Soccer Betting Guide 2024 | How to bet on Soccer

Soccer has experienced a giant boost in popularity recently as more Americans are tuning in frequently coverage of the 'beautiful game'. The sports betting sites adapted smartly by opening up the betting window for soccer even further. MLS and NWSL, the men and women national leagues respectively, together with the most popular foreign competitions (La Liga, Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1), are ready to be wagered on.

Not only can you bet online on the MLS or NWSL, but all foreign competitions are also available for your wagers. Betting on your favorite team, no matter what the odds, is a fun way of showing your support for your organization, but not the most realistic. Here at SportsBettingGuide, we not only want you to have fun but also make a profit from your bets. There are hundreds of wagers to be made on each soccer match. We guide you through the ones that provide the highest value and let you know which ones to avoid. Success won't just depend on getting the best soccer odds but also employing the best strategies.

While soccer has been around for over 100 years, betting on the sport is relatively new to people across the US. We want everyone to properly understand what is out there for you. Betting on soccer can be exhilarating, as long as you know what you are doing. This guide is for all the beautiful people in the US who want to learn more about online betting on soccer! 

Table of Contents

• How to Make Money Betting on Soccer
  • Soccer Betting Options:
  • Who wins, loses, or draws?
    • Win/lose/draw bets
    • Over/Under bets
    • Totals Wagers
    • Future Betting
    • First/Anytime/Last goalscorer
    • Live/In-game Betting
• States that offer legal soccer betting
• Soccer Betting Strategies
  • Research, Research, Research
  • Bet on Draws/Underdogs/Low Scoring Matches
  • Betting Against the Favorite Team
  • The Asian Handicap Strategy
  • Scorecast / Wincast strategy
    • The Wincast
    • The Scorecast
  • Bankroll management for online betting on soccer

All the guides at Sports Betting Guide are designed to explain to you how betting works, and we give you our expert opinion on strategies. In this soccer guide, we will teach you all that and more, read on to discover everything about online soccer betting in the USA!

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How to Make Money Betting on Soccer

The average bettor will quickly glance at some of the teams playing and decides their favorite based on previous experiences or advice they got from a friend. The serious money-making bettors look further than that. These guys aren't betting out of misguided loyalty or word of mouth. They are betting for the sole purpose of making a profit. They will look at the two opposing teams objectively and research them. For you to become one of those money-making bettors, you have to learn the basic bets and tactics. We will show you the best strategies, from the best bettors, to establish your very own betting strategy. 

Soccer Betting Options:

Soccer bets can be divided into two different categories, like in most sports. On the one hand, you have the bets that are decided after full time (90 minutes), on the other, you can find live or in-game bets. Let’s begin at the regular stakes, followed by the explanation of in-game betting.

Who wins, loses, or draws?

Win/lose/draw bets

• Three-way Moneyline - A three-way Moneyline bet is the most straightforward variation you can bet on. Punters might be more familiar with a two-way Moneyline, seeing that most US sports don’t allow for draws. You either bet on a win for the home team, the away team winning, or a draw. A draw is quite an unfamiliar concept in the US, and it often happens in soccer, with 1 in 3 matches resulting in a stalemate. Underdogs getting a draw is considered as a positive result. As the draw is favorable for the underdogs, this will show in the odds. A match-up between two teams at opposite sides of the ranking will display high odds. Just like in any other sport, the money line bet is the most popular for all soccer bettors.  

• Double chance - In double chance, you are placing a wager on two of the three outcomes described above. Your options are either; Home team win or draw, Away team win or draw, Home or Away team win. Because of the higher probability of winning, the odds on these bets are lower. This wager is great when you see the underdog getting a great result, which can be them both winning or drawing the game!

• Draw no bet - Similar to a three-way Moneyline, with the exception that the draw is not an option. Here you bet on one of the teams winning, a draw will lead to a push, and you receive your wager back. Draw no bet is an excellent way of placing a low-risk gamble on a team with lesser odds.

• Half-time /Full-time results - With this bet, you wager on the expected outcome at both half-time in the match and at full-time. Maybe you anticipate one team to win the game, but that it might be close in the first half. Extreme odds are in place for these riskier types of bets.For example, you think Manchester City will beat Newcastle United in the end but expect a draw during half time. Taking this combined action will definitely lead to a higher risk, but when you win, your profits will be through the roof.

Over/Under bets

• Over/Under goals - Much like an over/under bet in other sports, in soccer, you predict whether or not the total amount of goals scored between both teams in the match will be over or under the total provided by your sportsbook. The common over/under total for most matches in soccer will be over/under 2.5 goals. In this instance, an overbet will require at least three combined goals in the game, and an under bet will need two or fewer combined goals in the match.

• Over/Under Corners - Much like the goals over/under, but instead of the goals, you are betting on the number of corners in the match.

• Over/under Cards - Once again, a similar type of bet as with goals and corners, but this time you bet on the combined total of cards (yellow and red) given out to both teams.

Totals Wagers

• Total Goals Scored - Total bets, also called over/under, might be familiar if you have placed a bet before. Here you bet whether the total amount of goals scored during a match will be over or under a specific number. The sportsbook itself provides this number, but regularly you will find only a few. The most common over/under total goals scored for soccer bets is 2.5. Fancy a guess that it will be over that amount, and you win when three goals or more are scored in total. Likewise, if you choose to go for the under, the goal total needs to be two less. Over/under bets are always found with a .5 point after it, preventing a potential push.

• Total Corners - Much alike the goals over/under, but instead of the goals, you are betting on the number of corners in the match.

• Total Yellow/Red Cards - Once again, a similar type of bet as with goals and corners, but this time you bet on the combined total of cards (yellow and red) given out to both teams.

While the total goals scored bet can be guessed reliably, the total corners or cards wagers are a huge gamble. With a bit of practice and research, you can definitely become better at guessing these, but don’t expect miracles.

Future Betting

Predicting what might happen in the future is another appeal of soccer betting, and getting it right so far in advance is very satisfying and potentially financially rewarding, of course. Therefore, perhaps the most intense speculation in the entire soccer betting market is future betting. Everyone loves to state who will win it all in the end; with future bets, you can put your money where your mouth is. Getting it right so far in advance is highly satisfying and potentially financially rewarding, of course. Accurately predicting the top scorer of the season or the eventual champion can pay out 5000/1. Note that this example is a highly unique case, future bets can win spectacularly, but they can fail just as hard.

First/Anytime/Last goalscorer

Choose the player that will score first in the match, the last goalscorer in the match, or score a goal anytime in the game. This concludes all the bets that you can place before a match, now let’s look at the type of betting you can do while watching a game.

Live/In-game Betting

Here we have the other category of betting, called live, or in-game betting. Funny enough, most bets these days happen after the opening whistle. It spices up the action of the game a bit, which can be slightly dull, depending on the match-up of teams.  While in the game, sportsbooks have an added option of opting out of a bet for a certain cost, or you can even partially cash out. Placed a bet, and it’s not looking like it will go your way? Look around for this option to save your butt. Do note that not all sportsbooks in the US offer this service.

Some of the unique bets you can place in an ongoing match are:

• Who the next goalscorer will be
• Who will receive the next yellow/red card
• Team with the first free-kick
• The team that hits the bar first

Or, just wager during a game what the outcome of the match will be, you can do this too!

States that offer legal soccer betting

Just like how soccer itself has been expanding in the US, so has the number of US states who offer legal betting on soccer. There are more to come as well in the future, for example Florida - he ones who offer legal soccer betting so far you'll find here:

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Soccer Betting Strategies

Now that you know most of the standard bets associated with soccer betting, it is time to go into some strategies that you can apply. Take note that no matter how many strategies you use, the most important one is the first on our list.

Research, Research, Research

We can drone endlessly about the strategies that we have on offer further on in the article, but they mean nothing without the vital component of each successful bettor; research. How much research you do mainly determines the outcome of your success. Knowing the leagues and teams you are betting gives you a better eye on those prime odds and gems hidden in the jungle of sportsbooks. 

With so many leagues around, and each league proving to be wildly different, it is highly recommended to focus your studies on one or two leagues at maximum. In one league like the Premier League, you will find high variance in averages for all kinds of statistics. The percentage of matches resulting in a draw, the average number of games that go over or under 2.5 goals, or the average amount of cards in a game, all these statistics are different from season to season, competition to competition.

Whenever you have decided upon your focus leagues, look at the records and schedules of each team, get updated on their latest roster changes or injury lists, and make sure you know their current form. It sounds daunting, but with the sheer amount of data available on the internet, you can quickly catch up with the state of the competition. With that in place, let’s move along to the soccer betting strategy guide here at SportsBettingGuide.

Bet on Draws/Underdogs/Low Scoring Matches

Historically, betting on the draw, low scoring matches, or away underdogs has provided the best of the value. 

Why?

Betting markets are markets. They can be considered a consensus, particularly in the era of the betting exchange. As such, these markets, though often considered to be increasing inefficiency, can exhibit biases that will, in turn, present value for unpopular opinions.

Why results such as draws and low scoring matches often present greater value is because a large number of people betting on the game do not want to see a boring result. They want to see goals and will find the idea of betting on a dull match counter to the reason they bet in the first place, which is the entertainment value.

The reason why underdogs often present value is similar. Casual weekend-only bettors will often see short-priced favorites playing at home as a guaranteed winner. Again, this is a bias that can sometimes be seen in the market. Casual bettors simply don’t want to bet on an unlikely underdog paying at odds 9 to 1.

This is obviously a simplification, but the general premise remains valid. When betting on soccer or any sport, think about what most people are hoping for, and go against the crowd.

Betting Against the Favorite Team

On the surface, this strategy doesn't look too good. Why put your money on a team that is nowhere near as good as the opposition? Placing your money on the team that is dead last in the leagues' ranking versus the top dog might seem crazy. However, it's not as ridiculous as it may first appear.

Betting against the favorite team is a soccer strategy that is dependent on your analysis of the situation. Top-teams are sometimes playing multiple fixtures a week, and some of them are more important than others. Let's take a look at the following example:

It's the end of the season, and FC Barcelona is comfortably in first place in La Liga (the Spanish regular-season competition). They are also competing in the semi-finals of the Champions League (the biggest tournament in Europe). On Sunday, they play against a weak team in La Liga, and a few days later, their Champions League semi-final is coming up. To save their strongest players for the decisive match, they might play their B-team during the La Liga match, giving the opponents a significantly better chance of beating them. These situations provide the biggest opportunities for an underdog to upset the favorite.

The Asian Handicap Strategy

Also called the Asian Lines, this type of bet is excellent to use when the outcome of the game looks obvious, and its odds reflect that. If a strong team plays at home against a weak side, the chance of the weak team winning is minimal. So, you could put your money on the strong team, which is rather pointless, as the odds will be so negligible that you'll probably just about get your wager back. You could also bet on the weak team with higher odds, but the chance of winning is pretty remote. At these times, the Asian Handicap Betting Strategy comes into play.

All the online bookmakers offer Asian Lines odds, and it makes the game much more exciting to bet on. In summary, it will put a goal handicap on the teams. We will take the following example to explain what this handicap implies.

Let's say Chelsea is playing against Aston Villa. It is quite a pointless bet, seeing that Chelsea has a way bigger chance of winning than Aston Villa. When Chelsea has a handicap of -2.5, it becomes much more enjoyable. Then, if you place a bet on Chelsea to win the match, it is effectively starting the game with -2.5 goals, so to beat Aston Villa, it would need to win by three goals. Similarly, if you put your money on Aston Villa, as long as Chelsea don't beat them by three goals, Aston Villa wins with this strategy. Asian handicap makes a bet much more even and gives better odds for Chelsea and more chance of a win for Aston Villa.

But what if the handicap is -2 and Chelsea wins by two goals? Then, according to the handicap, it's considered a draw. Another benefit to the Asian Lines Strategy is that when the outcome is a draw, it results in a push, and you get your wager back.

Scorecast / Wincast strategy

Scorecast and wincast strategies are where the biggest potential for profits lies. They have a high risk and high reward. They are slowly and steadily becoming more popular in the world of Online Sports Betting. How do you use these strategies?

The Wincast

Well, firstly there's a wincast bet. With this, you make bets on two different events during one match; you may predict the overall winner of the game alongside the person who you believe will score a goal in the game. Now, your bet will only win if both of your predictions come true.

The Scorecast

The scorecast event is very similar but takes the concept a little further. Not only do you have to guess who will win and who will score the last/first goal, but you have to predict the actual score of the match also accurately.

• To explain how this works, let's look at the following example.

Imagine Juventus is playing against A.C. Milan. You could make a wincast bet that Juventus will beat Milan and that Ronaldo will score once in the match. When both of these instances happen, you win your bet. However, if Juventus loses or draws, or if Ronaldo remains goalless, you don't win.

Should you place a scorecast bet on this, then you can wager on Juventus winning the game 3-0 and Ronaldo scoring. To win this bet, it's not enough for Juventus to win with Ronaldo scoring. To win your bet, Juventus needs to win 3-0, and Ronaldo needs to score in the game.

These betting strategies are not for the faint of heart. They are more than just ordinary bets. The odds of these types of stakes are higher than many other types of bets. It requires a lot of knowledge of the game and the current situation of the teams to accurately assess if this bet will net you a profit.

If you take the time to do your studies and if you are brave enough to place the bet, then this strategy could reward you well. This is a high risk, high paying football betting strategy. The scorecast is not for a bettor merely reliant on a lucky guess.

Bankroll management for online betting on soccer

Money management, or bankroll management, is just as important as any strategy you can employ. Here at SportsBettingGuide, we are all too familiar with the stories of people who bet too much on risky wagers. Without proper bankroll management and control, you can easily go on a spending frenzy, seeing the value in everything and overbetting left and right. 

Your money management should be based on a flat bet of 2 % of your bankroll. You can vary this a bit, depending on your appetite for risk. If you like to play it safe, drop that to 1 % of your bank. If you’re a little more aggressive and aren’t particularly concerned with the outcome of this strategy, feel free to increase your bet rate to 3 % of your bankroll.

Try to remain with these numbers, and you are almost guaranteed to survive in the long run. Sticking with the game for longer also makes you smarter and understand the sport better, leading to you eventually beating the bookies consistently!