What’s the beauty of online soccer betting? It is played in nearly every nook and cranny in the world. Soccer probably will always be the world’s game because it’s so inexpensive and simple to play. All you need is some sort of ball and it’s game on.
From a wagering perspective, soccer is a smorgasbord because there are so many officially recognized leagues around the globe. Thus there’s nearly a live match to be wagered on 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. It’s certainly not wise soccer betting strategy to simply bet blindly on some match in Turkey just to bet. All those soccer betting options can be daunting, as many of the rules are unfamiliar to North Americans where football, baseball, basketball and hockey are king. However, your betting strategy can be fairly simple with a few tips for how to bet on soccer.
Which League to Choose? Obviously it’s smart to focus your soccer betting system on what you know. The good news is that there has been an explosion of worldwide soccer action available online or on television here in the United States for which to do a bit of homework.
Major League Soccer is the prominent league in North America. It’s still considered on a lower level then the top European leagues like the Premier League in England, La Liga in Spain, Serie A in Italy and Bundesliga in Germany. Those are the Big 4 in Europe where soccer rules the online betting action. The teams in those leagues have by far the most resources to develop talent in their native countries – or buy the best from South America. Think of them like baseball’s New York Yankees. For example, Spain’s Real Madrid has been tabbed as the most valuable sports franchise in the world.
The biggest online betting event in the world arrives every four years in the World Cup, which now is made up of 32 countries worldwide. Qualifying for this month-long summer tournament takes nearly three years, although the host country is automatically in.
There really are haves and have-nots in World Cups so bet on soccer wisely. You rarely will see a non-traditional power upset a country like a Spain, France, Italy, Germany or Brazil. In baseball or hockey a pitcher or goalie can win a game himself. That doesn’t much happen in soccer – outside of a transcendent offensive talent like Lionel Messi or Pele – because everything is so spread out on the pitch.
Every league then has its own season and there are smaller regional tournaments all over the world throughout the sports year. There are also other big soccer wagering events such the annual Champions League, a tournament featuring the top club teams throughout Europe. Countries often play friendlies against one another to keep their national teams fresh. The results don’t count toward any World Cup qualifying and are much like an NFL exhibition game.
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Wagering Options Aplenty
The most common way to wager on soccer is similar to the other low-scoring sports baseball and hockey: moneyline options on each team in a match to win. Again, these are based on a $100 bet. So Spain might be a -350 favorite against the USA, which is +275. A $100 wager on the Americans returns $275, but it would take $350 down to win $100 on Spain.
The most common way to wager on soccer is similar to the other low-scoring sports baseball and hockey: moneyline options on each team in a match to win. Again, these are based on a $100 bet. So Spain might be a -350 favorite against the USA, which is +275. A $100 wager on the Americans returns $275, but it would take $350 down to win $100 on Spain.
There is also a third option in soccer wagering: draws. Each game will also have a draw moneyline price on soccer odds as the final result. Unless it’s a situation where the winning team will advance in a tournament, as in the quarterfinals in the World Cup, there can be ties. This is a three-way soccer betting line. In the World Cup knockout stage, for example, there will still be a draw option even though the match won’t end that way. If the match is tied after regulation, you are winner if betting that option. In this case, there would also be soccer betting options on a side to win in overtime or a potential shootout.
The least confusing soccer bet here is to wager on which team advances. That way, it doesn’t matter whether they win in regulation, OT or a shootout. A growing popular option, which originated in Asia, is a two-way betting line. This eliminates a draw. One team will be given a slight goal advantage on the line, say a half-goal, to assure there won’t be a tie.
As in hockey, there is also a goal spread and a goals total prop option on all major soccer matches. A goal spread on a soccer betting line might look like this: USA -1.5 (-110), Spain +1.5 (+130). Essentially this is exactly like a pointspread in football or basketball betting. The Americans start the game with a 1.5-goal lead from a betting perspective. That -110 price is what the cost of betting the USA would be. Sometimes each side will be a pick’em on soccer odds.
A popular soccer betting prop is also the first-half goal spread, which will be set lower than the full match. On the total goals scored by both teams soccer wager, many matches are set at 2.5 goals because it’s so difficult to score in soccer. The over and under 2.5 would thus each have a price.
The other prop options are limitless, especially with the increased popularity of live betting. Soccer wagers are available on which team scores first, which team scores last, will both teams score, which player scores first, will this player score at all, head-to-head player scoring, will a team score in extra time, correct final score, correct halftime score, the halftime/fulltime result (draw/draw, USA/Spain, USA/USA, for example), etc. Futures soccer bets also are available on all the major tournaments and leagues with player season-long options.
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How to Get Ahead
When learning how to bet on soccer, keep in mind that the motivation of a team is always important. In the World Cup, every team wants to advance. However, one side could have already clinched a quarterfinals spot and have little to play for in a group stage match. International friendlies always have varying forms of motivation. Often, the top teams will bring a “B” squad to a friendly because it doesn’t mean anything and a coach would rather keep his stars rested and away from potential injury. Usually, a home team in a friendly will stage a top lineup just to draw fans. It’s why betting home teams is always smart soccer wagering strategy in that case. Some top players thus might not be available for their league teams when playing for the national squad.
When learning how to bet on soccer, keep in mind that the motivation of a team is always important. In the World Cup, every team wants to advance. However, one side could have already clinched a quarterfinals spot and have little to play for in a group stage match. International friendlies always have varying forms of motivation. Often, the top teams will bring a “B” squad to a friendly because it doesn’t mean anything and a coach would rather keep his stars rested and away from potential injury. Usually, a home team in a friendly will stage a top lineup just to draw fans. It’s why betting home teams is always smart soccer wagering strategy in that case. Some top players thus might not be available for their league teams when playing for the national squad.
Remember that goal differential is a key tiebreaker in soccer. For example, the Champions League semifinals are two legs. That means the two teams in each semifinal play once each at home. Should one side win the first match 4-0, it will almost surely be the soccer wagering underdog in the next match. Why? It has no need to win, just not lose by more than three goals (away goals are the sub-tiebreaker if each side wins once and ties in total goals scored). The losing side has to essentially throw caution to the wind and score at least four times. The team up 4-0 will sit back, play defense and not leave its goalkeeper open to danger.
Another factor to monitor when wagering on soccer is yellow or red card penalty accumulation. If a player gets two yellow cards in a game or tournament, he is ejected from that game and his team will play the rest of the match down a player. Thus if a star is carrying a yellow card heading into a big tournament match, that could be a huge factor. A red card is an automatic ejection and keeps the player out of the following match. It’s rare for a player to receiver a red card for one offense unless it is very flagrant. One would be someone other than the goalkeeper using his hands to prevent a goal. The most famous example of a red card in recent history was when French star Zinedine Zidane was issued one for headbutting an Italian defender in the 2006 World Cup final. Zidane was just the fourth player sent off in a World Cup final and first in extra time. Without its captain, France lost in a shootout.
Another reason home-field advantage in soccer betting is important is because referees are often affected by crowds in terms of handing out yellow cards or calling for penalty shots. Soccer crowds are likely the most raucous in the world. The best countries or clubs in the world will always be home online betting favorites.
Source: Now Goal
