With a vastly international fan base and global presence with both national and international leagues, football is unsurprisingly the most popular sport to bet on. While horse racing naturally took the crown in the earlier days of sports betting, football slowly became the frontrunner. Some bettors like to spread good energy by betting on their favourite club, while others prefer to take a more calculated and strategic approach; either way, the excitement of football betting hinges on the odds.
And these odds don’t just manifest out of thin air; they’re decided based on team performance, historical head-to-head records, public betting patterns, the human judgment of the bookies, and, of course, the margin known as the “vig.” With so many considerations on the line, how do you choose the best football bets based on the odds?
What Are the Odds?
In the sports betting world and even when you’re considering the potential of something happening in everyday life, you might’ve heard the phrase “What are the odds?” The odds essentially refer to the likelihood of an outcome, but in betting, it specifically has to do with the odds of getting a financial return.
Odds can vary immensely, much like the selection of the top 20 online slots. And if we’re talking about real-time bets, odds can change at the drop of a hat. That’s because as a match goes on, injuries can happen, suspensions may occur, weather conditions could affect the way players play, and an increasing score could put the odds in a team’s favour. If Manchester City are favourites to win against Liverpool in a match, their odds would be lower, indicating that they’re more likely to win but offer a lower return. If you think Liverpool can make a comeback, you might choose to bet on them to get a high potential return despite the lower probability.
Top Betting Markets for Football
Football has a wide range of betting markets, potentially fewer or more extensive depending on the app you use. Betting markets are the types of wagers you can place on a particular aspect of a match or outcome. The most straightforward of all sports is betting on the winner, whereas in football, it’s referred to as the “Match Winner.” Notably, not all sports allow you to bet on a tie, but in most football matches, you can, which raises the stakes with a third option available.
If you want to put your money into a more challenging market, you can opt for the over/under, which lets you decide whether the total goals scored after the match will be above or below the 0.5 interval number. For instance, if the set number is 2.5 for total goals scored in the match and you bet the over, the total goals scored by both teams will have to tally up to 3+. Bet the under, and the goals will have to total to 2 or less. These over/under bets can be for a single team or specifically for corners.
Other than these standard bets, there are also player propositions like betting on specific players to score a goal or Both Teams To Score (BTTS) markets, which let you place a stake on whether both teams will score at least once in a match.
Bets to Watch for Big Wins
Sure, you could go for the tried-and-true bets in football, but without some sort of risk, you’re unlikely to get a good return. If you’re vying for a big win, you need to focus on markets that allow you to get a higher payout in the first place. While it’s true that the odds of these bets are more unpredictable and the outcomes unlikely, that’s what taking a gamble truly means. Want to branch out and give these markets a try? Here are some high-risk, high-reward markets to explore:
First Goalscorer
Predicting who will score first in the match is a difficult feat, but if there happens to be some elite goalscorers on either team, like Erling Haaland or Mo Salah, you might want to bite the bullet and throw a wager on these types of players. Taking a look at the recent statistics and matchups can give you a better idea of how your bet will play out.
Correct Score
If you’ve got a strong knowledge of the teams’ capabilities or how they’ve historically performed in certain scenarios or against certain teams, you could throw a bet on an exact correct score bet. Perhaps you’ve got an inkling that the outcome will be 3–2 or 1–1; if so, these bets usually yield some impressive returns.
Handicap Bets
Handicap bets are becoming increasingly popular, especially if you go the hard route and bet on the favourite with a negative handicap or the underdog with a positive handicap. It essentially means that a team is given an advantage or disadvantage in scores, but the returns are much higher.
Long-Term Future Bets
Ever see those bettors who immediately place a bet on the champions of next year once the season is over? This might seem like a ridiculous, rushed bet, but these well-in-advance bets can come with high odds, especially if you place them early.
Parlays
If you aren’t too keen on some of these markets, you can always put together a parlay—a bet where multiple individual bets (called legs) are combined into one. To be successful, you’ll need to win all the legs included. For example, maybe you’ve bet the over on 3.5 corners, bet on a correct score of 2–1, and chosen Ronaldo to score the first goal. If all of those bets hit, you’ll win the grand payout for the entire parlay. If not, let’s hope you’ve bet on all of those single wagers separately!