How to bet on Football

The beautiful game is loved by millions worldwide and as well as enjoying the action on the field, betting on football is also hugely popular. From fun single bets on a first goal scorer to big accas that can bring big returns, we all bet differently and all have our own unique ways when it comes to the selections we choose and the bet types and betting markets we use. However, what about those new to betting on football, how do you actually bet on football? Ask 100 people and you’ll get a multitude of different answers, so we are not actually going to tell you how to bet on football as that is all subjective. What we are going to do is explain some of the ways in which you can bet on football, enough to get you started on the journey that is football betting.

Types of Football Bet

The options are pretty much endless when it comes to the type of bet you can place on football, and explaining them all would only lead to confusion for new players. So here, let’s talk about the two main types of football bet, and the situations they can be used in.

Football Accumulators

This is the standard bet for many football gamblers, and the best place to start as you can bet on many different markets while keeping the bet type the same. An accumulator is one bet that you place on multiple different outcomes. To get a return on the bet, every single one of your selections has to win, if just one lets you down then the bet is a loser, regardless of how many you have right.

For example, if you place an accumulator bet on all ten matches in one Premier League gameweek and nine win out of the ten, even though you have nine winners your bet is still a loser. This is the heartache side of accumulator betting, but the good side is the large winnings that are available to those lucky enough to strike gold. The odds on your bet roll up through each leg, with the winnings going onto the next selection and increasing every time. Big accumulators can bring home large amounts of money but those just starting out with football betting are probably better to concentrate on smaller bets with smaller returns in an attempt to get some winners behind you and build up some knowledge and confidence.

Betting Markets for Football Accumulators

Just like with bet types, the betting markets you can use when placing your bets are almost endless. However, there are a number of markets that suit accumulator betting and these offer you a great place to start.

The most popular market is who will win the game, and here all you have to do is select the game winner from a number of different games and hope all your teams win. The both teams to score (BTTS) market has rapidly grown in popularity with accumulator punters and this offers a completely different angle into a football game. You don’t need to pick the winner here, you just answer the question ‘will both teams score?’ with a yes or no response. Another goal scoring market that is popular with accumulator punters is the over/under goals market. Here you choose the market, with 1.5 and 2.5 goals being the most popular and decide whether there will be over or under that number of goals. For example, in the 2.5 goals market, over would mean three goals or more and under would mean two goals or less.

These three are the ‘go to’ markets for many football punters and combined together they offer a great starting platform for newcomers. As you progress and become a little more adventurous with your betting, don’t be afraid to mix and match these betting markets in an accumulator, like the example below:

£10 accumulator

Manchester City vs Liverpool – Both teams to score @ 8/11

Tottenham vs Newcastle – Tottenham win @ 4/7

Manchester United vs Arsenal – Over 2.5 goals @ 1/1

Chelsea vs Everton – Over 1.5 goals @ 2/5

Wolves vs Leicester – Wolves win @ 6/4

Potential returns: £190

As you can see from the above, you can mix and match in terms of the betting markets you are using and when putting selections into an accumulator, the returns build up into a substantial amount. The key for accumulator punters is the fine line between a big win, and being realistic with the number of selections you choose. This is all trial and error, but new punters should try and slowly build up, don’t go for the big win straight away, try and pick up a few smaller wins.

Football Singles Betting Markets

The second most popular way to place football bets is by placing singles. You can use these on the markets we have already mentioned above, but with the odds being generally low on those markets, many punters opt to try and find value when betting in singles. This is where you will find what are known as ‘fun’ betting markets, where someone is having a bet for interest if they are watching on TV, or a bet related to their favourite player or team.

Of these markets, first goal scorer betting and correct score betting are the two most popular. These markets are as simple as the name suggests, you are placing a bet on a player to score the first goal, or betting on what the score will be in a game.

When it comes to first goal scorers you can opt to go one of two ways. You can go with one of the favourites and back a striker who is in form, or you can go for a huge priced outsider and perhaps choose a defender who will be an aerial threat from a set-piece. The same methods can be used on the correct score market too, will you back the home favourites to win comfortably 2-0, or for the visitors to make more of a game of it and earn a 2-2 draw?

For those who are hunting big wins but don’t want to place an accumulator, these markets offer you the chance to double up across two games. If for example, you are watching two games back to back on Sky Sports Super Sunday, instead of placing two singles you can back a first goal scorer in both of them and combine the two as a double, where you need both to win for you to get a return, but the returns will be much bigger.

Another two markets that are popular for this type of betting are the half time/full time market and the scorecast market. Half time/full time is where you predict the game outcome at both half time and full time, and the scorecast market is a combination of the two markets above to give bigger odds. Here you have to select the correct first goal scorer as well as guessing the correct score in one combined bet.

Singles are seen as a fun option in football, and they offer casual punters a great way of having an interest, sometimes at really big odds, in a game they are watching either on TV or in the ground itself.

Five Quick Football Betting Tips

Over the course of time you will establish your own views around certain stats and trends, but as a new punter you have none of this. To get you started, here are five quick tips to think about when you begin to place football bets.

1. Look at the fixture list for the upcoming week. A team may look like being a banker home win at the weekend, but if they have a tough European away trip during midweek will they rest players and already have an eye on the bigger game? These are teams to be wary of.
2. Local derbies are great games to watch, but the occasion can often overshadow the actual football on the field. These games are traditionally very difficult to predict, form goes out of the window and they are often best left alone.
3. Key injuries can change your views on a game dramatically so make sure you have access to the latest injury news before you place your bets. It is for this reason that you should always try to leave betting as late as you possibly can.
4. Players returning to their former club. Has a player been pushed out or treated unfairly by his former club? When he returns he would love nothing more than to get one over on them, and these players often offer good value in the goal scorer markets.
5. Head to head records and bogey teams. Ask a fan of any club and they will tell you who their bogey team is, and who they excel against. If you have time to study then look into this and use it to your advantage. Even if the league positions suggest otherwise, a team with a strong record against their opponents are often worth following.

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