Soccer Betting Markets Explained for Beginners

Starting from the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, or local South African competitions, understanding different betting markets is important before placing a wager.

This Bet.co.za Soccer Betting Markets Explained guide will help you understand the most common soccer betting options, making it easier to choose markets that match your knowledge and strategy.

What Are Soccer Betting Markets?

A soccer betting market is a type of prediction in which you pick for a football game. Sportsbooks offer plenty of markets where you can predict goals, player performances, halftime results, and more. Rather than only picking the winning team on your bet slip.

Knowing and understanding how these markets work will help you to make the right decision when placing a bet on a soccer match.

Popular Soccer Betting Markets

Match Result (1X2)

The match result market is the easy one to understand, and many people prefer this option.

• 1 – Home team wins
• X – Match ends in a draw
• 2 – Away team wins

This market is ideal for beginners who are just getting started with soccer betting.

Both Teams to Score (BTTS)

With this market, you predict that both teams will score at least one goal during the game. If you predict yes, it means you say both teams will score. If you select no, it means that only one team will score. BTTS is particularly popular in leagues known for attacking football.

Over/Under Goals

Instead of predicting the winner, you predict the total number of goals scored in the game.

Common options include:

• Over 2.5 Goals (three or more will be scored)
• Under 2.5 Goals (Less than three goals will be scored
• Over 3.5 Goals (Four or more goals will be scored)
• Under 1.5 Goals (Less that two goals will be scored)

This market is useful when you expect either a high-scoring or defensive match.

Handicap Betting

Betting on the handicap market means you give one team a virtual advantage or disadvantage before kick-off.

For example:

• Home Team (-1)
• Away Team (+1)

This market creates more balanced odds when one team is considered a strong favourite.

Correct Score

Predicting the exact final score offers some of the highest odds available.

Examples include:

• 2-1
• 1-0
• 0-0

Although challenging, this market can provide substantial returns when predictions are accurate.

Double Chance

The Double Chance market gives you two possible results instead of one. This improves your chance of winning, but the odds are normally lower. This market is good for closely contested matches.

Options include:

• Home Win or Draw (1X)
• Away Win or Draw (X2)
• Home Win or Away Win (12)

First Goalscorer

In this option, you predict which player will score the first goal of the game. It can give attractive odds, especially when tipping players in strong attacking form.

Anytime Goalscorer

This market allows you to select the player that you think will score at any given moment during the match. This market is one of the most popular player-based betting options.

Half-Time/Full-Time

This is where you predict both the result at half-time and the final outcome.

Examples include:

• Home/Home
• Draw/Home
• Away/Away

Since you’re predicting two outcomes, the odds are generally higher than a standard Match Result bet.

Corners and Cards Markets

Many sportsbooks also allow betting on match statistics such as:

• Total corners
• Team corners
• Yellow cards
• Red cards
• Booking points

These markets are ideal for bettors who follow team playing styles and referee trends.

Tips Before Placing a Bet

Before you start placing a bet, there are a few important things that you must consider that will help you to make an informed decision. You must study both teams.

These are some of the things to consider:

• Recent team form
• Head-to-head statistics
• Injuries and suspensions
• Home and away performance
• Team news

Bet Now with Bet.co.za

If you are placing bets on the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, La Liga, Serie A or local South African football, the first step to successful bets is to understand the football betting markets.

Register now at Bet.co.za for fantastic odds, a wide range of football betting markets, and an exciting football betting experience. Don’t forget to bet responsibly and enjoy the game.

FAQs

1. What are soccer betting markets?

Soccer betting markets are different types of wagers you can place on a football match, such as predicting the winner, total goals, correct score, or which player will score.

2. Which soccer betting market is best for beginners?

The Match Result (1X2) market is the simplest option for beginners because you only predict whether the home team wins, the match ends in a draw, or the away team wins.

3. What does BTTS mean in soccer betting?

BTTS stands for Both Teams To Score. You predict whether both teams will score at least one goal during the match.

4. What is the Over/Under Goals market?

The Over/Under market allows you to predict whether the total number of goals scored in a match will be above or below a specified number, such as 2.5 goals.

5. What is handicap betting?

Handicap betting gives one team a virtual advantage or disadvantage before the match starts to create more balanced betting odds.

6. What is the Double Chance market?

Double Chance combines two possible match outcomes into one bet, increasing your chances of winning while offering lower odds than a standard Match Result bet.

7. What is the Correct Score market?

Correct Score betting requires you to predict the exact final score of a match, making it one of the highest-paying but most difficult betting markets.

8. What should I research before placing a soccer bet?

You should consider recent team form, head-to-head records, injuries, suspensions, home and away performance, team news, and player availability before placing a bet.