Wager Types
The first thing you need to know about football betting is that you can place numerous wager types. While you probably won’t use every single one of them, it’s always wise to be aware of what is available so that you can choose the right options for you. Here, we’ll examine some of the best known and some of the less famous options, and look at which are the best choices for novice bettors.
Betting On A Match’s Outcome
Probably the simplest form of betting on football is the “result bet” i.e. backing one or other of the teams to win. Although there are only 3 choices when betting on the outcome of a game, i.e Team A will win, Team B will win or there will be a draw, it isn’t always easy to place a successful bet, or, indeed, one that offers a decent cash-out. Stakes are often kept low for the first six weeks of the season, but you might find good value occasionally if you pay close attention to the odds on offer. That said, there are generally pretty low odds on any match where the result seems to be a foregone conclusion, and therefore betting on a single match is rarely a lucrative option. That’s why the accumulator bet is also very popular among keen bettors.
Accumulator Bets
Although an accumulator bet might seem like an attractive option, it can be all to easy to be carried out when you look at all the matches to be held during the season. How does an accumulator (or acca bet) work? While some of the teams that show up in the listings may appear to be a shoo-in for a win, you can’t rely on anything in the beautiful game, and since you need all of your results to be right for your bet to pay out with this wager type, every single match added to your accumulator not only increase your potential payout, it also reduces your odds of winning.
Sports books love accumulator bets as they rarely pay out on them, so the key is restraint. Set a wagering budget for yourself per week and then use that budget wisely on teams that you’re absolutely sure have a good chance of winning their matches. A good strategy for accumulator betting is to put a £4 wager on three matches that you believe from your research could come in. If you do this each week of the football season and win half of those bets you’ll have a nice chunk of money to put in the bank, but if you lose, you won’t have emptied your account.
A BTTS Accumulator
If you’re looking for more excitement from your betting, try a BTTS (Both Teams To Score) wager. This bet starts at kick off and lasts for the entire 90 minute game, and with odds of about 5/6 or 4/5 they stack up well in an accumulator bet. The best game for a BTTS wager is one where there’s likely to be a lot of excitement. You’re looking for teams which usually concede but only after scoring a couple of goals.
Betting On Football Tournaments
Some of the best betting opportunities come from betting on a Euro Championship or World Cup championship. There are games played virtually every day and there are also some amazing accumulator opportunities. Probably the best wagering opportunities are in the initial group stage when you place a wager on the countries which look most likely to come out top of their qualifying group. Take care though and don’t bet on more than four or five countries – make sure that you do your research thoroughly though before you make any betting decisions. Focus on your preferred countries, become familiar with their squads and their key players as well as their performance during the previous football season.
Of course, these aren’t the only betting options when it comes to football. There are multiple options outside of these wager types including bets on the top goal scorer, those on the exact score of an upcoming match, and then a host of different forms of accumulator, many of which come with exotic sounding names like Trixies, Yankees and even the Super Heinz Bet. These more unusual options are probably best left to those who are more experienced at wagering, however for novices, starting out with the basics is always a better idea.