How to Bet on Soccer – Soccer Betting Guide

Betting on soccer can be complex, as there are so many terms, plays and strategies you have to be mindful of. However, once you understand the basic principles of soccer betting — which we will walk through below — you will be on your way!

When looking at soccer odds, you will see a variety of options to pick from, as well as a number of different terms that you should familiarize yourself with before locking anything in.

How To Read Soccer Odds

Similar to many sports betting odds, reading the lines for soccer include the most common offerings, such as moneyline, totals, goal scorers and more. Taking a quick look at the Champions League bets below, you will see that you have the bets mentioned above as the primary options.

What Is a 3-Way Moneyline?

There is one critical difference in the way you bet soccer compared to a sport like basketball or baseball. In those two sports, there are no draws; one team has to win and one team has to lose.

With soccer, it is similar to baseball and hockey in the sense that there is a chance the outcome of the match will be a tie. This is where you have to pay attention to two terms: three-way moneyline and two-way moneyline.

Three-way moneyline takes the tie into consideration. You can bet that team A wins, team B wins, or that the match ends in a tie or draw.

For example, if you bet Manchester City to win in three-way moneyline, they must win in regular time in order for you to win your bet. If you bet Manchester City and the match goes to extra time or they lose, you will lose that bet. The odds reflect the third option, so they are a bit more enticing — especially when it comes to heavy favorites.

What Is a 2-Way Moneyline?

If you want to eliminate a little bit of risk with the tie, you can bet the two-way moneyline for soccer games (also known as “draw no bet”).

Using the same example above, say you were to bet Manchester United to win in the two-way moneyline. If Manchester United win, you win your bet. If they lose, you lose your bet.

The difference lies in the tie — if Manchester City ties, the bet will be graded a push and you will get your money back. Although it does eliminate some risk, the odds are inflated to account for the tie, so you may not get the best odds when scanning two-way moneyline bets.

What Is The Asian Handicap?

Another common bet across all sports is the spread bet. In soccer, the spread bet is a bit different and is commonly referred to as “Asian handicap” or goal lines. You can still bet the standard goal line; for example, if Manchester City is -2 goal line, they would have to win by 3 goals for you to win your bet.

Asian handicap betting eliminates some risk and splits your bet into two outcomes. If you bet Manchester City -1.5 and -2, then you would need Manchester City to win by 3 goals to win your full bet. But if they win by two, you would win half and get your money back on the other half bet.

How To Bet Soccer Totals

Soccer totals are similar to every other sport; you are either betting the over or under, and it can go from no goals scored to 8, 9 or even 10 goals scored.  

How To Bet On Soccer Props

As mentioned above, there are so many plays that you can bet on in soccer. Prop bets in soccer are fun ways to spread out your bets and pay attention to smaller nuances during the match. A few common prop bets include:

• Both Teams to Score (BTTS) [Yes/No]: If you bet yes and both teams score, you win your bet.
• Total Corners [Over/Under]: Number of corners that are taken in the game.
• Anytime Goal Scorer [Any Individual Player]: If a player will score a goal at any point during the game.
• Team to Go Through [Individual Team]: Picking a specific team to progress further. This type of betting is usually for National or Champion Leagues, or the World Cup where there has to be a winning team.

How To Bet On Soccer Futures

Futures for soccer bets are similar to other sports in that you can pick who wins specific leagues, divisions, tournaments, etc. Since soccer is a year-round sport and spans worldwide, you will have opportunities to bet futures for soccer at almost any time.

You can also bet futures for individual players to score a certain number of goals in a season or tournament, win special awards (i.e., Golden Boot for the World Cup) and many others.

Soccer Betting Strategies

Like any other sport, there is quite a bit of strategy involved in soccer betting. However, due to the high volume of available plays — and the wild-card factor of a match ending in a tie — you must be very careful in understanding exactly what you are betting before you do.

For example, there are bets you can place that are for regular time + stoppage only, and there are bets that include any extra time that may be played. It is very common to get this confused and losing a bet that you thought should have won.

If you are not sure what your book is offering or they are not specifying on the match page, you should ask your bookie before locking anything in.

Live Betting In Soccer 

Soccer is an ongoing game, with two 45-minute halves not including stoppage time. Live betting is always fun to do in soccer; if you see that one team is changing its formation and fielding a heavy attacking unit, you would be inclined to bet that team to score the next goal or win the game.

If you see both teams opening up or a specific player looking dangerous on the offensive end, you may want to bet that specific player to score a goal during the match or bet the over for total goals scored.

In soccer, many (if not all) of the pre-match bets are available to bet during the live match. It is a fun way to keep the match interesting and could be a good way to save some extra money if you are feeling confident with your pre-match bets.