Betting on the Premier League
Outrights
Outright bets are on events that will be determined at the end of a Premier League season. The main bets will be on which team will become the next Premier League champion. There will be odds offered for every single team in the league, from Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United, all the way to teams such as Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Brentford, and so on.
Teams at the bottom will have extremely long odds, but it is worth remembering that despite the odds, anything can happen in the Premier League. In 2016, for example, no one could have predicted that Leicester City would win the league.
There may also be bets on individual player performances in the league, such as which player will be top goal scorer, will a player make the top XI in the league, and so on.
Full Time Result
This is a bet on the result at the end of a single game. For example, in a game between Liverpool and Manchester City, there will be bets on Liverpool to win, Manchester City to win, or for the game to end in a draw.
Double Chance
This bet is similar to the full time result bet, only it offers punters the chance to cover two out of the three possibilities, in exchange for a slight reduction in odds. In the same game mentioned above, there will be a bet on Manchester City to win or the game to end in a tie, a bet on Liverpool to win or the game to end in a tie, and a bet on either Manchester City to win or Liverpool to win.
Tie No Bet
Tie no bet gives punters the chance to bet freely on which team they think will win without the disappointment of losing their stake if there is a last minute equaliser. Essentially, it is a bet on either of the teams to win, and if the game ends in a draw then the bet is considered void and the money is returned. The odds will be slightly shorter than those of the full time result bet, but in return, punters will not suffer any losses if the game ends in a draw.
Handicaps (Asian/European)
There are different types of handicaps available for football games, and they all work slightly differently. The basic concept is that punters will be able to bet on a team to win with either a goal boost or a reduction in goals. If a goal boost is used, then the odds will decrease but the chance of winning the bet will be increased. On the other hand, a goal reduction will lengthen the odds but also make it a more risky bet to place.
The European handicap bets are where punters can give goal boosts or reductions of 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on. When placing a bet on Liverpool to win a game with a handicap of -1, this will require the team to win by at least two goals for the bet to win. If they draw or lose, the bet is lost. If they win the game by only 1 goal, then the bet is considered void as there is no winner, and the original money staked is returned to the punter.
In Asian handicaps, there is no option to draw, as the handicaps start from 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, and so on. This means that Liverpool, with a handicap of -1.5, will have to win the game by at least 2 goals or the bet will lose.
There may also be handicaps that use quarters. These bets will have handicaps of 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2.0, 2.25, and so on. These bets are basically a mixture of the two bets mentioned above, where the stake will be split and the money will be placed on the two bets above and below the quarter numbered bet in numerical value. If a bet of 1.25 is placed, this can be easily calculated as the stake being split into two, with half the stake going on a bet of 1, and the other on a stake of 1.5.
If a punter places money on Liverpool to win, with a handicap of -1.25, then this will require Liverpool to win the game by at least two goals. If Liverpool only wins by 1 goal, then half the returns will be paid, as the bet of -1 will win, but half the stake will be lost, as the bet of -1.5 will lose.
The same system applies if a bet of -1.75 were placed on Liverpool to win. This will count as one bet of -1.5 and another of -2, so Liverpool will need to win by 3 goals for the bet to pay in its entirety. If Liverpool only win by 2 goals then the -2 bet will draw and become void, giving the bettor back half the stake, and the bet of -1.5 will win, paying in full from that half of the stake.
Goal Totals
This is a bet on how many goals will be scored in the game. It does not matter which team scores the goals or when, as long as the number of goals at the end of the game fall into the range defined by the bet. To place a goal totals bet, bettors will have to pick one of the betting lines, and then put their money on whether the game will end with over or under that number of goals. There may be betting lines such as 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, and so on. If a line of 2.5 is picked, and a bet is placed on the game to end with over that number of goals, then the teams will have to score at least 3 goals between them for the bet to win.
Correct Score
This is one of the most difficult bets to predict, as it requires bettors to bet on the exact score at the end of a game. However, as a result, it usually offers very long odds, which can translate into significant payouts from relatively small stakes.
Halves
All the main bets may also be available for the halves independently. A handicap bet or goal total will only relate to the score or goals scored in a particular half.
Game Props
Game props include even more bets on more specific details in a game. There may be bets on the number of corners there will be in a game, what the final winning margin will be, whether a team will win both halves, which team will create the most fouls, whether there will be a penalty, and so on.
Player Props
These bets relate to individual player’s performances. They are mainly related to goals, such as will a certain player score during the game, which player will open the scoring, which player will score the final goal, will a player score two or three goals in the match, and so on.
Live Bets
Once a game begins, the pregame betting markets will close and the live bets will be made available. Many of the same bets will be on offer, such as full time result, handicaps, totals, correct score, and so on, but the odds will be updated in real-time to reflect the action on the pitch.
There may also be bets that relate to what will happen next in the game. These can include which team will open the scoring, which team will score next, will the next goal come from open play, can one team keep a clean sheet in the half, and many more. Therefore, those who keep a close eye on the markets and on the game may be able to spot some excellent opportunities.