How to Bet on Soccer Games
Mobile betting is everywhere these days. Well, maybe not everywhere, but it’s expanding into new states, provinces, and territories all the time. With online betting expanding, so is the array of sports that bettors can use for online betting. Specifically, soccer is gaining in popularity for both spectators and bettors.
On the surface, betting on soccer games online might seem a little intimidating, especially for those who haven’t been following the game for long. But once you learn the basics and get a little experience, it can be a fun way to enjoy soccer and make some money at the same time. Let’s take a closer look at what you need to know about betting on soccer games online.
Soccer Schedule
One of the great things about betting on soccer is that the sport is always in season. For starters, almost every country in the world has a soccer league, and it’s common for online sportsbooks to offer bets from a dozen or more leagues. For the most part, the major leagues in Europe compete from August to May. But even when those leagues are in their offseason, leagues in other parts of the world, including MLS in the United States and Canada, are in the midst of their season. In other words, no matter what month it is, there’s a soccer league somewhere in the world that’s active.
Of course, club soccer is only part of the equation. Online soccer betting also includes international soccer. Every year, the club season includes a handful of international breaks that are mostly used to play qualifying games for major tournaments or competitions like the Nations League. Meanwhile, the summertime, when the European leagues are in their offseason, is used for major continental and inter-continental tournaments like the World Cup, Euros, Copa America, and Gold Cup. While each tournament is only held every few years, there is usually at least one every summer, making this a busy time of year for soccer bettors.
Single-Game Soccer Bets
Not only is soccer played year-round, but there is no shortage of ways to bet on every single game, regardless of the competition. Between the volume of games and the types of betting, there is an almost infinite number of ways to bet on soccer.
While most sports use a two-moneyline system, soccer has three moneylines for every match because it’s possible for games to end in a draw. Obviously, this can make it more difficult to predict the outcome of a soccer game because there are three possibilities instead of two.
However, the three-way moneyline can also increase the payout for games that are competitive. If there isn’t an overwhelming favorite in a match, it’s possible for all three moneylines to have a positive value instead of one positive and one negative. For example, Team A could have a moneyline of +280, Team B could have a moneyline of +115, and a draw could have a moneyline of +200. This increases the payout for a correct choice no matter what option you choose.
If three moneylines are too complicated, soccer also offers double chance betting. This means you can make a bet on two of the three possibilities, increasing the chances of making a winning bet. Many soccer bettors will use this when they like a team but don’t have full confidence in them winning, giving them a little margin for error.
If we use the example from before, Team A winning or a draw might have a moneyline of -160, Team B or a draw might have a moneyline of -380, and Team A or Team B winning outright would have a moneyline of -270. Of course, the upside to these bets isn’t as much as the three-way moneyline. However, the chances of making a winning bet increase with double chance betting.
For soccer bettors who aren’t a fan of the draw, it’s possible to take the draw out of the equation. This is called a draw no bet, which means that you pick a winner and that if the match ends in a draw, the bet is void. This will, of course, change the moneyline, but not as much as a double chance bet. If we use the same teams from before, Team A will go from +280 to +145, while Team B will go from +115 to -205 if the possibility of a draw is taken out of the equation.
While most soccer games are bet on the moneyline, they all come with a spread. This is another way to take the draw out of the equation. Even in a close matchup, one team will be favored by half a goal. In our example, Team B would likely be favored by half a goal. That means if you bet on Team B, they need to win the match for you to win the bet. In contrast, a draw would mean that Team B didn’t cover, meaning those who bet on Team A to beat the half-goal spread would win the bet. Meanwhile, for more lopsided matchups, it’s common for the spread to be 1.5 goals, 2.5 goals, or even 3.5 goals.
Goal-line betting is soccer’s version of the over/under. Oddsmakers will set a predicted number of goals to be scored in the game. Typically, this number will be relatively low, such as 1.5 goals, 2.5 goals, or 3.5 goals. However, certain oddsmakers will offer moneylines for all of those goal totals. In short, some bettors may pick the under on 1.5 goals while other bettors might bet the over on 3.5 goals for the same match.
Even though most single-game soccer bets will be based on the final score, some bettors will place wagers on the half-time score. In principle, this is no different from making a three-way moneyline bet on the outcome of the game. However, the moneylines will be adjusted for the half-time score. Most of the time, the payout for a draw will decrease while the moneyline for either team leading at halftime will increase.
If we use the example from above, Team A’s moneyline will go from +280 to win outright to +350 to be leading at halftime. Team B will go from +115 as the full-time winner to +195 to lead at halftime. However, the match ending in a draw will go from+200 to -120 for a halftime draw.
For soccer bettors who like a challenge, it’s possible to make wagers on the exact score of the game. Of course, you can’t just bet on a 2-1 scoreline; you have to bet what team will win 2-1. Needless to say, this is the advanced course of betting on soccer online. But it will produce much more lucrative payouts for betters who make the right selection.
In our example, Team A winning outright has a +280 moneyline, but Team A winning 1-0 has a +750 moneyline. Team A winning 2-0 goes to +1700. Likewise, Team B winning outright is +115, but Team B winning 1-0 is +470 and Team B winning 2-0 is +850. Finally, while a draw is +200, betting specifically on a 0-0 or a 1-1 draw pays out at +500.
For the most part, every online sportsbook takes live bets during soccer games. Most, if not all, of the above single-game soccer bets, can be made even after a game begins. Of course, the catch is that the moneylines are constantly changing based on how much time is left in the game and the score of the game. However, for those who understand the game at a high level, watching the first part of the game can help you make an educated decision about how it will end.
Soccer Prop Bets
In addition to single-game bets, soccer games also offer an almost infinite number of prop bets. These bets don’t always impact the score of the game, but they do revolve around important events over the 90 minutes. While there’s no guarantee that every online sportsbook will offer odds on every potential prop bet, soccer games offer a wide variety of possibilities for prop bets.
In most games, there will be odds given for certain players scoring a goal in that game. The players given odds will typically be the most well-known players. Bettors can wager on whether a particular player will score in that game. They can also wager on what player or what team will score the first goal of the game.
Along with who scores the goals, bettors can sometimes place wagers on the time in the game that the first goal is scored. This is usually an over/under bet that’s based on whether you think there will be a goal early in the game or not.
Most sportsbooks will set an over/under for the number of corner kicks a team earns in a game. This can be a little bit of a crapshoot compared to other types of prop bets. But for bettors who understand the strengths and weaknesses of both teams, it’s worth considering.
Players receiving yellow and red cards is an important part of every soccer match and a great way for bettors to place wagers. For instance, bets can be placed on how many bookings there will be in a game. Bets can be placed on whether or not a player will be sent off via a red card. It’s also possible to bet on whether a particular player will receive a booking in the match.
Much like bookings, bets around penalty kicks are a popular prop bet in soccer. The standard bet is whether or not there will be a penalty kick awarded during the game. But there can also be more advanced prop bets regarding penalties, including the player who draws the penalty, the defending player who commits the infraction, and whether or not the penalty will be saved.
Futures Soccer Betting
Whether it’s the preseason or in-season, there are always plenty of futures bets available when betting on soccer online.
Naturally, bettors can make wagers on what team will win the league championship. For most European leagues, it’s also possible to bet on what teams will finish high enough in the standings to qualify for the Champions League and Europa League. At the bottom of the standings, it’s also possible to make wagers on what teams will be relegated to the lower level at the end of the season.
There are also a multitude of future betting options for international tournaments. For the World Cup or Euros, among other tournaments, it’s possible for bettors to make wagers on the eventual winner of the tournament. But bettors can also wager whether or not a team will make it out of the Group Stage of the tournament. It’s also possible to bet on what team will win each group.
There is a separate category of futures betting that’s specific to players. For example, each club league and international tournament gives out awards, allowing bettors to make wagers on players who they think will win those awards. It’s also possible to bet on the leading goal scorer and leader in assists during a season or tournament. Some bookmakers will also have an over/under goal, assist, and booking total for certain players.
In soccer, it’s not just the players who get the attention. Managers often have big personalities, which is why some bookmakers will accept futures bets relating to managers. For example, there will be odds related to the next manager in a particular league being fired. If a manager is fired, there will also be betting odds for the manager who takes over the job.
Strategies for Betting on Soccer
Hopefully, you’re up to speed on the ins and outs of betting on soccer online. Once you start to understand the logistics of everything, it’s time to start thinking about strategies. In many ways, betting on soccer is the same as betting on other sports. However, there are a few things that make soccer unique, which could have an impact on your betting approach.
Stick to What You Know
Sticking to what you know is good advice in any sport, but it’s particularly important in soccer. As mentioned, there are literally dozens of leagues across the world, not to mention dozens of national teams. It’s almost impossible to be well-schooled in all of the teams in each of those leagues, not to mention every international team.
When you’re starting out, it’s best to focus on one league and perhaps just a handful of teams in that league. Once you start to get a feel for that one league to the point where you can make winning bets, then you can start branching out into other leagues. Even if you want to be a fan of multiple leagues, from a betting perspective, it makes sense just to focus on one league or one specific tournament.
Track Lineups
In football and basketball, it’s important to track injuries before making bets because they can have a huge impact on the outcome of a game. With soccer, tracking injuries isn’t always enough. Managers tend to make at least a few lineup changes from one game to the next, especially when teams are playing more than one game per week. If possible, wait until the starting lineups are announced an hour before kickoff to make your bet. But even before that, you should try to anticipate what key players might play and who might be rested.
This is why it’s important to focus on one league or just a handful of teams. This makes it easier to track what players have been in the lineup and what players are likely to be rotated. You’ll also gain a better understanding of how teams are strengthened or weakened depending on what players are on the field. With so many potential variables in soccer betting, understanding the quality of a team based on who’s on the field is of great importance.
Find Value
Last but not least, betting on soccer online is all about trying to find value. That seems obvious, but it can be a little more difficult in soccer with three moneylines and all of the other forms of betting available. As mentioned, with three-way moneylines, in particular, it’s a lot easier to find bets that offer a lucrative payout. It’s just about taking your time and finding the right one.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to force things. There are so many soccer leagues and virtually no offseason, so there will always be more opportunities to make bets if you don’t see one that you like on a particular day. If you pay attention, do your research, and stick to what you know, you should be able to find bets with good value that will allow you to make money betting on the most popular sport on the planet.
Sports Betting How To Guide
How Money Line Works?
Moneyline betting is by far the easiest way to place a sports wager. There are no point spreads to parse, no garbage-time free throws to ruin your betting day, and no last-minute meaningless touchdowns to take you from a winner to a loser.
How to Bet Odds
When we, as sports fans, learned our multiplication tables, we aced the number 7. Seven, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 were easy because we all watched football on the weekends. Multiplication by sevens, then add a three, a six after a missed PAT.
How to Bet on NFL Games
Baseball is America’s pastime, but football is America’s crazed passion, with its weekly schedule of games, millions of television viewers across the country and the world, and the billion-dollar stadiums that serve as Sunday cathedrals in 32 American cities.
What is the Spread?
If you are a golfer or have ever played on a bowling team, think of a point spread like a handicap. It is a way for two teams of differing abilities to play each other on equal footing. The better team, and the favorite in the game, gives a certain amount …
