Betting is a very popular pastime, especially for sports fans, and football just so happens to be one of the most popular sports in not just the UK but the world as a whole. Millions of people enjoy watching, and placing bets on football to increase the enjoyment they get from watching fixtures while also trying to make a correct prediction in the process.
When I first started betting I found it incredibly complicated. There were so many different odds, bet types, bookmakers and more. There was so much for me to get my head around when all I wanted to do was place a bet on my favourite football team and . This is why in this article we are going to break down the basics of football betting so that you can start placing bets stress free. We will go over how to build a bet, the odds and much more in an attempt to increase your chances of making correct predictions and provide you with the knowledge to place bets today.
How To Bet On Football
Betting on football is very easy and requires only a few simple steps. First you find a reputable sportsbook. It’s important to make sure this sportsbook is safe, secure, offers good odds and a range of bonuses and offers. Once you have your preferred bookmaker, select your bet and place you wager. The act of placing a bet is very simple but knowing how to select a bet is more challenging.
Different Types Of Bets
You have found your bookmaker and you have a budget but you don’t know what to bet on. With so many options it can be overwhelming for new players, in this section we are going to break down the different bet types so that you can understand which bet type you would prefer to place.
Full-Time Result
This is the most common bet type and involves predicting the outcome of a given match. You can decide whether a team will win, lose or draw. It is most often displayed as so:
| 1 | X | 2 | |
| Manchester UnitedBournemouth | 1/5 | 6/1 | 12/1 |
1 represents the home team and 2 represents the away team. You simply predict whether you think the home or away team will win, or if it will end in a draw.
Football Accumulator
For players who are looking to increase their winnings and play with riskier bets then accumulators could be perfect for you. An accumulator is also one of the most popular bets due to its potential for some very impressive odds. To play an accumulator you have to place full time result bets on multiple different teams. The catch is that every prediction must come true for the bet to pay out. If one team fails to win then the whole bet is lost. Because of the greatly increased risk it makes the potential payout higher but your chances of winning much lower.
Total Goals
This is a two-way option bet in which you try and precut whether there will be more or less than a set amount of goals. You select your goal quota of 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5 and so on. Then you have to decide whether you think there will be more or less than your chosen amount. For example you could place a bet that says you think there will be over 1.5 goals. For this to pay out there would need to be at least 2 goals in that match. If you place a bet saying there will be less than 3.5 goals, then no more than 3 goals can be scored for it to pay out.
Correct Score
This is a very straightforward but equally difficult bet. This bet involves predicting the exact scoreline of a game at full time. A very simple bet but one with very high odds due to the fact that there are so many ways a game can end.
Half Time/ Full Time
This bet includes which team you think will be winning at halftime and/or full time. You can select whether you think the home or away team will be winning or if it will be a draw.
First Goal Scorer
Similar to the correct score this is a very straightforward but difficult bet. This bet type includes predicting which player will score first. Strikers will have lower odds than other players, and you can use your football knowledge to make informed choices depending on set-piece takers and how a team plays. However even with all these factors considered there are still over 20 players to choose from that could score first.
Accumulator Bet Calculator
There are many betting tools and softwares available nowadays however none is as useful as a betting calculator. A bet calculator can help you calculate your expected winnings and any potential losses. They can also help you place more complicated bets and use more advanced strategies, such as matched betting as you gain more betting experience. They are very useful tools that can help you refine your bets to maximise winnings and minimise losses.
Ways To Increase Your Chances
Outside of using betting tools and softwares the other primary ways to increase your chances is to stay up to date with football news and manage your bankroll effectively. By staying up to date with football and delving into data you can make more informed bets that will reduce losses. For example predicting a team battling relegation to beat league leaders would be irresponsible all things considered and could be easily avoided if you stay up to date with the league. Similarly you might predict an injured striker to score first and so on.
Managing your bankroll is also important to ensure you don’t lose your money on less bets and don’t come into financial difficulties due to your betting.
Summary
This was our football betting guide, we hope you will be able to take away some useful information on how to bet for yourself and start betting today.