A Beginner's Guide To Soccer Betting Online
As the most popular sport in the world, soccer is also a very popular choice among bettors. Online soccer betting has become a huge industry on its own. If you want to get involved, we’re now going teach you how to do it the right way!
First things first, let’s start by explaining terms you’re going to be coming across a lot while betting on soccer.
Soccer Betting Terms
You can’t expect to do well in soccer betting if you have no idea what you’re wagering your money on. Getting introduced to common betting phrases is of absolute importance. So, let’s start learning the soccer language!
- Punter – Also known as bettor, punter (UK/Australian term) is a person who’s making bets. Basically, it’s you!
- Bookie – Book, bookmaker, or bookie, these are all terms referring to a sportsbook that accepts bets on events in its offer. Basically, bookie takes or gives the money to the punter, depending on whether the bet is a winning or a losing one.
- Odds – Betting odds are there to help you calculate your potential winnings. The longer the odds, the more money can you make. However, longer odds also mean that the thing you’re betting on is not very likely to happen.
- Bet – Placing a bet means wagering your money on an event or events. A bet wagered on only one event is called a single, while betting on multiple events at once is called an accumulator.
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What are Accumulators and Singles?
Single bets are pretty straightforward – you wager your money on Team A (or any other market). The winnings are calculated by multiplying the decimal odds with the amount you’ve wagered. If you guess correctly, you win. If not, the bookie goes away with your money.
Accumulators a.k.a. accas are a bit more complicated than that. You’re wagering your money on several bets at once. Your potential winnings are calculated by multiplying decimal odds of individual bets, together with the amount you bet. In order to win the money, all the bets in the acca need to be winning ones. Miss one of those and your accumulator is a losing one.
Asian Handicap Explained
The winner market is the most popular type of bet in soccer betting. Basically, what you do is putting your money on the outcome of a soccer game. You can choose from Team A, Team B, and Draw. The trouble with winner betting is that the odds on the favorite are usually very short. You can’t make too large profits betting on Real Madrid against Elche. In order to spice it up, many bettors use the so-called Asian Handicap betting. What this basically means is that in the bookie’s eyes, the favorite is starting the match with goals’ disadvantage. For instance, if the Asian Handicap is -1.5 on Real Madrid, Los Blancos need to beat Elche by at least two goals difference in order for you to win.
Main Soccer Betting Markets
Apart from betting on the match outcome and Asian Handicap, you can bet on literally dozens of other markets. Of course, mentioning all of them would take a lot of space, so we’ll just focus on the major ones. Here are explanations of some of the most popular soccer betting markets:
- HT-FT betting – HT-FT stands for halftime-fulltime, meaning that you get to pick the outcome of the first 45, as well as the outcome of the entire match.
- Correct score – You get to pick the result that will stand once the referee blows the final whistle.
- Goals over/under – The bookie will give you a set goals’ margin; it’s up to you to guess whether the total number of goals will be more or less than that number. The most common margin is 2.5, in which case, you choose whether the game will see less than three goals or three or more.
- Player betting – You have an opportunity to bet on which player is going to score in the game. You can also bet the exact number of goals he’s going to score. Apart from betting on goals, you can bet on the number of fouls he’s going to commit, how much time will he spend on the pitch, and so on.
Do's and Don'ts in Soccer Betting
The most important rule to remember in online soccer betting is not to let your heart lead you. Your brain needs to be in charge of decision making. Betting on a club that you like, even if it’s a huge underdog, will not lead you anywhere.
In order not to end up emptyhanded, you ought to do thorough research before placing a bet. We’re talking about reading latest soccer news, checking out teams’ stats, their previous duels, and so on.
Real Money Soccer Betting
Believe it or not, but there are people who make a living from soccer betting. And we’re not talking about living a life of a regular Joe. These guys live a luxury lifestyle thanks to their soccer betting business. So, how can you make a fortune betting on soccer? In the words of Gordon Gekko from Wall Street “information is the most valuable commodity”. The more info you get for a match, the better the chance is that you will choose a winning bet. And this implies working hard to get ahold of all the relevant info. That said, successful soccer betting requires a lot of hard work, the same as any other job. But, unlike a regular job, soccer betting can make you wealthier overnight!
Main Soccer Leagues & Tournaments
Although online sportsbooks let you choose from literally hundreds of different leagues, from all over the planet, most players choose to stick to the major ones. Instead of betting on Fiji Premier League, punters prefer betting on the English Premier League, and it’s obvious why that’s the case. Major European leagues like the aforementioned EPL, as well as Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, French Ligue 1, German Bundesliga, and others are the leagues where the world’s best players compete. And the cream of the crop of European soccer is the Champions League.
Of course, while Europe is the epicenter of elite soccer, South America not far behind. This doesn’t mean other parts of the world don’t have leagues worthy of checking out. Major League Soccer, for example, is definitely an interesting championship. More recently, the Chinese Super League has been packed with elite soccer players.
Give Soccer Betting a Try!
Even if you’re not the biggest fan of soccer, placing some wagers would definitely add to the excitement. Apart from making your experience more enjoyable, it can help you become a true expert in soccer betting. Of course, start slowly. Betting low wagers at first will help you figure out all the ins and outs of this gambling form.
