Soccer is America’s favorite sport these days, so it should come as no surprise that betting on soccer is the most common sports betting activity on the continent. National Football League, minor league, college, and even some high school games will draw thousands of bettors each week. In this article we are going to review some fundamentals when betting on any football match.

What kind of bet can you make?

The most popular type of sports bet placed on football matches is the spread bet. Spread bets include an underdog and a favourite, and a certain number of points a team must win or lose by in order for the bettor to collect. They look like this:

Chicago Bears -10.5 (-150)

New England Patriots (180)

Whether you’re betting on the money line (which we’ll get to in a second) or on the sidelines, the team with a negative sign nearby is always the favourite. Being the favorite means that most people bet on this team, which may or may not indicate their chances of winning. So, in the above scenario, the Bears are the favorite team (haha!). This margin also indicates the amount of money wagered to win. Each $150 bet on the Bears will pay out $100 if the Bears win the spread. Betting on the Patriots, on the other hand, means you can win $180 for every $100 you wager.

Propagation is favored in football because it carries an extra element of security. That security is represented by the figure -10.5. This means that for people to collect on bets placed on the Bears, Chicago must win by at least 11 points. If they only win by 9, those who bet on the Patriots will win the bet (meaning that the unfavorable bets will still win, even if the underdog actually loses). That extra .5 of a point is added so there is no “push” or tie in the bets.

The second most popular type of sports betting action when it comes to soccer betting is money line betting. This is your standard bet, where money is placed on one team to win. Money lines are expressed much like spreads, but without the point indicator. Money lines generally cost more money to bet on the favorite to win $100 because a win is easier to predict than a point spread.

Other types of bets in football betting:

There are quite a few different types of sports betting on soccer games, which can add some spice to your betting life. Over/Under bets are placed according to the total number of points both teams will score in a game. For example, a sportsbook might put the combined total score of a football game at 55. Punters would then decide whether they thought the combined score would be over or under that total and place bets accordingly.

Futures, Totals, Squares, and Pairs are also popular in soccer betting.

How to bet on football matches:

Keep in mind when betting on soccer that most sports bettors will win less than 50% of the time. This is because sportsbooks really know what they are doing and continually and successfully play the odds.

However, a little knowledge can go a long way in improving your soccer betting history. There are services that can be of great help to those interested in all kinds of sports betting, including football. Sports information lines in particular can help punters when it comes to finding good value bets and up-to-date information on the team they would like to bet on.