Understanding Types of Soccer Bets: The Key to Successful Wagering

Being one of the most popular sports in the world, it’s no surprise that betting on football is such a big business for both fans and their sportsbooks. One of the factors helping to ensure betting on soccer is so interesting is the sheer number of different wagers available. Even better, most football bets are straightforward and easy to make sense of, meaning you don’t need to possess any special knowledge for successful betting on football. If you’re a recreational sports betting type, this keeps life both simple and fun.

Of course, thanks to the bet types explained below, you’ll see plenty of more complicated football bets at hand. Though it’s perfectly feasible to win money on the most common types of soccer bets, and LeafletCasino experts have proven it in their research. And also showed how to achieve success for a beginner using the correct betting strategy. Sooner or later, as you improve your sports wagering knowledge and perfect your winning soccer betting strategy, a greater betting range can only improve your money-making chances. To help you gain the best experience when it comes to sports betting, we’ve listed some popular soccer bets below, including a brief description outlining how each one functions.

Handicap

Handicap or Spread bets allow the sportsbook to level the odds between a strong favourite and a weaker underdog. In many cases, this involved giving the favourites a handicap by a number of goals. So, if you were to bet on the favourites, not only do they need to win the match, but moreover, you have to tally up the bet total difference. For example, if the favourite team has a 2.5 goal handicap, but goes on to win with a final score being 1:0, then you’ll lose the bet in spite of your team winning the game. Due to the complicated nature of Handicap wagers, they are often left to more professional bettors.

Moneyline

Easily the simplest of all soccer bets, in choosing the Moneyline bet, you’re predicting which team wins the match. But keep in mind that a draw is a constant possibility. That’s why it might be more prudent to bet using a three way Moneyline wager. This is a 1×2 wager, meaning 1 for a home win, x for a draw, and 2 for the away team to win. For those wanting to bet on soccer, the Moneyline soccer bet is probably the most straightforward. After all, there’s no worry about the margin of victory or when the goals are scored. Considering this, it’s clear exactly how much you stand to win. Take note that this betting option is only valid for 90 minutes, according to most soccer betting platforms. So, extra time or last-minute penalties that go over the fixed match duration mean the betting result will be seen as a draw.

Totals

The “Totals” refers to a large number of possibilities that can be counted during a particular match. Totals may include the number of goals, red cards, free kicks, yellow cards, and corners. It’s the bookie who decided this number. Your job is to guess whether the combined total number from both soccer teams is over or under this set figure. The bet is won should your prediction come true. You’ll notice totals are quoted in halves, i.e. 2.5 goals. To the casual eye, this appears as illogical. Yet it’s because the total number will invariably be above or below this number.

Props

Props are also known as “Special Bets” and are placed on something having no direct influence over the game’s final conclusion. For example, the total number of corners, bookings, penalties awarded, or the time of the first goal. These are thrilling wagers. However, having such unpredictable outcomes, they are really aimed squarely at the recreational bettor as opposed to anyone seriously looking to score financially. Recently, prop bets have grown to include manager-related issues and upcoming player transfers.

Futures

Futures are long-term wagers, also called “Outrights” and usually last the length of the complete season. A typical illustration is which soccer team is going to win the ultimate champion of the league at the season’s end. Be aware, this wager offers no instant payout possibilities at the game’s end. This means you’ll be tying up your bankroll for many months ahead.

Parlay

Parlays or “Accumulators” are a single wager derived from a selection of several bets and are extremely popular due to their promise of large payouts. Each selection must be correct in order to win a parlay. For instance, you might combine the outcomes of four different football games on the same Saturday afternoon. If you’re able to correctly guess the game scores in turn, you can turn a £100 wager into more than £500. Remember, one of soccer’s many beauties is the game’s unpredictability. Moneyline betting demonstrates guessing a single match’s outcome is going to be difficult enough, let alone being correct with the results of multiple matches. This is where the parlay bet proves to be very challenging. Note that if you lose one Parlay wager, you’ll lose them all.

Parting Shot

To see any profitable return on your wagers, don’t just place bets blindly when it comes to football betting. Spend a little time doing some research beforehand. Examine stuff like the team’s history, their current performance, if there are injuries, and the predicted weather conditions on matchday. Furthermore, just because you may grasp the nature of the majority of common soccer bets by virtue of the soccer wagers explained above, you’ll be throwing good money after bad unless you have a firm grasp as to the function of soccer betting odds. 

In spite of having so many online recommendations for the best sites for soccer fans, it’s always an excellent idea to check the successful soccer betting sites you plan to use are reputable and reliable. Take a look at its licence and ensure that, like all the best sportsbooks, it’s regulated and operated by a recognised authority like the UK Gambling Commission. Also, compare bonus offers, as this can add a significant boost to your bankroll. Finally, as with the best soccer betting sites, always read the terms and conditions to ensure collecting potential winnings will be straightforward.