What Beginners Need To Know About Football Betting

Jumping headfirst into the world of football wagering can be a bit intimidating for novices. However, after checking out this guide, you should know more than most bettors and be confident enough to try your luck and place a bit of cash on your favorite team to boost winnings!

Football Gambling Terms

Football gambling has a lot of strange jargon and a whole host of different bet types. Let’s quickly break down the most common football gambling terms so you will be able to speak the lingo!

• Stake – The amount of money you have bet on a particular wager. For example, if you put $10 on Arsenal to beat Chelsea, your stake is $10.
• Accumulator – When you group a series of bets into one slip, and the wager only pays out if all of your predictions are correct. Accumulators are very risky, but punters are attracted by the huge potential returns.
• Handicap – This is where a bookmaker takes a sporting contest with a clear favorite and turns it into a 50/50 contest by placing a disadvantage on the favorite. For example, in football, a team may start 0-1 and have to win by 2 goals to be declared the winner.
• Half Time/Full Time – It allows you to pick the result for half time and full time. For example, you could choose Team A to be winning at halftime and then Team B to win at full time.
• Scorecast –  An interesting wager where you select a player to score as well as choosing the correct final score.
• 24 Hour Rule –  Gambling sites will usually void a wager if a football match is delayed by 24 hours or more.
• Over/Under – Overs and Unders allow you to choose a side on a particular amount of goals being scored. For example, when Chelsea plays Liverpool, the over-under for total goals scored may be 3. If you take the over, your wager will pay off if there are 4 goals scored in the match.
• DNB – This is known as a Draw No Bet, where you pick a winner, but if the game ends in a draw, your stake is returned. A DNB reduces risk, but the payout is much lower than a standard wager.
• Double Chance – A Double Chance is similar to a DNB wager; however, the bet pays off if your side wins or draws. 

Tips for Making Sharp Football Bets

Knowing the different forms of football bets and all the gambling lingo is helpful, but it won’t turn you into a winning gambler. To increase your odds of winning good money, you should use the following guiding principles.

Find Your Edge

To be successful at football gambling and increase your winnings, you have to possess an edge over their market, which allows you to profit in the long term and not just rely on luck. Edges can come in many different forms, such as taking advantage of bonuses, VIP systems, being an expert in a particular league or style of gambling or having insider information. Whatever your edge is, you need to identify and cultivate it.

Practice Bankroll Management

It doesn’t matter if you are the best football tipper in the entire world. If you gamble too big, you will eventually go bust losing all your winnings. Professional gamblers who have an edge of the markets typically wager 1% to 2% of their bankroll per bet. Many beginner gamblers start betting 10% or higher of their bankroll and quickly go bust.

Don’t Chase Losses

One of the biggest mistakes new punters make after losing a few bets is raising their stake in an effort to win back their lost money. This strategy always ends in tears. After suffering some losses, it is wise to take a break from gambling, reduce your stake and only make wagers when you have a clear mind.

Don’t Become Emotional

If you are too emotional when betting, you will make mistakes that will quickly compound your losses. You need to be relaxed and able to analyze the situation clearly. Also, no matter the result, you should not let your emotions yo-yo. This includes getting too happy when you win, as these up and down erratic reactions will hurt your emotional stability.

Pick Your Spots

If you love football betting, it is natural to want to do it all the time. Unfortunately, football gambling is one of those things where you have to limit yourself no matter how big winnings can be. Many days or even weeks, there will be no opportunities to make high-value bets. When this happens, you need to show enough self-discipline to avoid betting, and your bankroll will thank you.

Place Limits On Your Gambling

Prior to engaging in football betting, you must have a clear amount of money you are willing to risk. This should be an amount that you can lose without having any negative impact on your apart from slightly souring your mood. Gamblers who don’t limit their spending can easily put their financial status in jeopardy.

Seek Help if You Think You Have a Gambling Problem

Unfortunately for some gamblers, betting can become addictive and have serious negative effects on their lives. If you suspect you have an issue with gambling, you should immediately self exclude yourself from gambling sites and seek professional help.

Avoid Accumulators

While accumulators often have massive payouts, professional football gamblers avoid them like the plague. If you want to grow your bankroll, you should stick to single bets.

Don’t Bet on Friendlies

If you are a big football fan, you know how unpredictable the result of friendlies can be. In friendlies, teams will often rest star players or use the match as a warmup and not give their best effort. Due to these factors, these types of matches are too hard to wager on and should be avoided.

Try It Now!

Now you know the different types of football wagers, the industry jargon and how to make smart wagers, it is time to test your luck and make some bets! Remember to start small and have fun.