’re already familiar with how sports betting works, and
know a thing or two about football, then please feel free to
skip this section. If, however, you’re completely new to sports
betting and/or not much of a football fan, then there are a few
things you should learn before you start placing bets on
football games.

Firstly you really need to understand the basics of what
sports betting is all about
, and what’s involved with placing
wagers. These basics are relatively straightforward, so
thankfully it doesn’t take long to get up to speed. It’s
definitely advisable to familiarize yourself with them though.
Our beginner’s guide to sports betting is the perfect resource
for this. Here’s a selection of some of the topics it covers.

Sports Betting For Beginners

In addition to knowing the basics of betting, you should also
know at least the basics of football too. It’s likely that most
people reading this are big sports fans, and fully understand
it, but that’s not necessarily the case for all our readers. We
like to cater for everyone, so we’ve written the following two
articles explaining all about the game at both professional and
college level.

About The National Football League
About College Football



Different Types of Football Bets

One of the first things you should understand about betting
on football is the fact that there are several different types
of wagers
that can be placed. You won’t necessarily use all the
different types, depending on what strategies you employ, but
it’s still advisable to learn at least a little about each one.

Below we look at the two most popular types of wagers, some
of the other commonly used options, and the various options for
wagering on multiple games with a single bet.

Football

The Most Popular Types of Football Bets

There are two types of football bets that are used far more
than any other. Many people who bet on football place only the
following wagers.

  • Point Spreads
  • Totals

Some readers will already know all about these and how they
work, but we’ll explain a little about them for those that
don’t.

Point Spreads

A point spread is effectively a handicap that’s used to
create a 50/50 wagering proposition. For example, a bookmaker
may offer the following point spread on a football match between
the San Diego Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts.

Point Spread
-3.5
+3.5

What this spread means is that, for the purposes of wagering,
the Chargers will have 3.5 points deducted from their final
score. For a bet on them to be successful, they would therefore
have to win by four points or more. The Colts, on the other
hand, will have 3.5 points added to their final score. A bet on
them would be successful if they won the game, or lost by 3
points or less.

You can read more about point spreads on the following page.

Totals

Totals are just as easy to understand. With these, the
bookmaker posts an expected total for the amount of points
scored by both sides. On the previously mentioned match between
the Chargers and the Colts, for example, they might set the
total at 48.50. You then have to decide whether to bet on the
over or the under.

A wager on the over will win if the combined score from the
two teams is 49 or over (e.g. Chargers 29, Colts 24). A wager on
the under will win if the combined score from the two teams is
48 or less (e.g. Chargers 19, Colts 17).

We explain totals in more detail on the following page.

Before we go onto explain some of the other types of wagers
you can place, there’s some very important information that we
need to mention.

The basic principle of point spreads and totals is that you
have roughly a 50% chance of winning, so technically a “fair”
return on these types of wagers should be equal to the amount
staked. However, they are usually priced up by bookmakers at
odds of -110 (1.91 in decimal odds format, 10/11 in fractional
odds format), which means for every $110 staked you stand to win
$100. You don’t have to stake as much as $110 of course, but the
point is that a successful wager will only return 90% of the
amount staked (plus the initial stake of course).

This is because bookmakers are in business to make a profit,
so they effectively charge a commission for taking wagers. This
commission is known as the vig, short for vigorish, and it’s one
of the ways that bookmakers stay profitable. They don’t charge
it just for points spreads and totals either, as it’s built into
the odds for every wager that they offer.

Further Information

If you have any ambitions of being a
successful bettor, we strongly recommend reading our article
explaining vig and how bookmakers make money.

Other Common Football Bets

In addition to point spreads and totals, there are three
other types of bets that are commonly used for wagering on
football. These are as follows.

  • Moneylines
  • Props
  • Futures

We’ll now provide a brief overview of each of these, and
point you towards some additional information on each one too.

Moneylines

A moneyline wager is very simple. It involves simply backing
a team to win a match, with no point spread involved. The odds
for moneyline wagers are based on each team’s relative chance of
winning. For example, the moneyline on a game between the San
Diego Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts might look like this.

Moneyline
-175
+155

The Chargers are the favorites here, and the odds of -175
mean that a stake of $175 is required to win $100. To put it
another way, every $1.75 staked stands to win $1 if the Chargers
win. Initial stakes are returned too of course.

The Colts are the underdogs, so backing them means the
potential for higher payouts relative to the amount staked. The
odds of +155 mean that every $1 staked stands to win $1.55 if
the Colts win (i.e. a $100 wager stands to win $155 if the Colts
win). Again, initial stakes are also returned.

For more information on moneylines, and the strategy involved
in placing them, please see the following article.

Props

Props, short for propositions, are wagers on outcomes that
are decided during a football game, but are not necessarily
directly linked to the final result. Some examples include the
following.

  • The first team to score.
  • The distance of the longest touchdown.
  • The total passing yards of a quarterback.
  • The number of field goals kicked.

These are just a very small selection of some props. Many
bookmakers offer dozens of different options, particularly on
high profile matches. Props are generally considered a fun type
of bet rather than a way to make money, but it is possible to
make consistent profits from them. We explain more about props
on the following page, where we also offer some strategy advice.

Futures

Futures are wagers on how teams, or individual players, will
fare over the course of an entire season. A wager on a team to
win the Super Bowl, placed at the start of the season, would be
considered a future. So would a wager on a team to be the
National Football Conference champions, or a wager on a player
to win the Most Valuable Player award.

Football

There isn’t a lot more to explain about futures, and there
isn’t really much in the way of specific strategy for them
either. We do go into a bit more detail on them on the following
page though.

Betting on Multiple Football Games

A lot of people like to bet on multiple games at once, as
this can provide the potential for big payouts. It’s not
something we particularly advise beginners to get involved with,
but it doesn’t hurt to understand the options available. The
main ones are as follows.

  • Parlays
  • Teasers
  • Pleasers

Let’s take a quick look at what these are all about.

Best Type Of Bet For Football Teams

Parlays

A parlay basically combines several different wagers into
one. For example, a parlay could be made up of five point spread
wagers on five separate games. The payout for such a wager could
be very attractive, but only if ALL the wagers were correct.
Just one wrong pick would mean the whole wager failing. That’s
why these are considered quite risky. They’re a bit more complex
than the previous wagers mentioned, but we won’t go into any
more detail here. We do on the following page though.

Teasers & Pleasers

Teasers and pleasers are essentially types of parlays that
use modified point spreads or totals. With teasers, the spreads
or totals are moved in the bettor’s favor. With pleasers, they
are moved in the bookmaker’s favor. There’s plenty more to
explain about these wagers, which we do on the following pages.

Where to Place Your Football Bets

Now that you know about the different wagers you can place on
football, the next step is actually placing them. The question
you’re probably asking now is “how and where can I do this?”
There are a few options, which we list below, but please be
aware that not all of these are available in all parts of the
world.

  • Casino Sportsbooks
  • Bookmaking Shops
  • Telephone Betting
  • Online Sports Betting Sites

Casino Sportsbooks

Many casinos around the world contain a sportsbook. They
usually feature several big screen TVs showing any live sports
action currently taking place, and computerized odds boards
displaying all the latest odds. There are typically cashier
windows where you can place your wagers with a real person, but
some books have interactive machines instead. Either way, these
are great places to place some bets and watch the games at the
same time. The problem for Americans, though, is that they are
only legal in Nevada. There are plenty of sportsbooks in Las
Vegas casinos, but not in other parts of the country.

Best Bets Nfl Football

Bookmaking Shops

Bookmaking shops are mostly like sportsbooks, they’re just
not inside a casino. They also generally have lots of TVs
showing sports, and a counter where wagers are placed. These
shops can be found in many countries around the world, but
they’re not legal in the United States.

Telephone Betting

A lot of bookmakers offer telephone betting services, and
they are usually very straightforward to use. It’s a simple
matter of calling the relevant number, telling the operator you
reach which wagers you want to place, confirming the odds, and
then providing your credit card details. Some bookmakers take
other payment methods too, and some even offer credit lines to
select customers.

This is another option that’s not available to Americans. Not
legally at least, as the Federal Wire Act of 1961 made telephone
betting illegal. You might be getting disheartened by now if you
live in the US, and wondering exactly how you’re ever going to
place any wagers. Don’t worry though, as we have one more option
to tell you about.

Online Sports Betting Sites

Using an online sports betting site is far and away the best
way to bet on football, or any sport for that matter. It’s the
most convenient and accessible option, and there are several
other advantages too. Best of all, it’s legal in the United
States. There are some laws against online gambling in the US,
but these mostly apply to companies and individuals providing
gambling services. There’s no law that states it’s illegal to
use a gambling site of any kind, so Americans are at liberty to
place football bets online if they so choose. We’ve written the
following page explaining things in more detail for those
interested, or you can just keep reading for a quick guide to
getting started online.

Best Type Of Bet For Football

Using Online Betting Sites

Using sports betting sites to bet on football online is
relatively straightforward. It’s super easy to open accounts at
most sites, and the majority of them are very user-friendly.
Finding and placing wagers generally takes no time at all, and
can be done from the comfort of your own home with just a
computer and internet access. You can even use most sites from a
smartphone or tablet these days.

Please make sure that you use the right sites though. Most
places are pretty good, but there are some that are best
avoided. It’s vital that you use a safe and trustworthy option,
and you also want to use somewhere that is suitable for
football. We suggest taking a look at the following sites.

Best Type Of Bet For Football Players

Our Top Ranked Football Betting Sites: