Soccer has millions of followers all over the world, so it’s not a shocker that soccer is the top sport that people love to bet on. There are multiple soccer matches held every week and a large number of available markets for each match. Therefore, it is imperative that users keep themselves updated with the dos and don’ts of soccer betting. This is an ultimate guide for bettors who want to learn about the basics of soccer betting.
Soccer Betting Terms You Should Know
Let’s start with a few common online soccer betting terms so that you can get hold of the concept of soccer betting:
- Stake (wager, bet): The amount of money you use to place your bet.
- Bettor: The person who places a bet to predict the result of the match.
- Bookmaker: Also referred to as a betting agency, book, sportsbook or bookie, it is basically a company that offers betting odds and is certified to accept bets from users.
- Bookmaker Margin: Also referred to as vigorish, edge, advantage or juice, the bookmaker margin is the commission of a bookmaker in the betting market.
- Bank Roll: The amount of money available in a bettor’s account.
- Back: It is a bet placed to support a team. In simple words, a bet that the result will happen.
- Lay: A bet placed against a team (a bet that the result will not happen).
- Banker: A local word for a bet that is greatly anticipated to win.
- Dividend: The payout or return from a winning bet.
- Push: A term for a tie or draw.
- Tipster: A person who offers betting tricks and tips.
What Are Accumulators and Singles?
Nowadays, users prefer placing bets in two common ways –Accumulators and Singles. Accumulators are a sequence of single bets accumulated together. When placing an accumulator bet, it is imperative that all your bets win so that you can claim your money. This is surely difficult to succeed but the return is much better and many users have won a large amount of cash because of betting on accumulators.
On the contrary, other bets don’t affect your single bets. Thus, if you put three single bets on three different events and get a few of them right, you will get a return on those bets. Although odds are not as good as those of accumulators, the chances of getting some cash are definitely higher.
The best tip here is to identify what’s right for you. Some people might recommend you to bet on accumulators while some individuals on singles, but remember that you need to focus on your priorities. You can start by placing a few bets in diverse styles and figure out what brings you better returns.
What is a Handicap?
This is a type of bet which is offered when one of the teams is a clear choice. Each team is allocated a goal handicap (negative for the favourite team and positive for the second best). For instance, if the favourite team is handicapped at -1.0, it means that they should win by more than one goal in order to beat the line.
Also, if the second-best team is at +1.0, it means that they should lose by less than one goal. In the case of a tie, the favourite team must win exactly by 1 goal. Unlike Asian handicap that doesn’t allow the bettors to bet on a draw, this handicap bets allow the bettors to bet on a tie.
General Soccer Betting Tips
A soccer betting guide is incomplete without some really fine strategy tips. Here is our list of some tried and tested tips:
- Always bet on the team you think will win (even if you are against it), and not on the team you want to win.
- Always begin with simple bets and don’t attempt complex bets such as accumulators.
- Be strict with your budget and create a plan for how much you are going to spend on betting – never bet more than you can afford to lose.
- Have patience and remember you won’t be winning every bet. It might take some time before you know how to find the correct stakes for you.
Visit our soccer tips page for more insightful soccer tips.
Common Types of Soccer Bets
There are many different types of bets that you need to be acquainted with in order to make a profit. Here, we have explained a few of them:
- Single or Straight Bet: A bet placed on a single result within a certain soccer match.
- Multiple Bet or Parlay or Accumulator: This is a type of bet that includes bets on two or more results of two or more matches. In order to succeed, all the outcomes should occur. If not, the bet automatically loses.
- Correct Score: As the name suggests, in order to win your bet, you need to predict the final score of the game correctly.
- Draw No Bet: A bet in which there is a possibility of a draw. Your bet wins when your chosen team wins and if the game is a draw, you get back the money of your bet.
- Over/Under Bet: It is a bet on the number of goals, tries and points being scored. Generally, it will be under or over an amount. For instance, over 3.5 means there are 4 or more goals and under 3.5 means there would 0, 1, 2, or 3 goals being scored.
- Half Time/Full Time Bet: This is a type of bet which is divided in two. The users guess the winner of the first half and then of the complete match.
You can check out our in-depth list of soccer betting types for more information.
Betting On Soccer for Real Money
In a soccer match, two teams of 11 players each compete with the other. In general, a match lasts for 90 minutes, divided into two 45 minutes. In some matches, extra time is required in order to decide the result of the match.
The objective of soccer is simple. The teams are required to score more goals than the opposing team in order to win the match. When it comes to soccer betting, you can bet on different results and wait for your bet to win. Remember, it takes time, effort and patience to make a profit from online soccer betting!
