Soccer continues to gain momentum, with more people getting huge interest in the sport. Apart from watching soccer matches, many punters also enjoy putting their knowledge to the test or levelling up their experience with the sport by betting on games.
Still, their extensive knowledge about the sport can only help them up to a limited extent; therefore, punters need to understand how soccer betting works, which will require them to know the types of wagers that can be placed on soccer matches as well as how to read soccer odds. By doing so, they can make their soccer betting Singapore journey more thrilling and profitable.
Types of Soccer Bets
The wide range of soccer betting markets is among the reasons why many bettors opt to focus their betting activities on the sport. While the variation of wagers can be incredible for thrill-seeking bettors, it can be pretty confusing for beginners.
Here are some of the most common bets that punters can make in soccer:
1X2/Moneyline/Three-Way Moneyline
Three-way moneyline bet, also known as 1X2 bet, is a type of bet for sports with three potential outcomes: win, lose, or draw. Accordingly, in this type of sports betting market, bettors can either bet that: (1) Home Team or Team A wins, (X) the match ends in a tie (draw), or (2) Away Team or Team B wins.
To win a three-way moneyline bet, bettors need to wager on the outcome they think is most likely to happen or offers the best odds.
Draw No Bet
Draw No Bet is also referred to as a two-way moneyline bet as it removes the option to wager on a draw – only allowing bettors to choose between two possible outcomes. This type of bet provides punters extra security of getting their bet back, should the match result in a draw.
Double Chance
In double chance betting, punters are given a bigger chance of winning from a single betting event. They can place a wager on two of the three possible outcomes: Team A wins, Team B wins, or draw.
This type of soccer bet combines the win/draw for both sides or gets rid of the option for the draw altogether. So, punters will have these options: Team A to win or draw, Team B to win or draw, or for either Team A or Team B to win.
Half-Time/Full-Time Result
In this type of soccer betting, bettors will be placing wagers on the team they think will be ahead at Half-Time and Full-Time in a given match. Generally, for a given half-time/full-time bet, they have nine possible combinations to wager on:
Home / Home
Home / Draw
Home / Away
Draw / Draw
Draw / Home
Draw / Away
Away / Away
Away / Draw
Away / Home
Punters need to predict the correct outcome for both the half-time and full-time results of a match to win the bet.
Over/Under Goals Market
The over/under goals soccer betting market involves placing bets on the total number of goals in a specific match. The sportsbook will issue a projected total number of goals, and bettors have to bet whether the actual total of goals scored in the game will be more than (over) or less than (under) the total set by the sportsbook.
The usual choices are Over 2.5 and Under 2.5, but some sportsbooks might offer Over 3.5 and Under 3.5.
First Goalscorer Betting
This is a specific soccer betting market wherein bettors will place a bet on the player they think will score the first goal during a match. Accordingly, since this is a player betting market, there are specific rules to follow.
- Own goals, which are scored by a player against their own team, are not considered as first goal.
- If the bettor wagers on a player to score first, but they do not play at all during the game, their stake is void and refunded.
- If the bettor wagers on a player that makes an appearance after the first goal has been scored, their bet will also be void and their wager is refunded.
- If the bettor wagers on a player that makes an appearance when the score was 0-0 and fail to score, their bet stands and they lose.
Parlay Bet
In this type of betting market, bettors can combine two or more bets, such as point spreads, moneylines, and game totals, as they want into one parlay ticket. This means that they can stand to win more than if they had made each bet individually. However, for a parlay to win, bettors must have all of their bets win or tie. Consequently, if either of the bets loses, the entire bet loses.
Moreover, when placing parlay bets on soccer matches, the results are based on the score after 90 minutes (including stoppage time). And other events during the game, such as penalty shoot-outs or goals in extra-time and Golden Goals, will not have any impact on the bettor’s original bets.
How to Read Soccer Odds and Calculate Payouts?
The betting odds that bookmakers publish on their online sports betting platforms serve two purposes: (1) they indicate the implied probability of the outcome; and, (2) they indicate how much profit bettors can make if they bet on that outcome.
Moreover, bookmakers display their odds in either American, Decimal, or Fractional formats, depending on which country they are offering their services in.
American Odds
This is the primary odds format for sports in the United States. While American betting odds may appear complicated, these are easy to understand and calculate.
In the American format, the odds are presented with negative (–) sign and positive (+) sign – these show which of the teams is the favourite or the underdog. The favourite is tagged with a negative (–) sign and the underdog is posted with positive (+) sign.
Consequently, the signs also indicate a gambler’s prospective payout. Odds with (-) sign refer to the amount bettors have to wager to win, and the odds with (+) sign indicate how much bettors will win.
For instance, the odds issued are: Newcastle United (-150) vs. Leicester City (+130); then, punters will have to wager $150 to win a $100 profit if they bet on Newcastle United. Meanwhile, if they choose to bet on Leicester City, they have to wager $100 to have a $130 profit.
Decimal Odds
This is the most common format used in Canada, Europe, Malaysia, and Singapore. Singaporean and Malaysian sportsbooks’ and Singapore Pools’ soccer odds are represented by decimal odds. With decimal odds, a 2.0 odd represents an even line, which is equivalent to a +100 American odd and a 1/1 fractional line. Subsequently, the side with a betting line of 2.0 or higher is the favourite; while the one with odds of 1.99 or lower is the underdog.
Moreover, calculating profit in decimal odds is fairly straightforward. Bettors will have to multiply their wager by the odds associated with their preferred team, then subtract their bet amount. So, for example, they are betting $100 on Manchester City with decimal odds of 1.61, then the formula will look like this:
PROFIT: (100 x 1.61) – 100 = $61
Fractional Odds
This is the standard betting odds format option in the United Kingdom, and bookmakers write fractional odds by using a slash or dash to connect the two numbers. The fractional odds are fairly simple to understand and calculate, as the first number indicates how much a bettor can win, and the second number details how much they have to wager.
For example, if an odd is listed 10/8, this means that for every $8 a punter wagers, their earning will be $10.
Where to start placing bets on soccer matches?
88ProAsia is a reputable website for online betting in Malaysia and Singapore. It strives to establish a long-lasting, positive relationship with its customers and the online gaming community by providing the best odds and payouts for various online casino games and sporting events. Start betting on sports today at www.88proasia.com.
Read More: How to Bet Legally in Singapore?
