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Varieties of Football Bets
If we set aside extremely specific and exotic bets, among the most popular football bets, the following can be highlighted.
Outcome (Match Results)
In the simplest form, the bet is placed on the victory of one of the teams or a draw, regardless of the score. In the betting line, such bets are denoted as W1, X, W2.
Handicap
These bets are placed when one team has a significant advantage over the other, and its victory is considered almost certain. A handicap in the form of a specific number of goals is given to one of the teams before the start of their match, and all chances of winning are calculated based on this advantage. Bookmakers distinguish between two types of handicaps, although they are essentially the same in terms of their effect:
- Negative — handicap for the favorite;
- Positive — handicap for the underdog.
Depending on the number of goals in the handicap, that is, the number of goals added to one of the teams, the odds on the outcome can vary widely.
Total Over/Under
This bet is on the number of goals that will be scored in the match. Bets can be placed on the number of goals scored by each team, the total number of goals, goals in the first and second halves, etc. The odds depend on the probability of the specified event — the number of goals.
Total over or under is denoted with a number representing the quantity of goals. This number can be both whole and fractional. For example, in a match between Le Puy Foot 43 Auvergne and Rennes, the first team is considered the favorite. Therefore, the probability of them scoring less than two goals in the game is assessed as extremely low. Accordingly, a bet recorded as Under 1.5 (U1.5) has odds of 9.00.
Parlay (Accumulator)
This is a bet that involves multiple outcomes at once. Its characteristic feature is the multiplication of all the odds that make up this bet. Thus, a player, investing even the minimum amount, can receive a very significant win. In addition, many parlays allow for one or more lost totals (bet insurance), while still preserving the overall win. Naturally, in this scenario, the lost bet is excluded from the overall multiplication of the odds.
Total on Game Situations
Considering that the total is one of the simplest types of bets, bookmakers offer an extremely wide range of such bets on practically any standard game situations that can be counted: red or yellow cards, the number of corners, shots on goal, throw-ins, free kicks, etc.
Goal Scorer + Exact Score
One of the quite popular bets for football is the exact score. Sometimes bookmakers combine it with the goal scorer. This is a rather complex type of bet that requires a large amount of information for analysis. However, relatively high odds are used, reaching up to 100.00 or more.
Half Time / Full Time
This bet requires predicting two outcomes for one sporting event — the result of the first half and the result of the match overall. Unlike an accumulator, the bet only wins if both outcomes are correctly predicted. There are nine types of such bets in total, combining three different outcomes: win for the first team (W1), win for the second team (W2), and draw (X): W1/W1, W1/X, W1/W2, W2/W1, W2/X, W2/W2, X/W1, X/W2, X/X.
Double Chance
There are also bets on the double outcome. This means that a bet is placed on two out of three possible events presented in the line. They are designated as follows:
- 1X — for the victory of the first team or a draw;
- 2X — for the victory of the second team or a draw;
- 12 — for the victory of either team, there will be no draw.
Long-Term Bets
Long-term bets, as can be understood from the name, are bets placed over a long period, on the outcome of a particular sports event. They are most often placed on the following events:
- Tournament winner: World Cup, Champions League, UEFA Cup;
- Team reaching a specific playoff stage: quarterfinals, semifinals;
- Best goalkeeper or top scorer of the tournament, etc.
In Conclusion
Football is often the starting point for many bettors entering the world of betting. The abundance of information available allows for a proper assessment of upcoming sporting events. Timely updates on changes in team lineups, player injuries, and other events enable quick hedging bets. However, the number of valuable bets in football is relatively low. Therefore, the chance to capitalize on bookmaker mistakes, even for experienced bettors, is quite limited.
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