Football is a game of goals and they are the one thing every fan wants to see in a game. Preferably goals scored by the team they support, to be honest, but any genuine football aficionado will also appreciate a fine goal scored against his team.
Goals are the essence of betting as well. The very basic betting options such as the winners market in which you determine which team will win the game by betting on a home win, draw or away win depends on goals.
Looking at goals from a bettor’s point of view, not only do they bring the appeal, but they also bring true value to your betting process. That is why betting on goals has gone to become a rather interesting and at the same time intriguing market, which draws plenty of interest from punters around the globe.
And with online betting and especially the latest trend In-Play betting in full swing, betting on goals has truly revolutionised the way punters add excitement and engage more closely and personally with the entire betting process. So much so, that plenty of online bookies now have a range of betting offers that players can claim by signing up.
Two types of Goals Market
Betting on goals has quickly emerged as the second most popular football market.
For those unfamiliar with the entire concept – betting on goals is done through betting on goals scored Over or goals scored Under the set margin.
The margins have predetermined values which are always the same and start at Over/Under 0.5 goals which basically means that those who bet on the Under 0.5 goals scored market are hoping for a goalless draw and will be able to make a decent payout since odds rarely go below 11.00 on this market.
The split decimal number is there to eliminate the possibility of betting on the exact number of goals and acts as a clear number separator.
Next goals margin is set on 1.5 goals scored which means that a goalless draw or a one-goal win on each side will win you the heavily-priced Under market, whereas a 1-1 draw and everything above wins you the market with odds commonly hovering around 1.25 or less.
Football bookies know it and devoted punters are also quite familiar with the fact that given the overall football stats show that the average number of goals scored in a football game is somewhere between 2.4 and 2.6, depending on the league and competition involved. Therefore, the most popular goals scored market is Under/Over 2.5 goals. This market is often referred to as a ‘coin toss’ given the fact that outcome is usually too close to call. The Under/Over 2.5 goals market boasts the most balanced betting odds between the two sides of the coin, with numbers usually going somewhere around 1.7 on Over and up to 2.3 on Under 2.5.
Bookies also offer Under/Over 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, 6.5 and in some rare cases 7.5 and 8.5 goals markets, which are normally reserved for the most enthusiastic bettors.
Betting on Goals Scored Over
With the overall goals scored (Under/Over) explained above, betting on goals Over is quite simple to understand as it only depends on whether the two teams – or the high-scoring side you wanted to back against the bottom-dwellers, will go over the predetermined margin.
To illustrate it through a Premier League example – if Liverpool defeated Arsenal 4 goals to 1, there would be five goals in totals and those who backed the over 2.5 goals, 3.5 goals and 4.5 goals market would have pocketed differently priced amounts. It is important to remember and note once again that the actual outcome of the match is irrelevant with betting on goals scored market and the same goals selections we mentioned above would be winning ones even if the result of the aforementioned match would go 4-1 in favour of Arsenal.
Betting on goals essentially gives greater value to a bet as it leaves several options opened and with great margins. Winners have no bearing on the end result of the bet, whereas it is also not important if only one team scores the entire lot of goals or they get evenly spread between two sides, which would be extremely important to look at if you are betting on another highly popular goal option – Both Teams to Score or BTTS.
In-Play Goals Betting
The fast pace of In-Play betting is perfect for tipsters who thrive under pressure and enjoy the adrenaline rush. In-Play goals betting will provide you with an extra edge and put a nice twist to it as well.
Game selection is the most important part of betting on goals scored over and proper research is required. Additionally, quick thinking and making right moves at the right time is of crucial importance, so here we try to help out with recognising the value during In-Play goals betting.
Even though Over 2.5 goals is arguably the most common goals market around when it comes to In-Play betting the Over 1.5 goals system is far more reliable and valuable. Over 1.5 should always be played during the games as that is when the odds for this particular market tend to grow at a rapid pace.
Prior to a game itself, the odds on Over 1.5 goals will go somewhere around 1.25 which is not nearly enough to make a decent profit. However, once the game kicks off, every minute of it will see these odds go up to reach up to 1.70 at the half-hour mark.
Patience is the key with Over 1.5 goals market as you can expect to get up to 2.00 odds or over at the half-time. Placing a timely bet is key here and you will be urged to make a good call based on your knowledge and grab those odds before the first goal in the game is scored as the odds will come crashing down to 1.40.
This is when you will be able to either sell your bet at the exchange market or cash-out if your bookmaker supports the option. For the more adventurous ones, you can wait until the end, risk your winnings but claim more money if your selection goes through eventually.
