Soccer betting may seem complicated the first time you pick up a sportsbook as a beginner. You’ll see different markets, bet types, statistics, and odds all shown to you at once, making it harder for you to know where to start. If you’ve ever felt this way before, this article on How to Bet on Soccer by MatchPlug can help.
The process of betting on soccer is fairly simple. You select a match, choose a betting market, pick the outcome you think has the highest probability, determine how much to stake, and place your bet. However, the part that requires more precision is understanding what each option means before putting money on it.
This beginner-friendly guide explains how to bet on soccer from start to finish, how to interpret odds, how to choose a profitable bet, and some common betting mistakes to avoid as a beginner.
What Is Soccer Betting?
Soccer betting simply involves selecting a live soccer match between two evenly or unevenly matched teams, predicting an outcome for the match, and placing a bet on that prediction.
Some of the things you can bet on include: the result of a match, the number of goals scored, whether both teams will score, which team will score first, draws, and other match outcomes.
For example, if Arsenal is playing Liverpool. A sportsbook may offer this 1X2 market:
- Arsenal to win – 2.00
- Draw – 3.50
- Liverpool to win – 3.20
If you believe Arsenal will win and place a ₦6,000 stake at odds of 2.00, your potential payout would be ₦12,000 if the bet wins. This includes your original ₦6,000 stake and the potential profit of ₦6,000.
1X2 odds cover both the potential return and the market’s implied probability of an outcome.
How Soccer Betting Works
The process of betting on soccer can be divided into a few clear steps.
1. Pick a Match
Start by choosing the soccer match you want to bet on. As a beginner, it is recommended that you pick a match involving teams whose playing styles you already understand or whose recent performances you have researched.
For example:
- Arsenal vs Liverpool.
Before placing that bet, take a few minutes to review relevant information about the match, such as the teams.
This includes their Head-to-Head (history of matches played together and how each one ended), player injuries, lost matches, wins, and draws, rather than choosing an outcome solely because one team is more famous than the other.
2. Choose a Betting Market
After selecting a match to wager on, decide which betting market you want to back. The 1X2 market is the easiest and most popular choice for beginners. Here you just need to pick one of three outcomes:
- 1 – a home team win
- X – draw
- 2 – an away team win.
1X2 is also the best for rookies because it doesn’t involve any complex stats, and you don’t need to guess the exact scores, number of goals, or player props. Additionally, you can find 1X2 on almost every football team or sports match on most popular betting sites.
3. Select an Outcome
After you have selected your preferred betting market, pick the outcome you believe has the best opportunity of winning. In a 1X2 market, that would be backing either Arsenal or Liverpool.
4. Understand the Odds
Bookmakers use odds to determine the probability of an outcome in a soccer match. You can also use them to measure what your potential return would be if your selected market wins.
Odds can be represented as a fraction (2/1) or a decimal (3.0), or the moneyline or American way, where a number has a plus or minus in front of it ( +200).
5. Determine Your Stake
A stake in betting is the amount of money you are willing to risk on a bet.
While picking an amount to stake, you should not wager your entire betting balance. This is where bankroll management comes in. Bankroll management is deciding on a fixed amount or percentage you are willing to lose and sticking to it.
6. Place the Bet
After checking the match, market, selection, odds, and stake, you can place your bet.
After a bookmaker accepts your bet, the sportsbook will record your wager. The outcome will then be determined by the result of the soccer match and the specific rules of the market.
Common Soccer Betting Markets
Understanding how betting markets work is one of the most important steps for a beginner. Besides the 1X2, there are other markets you can wager on. In this section, we explain how each one works:
Handicap
Handicap betting is one of the most popular betting markets. Here, a team may be given a -1 handicap, meaning it starts the betting calculation one goal behind. Bookmakers often use this market to even things out when two unevenly matched teams in strength are playing together.
For example, if Arsenal is playing Hull City and the probability of the Gunners winning is high, a good move here would be to back a bet with a -1 handicap, which essentially removes a goal from Arsenal.
Handicap markets can get more complex depending on whether the sportsbook uses Asian or European handicaps, so you should understand the specific rules before placing these bets.
Double Chance
Double chance is similar to a 1X2 bet in the sense that it gives you two possible match outcomes to back with one selection.
The common options for you are:
- 1X — Home team wins or draws
- X2 — Away team wins or draws
- 12 — Either team wins, but not a draw
Because you are covering two outcomes, the odds are generally lower than betting on one specific outcome.
Draw No Bet
Draw No Bet is an easy betting market with profitable returns. Here, you bet on just two possibilities: a home victory or an away victory. If a game ends in a draw, your bet is refunded.
This market is good for matches where you can’t predict which team will win. Even if the game ends in a stalemate or draw, your stake will still be returned.
Over/Under Goals
The Over/ Under bet market is centered on whether the number of goals scored by both teams in a match would be under or over a specified value. The most common value you would see on apps is 2.5.
For example:
Over 2.5 goals
You win the bet if the match ends in at least three goals.
Under 2.5 goals
You win the bet if there are zero, one, or two goals.
Both teams do not need to score an equal number of goals for this bet to be valid. A 4-0 result would still qualify as over 2.5 goals.
Both Teams to Score
In Both Teams To Score, you win the wager if Arsenal and Chelsea score during the full 90 minutes. Who wins in the end or the total score of the match does not matter.
BTTS provides only two options:
- Yes.
- No.
If you believe both clubs will score one or more goals, select “Yes“; if you feel they’ll draw or only one side will score, select “No“.
Corners Betting
Corners focuses on the number of corner kicks scored by the players in a single game. To accurately predict this market, monitor the behavior of corner kicks in any league and the team playing. Similarly, consider fixtures where the favorites badly need to win.
Corners betting markets are so popular because of how lucrative and unpredictable they are.
First or Anytime Goalscorer
The Goalscorer markets allow you to bet on a player scoring during a match.
An anytime goalscorer bet requires the selected player to score at least once during the match.
A first goalscorer bet requires the player to score the first goal.
These markets can be affected by starting lineups, substitutions, and playing time, so checking team news before betting is important.
Understanding Soccer Betting Odds
There are several types of soccer betting odds you would come across at least once in your sports betting journey. We have explained them below:
1. Fractional Odds
Fractional odds are used mostly by bookmakers in the UK and Ireland. They are often represented with a numerator and denominator. An example of a fractional odd would be 5/1.
The numerator shows the payout you’d get from your bet, while the denominator shows the stake.
- $1 bet at odds of 5/1 = $5 profit bringing a $6 total profit (stake + profit).
2. Decimal Odds
Decimal odds are used in Canada, Europe, and Australia. It is represented with a point between two numbers. An example is 6.0.
They represent the total return per unit staked:
- $1 at 6.0 plus stake is $6 ($1 plus a $5 win)
- Moneyline Odds
Moneyline odds are common in the US and are pretty straightforward. When bookmakers predict a team to win on the moneyline, it simply means that they are the outright winners for that match.
It is represented with a (+) sign or a (-) sign. Moneyline odds include a favourite and an underdog. Here is what each sign means:
- + indicates the profit from a $100 stake.
- – indicates how much you need to stake to win $100.
Example:
- A +500 bet returns $600 (which is the $500 profit + $100 stake).
- A -200 bet requires a $200 stake for a $300 total return.
What To Consider When Choosing a Soccer Bet
When choosing a bet to back, don’t just look at the league table or who your favourite team is. Instead, consider these factors too.
Team Form
How a club performed in their last five to ten games can reveal their current form and energy. Strong recent form will often show in their future matches, while poor form may have them struggling to secure a win during the season.
Home and Away Performance
Teams always play differently at home or on the road when in the opponent’s home. Evaluating your favourite team’s home and away perfomance can records help you identify trends and patterns that may influence a match’s outcome.
Injuries and Suspensions
Key player injuries or suspensions can greatly destabilize a club’s strength and ruin their gameplay dynamics. Follow reliable news sources such as MatchPlug or the team’s official social media pages to get updates on any injury news and updates before placing your bet.
Head-to-Head Records
The previous record of two teams against each other can show how they might perform in future meetings. This is especially true for significant patterns that have repeated over time. However, it is also important to note that a new manager or player may come in and change their playing style, which could void their previous performances.
Goalscoring Trends
Knowing the total number of goals scored or conceded by a team helps you assess their offensive and defensive abilities. Comparing these statistics against their opponent’s can reveal possible mismatches and chances for goals.
Common Soccer Betting Mistakes Beginners Should Avoid
These are some of the most common soccer betting mistakes to avoid.
1. Settling For Cheap Odds
Different bookmakers offer different odds for a match, and if you want to get the best deal, then you should always shop for which of them has the better odds. This guarantees a bigger payout.
2. Poor Bankroll Management
To ensure good bankroll management, have just one account where you keep your stake money and never mix it with regular funds. Start with a small amount, then increase it when you can.
3. No Betting Records
Always keep detailed records of all your bets in a spreadsheet. This makes tracking how much is going out and how much is coming in easy.
4. Chasing Losses
Chasing losses is when you place more bets to make up for the money you lost. This can only bring you more losses than you can manage, which may land you in a chronic gambling debt.