How Does Soccer Betting Work

Sports betting is a widely popular activity adjacent to the ever lucrative industry of sports. But nobody would ever think of entering this sphere of life if it were boring and difficult. Today, we will try to figure out how to navigate the widely popular world of soccer betting and unpack the key fundamentals.

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ODDS

In soccer, just like in any other sport, odds are a way of communicating to a potential bettor how much they can win against how much they wager on a certain outcome of a match, of which there are many, just as there are bets. There are three main types of presenting odds: 

• Fractional odds, or British odds
• Decimal odds, or European odds
• American odds, also called moneyline odds

Decimal odds are considered the most popular type as well as the easiest to understand, although most betting sites can show all the three types of odds. The decimal number simply represents the amount a bettor can win for every $1 wagered. This means that by multiplying your bet by a given decimal number, you will learn your potential return. For example, if you bet on a 2.330 probability of a certain outcome in a match, you just have to multiply 2.330 by your stake in the match. 2.330 multiplied by $100 equals 233. This result already includes your $100 stake, so your profit from this bet would be $133.

Odds can also be divided into two types: on and against.

• Odds-on means betting on a favorite team, and it requires a bettor to stake an amount that is more than the profit amount they expect to make.
• Odds-against means betting on an underdog. This means that the amount you can win is going to be greater than what you stake. 

TYPES OF BETS

Like in any sport, there is a wide variety of bets you can place in soccer, from the simplest ones to the most difficult. This list is going to cover the most popular ones as well as some other types that might be unique to soccer or just be more advanced.

• Moneyline bets are known to be the most obvious pick among soccer betting beginners due to their straightforward nature: moneyline betting basically means betting on a team you want to win or on a tie, although bets with the option of betting on a tie is usually going to be called a three-way moneyline or simply 1×2
• Point Spread is another popular type of bet where a bettor puts their hope (and bet) on a fixed outcome either for a favorite or an underdog. For example, if Team A is a 5 point favorite over Team B, a bet on Team B would win if Team B won or lost by less than 5.
• One beginner bet you have to consider is Double Chance. Its main feature is that it’s low-risk and also simple to understand: you have the opportunity to place a bet on two outcomes out of three.
• Double chance might have the lowest risk, but one of the easiest bets to handle is another variation of a moneyline bet commonly called Draw No Bet. The crux of this type of bet is that a bettor simply has two available options as opposed to three-way moneyline bets, namely no draw.
• An Over / Under bet all you have to do here is predict whether the total number of goals scored in a game will be higher or lower than a certain amount.
• One of the most fun bets that can be placed is a Goal Scorer bet, where a bettor can wager on who in particular is going to score a goal.
• Another bet you will probably hear about is handicap betting. This type of bet is meant to even the playing field between two teams in cases when the outcome seems too obvious. As evident by the name, a favorite team is handicapped. This means that an underdog soccer team may be awarded extra goals for betting purposes. This bet is an example of one of the more complicated ones, so don’t be discouraged from finding out more information on it as well as on other complex bets.
• A Correct Score bet has it all in the name: a bettor has to guess the exact score, and although it is perhaps the easiest to understand, it’s by far the hardest to predict.

COMMON MISTAKES

There’s no game if there’s no risk. However, the truth is that some forms of risk are simply best avoided, especially those that are related more to ignorance rather than intentional love for the action.

It wouldn’t have to be mentioned if it wasn’t reported to happen so prevalently, but people do fall for their emotions, and in the world of betting, emotions is certainly something to keep in check. If you want to win, you have to use something more concrete than your love for your favorite soccer team.

Another factor that can be tied to emotion rather than reasonable estimation is following the popular majority when it comes to betting. Just like in life, it’s better to use one’s own head.

It should also go without saying that you probably should choose trusted bookmakers and thoroughly check any enterprises and websites or online betting platforms for legitimacy. This basic rule of safety is always something to remember, even outside of the boundaries of sports betting.

CONCLUSIONS

To sum up, here are a few basic rules to save you from unfortunate outcomes, not only when it comes to soccer betting but also the safety of your funds:

• Check your budget. Betting does involve big money sometimes, but, ultimately, it’s not about putting your own house on the line, nor is it worth it
• Be informed on your bets. This is more of a guessing game for those who deliberately ignore crucial pieces of info regarding a particular bet
• Know your bookmaker. Be sure to check who exactly you are working with.
• Don’t get emotional. This will only hurt you both in the long- and short-term.
• Fun first. Always remember that this is something you choose to do as a pleasurable activity and not for any other reason.

When it comes to soccer betting, one thing should be clear: it is absolutely accessible to anyone interested enough in participating in this age-old entertainment activity, which, in turn, can provide them with plentiful winnings in the process.