Soccer betting is the most popular choice among avid sports gamblers, which should come as little surprise given that soccer is the most popular sport in the world. Soccer accounts for roughly 70% of all sports betting, a statistic by Sportradar. With the World Cup in Qatar eagerly anticipated and just around the corner, the sport will witness a renewed surge in betting volume to add to the vibrant action already received from Premier League and Champions League matchdays. That said, soccer bettors are not always highly successful. Gambling on soccer may or may not be financially rewarding, depending on how the gambler chooses to go about the pastime. 2022 has seen a new, surefire way to achieve tremendous success in soccer betting – bet diversification. Want to make it where others have failed? Read on.
Modern Soccer Betting Success Requires Mixing It Up
A few years ago, most sports betting – not just soccer – was about the Moneyline. Also referred to as the 1×2, this bet required the gambler to predict who would win a soccer contest. This beloved classic betting market was all that most punters chose to focus on, probably because sportsbooks, too, had yet popularized too many other options. At this point, it’s almost criminal for anyone to bank all they have purely on the Moneyline. One of the reasons why this is the case is that soccer matches are getting harder to predict by the day. Teams generally regarded as underdogs are throwing up more upsets than anybody can reliably contemplate. Favorite teams – the stronger ones – still have the more significant win percentages, but there’s no telling when they may underperform. These stronger teams have a packed soccer schedule in modern times owing to the monetization of the sport for TV or business promotion purposes, something that has predisposed their players – top class as they may be – to fatigue and higher chances of sustaining injuries. There are many more factors to it but for now, let’s focus on the other soccer betting markets that can help the punter broaden their horizons.
Double Chance
Think of Double Chance soccer betting as Moneyline betting but with one convenient twist. See, the traditional 1X2 bet has three possibilities – Home (the “1”), Draw (the “X”), and Away (the “2”). Essentially, without considering the team’s ability, any punter has just a 33.33% chance of winning the 1X2 wager. Double Chance allows for the elimination of the Draw option, leaving us with just two: Home/Draw (1X) or Away/Draw (2X). With just two opportunities to ponder, the chances of winning this extraordinary Moneyline wager rise to 67%. With such favorable odds, the gambler’s soccer knowledge should now give them a right edge over the bookmaker.
Total Goals
Total Goals is another selection to consider over the 1X2. This bet involves predicting how many goals there are in a match. Brave punters can forecast a specific total, e.g., 2, 3, 4, or 5 goals, but the easier option is to predict goals Over/Under a line. It means betting whether the total goals will be over or under a specified total, usually given as decimals. For instance, goals Over/Under a line of 2.5 means:
- An Over selection wins if the away or home team has a total of 3 or more goals. The wager is lost if two or fewer goals are there.
- An Under selection wins if the away or home team has two or fewer goals. The wager is lost if there are three or more goals.
- For the Total Goals bet, the punter need not concern themselves with who wins the match. It is a bet with very high chances of winning and far less risk than the 1X2.
