Complete Soccer Betting Guide for Beginners

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Posted: October 21, 2021

Updated: October 21, 2021

  • Single-game betting in Canada is now legal
  • There is a way of making educated wagers in soccer betting
  • Familiarize yourself with types of odds, bets, and trusted sportsbooks
If you are still a newbie in the world of betting, you must have plenty of queries about soccer. It is understandable, as every sportsbook on the planet offers soccer betting. But, how does betting on soccer work? Is it profitable? How to read the odds? Are sportsbooks legit? Here is our complete guideline.

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Soccer has around 4 billion fans in the world, according to WorldAtlas. But, its popularity is remarkably growing in one particular country, and that is Canada. People are not only increasingly watching the game in Canada, but they are also exploring options at online sportsbooks in Canada. Whether you reside in Canada or elsewhere, here is all you need to know about the soccer betting market.

I’m Afraid of Cheaters and Tricksters - Is Soccer Betting Rigged?

If you are unsure about the system designed by bookmakers, then you need to think about it in the following way: The system naturally favors the bookies over the players. That does not mean in any way that soccer betting is rigged. It is entirely legit, but to win you need sometimes to bet against the odds. In addition, there is no such thing as risk-free betting. If there is, why on earth would it be called betting? To mitigate the risk, you have to be open-minded and study your soccer betting strategy. In other words, you have to stay backed up with data and plans. You may decide to keep supporting the big favorites. It can be successful to some extent, as bookies expect them to win. However, it is not a professional way of soccer betting. You need to be more thoughtful and follow a consistent set of rules. Here are some tips concerning a good soccer betting strategy.

Do Not Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

It is not recommended to place a single wager on an event and wait. It can make sense if you are betting on boxing or tennis, where only two individuals are competing. Thus, you may either win big or lose it all. However, in soccer, plenty is going on the pitch. It allows you to place several bets and spread your money out. In that way, you can boost your chances of winning.

Think Out of the Box

Focusing only on a match outcome is basically a binary way of thinking. It helps you to either hit or miss when placing a bet. But, you may explore options like the number of goals to be scored, corner kicks, yellow cards to be given, etc. Statistical options can help you a lot in securing profits irrespective of the outcome. Such types of betting will assist you also to become creative. However, you need to do the research about for example team’s average goals per game to predict correctly the number of goals to be scored by that team in an upcoming match.

I’m Only Into Legal Stuff - Is Soccer Betting Legal in Canada?

Yes, and lately soccer betting in Canada became more legal than ever! As of 27 August 2021, single-game betting became legal, according to CBC. Before that Canadians could only practice parlay betting. That means, they were only allowed to bet on the outcome of at least three separate sporting events. If they were to correctly predict the outcome of all three they could get a payout.
soccer betting
Picture Source: Flickr
Single-game betting was outlawed for a long time to prevent match-fixing. However, now there are advanced technologies that can track anyone who practices match-fixing. Therefore, single-game betting is no longer outlawed.

Online Soccer Betting Canada is Also Legal

Every province’s residents are free to place bets online, as long as they do it on a provincial-run website. However, local betting websites do not offer a variety of betting markets. You can mostly find odds on ice hockey or lacrosse games online. But for soccer betting, it is recommended to explore reputable international online sportsbooks. Generally speaking, international online sportsbooks are technically not illegal. There are no laws that prohibit Canadians from accessing international sites. You will not get into any legal trouble if you are above the age of 18.

I’m a Sacred Soul - Is Soccer Betting a Sin?

Many religious people who enjoy watching sports and wagering on the outcomes often grapple with this question. Thus, here is our honest answer. Soccer betting is seemingly one of the grey areas in most religions, similar to smoking and speeding. However, if you continue betting responsibly, and keep it as a recreational and enjoyable activity, there is nothing wrong with that. There is no shame in spending some money on entertainment from your hard-earned money. Betting within limits does not make you an evil person in any sense. So, just do not overthink, and keep self-control and discipline. You may check out soccer betting reddit to get an idea of what people argue. They mostly say that it depends on how you approach betting, interpret this type of activity, and stay away from developing an addiction.

About the Money - Is Football Betting Profitable?

Statistically speaking yes it can be more than just profitable. It can be very rewarding. Sometimes it depends on your luck, but without skill and informed decisions, you would find it hard to win more often.

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Take for example Leicester’s incredible Premier League title win in 2016. The bettors who studied well and were able to predict that the Foxes would win made a lot of profits at the end of the season. It is estimated that bookmakers lost around $30 million to bettors, according to the Independent. Some of these bettors took a whopping $135.000. But, how they were able to predict such a massive upset. Keep reading to know more.

The Key to Winning - How to Win Soccer Betting?

You need to make educated wagers on endless opportunities available in the soccer betting market. How do you do that? You have to familiarize yourself with the teams and players. You can start with several low-risk bets, and then grow from there until you reach the level of placing some serious bets.
soccer betting
Picture Source: Goal.com
Surely you have to understand all the available types of odds. Also, there are different forms of bets that help you manage your game plan in the best possible way. What is more, there are hundreds of online sportsbooks of which you need to choose the most suitable one. Not all of them are trustworthy. Thus, we provide you here with the safest and most credible betting sites. So, let us talk about types of odds first and take it from there.

A Guide for Football Dummies - What are Soccer Betting Odds?

There are three types of soccer betting odds, and the better you understand them, the more your chances of winning are. These three types of odds are British, American, and European. British odds are called fractional, American are moneyline, and European are decimal. One crucial thing is that the probability of the odds does not change. Different types of odds relate only to how they are presented.

Moneyline

Moneyline is the most common type of odds in Canada. You can see that the odds are presented in - and + signs. A minus (-) sign is for favorites, while a positive (+) sign is for underdogs. A minus sign indicates the amount you need to stake to win $100. Meanwhile, a positive sign indicates the amount won for every $100 staked.

Fractional

This is the easiest type of odds. The first number says how much you will win, and the second number tells you what is at stake. For example, if the odds are 2/13 on Toronto FC to win an MLS game, that means for every $13 you place a bet, your profit is $2.

Decimal

This type of odds comes in a number followed by tenths. Let us stick with the same example, and presume that Toronto FC has a match against CF Montreal. The odds are 1.50 on Toronto to win the match, while they are 3.70 on a win for Montreal. If you place $10 on Toronto, you win $15 in total. Whereas, if you place $10 on Montreal, you get $37 in total.

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How to Read Soccer Betting Odds?

You understand now what Moneyline is. You would find such type of soccer betting odds when you place a bet on who will win a game, or if a game ends in a draw. However, sometimes neither team is favored. In that case, there is another type called soccer betting pick. You will understand how to deal with that case a little bit later.

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In some other cases, there is an over/under bet. It simply aims to predict a number for a statistic in a given game. For example, if you come across (Total over 2.5), that means any bet will require 3 or more goals to be scored in a match. You can find all these types of odds at any online sportsbook. But, here you are the best ones to check out.

Where to Play - How to Find the Best Soccer Betting Sites

If you wish to search for retail sportsbooks in your province or choose one of the local online sportsbooks in Canada you can freely do it. There are some leading names in online betting in Canada. Among the very best is Bet99 Sportsbook. It is an exclusive site for Canadians, offering all popular betting markets in the country added to that soccer betting. However, there are also many trusted international betting sites that you can access. They are very easy to navigate. You can just pick one, sign up, make a deposit, and start playing.
  • 1xBET Sportsbook: This platform is one of the most popular and successful platforms in the world. If you wonder which international site is licensed, safe, and secure, then this platform should be your first choice.
  • Betway Sportsbook: This site is highly recommended offering dozens of sports to bet on including soccer betting. You may use dedicated sports betting app with a wide range of payment methods.
  • 888sport: If you are just about to try soccer betting then choose this great site. It is very suitable for beginners with a fast and simple layout.
  • 10BET: This site is accessible in more than 90 countries. Thus, it embraces bettors from all over the world and provides very nice customer service.

How Betting on Soccer Works

Before you start betting there are some soccer betting codes that you need to understand their meaning. When you land on a match you want to bet on you will see three main words on the screen. They are home, draw, and away. Here is what do they mean:
  • Home: Bet on the host teams to win.
  • Draw: Bet on the match to end in a draw.
  • Away: Bet on the away team to win the match.

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There are many other codes you need to be familiar with. Here are some of them:
  • Both teams to score - yes/no: Here you can choose to bet on either both teams to score or neither to score in the match.
  • Half time - home/draw/away: Here you can bet on the first half of the game to end win a win for the home or away team, or to end in a draw.
  • Correct score: It includes a list of the total number of goals to be scored in the match.
That being explained, let us now get into some types of bets that may be a little bit more complex.

What is 1x2 Soccer Betting?

1x2 betting is also known as three-way betting. It is simply for betting on the outcome of a fixture. The meaning is that you may predict whether a given game finishes as a home win, a draw, or away win. 1x2 correlates to the following:
  • 1 refers to a home win
  • X refers to a draw
  • 2 refers to an away win

What is PK Soccer Betting?

PK does not mean penalty kick no! PK or pick’em in soccer betting is a point spread in which neither team is getting points. This is considered the safest betting strategy that can protect you from unpredictable results. Sometimes online betting sites show it as +0 or -0.
soccer betting, football betting
Picture Source: Pxfuel
How it does work? If the team you bet on at a PK wins, you win the bet. Meanwhile, if the game ends in a draw, your money will be returned.

What is Zoom Soccer Betting?

If you came across zoom soccer betting and you are wondering what is this all about, it is a virtual soccer game. However, the game features real team names and real league names. The only difference from real games is that the match results are simulated. You may find all your favorite teams on zoom soccer betting and see if they may also win in simulation as they do in real life.

What is Virtual Soccer Betting?

This type of betting has been growing in popularity worldwide. It is also about wagering on computer-simulated soccer events. But how the outcomes of games are determined? They are determined by an RNG (Random Number Generator) which is also used for casino games. You do not need to study software or anything. What you need to know is just that virtual soccer games are fast-paced. So, all the best of luck in winning your future bets.

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