How To Bet On Soccer Matches
- Soccer is the most bet-on sport across the globe, and billions of dollars are wagered every month. Knowing how to bet on soccer matches properly will be the difference between potentially winning or losing big. This page was created by our team of online soccer betting analysts to provide you with some insights into how to bet.
- You might bet on the winner of, say, five different matches, with the aim of getting a bigger return when those matches are all over. Here and in Football Betting 101, we'll show you how to win football accumulator bets. The benefit and the problem with accas is that, although when you add the matches.
Introduction:
What tips do we provide on Soccer Matches Today? We provide full-time score tips for all soccer games for today. These tips are the total number of goals scored by both teams, at full time. By using our tips, you can place bets on the following markets: correct score, over under, both teams to score, total goals, as well as 1X2 bets.
In this article, we will be explaining how to bet on soccer. We’ll explain the numerous methods to bet on soccer and the terminology commonly used. Soccer is a widely-bet sport worldwide and there are a number of different ways to bet an individual game.
Betting the 3-way Moneyline:
In soccer, there are many types of competitions with varying rules so it’s always good to be informed prior to placing a bet. In most competitions, draws may be the final result of the game, so there are 3 different outcomes to bet on between Team A and Team B:
Team A wins
Team B wins
Team A and Team B draw
Soccer bets are based on results after 90 minutes of play or, ‘Regular Time’, which includes any time added by the referee in respect of injuries and other stoppages. Any Overtime, Golden Goals or Penalty Shoot-Outs do not count towards these betting since they are not considered ‘Regular Time’. For example, in the elimination stages of the World Cup, a winner is required in the tournament in order to progress to the next stage, but all bets are settled on 90 minutes of play (Regular Time). Thus, a draw is a possible outcome to bet on even in a game where one team must be eliminated. An example of what a 3-way moneyline would look like is:
France -129
Switzerland +325
Draw +250
Betting the 2-way Moneyline without the Draw:
Another way of betting soccer is to take the 2-way moneyline, also known as “Draw, No Bet” This is betting on the outcome of the game without the Draw. The two possible wagers are:
Team A wins
Team B wins
This form of betting eliminates the option of the Draw, and will likely have inflated odds on the favorite and deflated odds on the underdog to win the match since a draw results in no bet. For example, in a World Cup match between France and Switzerland, odds on the 2-way moneyline would like look:
France -310
Switzerland +272
As you can see, there is no option to bet on the draw, and if the game ends in a draw, the bet is refunded or “No-Actioned”, and is as if the bet was never placed.
Betting Goal Lines:
Similar to betting the 2-way moneyline (without the draw), the Goal Line is a way for bettors to win a bet on multiple outcomes of the game. Goal Lines are similar to Puck Lines in hockey and Point Spreads in football or basketball. A Goal Line is typically 0.5 goals but for games with big favorites, the Goal Line may be 1,1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 and so on. A World Cup match between Argentina and Iran looks like this:
Argentina -2.5 goals (+110)
Iran +2.5 goals (-120)
If you bet Argentina -2.5 goals, then to win the bet they must win by 3 goals or more. On the other side, betting Iran +2.5 goals means to win the bet, Iran can win, draw, or lose by 1 or 2 goals.
Betting Totals:
Totals in soccer work differently than other sports and can be shown in multiples of .25 goals. Since scoring is minimal in soccer, bookmakers will often times set a Total of 2.25 or 2.75. For example, if you bet on the Over 2.25 goals, half your bet is placed on “Over 2” and the other half of the bet is placed on “Over 2.5”. If the game settles on 2, you lose half your bet (Over 2.5) and refunded the other half (Over 2). If the game settles on 3, you win both bets (Over 2 and Over 2.5).
Another example is if you bet on the Under 2.75 goals. In this example, half your bet is placed on the Under 2.5 goals and the other half is bet on the Under 3 goals. If the game lands on 3, you’d lose half your bet (Under 2.5) and refunded the other half (Under 3).
Given its worldwide popularity, it comes as no surprise that soccer is the biggest sport in terms of bet volume at Pinnacle. With hundreds of matches to bet on every week and countless available markets for each match, some bettors could benefit from guidance when it comes to soccer betting. Continue reading to find out everything you need to know about soccer betting.
How to bet on soccer
Two teams of 11 players (with a varying number of substitutions allowed in different competitions) compete in a soccer match. A match takes place on a 45-90m x 90-120m pitch and lasts 90 minutes (two 45-minute halves) - unless the competition format requires extra-time (two 15-minute halves) or penalties to decide the match.
The aim of soccer is simple, score more goals than your opponent to win the match. In terms of soccer betting, however, there are various markets to look at and different outcomes to bet on that aren’t just decided by the result of a match.
Soccer betting: Basic bet types
The three most common bet types in soccer betting are similar to those you will find in most other sports. Handicap and Totals in soccer betting is exactly the same as others, while the match outcome (1X2) is soccer’s equivalent to the Money Line in baseball betting.
1X2
As mentioned above, the 1X2 market refers to the match outcome. A home win (1), a draw (X) or an away win (2) are the three available options - the only difference to Money Line betting is the draw (this is because standard soccer matches aren’t settled by going into overtime and simply end as a draw).
Handicap
Handicap betting in soccer is similar to predicting the outcome of the match but it involves a goal “handicap” that has been applied by the bookmaker to counter the perceived difference in abilities between the two teams. The favourites in the 1X2 market will have a negative handicap to overcome, while the underdog will have a positive handicap advantage.
The use of data and application of mathematical principles can help bettors calculate their own probability and produce expected outcomes.
Because soccer is a low-scoring sport, the handicap offered in soccer betting is usually much lower than NFL betting and NBA betting (only in a real mismatch contest will the handicap be more than three goals).
In order for a handicap bet to win, the team with the negative handicap must win by a greater margin than the figure set. The team with the positive handicap must win or lose by a smaller margin than the handicap figure.
Totals
Totals betting in soccer has nothing to do with who wins the match - it is simply betting on whether the number of goals scored will be over or under a figure set by the bookmaker. The totals market (often referred to as the Over/Under) usually refers to the combined total of goals scored by both sides, but individual team totals and first-half totals are also an option.
Other available markets
Once bettors understand the basics of how to bet on soccer, these skills can be transferred from pre-game betting to live soccer betting. The bet types and how they work are exactly the same in live betting but are just being applied to a match that has already started.
There are also other available markets outside the more traditional options. Bettors can place bets on how many corners will be awarded in a game, while cards betting is based on the total number of cards given to both sides.
In addition to markets that involve a single match, bettors can also bet on various outright markets. These range from competition winners, who will score the most goals in a competition, which team will get relegated and how many points an individual team will win over an entire season.
Live Soccer Match Today
Developing a soccer betting strategy
We know what kind of form a team is in, if they have any injuries and more often than not, what kind of tactics they will employ in a match. However, bettors will need to build on this most basic knowledge if they are to make money from soccer betting.
Before delving into complex predictive models, some basic data analysis can go a long way to improving results in soccer betting. Bettors can quantify such claims as “they play better at home” by analysing home field advantage and using it to calculate their own odds to compare against those produced by the bookmaker.
- Learn how to calculate home field advantage.
Although soccer is inherently random and notoriously hard to predict - even for a bookmaker - historical performances and past statistics can help provide an edge in soccer betting. Whether you’re trying to predict a draw, betting on both teams to score or analysing expected goals, data can certainly be used to your advantage.
Why maths is important in soccer betting
As shown by David Sumpter in Soccermatics, the application of mathematics in soccer can help improve our understanding of how the game works (and ultimately how to make more efficient betting decisions). From Elo ratings to regression analysis, a basic grasp of maths is essential if you want to make money from soccer betting.
There are plenty out there who claim to have a winning formula but bettors should learn how to measure tipster performance before buying into their success.
Maths can be used to calculate whether you should place a bet or not (whether it has positive expected value) as well as how much you should stake per bet. The use of staking methods will help optimise your bankroll in soccer betting but maths can also help improve your chances of making a profit in other ways.
Double chance betting involves betting on multiple outcomes within the same match. While it might reduce the amount of profit you would make for simply betting on a team to win, it also provides you with a profit for another match outcome - either a draw or the opposition win.
Betting On Soccer Games
- Learn how to calculate stakes for Double Chance betting.
Slightly more advanced formulas, like the Poisson distribution, can be used to translate mean averages into a probability for variable outcomes across a distribution - such as the score of a soccer match.
The use of data and application of mathematical principles can help bettors calculate their own probability (which should then be converted into odds to compare against bookmakers’) and produce expected outcomes. This can be taken a step further by using Monte Carlo simulations to produce distributions of possible outcome values.
All Soccer Matches For Today
Be wary of soccer betting tipsters
While soccer betting appears to be much more complex than the sport itself, this guide should have helped you understand what it takes to start making consistent profits. There are plenty out there who claim to have a winning formula but bettors should learn how to measure tipster performance before buying into their success.
The Green Lumber Fallacy highlights the blurred line between expert sporting knowledge and expert betting knowledge. Making a profit from betting on soccer takes time, effort and patience, following tipsters or self-proclaimed “experts” might seem like an easy option, but it won’t be worthwhile in the long run.