Soccer is easily one of the most exciting games on which to bet due to how the game’s played and the overall setup of a match. Often, winning— or losing — a bet can come down to a last-minute goal or a stupendous block.
However, before laying down money, it’s critical to familiarize yourself with the odds so that you can accurately predict the value of your bet, anticipate how the players will perform, and choose which type of bet gives you the best odds in the event of a victory.
The Traditional Win Bet
The win bet, also known as a moneyline wager, is one of the simplest bets you can make in European football. It’s also one of the most popular, partly because it’s easy.
All you do is pick which team you think will win the match. This type of bet works for almost any sport. People often assume that, as a result, the pay outs on win bets are small, but that isn’t always the case.
If you bet on an underdog team or choose a side that’s heavily favoured to lose, you have the chance to rake in an enormous take.
Betting on Both Teams
Bettors have the option to wager that both teams will score within the regulated time frame — 90 minutes in most cases. The thing to remember is that this particular bet does not mean that you bet on one team or the other to get on the score sheet. Both teams in the match have to receive points for this to pay.
Your smartest move is to analyse the performances of both teams. Pay particular attention to how long it takes them to score on average. While you can wager smaller amounts of money on this bet, you aren’t playing to lose.
An Accumulator Bet
Accumulators, sometimes called “accas” across the pond, are a somewhat new but wildly popular form of betting, and the possible payout is impressive. Because so many European football matches take place at once, there are often dozens of games occurring over the course of the same day, if not more. For enthusiastic bettors who know the game, this presents an almost fool proof opportunity to win.
As the name suggests, when you place an accumulator bet, your winnings have the chance to accumulate. This type of bet allows you to place wagers on more than one team. You can, in fact, lay down money on as many teams as you want. The kicker is that you only win if all of your bets come true. One wrong wager and you lose everything. Keep winning, and your payout accumulates with each successful bet.
There are scores of other potential bets, such as anticipating how many goals a particular team will score, how many goals both teams score, and the point spread, just to name a few. As you get more comfortable wagering on the game, your ability to predict the performance of every team will improve. Have you ever wagered on a soccer game?
The Double Chance Bet
The nature of soccer makes it unpredictable. Just because a team is a popular pick, doesn’t always mean that it will win. To wager on a match between two teams that are equally matched, a double chance bet can cover you.
This bet allows you to choose one team to win or tie.
Ties aren’t usually an issue in betting, but thanks to that 90-minute rule, it’s entirely possible for two teams to reach a draw by the end of regulation time. So, when you place a double chance bet, you can put down money that in a match between Team A and Team B, Team A will either win or draw. The only way you won’t win, of course, is if Team B is in the lead at the end of an hour and a half.
Alternately, you can skip on the double chance and opt for a Bet No Draw wager instead. As the name implies, this bet doesn’t allow for the eventuality of a tie. In that way, it’s not much different from a win bet.
Halftime Versus Fulltime Bets
Not every bet depends on the 90-minute game time. Pay attention to each possible bet at your book, as in some instances, you can bet on the fulltime result. This bet has a high payout, but the odds of winning are low.
You have to not only bet on who’s winning at the halfway point of the game, but you also have to correctly anticipate who will be in the lead at the end of the match. With this type of bet, you have endless varieties on which to wager.
You can lay odds that Team A will take the lead at halftime but Team B will ultimately win, or you can bet on a draw at halftime and then pick a winner for fulltime.
Betting on the Underdog
In soccer, it often pays to bet on the underdog team. Again, just pay attention to a team’s past performance and the strength of its players to improve your predictions. Remember, as well, in this game, the best teams often have low odds simply because they’re expected to win.
A winning team going up against a strong underdog team isn’t always guaranteed to win. Choose to bet on the value of a team rather than the odd favourites. It’s a risk, but the potential pay-out is worth the gamble.
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