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You can bet on a soccer match in numerous ways, from guessing the outcome and the correct score to forecasting the winner based on handicap goals. You can also explore a variety of props that will challenge you to guess the correct score, anticipate whether a team will keep a clean sheet, or predict a goalscorer.
3-Way Moneyline
Soccer matches can end in a tie, so you’ll see the 3-way moneyline as the primary market. The challenge here is to guess the outcome after 90 minutes: will it be a home team victory, an away team victory, or a draw? Some sportsbooks also offer a “tie no bet” market where you just bet on the winner and get the stake back in case of a tie.
Double Chance
This bet covers two of the three possible soccer match outcomes. You can bet on a home team win/tie, an away team win/tie, or a home team win/away team win.
Over & Under Goals, Corners, Cards
There are several over/under markets typical for soccer matches, with the main one revolving around goals. Since soccer is a low-scoring game, the available lines will usually fall between 0.5 and 3.5, although some sportsbooks may allow you to bet on long shots like for a match to feature over 5.5 goals.
Half-Time Betting
Half-time betting is a trendy soccer market. It consists of all the main markets we previously discussed, only applied to individual halves. Additionally, you can bet on things like the half with the most goals, a team to win both halves, both teams to score in both halves, and more.
Prop Bets
Soccer betting props can encompass a wide range of bets that relate to various occurrences during the match. Some popular examples include “both teams to score,” “first team to score,” “to win to nil,” “outcome after 60 minutes,” “come from behind and win,” “time of the first goal,” and “anytime goalscorer.”
Futures
Moving past the individual matches and betting on the league/tournament winner will yield some excellent odds, assuming the league is competitive and there are no clear favorites. Aside from outright winners, you can bet on other long-term outcomes like the league’s top goalscorer, a team finishing in the top X spots, or a team getting relegated.
Soccer Parlays
All top U.S. sportsbooks will allow you to place multiple soccer bets on your betting slip. You can combine different markets and create a parlay using selections from the same match, assuming the sportsbook offers same-game parlays. All wagers must hit for you to win a parlay unless you set up a round-robin bet.
Soccer Betting Tips
For budding soccer bettors, there are many factors to consider when analyzing odds and making smart betting decisions.
When starting out, it’s important to consider why the odds change in the run-up to a big game. Doing so can uncover invaluable insights into potential outcomes, whether it’s the weight of money, with sharp wagers identifying value, the form of the home or away team, fresh injuries, a tight fixture schedule, or even the weather.
If you believe the price of a soccer team to win has been persistently backed by experienced and knowledgeable soccer bettors, this can significantly impact the odds as well.
The form of home and away teams reflect their performance tendencies in different environments, influencing their probability of success. If a team struggles in road games, this may result in their odds drifting pregame. Similarly, a team’s hectic schedule – potentially involving long-distance travel for a game – can also affect a team’s performance and weigh heavily on the odds.
You should also familiarize yourself with the concept of betting against the public. This strategy involves finding scenarios where most soccer bettors are flocking to back one team. This can force the team’s odds to fall and the other team’s odds to rise, and potentially create value for you should you choose to bet on the opposing team.
By weighing up all these aspects of soccer betting odds, you can start to think more clearly and strategically about your own soccer wagers.
Understanding Soccer Odds: Maximising Your Bets
Soccer odds aren’t that much different from odds in other sports, but they can still be tricky to understand. Fortunately, Unibet Australia is one of the best soccer betting sites for new bettors, as we offer three different ways of displaying betting odds: decimals, fractions, or American style.
For instance, the same odds could be written as 10/1 (fractional), 11.00 (decimal), or +1000 (American). They all indicate a probability of 10%; in other words, the outcome of that market is 10% likely to happen. It’s important you choose the right soccer odds when you bet to maximise your winnings.
