Complete Football Betting Guide for Beginners and Newbies
Getting started with football betting may seem like a difficult task, but it could be worth it in the long run, if you are ready for the risks that come with the process. I know of a friend who ventured into football betting almost five years ago and has not made a significant profit while at it—only losses.
What if I told you that being a newbie does not stop you from winning big in football betting? As long as you know your way around it, you can max out your earnings on bookies and put an end to that long losing streak.
This article will guide you on how to navigate your way around football betting, especially if you are new to the niche. However, you will also find it quite helpful if you have some experience in football betting but are still finding it difficult to net significant odds.
Understanding Football Betting Basics
Statistics show that 8 out of 10 people began betting on football odds. The most common reason for this is that football betting is quite easy to grasp than any other sport. Whether you have an experience with football or not, betting on football tips can be very easy to understand.
Nonetheless, it is important that you know and understand the rules of the game before you go ahead with betting on football tips. With the right knowledge, you will be able to make better decisions on what to wager, and when to target a specific matchup.
Common Football Betting Options
Football betting options may vary across bookies and locations but will always imply the same thing wherever they appear. Here are some of the most common football betting options you will find on almost every bookie:
Moneyline: This is basically betting on which team will win or lose the game. On most bookies, you will find this option as W1 (Team 1 to win) and W2 (Team 2 to win).
Draw: Just as it implies, the draw option is used to bet that the football game will end in a scoreline draw, at regular time (90 mins).
Double Chance: This is a combination of the moneyline and draw option implying that a team will either win or draw at the end of the regular time. It is usually represented as 1X(Team 1 to win or draw) and 2X(Team 2 to win or draw).
Overs/Unders: This option is one of the most popular in football betting and many bettors even consider it as a safer option compared to others. Betting on this option is a probability of how many goals will be scored in the football match.
An OV1.5 option implies that the match will end with a minimum of 2 goals. A U1.5 option implies that the match will end with a maximum of 1 goal.
The over and under option in football betting is not limited to goals alone. It is used to bet on corners, yellow/red cards, player stats, offsides, and many other categories.
Draw No Bet (DNB): The DNB option is quite similar to the Double Chance option I explained earlier. However, when you bet on DNB, the team selected must win the game for your bet to be valid. If the outcome of the game is a draw, your bet will be void and the odds will not be valid.
Handicap: The handicap betting option in football and other sports is not easily understood by bettors. Let me give you a clear picture of what it means.
Handicap is a bet used when one team is the clear favourite – Think prime Real Madrid vs your local old boys’ team! The handicap gives a small advantage to the underdog. For example, there may be a two-goal head start given to the underdog, represented as Handicap (+2).
For the bet to be valid, the underdog must not be short of a maximum of 2 goals at the end of the match. If the match ends in 3-1 in favour of Real Madrid, your bet will be marked valid. However, your bet will be marked as a loss if the match ends in 4-1 (There are many other scenarios, too).
These are the most popular betting options in football, but there are still many others that you may become acquainted with when you start betting on them. If you are a newbie in football betting, I’d advise that you begin with these.
Strategies for Successful Football Betting
Betting on football tips involves critical thinking and putting several parameters into consideration. It is a team sport, and therefore, the current form of the team must be the primary factor when you want to make your prediction.
Some teams are usually considered to be in form after assessing the statistics from their previous games. If they have maintained a winning streak, there’s a great possibility that the record will continue, provided there are no changes made to the strategy of the team or its players.
Consider individual player forms and note if key players of the team have injuries that may prevent them from playing or performing well in a game. For example, it wouldn’t be wise to bet on the overs option of a football match if the main striker of the favourite is injured.
Although attacking midfielders and wingers may be able to score goals, the chances of this happening could be very low, depending on the team.
Another factor to put into consideration when doing your research is the head-to-head (H2H) record of the teams that will be playing against each other. Some teams have good records when playing against certain teams—do your research on them and use them to your advantage.
If Team A has an H2H record of 90% win against Team B, there is a great probability that Team A will come out victorious again in their next meeting.
Popular Football Leagues & Competitions
When you decide to start betting on football tips, these are the most common leagues and competitions you might want to select events from:
- English Premier League (England)
- Series A (Italy)
- La Liga (Spain)
- Bundesliga (Germany)
- Ligue 1 (France)
- UEFA Champions League (Europe)
- UEFA Europa League (Europe)
- FIFA World Cup, and many more.
Final Thoughts
While football betting can be very rewarding, it is important that you take precautions to ensure adequate risk management. You should always practice responsible gambling and should never stake more than what you can afford to lose.
Also, you should avoid chasing past losses as this will most likely help you incur more losses. If you lose a bet, go back to the drawing table, find out your mistakes and figure out how you can improve them.
Set a daily, weekly, or monthly limit for betting and make sure that you always stick to them. If your monthly limit for betting is N50,000, then you should make sure that you do not exceed this amount no matter what. This will keep you disciplined and ensure you do not fuel the addiction.
