Alternative Football Betting Markets Explained

This is the simplest form of betting and the perfect way to introduce yourself to sports betting.

To become a better bettor, you must learn to appreciate that dozens of other markets are out there. Incorporating them into your strategy can be the difference between long-term success and failure.

Ready to take your betting journey to the next level by unlocking the full potential with alternative football betting markets?

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Why Did New Football Markets Appear?

Sports betting, particularly football betting, has evolved rapidly over the past few generations. It is now a multi-billion-pound industry.

As the industry has grown, new markets have surfaced to reflect the growing demands of punters. The need for new bet types has also been influenced by the increased competition from the digital age and the boom in televised matches.

People now want to bet on a host of different elements that may develop within a match. The bookies responded to those wishes, making it a simple case of supply and demand.

Why Consider Alternative Football Betting Markets?

Backing a Home Win, Draw or Away Win is the simplest type of bet to understand. It’s also the longest-running type of football betting market for punters to use. However, that doesn’t always mean it’s the best.

When backing a team to win, you could encounter a number of problems, including;

• Low odds, making it almost pointless to back a team.
• Too much risk, especially when backing an underdog to cause an upset.
• 90 minutes is a long time, and anything could happen.
• Over 1 in 4 matches (in the major leagues) ends in a draw.
• Teams might not always need a win, especially if other results go their way.

You can often effectively overcome those problems depending on the alternative football markets selected. That ability to pick more frequent winners at increased prices puts you in a far stronger position in pursuing profit.

That’s something that all punters, from casual to professional, should grab with both hands.

Does That Mean Giving Up The 1X2 Market Altogether?

Not at all. The straight-match result market can still be extremely profitable when used well. After all, winning football games is still the ultimate aim for any team.

There will be many pre-game, and in-play situations where simply backing a team to win will seem the most natural choice.

Nonetheless, knowledge and understanding of the additional football betting markets gives you more options, more control, and more chance of unearthing the value.

When you frequently land the best possible returns in relation to your predictions, the hopes of making healthy profits from sports betting will look better than ever.

What Can I Bet On?

Realising that you don’t always have to bet on the winner of a match opens the door to a whole host of new betting opportunities. Nowadays, you can bet on virtually any aspect of a football game.

This even includes match action bets where you bet on whether a goal, free-kick, or throw-in will be awarded in a specific minute of the match. While going for something quite, so niche probably isn’t advised, here are just some of the things that you may wish to bet on:

Rather than simply betting on a team to win the game, you could look at other markets focused on the margin of victory.

Some of those markets include:

• Correct score: Backing the final result of a match instead of the winner alone (2-0 or 1-1 rather than Home win or Draw).
• European handicap: Backing a team to win the match after the addition of a hypothetical advantage. So you could back a team -1 goal to win by 2 or more goals or a team +1 goal to avoid defeat.
• Asian handicap: Similar to the European handicap, but with draws (after the advantage is applied) resulting in refunds. The odds will be lower to reflect this.
• Double chance: Backing a team (usually the underdog) to win or draw.
• Draw no bet: Backing a team to win the match just like on the 1X2 coupon, but with pushes (refunds) offered if the game is a draw.

Instead of betting on the match result, you could back a match (or just one team) to score a certain amount of goals.

Those markets include, but are not limited to:

• Over 2.5 goals: Betting that there will be at least three goals in the game. They can be scored by one team (3-0) or shared between the two (2-1). The bet still wins if there are four, five, or more goals.
• Team goals: Similar to the match goals line, only the goals have to be scored by one team. However, it doesn’t matter if the other teams score just as many goals.
• Both Teams To Score: Both teams need to get at least one goal during the game. Again, the winner of the match is irrelevant.
• BTTS & Over 2.5: Backing that there will be three or more goals scored in the game, but neither team keeps a clean sheet.
• Next Goal: If the chosen team scores the next goal in the game, the bet wins even if the other team wins the match.

In addition to betting on the goals, you can place bets based on the less significant features.

This includes:

• Total cards: Betting on how many bookings there will be in the match.
• Corner bets: Which team will win the most corners? Who will get to 5, 7, or 9 corners first? Will one team get X amount of corners more than the other? You can bet on all of these things.
• To win from behind: Backing a team to fall behind yet still pick up the victory.
• HT/FT: Backing a team to be winning at half-time and holding onto the lead by the end of the match. Alternatively, you can bet on them to win both halves.
• To score a penalty: Betting that a team will be awarded and convert a penalty.

You can also bet on a specific player’s performance rather than the team as a whole.

This can include betting several things to happen, including;

• First goalscorer: Betting a particular player to score the first goal.
• Anytime goalscorer: Betting a specific player to score within the 90 minutes.
• To be carded: Betting that a player will get booked (yellow or red) during the game.
• Man of the Match: Betting a specific player will be named MotM.
• Multi-scorer: Betting that a player will score at least 2 (or 3) goals in the match.

If betting on the full 90 minutes doesn’t feel right, first-half markets work similarly but only last for the first 45 minutes.

This can relate to various factors, including;

• Half-time result: Betting on either Home, Draw or Away, but only for the first 45 minutes.
• First-half handicap: Backing a team to win at half-time after adding the hypothetical advantage or disadvantage.
• First-half goals: Backing a number of goals to be scored or not within the first 45 minutes of the match.
• First-half BTTS: Backing both teams to score a goal in the first 45 minutes of the match, regardless of who is winning at half-time.
• Half-time correct score: Predicting the score (1-0 or 2-1, for example) when the ref blows the half-time whistle.

With many options out there, the idea of staying exclusively loyal to the match result market seems utterly bonkers. Quite frankly, it is. Learning more about those additional markets could be the key to transforming your results for the better.

It’s Not Just About Singles Either

As well as opening your eyes to the different markets on offer for most football matches, you should consider the multiples.

Football accumulators are where you combine multiple selections in one bet. While the chances are lower, the possible winnings can be huge. When you know how to use different markets, the odds are suddenly back in your favour.

In today’s world, you don’t even have to bet on the action before it’s started. In-play betting lets you react to what’s happening on the pitch, giving you the best shot at removing bad bets from the equation.

Where Can I Place My Different Football Bets?

Thanks to the growth of online betting, you don’t even have to visit your local high street to get your football bets on. In fact, you can now access a world of markets and information at the click of a button via a laptop or smartphone.

Better still, there are hundreds of different sportsbooks and exchange betting platforms to choose from. By having accounts at a selection of the best ones, you’ll also have a chance to analyse the odds to ensure you get the best value.

Football Betting Markets FAQs

Ready To Rock Your Way To Better Betting?

Now that you know the basics, why not learn more about the best alternative football betting markets using the links above?

When combined with good staking plans and bet selection methods, your bankroll will grow faster than you ever thought possible.