A little something that is unknown to many folks in the US is that soccer betting is as popular in Europe as the NFL is in the States. Within Europe alone there is over 50 soccer leagues which mean that there are games going on almost every day. Betting on soccer is a lot like betting on American sports like hockey and baseball because all three utilize a money line.
The main difference between betting on soccer and betting on any other American sport is that in soccer you can choose either participating team to bet on as well as betting on a tie. Wagering on a tie in some cases is even more beneficial than actually wagering on one single team.
Money Line
The first and in a lot of people’s eyes, the easiest way to bet is something called a soccer money line. On the money line a bettor can place a wager on one of three things; one of the two participating teams as well as the possibility of a tie match. For example if Chelsea FC is playing Liverpool the money line may look something like this:
Chelsea: -240
Draw: +100
Liverpool:+220
In this instance it is saying that for a bet placed on Chelsea, who is the favorite in this example, the bettor risks $24 for the chance to actually win $10. But if you wager on Liverpool who is a slight underdog you are flirting with the possibility of making $22 for every $10 wagered. And if you as the bettor chose to wager on the possibility of a draw you are risking $10 in order to win $10. The money line is a fairly simple concept and is probably one of the most common ways to bet on soccer in the world. Another good example of a money line is this:
Arsenal:+130
Draw:+200
Manchester City:+190
In this particular example it is clearly evident that there are two underdogs. Now if you are used to American sports, especially with betting on American sports, you know that having two underdogs never happens. With soccer this is possible because there is the ever existing possibility of a tie game. In this example, if the bettor decided to wager on Arsenal they are running the risk of winning $13 for every $10 wagered. If they bet on a tie they are hoping to make $20 for every $10 wagered. And of course if you are betting on Manchester City you have the odds of making $19 for every $10 wagered. The money line, although a bit different for soccer, is a great, fun way to bet because of the looming possibility of a draw.
Over/Under
When wagering an over/under type bet in terms of soccer, a bettor is wagering his money on the amount of total goals that will be scored in a game. For example, if the soccer over/under in a particular match was 1.5 goals you as a bettor have to decide whether to vote on the over, which means that you expect at least 2 goals in the game. If at least 2 goals are scored, you placed a successful bet. If you take the under you are expecting no more than one solitary goal to be scored in the entire match.
Using the over/under technique is very smart for people who know a lot about the team(s) playing. If you are trying to bet on a team like Chelsea who has a potent offense, more often than not it is smarter to wager on the over because of the high possibility of many goals to be scored. But if you are wagering on a game with a team like Stoke City whose offense is not nearly as potent or high-powered as Chelsea’s, it may be your best bet to wager on the under. Of course each bet is situational and a lot is riding on how well the team is doing lately and things like that, but these are just broad simplistic overviews.
Proposition Bets
Although soccer proposition bets are not always available, they often make betting on games very exciting and in a lot of instances, much more interactive. Proposition bets exist in all forms, for example, the bettor is able to place bets on things like the score at halftime, the player to score first, the team to score first, and a multitude of other possibilities at the best sites for soccer betting. You can even wager on things like the first team/player to receive a booking. Proposition bets are not really recommended for new bettors who do not know much about soccer. Rather, they are usually placed by a bettor who knows the ins and outs, statistically, about one or both of the participating teams.
I consider propositional bets in soccer to be some of the most difficult to make, but of course with the high risk in this area of betting, there is also the possibility of a large reward usually. The fun thing about proposition betting is that you can bet the whole time a game is going on, for example, even though it may be halftime during one game, you can wager at halftime how many goals you think will be scored in the second half, or how many total goals there will be in the game after the second half. The possibilities with proposition bets are seemingly endless.
Soccer betting is probably the most popular form of sports betting in the world. Europeans love to bet on their soccer, and for American bettors who do not know everything about soccer, not to worry because the money line is a very simple concept of betting that seems to transcend different sports. Using the money line is a great way to initially plunge yourself into the world of soccer betting. And as you bet more and gain more experience with betting on the sport you can advance to things like betting on the over/under in a game and even making proposition bets when available. From the outside soccer betting looks a bit more tricky than anything most people have experienced, but it really is a lot more easy to understand than most people think.
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