How to Profit from Football Betting Data

Betting on Goals

Betting on Goals allows you to win money without having to predict who will actually win the match. The number of Goals produced per match is a much more reliable - and profitable – strategy than predicting who will score them.

The following Goals bets are available with most bookmakers…

Total Goals

  Typical Odds
Under 2.5 Goals 10/11
Over 2.5 Goals Evens

Bet Guide

This is a straightforward bet on the match producing Under or Over 2.5 Goals in total during the game (both teams' totals added together). Of course, you cannot have 0.5 of a Goal – this simply means there has to be a definite outcome.

Matches with 2 goals or less means an Under 2.5 bet wins. Matches with 3 goals or more means an Over 2.5 wins.

So scores of 0-0, 1-0, 1-1 = Under 2.5 Goals. Scores of 2-1, 2-2, 3-1, 3-2 and so on = Over 2.5 Goals.

Goals Brackets

0-1 Goals 15/8
2-3 Goals 15/8
4+ Goals 11/4

Bet Guide

This asks you to be more specific with your Goal predictions, paying out at better odds.

Correct Score

Team A Win Draw Team B Win
1-0 11/2 0-0 9/1 1-0 8/1
2-0 13/2 1-1 6/1 2-0 22/1
3-0 14/1 2-2 12/1 3-0 14/1
3-1 16/1     3-1 40/1
Etc

Bet Guide

Here you're betting on the actual score of the match. This offers attractive odds, but can be very difficult to predict.

Half-Time Correct Score

Team A Win Draw Team B Win
1-0 11/4 0-0 8/5 1-0 5/1
2-0 9/1 1-1 7/1 2-0 22/1
2-1 18/1     2-1 25/1
3-0 40/1     3-0 50/1
3-1 80/1        

Bet Guide

The same bet, but predicting the Half Time Correct Score.

Half with Most Goals

First Half 21/10
Second Half Evens
Tie 11/4

Bet Guide

This bet gives you the chance to pick which Half will have the most Goals in it (both teams' Goals added together).

Clean Sheet

Team A to keep a Clean Sheet
(Team B not to Score)		 4/5
Team B to keep a Clean Sheet (Team A not to Score) 11/5

Bet Guide

This bet is backing one team not to concede any goals

To Win to Nil

  Typical Odds
Team A to Win To Nil 4/5
Team B to Win To Nil 11/5

Bet Guide

You're betting on one team to win the match, and not concede a goal. For example: 1-0, 2-0, 3-0 etc…

First Team to Score

Team A 4/7
Team B 13/8
No Goals 9/1

Bet Guide

A straightforward bet on which team will score the first Goal in a match, with the option to cover No Goals.

World Cup tip

This is often better odds than the Correct Score 0-0 – sometimes as much as 9/1, compared to 7 or even 6/1, for exactly the same bet.

Time of the First Goal

Bet Guide

You can bet on what period of the match the First Goal will be scored (by either team). The most common market is Before/After 27 minutes.

But some bookmakers will let you bet on 10 minute blocks as well:

  • 0-10
  • 11-20
  • 21-30
  • Etc, up to 90.

There is a greater element of lottery about these bets, but you will get bigger odds.

Shirt Numbers

Total (all scorers from both teams) Odds
0-36 5/6
37 and over 5/6

Bet Guide

You can bet on the estimated total from adding up the shirt number of all the Goal Scorers, from both teams. So, if there are 3 Goals in a match scored by 3 separate players wearing the numbers: 7, 10 and 23. The total would be 7 + 10 + 25 = 24.

If the player wearing number 10 had scored all 3 Goals, the total would be 10 + 10 + 10 = 30.

You might also see the following options…

Total (all scorers) Odds
Under 36 10/11
Over 36 4/5
Exactly 36 33/1
Total (all scorers)  
0-21 6/4
22-42 inclusive 11/5
43 or over 6/4

Bet Guide

The above examples let you bet on the bookmakers' 'middle', or divides the options into tighter brackets. This offers slightly increased odds but restricts your betting options.

Goalscorer Bets

Player First Last Anytime
Player from Team A (most likely) 11/2 11/2 6/4
Player from Team B (most likely) 11/2 11/2 6/4
Player from Team A 6/1 6/1 13/8
Player from Team B 13/2 13/2 7/4
Etc, down to…
Player from Team A (most unlikely) 50/1 50/1 14/1
Player from B (most unlikely) 50/1 50/1 14/1
No Scorer 9/1    

Bet Guide

Bookmakers will allow you to bet on any player from either team to score either:

  1. the First Goal in the game
  2. the Last Goal in the game
  3. to score at Anytime during the game

The First and Last scorer bets are more difficult to predict, but offer bigger odds. Some bookmakers will offer Each-Way odds on First Goalscorer bets, paying out a fraction (usually 1/3 or 1/4 of the odds) if your pick is the second or third scorer.

Scorecast

First Scorer Result  Odds
Player A 1-0 to Team A 16/1
Player B 1-0 to Team B 18/1
Player A 2-0 to Team A 20/1
Player B 2-0 to Team B 22/1

Etc…


Bet Guide

This is essentially a combination of a Correct Score bet and First Goalscorer bet - placed as a 'double'. You can choose any score and any player, but both must be correct to land a winner. A very popular but difficult bet to land, can pay out at very big odds.

Next: Betting on Corners