Football Stats Betting Markets

Exploring the Football Stats Betting Markets

The days when all you could bet on a football game was the winner of the game and a correct score if you were lucky are now long gone. Football betting has evolved massively over the past two decades, and grown into a multi-billion pound business, with hundreds of betting opportunities kicking off every single day.

One big area that bookmakers have moved into with their alternative markets is stats betting. This is becoming a massive part of football betting, and many people now solely bet on stats lines and nothing else when they are placing their football bets. It doesn’t matter who wins, or what the score is, while ever there are cards and corners to bet on, people will be happy.

Corners betting

Betting on the number of corners in the game is the most popular form of stat betting. Each bookmaker approaches corners in a slightly different fashion, offering different lines to bet over or under, as well as offering groups to bet on. You can do these for each individual team, or you can bet on the total for the entire game, with both teams included.

The first thing to note when you are betting on corners is to compare the lines that each bookmaker has out. Often the prices on the main lines will be very similar, but it pays to bet with multiple bookmakers because if the line is different and in your favour by one corner, that could be the difference between a winner and a loser.

Some bookmakers use .5 to make their corner lines two-way markets, ensuring that there is always a winner. For example in this instance, the line would be 9.5, meaning you are hoping for nine or less if you back under, or 10 or more if you back over.

Other bookmakers use full numbers and have a three-way market. An example of this would be under 10, exactly 10 and over 10. If you are backing under then these two lines would have the same outcome, you need nine or less to win your bet. However, backing overs means that you need one extra corner if using the second type of market. On the 9.5 line, if there are 10 corners you are a winner, but on the over 10 line, you need 11 for your bet to win.

Cards betting

Another popular stats betting market is betting on the number of cards shown in a game. Again this is a market that bookmakers approach differently. You can also bet on various other lines when it comes to cards, such as handicaps, the time of the first card, and how many cards an individual team will have, instead of the game total overall.

It again pays to check what the different bookmakers are offering, the prices are usually similar, but a slight chance in the betting lines can really play in your favour, and give you a winning bet that would be a loser elsewhere.

Some bookmakers will offer a two way market with a line that has .5 at the end, to give a definite winner, for example, 3.5. Here you are backing on three cards or less if you choose under, or four or more if you choose over. Others will offer groups together, so in this example, you may see less than 3, 3-4 and over 4. The different lines give you different betting opportunities, but always be sure to get the line that favours you the most. Cards are given out in small numbers and the betting lines are tight, so the difference between three and four cards can be costly if you place your bet with the wrong bookmaker.

Strategies

If you are new to stats betting and you are looking for a little help then have a think about using the following strategies for corners and cards betting. There are full stats available online for teams who play in the big leagues, and you will see their record when it comes to how many corners and cards they average per game. However, if you just want something small to get you interested then try out one of the two below strategies, these are quick and easy ways to pick out teams that will get a lot of corners, or teams that will get a lot of cards.

Corners
If you want to quickly pick a team to bet on the number of corners but don’t have time to read the stats, take a look at the line ups and look for a team that has very good wide players. These players are likely to attack out wide and put crosses into the box. When play is out wide, or when a ball is crossed into the box, defenders have to clear, and those types of attacks can often result in corners. This is especially the case compared to teams whose strength is going through the middle of midfield. Those teams are likely to attack directly from the middle of the pitch, with few crosses going into the box.

Cards
When looking for a game to bet on the number of cards, look for a game that means something to both teams. The best option is usually a big local derby between two teams where the atmosphere is going to be feisty both on and off the field. This usually results in a few bad tackles, and referees want to warn players early about their behaviour, more often than not the referee hands out a card to try and stamp his authority on the game. Battles between two teams who are fighting for promotion or survival are also usually good for cards. Both teams are desperate to win these games and will be putting everything on the line to do so. Often in these circumstances players will overstep the mark, leaving the referee with no option but to book them for their antics, meaning cards are frequently seen.