Sites like this one are all about teaching bettors to bet smarter through proper research, analysis, the use of software and, of course, matched betting. However, there are so many options out there for betting, and some are going to be more useful to the bettor than others. And above all, having a common-sense approach will always be your most useful weapon if you hope to make a profit.
In light of that, we wanted to look at some of the types of bets that experienced punters tend to avoid in football. These are bets that might look attractive, even smart, but there are reasons to avoid them and choose another type of wager. Let’s dive in:
Random “Props” Bets
If you make a bet for football online, you are going to come across dozens of betting markets per game, 100s when it’s a blue-chip event like the Premier League or Champions League. And many of those betting markets are going to be props, i.e., something that has no direct bearing on the outcome of the game. A typical props bet might be the total number of corners, for example. Yet, while we can use research and statistics to predict the number of corners, there are other props bets that are completely random. Bets like “team to take the first throw-in”, or “the final number of corners to be odd or even”, have no statistical foundation. It’s a coin flip that relies on blind luck.
Complicated Bet Builders
The arrival of bet builders (where you construct a bet based on several legs on the same event) have been a great asset to bettors. Not only can they provide bettors with a different kind of strategy, they can also be a bit of fun if you are watching a game. But if they are overly complicated, it’s playing into the bookies’ hands. For instance, a smart bet builder (based on stats) might be something like Man City to Win + Over 3.5 goals + Under 5 Yellow Cards, whereas a too complicated one might be Man City to Win + Gabriel Jesus to Receive a Yellow Card + Kevin De Bruyne to Hit the Crossbar + Raheem Sterling to Have 2+ Shots on Target. In short, there are far too many variables.
First Goalscorer/Correct Score Doubles
Again, we are talking about a situation where there are far too many variables. First Goalscorer/Correct Score Doubles – sometimes called a Scorecast – seem like a logical bet, but they are so tough to predict. And we should add that the odds on offer probably don’t reflect how rare it is for punters to get these right. Worse still, if you haven’t backed the right scorer to break the deadlock, your bet is scuppered for the rest of the match.
Half-Time/Full-Time
This one also looks logical on paper, and we should add the caveat that it can be a useful bet if you do your research. Some teams, for instance, tend to score early, whereas others might leave it late. In that respect, backing a team to lead/draw at half-time win at full-time might be worth it. But the bet should be avoided if you are simply trying to beef up the odds of a winning prediction.
Betting on Your Own Team
Whether you like it or not, your judgement will be affected by the team you support. If you want them to win, then your brain will start to reason that they should win. It doesn’t matter if you support Man City or Mansfield, Bayern or Birmingham; the decisions you make will be impacted by that affinity with your club. Some bettors simply solve the problem by refusing to bet on or against their teams.