Learn to bet on soccer

Football season is peak season for both gamblers and Las Vegas. With so many college games and, of course, the NFL, there’s almost always a game to bet on from September through January.

Since sportsbooks recognize the appetite for betting on soccer, there is no shortage of ways to bet on soccer.

Betting the point spread
Betting on the points spread is by far the most popular way to bet on soccer.

The point spread is a number that odds makers present to level the playing field for the two opposing teams. Basically, the favored team will see the underdog a certain number of points. In order for those betting on the favorite to win their bet, the favorite must win the game by more than the point spread. If the favorite wins the game by fewer points than the point spread or loses the game outright, those who bet on the underdog would win their bet.

This is an example of how to bet the spread of points in a soccer match. Let’s say the Colts are seven-point favorites over the 49ers. If you supported the Colts (-7), they would have to win the game by at least eight points for your bet to win. Conversely, if you bet on the 49ers (+7), the 49ers would need to lose the game by no more than six points to win the bet. If the 49ers ended up beating the Colts outright, the 49ers bet (+7) would also win. Finally, if the Colts won the game by exactly seven points, the wager would be considered a “push” and the wager would be refunded or “disregarded.”

bet the whole

Also known as over/under, the ‘total’ is an expected number of combined points between two opposing soccer teams. You have the option of betting on ‘over’ or ‘under’. If you bet on ‘over’, the two teams must combine for more points than the stated ‘total’ for the bet to win. If you backed the ‘less than’, the two teams cannot combine to score more points than the stated ‘total’ to collect.

For example, a sports book has the ‘total’ for the Ravens vs. Steelers game at 38. If the two teams combine to score 39 or more points, “over” bets will win while “under” bets will lose. However, if they were combined by less than 39 points, the “under” bets would win while the “over” bets would lose. If the final combined point totals fell by exactly 38 points, both “over” and “under” bets would be scored as “push”, resulting in the bets being “not processed”.

Money line bets
A third popular option for betting on soccer is the money line. When you bet on the money line, you are betting that one team will win the game outright, the final score doesn’t matter.

Although this concept is as easy as it sounds, understanding the odds associated with money line betting is much different than the point spread. The favorite team will have a minus (-) sign in front of a three-digit number, while the underdog will usually have a plus (+) sign in front of a three-digit number.

Here is an example of how to bet on a football money line. The Dolphins are listed as -160 favorites against the Jets, who are listed at +130. If you were to back the favored Dolphins, you would win $100 for every $160 wagered, as long as the Dolphins win. On the other hand, if you saw value in the underdog Jets, you’d win $130 for every $100 you bet, as long as they win the game outright.

Combined games and teasers

There are many other ways to bet on soccer, including parlays and teasers.

Parlays – An attractive bet type for punters looking to make a bigger profit from a small or moderate bet, parlays are always a popular bet during football season.

A parlay is a single bet that incorporates numerous games or selections. All teams must win for the parlay to be qualified as a winner. Since all selections must win, the payouts become increasingly generous as more selections are added.

For example, let’s say you make a $100 parlay on the Chargers -7 with the Patriots -3. If both games cover in your favor, you would win $260, considering that the usual payout for a two-team parlay is 13:5.

As mentioned, the higher the number of teams in the parlay, the higher the payouts. A ten-team parlay, for example, pays around 700:1 depending on the sportsbook. So for a $2 bet, you could win $1400 if all 10 picks are covered.

Teasers – Another word that you will hear every week from those who bet on football is ‘teaser’.

Teaser bets are single bets where you choose at least two games and are allowed to change the spread or total in your favor by a certain number of points.

Let’s say you want to do a 6 point teaser with the Raiders +10 points and the Bengals -3 points. By provoking each game by 6 points, you will now have the Raiders +16 points and the Bengals at +3 points. Since this is considered a single bet, both taunt spreads must cover for you to win the bet.

Depending on the sportsbook, 6, 6 ½ or 7 point teasers are generally allowed for soccer. Also, they often allow anywhere from two team teasers up to 15 team teasers; again, depending on the sportsbook.

There you are, sports fans, now you know the basics of how to bet on soccer.