Football betting basics: the markets and how they settle

Football is widely followed in Bangladesh alongside cricket, from the Premier League and La Liga to the World Cup, and the markets are just as varied. The vocabulary looks complicated at first, but every market answers one small question. This guide takes them from the simplest to the trickiest, with an example in taka for each.

The 90-minute rule comes first

Unless a market says otherwise, a football bet is settled on the score after 90 minutes plus any stoppage time the referee adds. Extra time and penalty shootouts normally do not count. If you back a team to win a cup match and it is level after 90 minutes, your bet loses even if that team later wins on penalties. Markets with wording such as "to qualify" or "to lift the trophy" are usually the exception, because they are about who goes through, not who leads at 90 minutes. Always check which one you are looking at.

Match result (1X2)

The classic market has three outcomes: 1 for a home win, X for a draw and 2 for an away win. Suppose the prices are 2.50, 3.30 and 2.80. Divide 1 by each price and you get 40.0%, 30.3% and 35.7%, which add up to 106.0%. The extra 6 points are the margin, a topic covered in odds explained. Three-way markets tend to carry more margin than two-way ones.

Double chance and draw no bet

These two markets are for people who like a team but fear the draw.

• Double chance covers two of the three results: home or draw, away or draw, or home or away. It wins more often, so the price is lower.
• Draw no bet removes the draw. If your team wins, you are paid. If the match is drawn, your stake comes back. If your team loses, you lose.

An example: you stake 1,000 BDT on a home side in draw no bet at 1.55. A win returns 1,550 BDT, a profit of 550. A draw returns your 1,000 BDT. A defeat loses 1,000. The refund on a draw is the reason the price is shorter than the plain win price.

Goals markets

• Over/under goals. The usual line is 2.5. Over 2.5 means three or more goals in the match. Under 2.5 means two or fewer. Because of the half, there is nothing to refund.
• Both teams to score. Yes if each side scores at least once, no if either side is shut out. The final score can be 3-1 or 1-1 for yes, and 2-0 or 0-0 for no.

Example: 600 BDT on over 2.5 goals at 1.85. If the match ends 2-1, three goals were scored, so the bet wins and returns 1,110 BDT, a profit of 510. If it ends 1-1, the bet loses.

Asian handicap, step by step

An Asian handicap gives one team a head start in goals so that the match becomes closer to a coin flip. Because the draw is removed, there are only two sides. The trick is the type of line.

• Half lines such as -0.5 or +1.5 always produce a win or a loss.
• Whole lines such as -1 can end level after the handicap is applied, and then the stake is returned.
• Quarter lines such as -0.75 or -0.25 split your stake across the two neighbouring lines, so one half can win while the other pushes or loses.

Worked example: you stake 1,000 BDT on the home side at -0.75 with odds of 1.95. The stake is split into 500 on -0.5 and 500 on -1. If the home side wins 2-0, both halves win and you receive 1,950 BDT. If it wins 1-0, the -0.5 half wins and returns 975 BDT, the -1 half is refunded at 500 BDT, and the total return is 1,475 BDT, a profit of 475. If the match is drawn or lost, both halves lose.

Before you bet on a football market

1. Check whether the market is for 90 minutes or for who qualifies.
2. Work out the percentage chance behind the price, then ask whether you truly believe it is higher.
3. Use handicap lines only when you understand the half-win and half-loss outcomes.
4. Keep a fixed amount per match. The guide on staking and budgets shows one way to do it.

For live matches, see live betting explained. For where these markets sit in the site, open cricket and football betting.

Keep reading

• Accumulator bets explained: big returns, bigger cost
• Live betting explained: fast prices, slow screens
• Bonus checklist: ten questions before you say yes