the complete begineer's guide to football betting

Football has, for many years, been a popular hobby of many people around the world, especially the menfolk. It was the best form of leisure as well as a bonding.

Many have even opined football is a unifying force because when people are watching the club they support or when a particular nation is playing, for the ninety and so minutes of the match, many forget their race, ethnicity and even age and class.

They are just two sets of people at the time; those supporting each of the two teams playing.

But in recent times, especially increased by the use of the internet, football betting has also been increasingly becoming the favorite pass time for many football fans.

It is not only a way to watch the match but also become becoming actively involved in the game by predicting how the game will turn out. While for some, it is a fun pass time, for even many more, it is seen as a way of making extra cash because of the monetary reward involved in winning.

However, whatever the attraction, what cannot be denied is that football betting is becoming increasingly popular.

Therefore, this piece together for you if you want to delve into football betting and will like to be equipped with enough knowledge before dipping your feet into the unfamiliar waters of football betting.

This would go a great way in familiarising you with the necessary information on football betting. This article is a must read before you place your bet and it will help you understand how football prediction actually works.

How Football Betting Works

Football betting is prominent among the diverse betting games in the world.

This is because of the love and the apparent understanding people have for the game. There are many ways to go about in football betting.

The most popular is the straight win given to the preferred team. For example, if Barcelona is playing Chelsea at Cam Now, you can simply choose 1 for a Barcelona win and 2 for a Chelsea win.

Another option available is a straight draw; this is signified by letter X. Most straight draws have huge odds ranging from 3 to 6 odds depending on the teams playing. Individual who doubt their favorite teams’ performance; they can also choose to play an option called double chance.

Double chance involves 1x or x2.1x means home to win or draw while x2 means away to win or draw. This option is a means to safeguard your bet

Also in football betting you can consider options like home team to score 1 or 2 goals, away team to score one or two goals.

If for example Manchester city is playing Bournemouth the odds for Bournemouth to score will be more compared to the ones given to Manchester city.

For teams that scores lots of goals there are options of over 0.5, 1.5 goals to over 5.5 goals.

High scoring teams like arsenal, Barcelona and real Madrid are your best bet for goals if you like this option.

You have to know the game well before you can bet on football. Also consider your pocket before betting and don’t be greedy. It is better to win 10 dollars daily for 3 months, little drop of water makes a might ocean. If you are on a losing streak, take a break and come back stronger. Bet wisely and bet only what you can afford to lose.

How to Start Betting

Betting can be a habit sport or a job.

You heard me right, a job!

There are various professional bettors whose full time job is wagering huge amounts on different kind of games.

Do you also want to be part of the lucky ones, winning week-in, week-out, and then you need to get a grip of yourself and learn some basic guides on betting. These are things you need to know before you began that journey into betting.

  • Capital
  • Learning your preferred sport for betting
  • Learning odds
  • Choosing a reliable bookmaker
  • Capital

Any serious individual interested in betting should know cash is the king.

You need money, money and money.

An African proverb says you use money to find money, therefore if you don’t have any money, please stay away from betting.

That said you need to separate your betting money and normal money. You also have to decide if you want to start small or big.

You can put $10 to make $50 and you can also put in $20,000 to make 25,000. Betting with money that you need to survive daily may not be a good idea at all .

Always bet with money you can lose!!!

Learning You Preferred Sport for Betting

The wise way to be a profitable sports bettor is to pick a sport and learn it proficiently.

You can’t just jump into betting without having an idea which sport you want and how it works.

It is always wise to bet in your sport of interest. Football fans should bet strictly on football, if a football fan bets otherwise, it is a sure way to lose a lot of money. Every sport has its individual nuances, tricks and strategies. Be guided.

Learning Odds

A newbie to sport betting has to take his time to learn how different odds for various games apply.

You have to know that every team is giving and odd, depending on the strength of the team.

Various options have its own odd, so you have to read it carefully.

Don’t be fooled by small odds given to the supposedly strong teams, upsets occur frequently therefore you have to be careful.

However, before you start going crazy and betting every game on weekdays and weekends, it might be wise to learn the odds and understand exactly what you are betting.

The cogent point to be noted here is to do your homework well, money is not easy to come by, take the time to understand sports betting.

How to Chose A Reliable Bookmaker

Betting is easy; however getting a reliable bookmaker to bet with takes careful time and experience.

There are a plethora of bookmakers available, therefore carefully choose the one that is reliable and won’t run away with your money.

The Most Important Types of Football Bets

It is not popular knowledge that there are different types of football bets.

Quite a number of people believe you simply have to bet the outcome of the game but this is not the case.

There are actually different ways of betting and the point of knowing this is for you to pick the type that comes more easily to you, thus, increasing your wins.

  • Win Lose Draw or Full Time Result: This is the popular type of football betting mentioned above. In this type, betting is done for the final outcome of the game. The betting is done based on predicting the team you believe will win or lose or whether you think the game will end a draw.
  • Correct Score: This type of football betting can be done in three ways; after 90 minutes, half time/full time and first goal scorer. What happens after 90 minutes is that you give the correct score when the game ends to win (that is predicting correctly the number of goals correctly for the teams). In the case of half time/full time, you predict the score at half time and full time simultaneously (for example, Manchester United will have 0 goals at half time but finish with 2 goals at the end). And with the first goal scorer, you simply predict the footballer to score the first goal. Bookmarkers also give a chance to play last goal scorer where you predict the player to score the last goal.
  • Double Delight: It can also be played as under or over goals and football accumulator. In the case of under and over goal, you will be required to predict whether the goals scored by a particular team will be higher than a set number of goals. Usually, 2.5 is used but others are used as well. So your win will be determined whether you got it right that the team will score above or under 2.5 or 3.5 or whatever is used. For football accumulator, you predict multiple matches and if you lose one, you have lost the bet.
  • Draw No Bet: For this type of betting, you bet whether the team will lose or win and there is no option of draw. You can also do a half time bet and draw is an option for half time.
  • Each Way Bet on First Goal Scorer: This is a type of betting where you are given the chance to win when your predicted first goal scorer scores second or even third goal. Half the money will be on the player scoring first goal and the other half will be on him scoring second goal.

Football Betting Advice You Should Never Ignore

Definitely, the reason why you are playing is because you want to win. It is unlikely that anyone would spend time to play without the intention of winning.

That is why you need to follow these pieces of advice. Following them will increase your chances of winning.

  • The first thing you need to understand is that in order to win, you have to be ready to learn. It is not enough to be a football fan or enthusiasts, the intricacies of betting are a different ball game already. While it is indeed important that you have a good knowledge of football, it is not enough. You need to learn how football betting works and it takes understanding that you have to have a teachable spirit before you can give yourself to learning.
  • Do not bet on football bets where there is no genuine betting value, otherwise you will lose money.
  • It is better that you bet the leagues and the markets you know. Every league has its own peculiarities and it might surprise that the knowledge of the European league is not enough to claim you are knowledgeable about other leagues, so concentrate on the leagues you are sufficient knowledge on. On the other hand, betting markets are also different, so bet on the ones you have mastered.
  • Another good move is following football betting tipsters, especially if they are genuine and experts because they will help you increase your earnings. However, don’t follow anyone blindly, be sure of their credibility and even if they are credible, remember they are humans and can make mistakes.
  • Manage your money properly. As much you like betting, it is important not to let it become a part of you to the point you become addicted. Having said that, betting is a business on its own that people lose and make profit from. So you have to approach it as a business venture and therefore develop strategies to manage your money.
  • In order to gauge performance of a team or a player to place bets, many make the mistake of relying only on form. But it is not enough to think form; other things such as suspension, injuries, precedents on away and home games, tactics and strategies of team and so much more, have to be considered before you conclude on how to place your bet.

Football Betting Strategies Every Punter Must Master

To be a successful bettor, you have to master some football betting strategies.

  • Hedging: It is very possible to hedge your bets by buying and selling other bets so as to prevent loss.
  • Value football betting: With value football betting, you are not basing your bet on the performance of a particular team. Instead, you scour a bookmarker to see the odds that the bookmarker has undervalued. What happens here is you can bet on whether a bookmarker has undervalued a particular team or not based on the percentage he placed as the probability of them winning a game. If you can work a higher percentage for them and you turn out right, then you have won that bet.
  • Multi-bets: You can add several single bets, usually called legs, to a single bet. The caution, however, is that the more the leg, the higher the odds and you lose if you lose even just one of the legs.
  • Under or over: In this strategy, you are to bet whether a particular team will score either over or above a particular margin. Basically, there is a stipulated margin and yours is to guess if the team will score more than the margin or less than that.
  • Correct Score: This is very straight forward because to play, all you have to do is decide what the correct score will be. You decide the number of goals each of the team will end up with.

Popular Common Football Betting Mistakes Tipsters Should Avoid

Like everything else, there are common mistakes that are commonly made when one is betting.

And the problem with this is that these mistakes make winning more difficult.

There is, after all, no point betting if one would not win, that is why it is important to note the mistakes, so as to correct them.

  • Not betting logically: Quite a number of people make the mistake of betting emotionally and putting bluntly, gambling does not respect emotions; it is a game for the logical. If you want to win, you have to put emotions aside. Most of the people who play anyways are fans of football and so likely have a particular team they support. But when it comes to betting, you have to bet the team you know will win or lose and not choose a win for a team because they are your favourite or a lose because you do not like the team. Bet based on logic.
  • Not betting on probabilities: Again, betting as one feels or what one believes is a mistake people make. To have regular wins, you need to base your bets on probability and not guessing game or what you feel. Except you have a special gift for guessing and you are certain of your gift, guessing does not cut it with football. Basing your decision on probability of the game turning out in a certain way is a better bet.
  • Betting without information: Another mistake people make is to start playing without preparation. Do not go betting without enough information at your finger tips. You have to be very knowledgeable about the workings of football to be successful at football betting. It is possible that many would be interested in football betting because it is an increasingly attractive way to make extra cash, but make sure to sit back and gain knowledge of the football teams and the players as well as what football betting itself entails, so as to familiarise yourself with their precedents, in order to make informed bets.
  • Betting too often and being too greedy: This is a great mistake that affects many bettors. Betting can get addictive and it might not spell goo for your finances. Try to be realistic about your profits and be content as much as possible. Try to keep off making bets an everyday thing. Remember that you have a life outside of football betting and that life needs stable finances to work, so bet wisely and manage your money soundly.

How Does Virtual Football Betting Work?

Virtual Football is a real-life online stimulating betting application. Like every other betting games, it is based on luck and guess game.

Depending on the bookmaker you wish to play the game with, it has several versions ranging from premier league and La Liga full season. Most companies patronize bettrader, a leading company that creates the application.

Now all the top bookmakers like Bet365, William Hill, Ladbrokes, and betfair   have put in extra excitement into computer-generated sports by giving bettors chance to win instant money.

With virtual football betting you place your stake and watch a stimulated game which ends within a minute.

You can then to sit back and watch a short highlights package of a match between these two international sides, or club teams from around the world.

Virtual betting is designed with mathematical statistics and algorithms there are fuzzy mechanics behind virtual sports betting matches to create an unbiased, pre-decided outcome.

It means punters will be on the edge of their seat following every goal, chance and near miss.

In virtual football betting you will check the odds before the match for a host of different markets: win – draw – win, number of goals in the match, while you can also place bets on the correct score.

After careful analysis you will place your bet and watch the virtual action unfold.

The life span of matches varies depending on  bookmakers, on Bet365 for instance only last One minute, and take place every Five minutes.

What this implies is that virtual is mainly for those who want instant money and cannot wait to bet on weekend matches. a virtual match is always available 24/7..

You have to be careful though, you could be a millionaire in one minute and you could also run bankrupt in a minute.

Virtual football betting is programmed software and therefore very difficult to guess, this is because it constantly changes.

What makes this form of betting popular is that it runs every time and pays instantly

Thus if you’ve ever wondered how does virtual football betting work, you should have an idea of how it is done by now. Bet swiftly, smartly and often.

How to Win Big On Football Bets

The desire of every bettor is how to win and in fact win big. Here are some ways to win big on a football matches;

  • Get information: Luckily, the internet is the hub of information. You can get information on practically anything on the internet these days, so take advantage of it. Equip yourself with every form of information if you want to win big on football bets. Read about the teams or the league you want to bet on; their form, suspension, performance over the years, performance when they meet with other teams, precedents, their home and away matches and any other news that would help you place a well-informed bet.
  • Follow up on team news: You are dealing humans and teams who are consistently engaged in activity. That is why it is important to be up to date with what is important. Yesterday’s news is not sufficient for today.
  • Follow experts: and read their opinion in order to decide where your bet will tilt to. Remember though not to follow them blindly. If you are well-informed yourself, you can check their opinion with yours before making your decision.
  • Don’t limit yourself to only one bookmarker: One thing you need to always remember is that the bookmarkers are there for their own profits, so you also should not hesitate to find other bookmarkers that would bring you closer to making profits as well.
  • Resist the temptation of betting too much: When it comes to football betting, less is actually much. The more selections you bet, the higher the risk of losing money, especially as it is hard to find more than three selections that actually contain value.
  • Bookmarkers are constantly: doing promotions because of the high competition to attract customers. One of the strategies of winning big would be to take advantage of the promotions.

Challenging Football Betting Terms and Glossary

There are various terms available in football betting and these terms may be difficult for individuals to explain, here are some terms in football betting and a precise explanation.

GG/BTS

Means both teams to score or goal-goal.This terms means both team must score at least one goal for you to win

Score cast

Mention the first player to score* and the exact correct score of the match:
e.g. Oliver Giroud to score the first goal and Arsenal Fc to win 2-0, both options must be correct for the bet to be a winner.

*Successful Winners will be determined by whichever player the relevant governing body credits with scoring the first goal (when they release their official results at the end of the game) and will be the winner for betting purposes.

Banker

This selection  is loved and used frequently. It will often be the cornerstone of combination bets.

Cash out

This option has become increasingly popular among various online bookmakers. This is when a bettor can settle a bet before it has finished, such as cashing out a 10-fold accumulator with nine  legs already having been won and not wanting to risk the sixth leg winning also. You can cash out on a winning bet in an individual soccer match too for example, and the cash out price offered will naturally be lesser than risking the bet running to full time. It is only available to online customers

Asian Handicap

This type of bet is used by few punters because of its difficult to operate; it can be in the form of a single or double handicap. In a single handicap a team is favored to win by a certain number of goals, which is known as the handicap. This is then removed from the final result to determine the winner. It is like when you give someone goals ahead.

How to Pick a Bookmarker

Picking a good and reliable bookmaker is important if you want to make huge money on betting. There are several factors to consider, however before we talk about them, know that we have online bookmakers and shops. Some even operate both avenues. Individual preference comes to play when the times comes to choose which one to play.

Know this, bookmakers are in the business to make money, therefore whichever you choose, they won’t do you any favours, you have to find a way to outsmart them. Here are some points that will guide you on choosing a bookmaker:

  • Always choose a bookmaker that pays promptly: Get information from people who bet and ask about bookmakers who don’t delay in paying winnings. What is the essence of winning and not be paid when due? Any bookmaker that owes even a penny should be avoided!!
  • Choose a bookmaker with big odds: There are several bookmakers with a plethora of odds, though most appear similar, some are usually bigger than the rest, choose a bookmaker with big odds to increase your winnings
  • Get a bookmaker with a 24/7 customer line: Problems and issues cannot be avoided, so whenever they rear their ugly heads, it needs to be solved calmly and swiftly bookmaker that can give you that should be patronized.
  • Choose a bookmaker with favourable options: All bookmakers have features in their site, but these features differ from one bookmaker to another. Bookmakers with favourable features like cash-out option, one-ticket cut and still be paid option, live bet options, money-back guaranteed option, should be used.
  • Huge bonuses: Bookmakers give bonuses on winnings; therefore you should carefully choose the bookmaker that gives huge bonuses on its winning a chance in your betting life

How to Bet The Odds

Learning how to bet on odds is important, especially if you are new to betting. If so, one of the first things you should do is learn how betting odds work. It is important because it allows you to understand how likely an event is to happen, and what are your estimated winnings. Odds vary depending on the strength of the team and the options available. Odds start from 1.01 to infinity. You have to look carefully at the odds and decide which one to bet on. Do not be deceived by apparently small odds because most bookmakers sometimes put those odds there to confuse you. Again depending on whether you are a punter or gambler, this will decide on what types of odds you should play (Punters stake high on low odds while gamblers stake low on high odds)

If you have huge money to bet on, it is advisable to choose low odds and lee-risky games. How do you do these: bet on strong teams, never carry any team straight win, never bet on away teams, bet on home teams. Also note that you should only carry accumulated 1.5 odds to 2.00 odds .Let us give a fictional scenario below:

Manchester United vs. Burnley

  • Manchester United —– 1.25
  • Draw —– 4.80
  • Burnley —— 9.20
  • Manchester united win or draw ———- 1.05
  • Burnley win or draw ————- 3.57

For a game like the above the safest bet will be to carry Manchester united win or draw. Carry like 4 or 5 games with the same scenario and stake heavily.

What Is the Meaning of “Under 2.5 Goals”?

This type of bet is one of the most popular options in the betting market. What this bet entails is that for you to win the bet, both teams must score 3 goals or more (for over) must not concede more than 2 goals (for under). For over 2.5 goals, the scores could be 1-2, 2-1, 2-2, 3-6, 4-1 and so on, while for under 2.5 goals the following should be expected:1-1, 1-0, 0-0, 0-1 and 1-0.

The bet covers only 90 minutes with injury time, however note that extra time is not included. You should consider leagues before betting on this type of option, this is because it is easier to score in some leagues than others. Also note that some teams are free-scoring side and score lots of goals .when such teams are playing one should consider playing over 2.5 goals

For leagues that are favoured for over 2.5 goals;

  • England (premiership, championship and lower division)
  • Estonia
  • Australia
  • U.S.A
  • Brazil
  • Thailand

For leagues that are favoured for under 2.5 goals

  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Syria
  • Costa Rica
  • Bolivia
  • Argentina

You can also play a particular team to score over 2.5 goals; this option is available on various bookmakers. In this case, your preferred team has to score at least 3 goals for you to win the bet.

Here are some teams to consider when choosing this option:

  • Arsenal
  • Barcelona
  • Manchester City
  • Real Madrid
  • PSG
  • Bayern Munich
  • Celtic
  • TNS (wales league)
  • Apoel Nicosia (Cyprus)
  • Olympiacos(Greece)
  • Basel (Switzerland)

The odds available for over and under 2.5 are huge, depending on the teams carried .You can get up to 1.90 odd to 4.00 odd for the over and you can get 1.30 to 1.50 for the under 2,5 odds. You can see clearly that the over 2.5 odds offers more cash-wise than the under 2.5 goals.

What Is A Draw No Bet?

This is an option of bet that you back a selection in a football match, to win, but if the game is drawn then you will get your money back.

Therefore if the outcome of the game is a draw, importantly no stake has been made. This betting market jettisons the idea of a draw to put it in simple terms.

It allows punters to predict that a particular team will win, and if by chance a draw is the outcome, you get your money back.

But be clear that your preferred team must not lose the match. Majority of punters overlook the importance of this bet, however it yields more odds that double chance.

This is so because if you give a team double chance and the odds stands at 1.30,but if you pick Draw no Bet for the same team, You will get nothing less than 1.60 odds .

In recent times, however, this type of bet is gaining grounds and becoming more popular.

It is advisable to carry draw no bet on teams who are likely to win but have injury concerns. Let us say PSG is playing Dijon, but several stars of PSG have fitness issues, it is safer to play PSG to win than play double chance.

Draw no bet allows bettors to:

  • Guard your bet, if there is a high possibility of draw
  • Support underdogs in a game

Know that in this market, if your selections succeeds and you win, you go home with profits, however, if the match is drawn, your funds will be returned.

There you have it. The complete guide to football betting.