Football betting is more than just choosing which team will win – it’s a thrilling experience that can bring you huge profits. Learn all about it here!
Football betting is more than just choosing which team will win – it’s a thrilling experience that can bring you huge profits. Learn all about it here!
Football is arguably the most popular sport out there, with countless players and even more fans worldwide. Also known as soccer in some parts of the world, football is a betting favorite for many. Unlike other types of sports like ice hockey, virtually anyone can play it anywhere. But what’s even easier, yet just as enjoyable is watching football.
In the Philippines, many prefer to make their watching experience even more thrilling with online sports bets. In fact, most online sportsbooks in the Philippines offer that because of the high demand. Moreover, there are literally hundreds of football bet markets that one can enjoy. To learn more about the ins and outs of online football betting stick around till the end. By the time you are through, you will learn more about football itself, the various bet markets, tips to consider when betting, and so much more.
Football, or soccer, involves two teams of 11 players. Each team has one designated goalkeeper, while the others are outfield players. The outfield players can be defenders, forwards, or midfielders. But the players are not limited to one section of the field. Instead, they can move around the football pitch and exchange the ball with each other.
The football itself is round, usually with a circumference of 27″ to 28″, and weighs between 14 and 16oz. As for the field, or formally the pitch – it is usually a 110-120 yards long and 70-80 yards wide rectangle. Furthermore, the playing surface is usually grass but it can also be artificial. Two-goal posts are located at each end of the pitch, lengthwise, each touching the goal-lines. Additionally, there are lines perpendicular to goal lines (touchlines) and another one crossing the pitch in the middle.
The game begins with each team on their side of the pitch. Players stand, forming a pattern, depending on their role, while the goalkeeper stands at his/her post. The team that wins the pre-match coin toss decides in which direction the first ball kick will head. From there, the ball can go in either direction depending on which team has it. Usually, a match takes 90 minutes – that is two 45-minute halftimes with a 15-minute break in between. However, the referee can add several more minutes to recover time lost during substitution or injuries.
Finally, football matches must follow the 17 laws of the game. They allow the referee to give players yellow or red cards, give penalties, and help determine what happens when a ball passes the touchline or when to goal-kick. The purpose of the game is for either team to score more goals before the referee blows the final whistle.
There are literally hundreds of bet markets that you can choose from. Here are some you can try out, especially if you are just getting started:
Of course, when it comes to sports betting, on football or not, there are many types of bets you can opt for. In the Philippines, the most popular ones at online bookies are point spreads and totals.
Point spreads are a way for bookmakers to balance the odds for two teams. Usually, this is necessary when one team is perceived to be stronger than the other. For example, assume team A performs better than team B. In this case, a bookmaker would favor team B by adding several points to their wins and subtracting several from team A. The odds will end up balanced at -7.5 for team A -7.5 and +7.5 for team B. A negative sign means the team is favored, while a positive sign means the team is the underdog. So if you bet on team A, it has to win with over 8 points for you to win your bet. But if you bet on team B, the team has to lose with 1-7 points for your bet to win.
With these bets, a bookmaker posts the expected total scores by both teams. For example, if team A is playing with team B, a bookmaker can post that the two will score a total of 5 goals. The bookie doesn’t specify how many goals each team will score. This type of bet is also called over and under. Why? Because a punter bets on whether they agree with the bookmaker that two teams will score the posted totals or not. So, you will be over if you think the two teams will score a total of over five goals and under if you think the number of scores will be less than 5.
Although totals and point spreads are the most common bets out there, there are quite a few other options like:
Future bets or futures are simply markets that open way before a tournament begins. For example, you can bet on a tournament’s winner before the qualifications are even over. What about which team will win once English Premier League returns? Which player will get the best player award?
Moneylines bets are more than just predicting which team will win. Most importantly, you need to understand how the odds are allocated to each team here. Essentially, the two sides of money lines are the exact opposites. Let us say we have teams A and B playing against each other with odds of -120 and +150 respectively. The minus (-) sign here tells us that team A is the favorite and team B is the underdog, because of the plus (+) sign.
If you were to bet $100 on team B and they won you’d get the original $100 back, in addition to $150 of pure profit. Of course, betting on the underdog is riskier here but the potential winnings are much larger. A wager on the favorite from our example would only yield a total of $180 in payouts, which includes your original stake.
Proposition bets are wagers based on unpredictable situations. They are common when a game is ongoing. Examples of these bets include:
If you want to bet on multiple games at once – you can. In fact, winning a multi-bet would yield more profits than betting individually on each game. Here are your options:
A parlay bet is a combination of several wagers into one. For example, you can choose five different teams playing five different matches to win and bet on all under one ticket. The winnings here are certainly tempting but all the teams must win for your bet to succeed. If even one wager fails to come out as you predicted, you lose the whole stake.
Teasers are similar to parlays, in that they involve betting on multiple teams under a single ticket. The difference is that you can move the point spread so that it is easier for teams to cover the spread. For example, in a six-point teaser, if you were betting on team A (-3) and TEAM b (-7), your odds would become team A (+3) and team B (-1).
Pleasers are actually a type of parlay bets, where the modified point spreads or totals are in the bookmaker’s favor. Most bookies work with 6 points. For example, let’s say team A is favored over team B with -7 and team C is favored over team D. In this case team A’s point line will move to -13 and team Cl to point line -9.
Besides the ever-so-popular parlays, teasers, and pleasers, there are plenty of other football betting opportunities.
As much as football betting can be fun, you should be responsible when gambling. Most importantly, set a bankroll and stick to it – this is an amount of money you set aside just for gambling. It should be an amount you can comfortably afford to lose. Another useful tip is to keep your emotions at bay and try to put your feelings about a certain team aside. So do your research and use your head, not your heart, when betting hard-earned cash. Moreover, patience is crucial in sports betting – you might feel overwhelmed at times. Remember to be cool and stick to your guns. Finally, pay attention to the facts! Analyze the team’s statistics and take into account key factors like injuries and whether they are home. We also offer free football predictions and tips on our website.
There’s no doubt that football is a thrilling game. Many love to play it and even more enjoy watching it. But for some, football can be both a hobby and an income source. Football betting is not as complicated as it may seem and hopefully, with our guide, you’re ready to give it a go. Remember to do your research, bet wisely, and keep our tips in mind.
Last but not least, you might want to check out our amazing library of sportsbook reviews. Why you may ask? There we do all the research for you and evaluate the best online sports betting platforms on the Philippine market. So if you’re looking for a gambling destination, the right match might just be a couple of clicks away.
Live football betting involves predicting what might happen next as the match is going on. Otherwise, placing a bet in live mode works pretty much the same as otherwise.
Yes, you have to look for a bookmaker to bet on football.
A reputable online bookie will always ask for your age and some proof upon signing up. In order to place bets on football legally, you need to be at least 18 years of age.
Yes, of course. With some diligent research and the right betting strategy you could walk away with huge profits.
Yes. Most online sportsbooks are optimized for betting on the go from mobile devices. Some even have downloadable apps.