More punters than ever are enjoying live football betting. Also known as in-play betting, this involves placing bets on a match while it is in progress. Live football betting encompasses any bet placed between kick-off and the final whistle. It is fast, fun, and allows punters to assess how a game is playing out before placing their bets. Moreover, since the advent of mobile betting, it is very easy to place bets wherever you are.
How Live Football Betting Works
Traditionally, most punters have placed bets pre-match. In other words, they place their bets before the match has begun. However, chiefly due to mobile technology, the majority of football bets are now placed in-play. Football live betting allows punters to bet at any time from kick-off right up to the last seconds of the game. Technically, live football betting also includes wagers struck at half-time. However, in practice, these are more akin to pre-match bets.
That is because the odds are far more stable at half-time while no action is taking place. As with pre-game wagering, odds change, but large, sudden shifts in the prices are far less common.
Fluctuating odds are a huge part of in-play football betting. Punters should be aware that the odds can and do change very quickly. Generally, this is in relation to major events in the game, such as a goal, a penalty award, or a red card. However, factors such as a dangerous free-kick, a corner, or the substitution of a key player can also have a significant impact.
Popular Live Football Betting Markets
The biggest and best football betting sites have a wide range of live football betting markets. Generally, this is the case for major competitions such as the Premier League. However, top bookmakers also have a good selection of markets even for more niche leagues. Moreover, they even offer bet builders and flash bets (wagers on the next five or 10 minutes of action) on many less popular competitions.
You will find the following markets on almost all sites. Football betting fans who love in-play wagering typically place most bets on these:
- Next goalscorer – bet on which player will score the next goal. You can also bet on which team will score next at shorter odds.
- Over/under goals – a standard line at KO might be 2.5 goals. However, you can bet on different options as the game progresses. For example, if the match is 0-0 with 85 minutes gone, you might decide to bet on over 0.5 goals.
- Match winner (or winner of a half) during play – who will win the game remains the most popular bet. You can also bet on a side to win the half.
- Cards & corners markets – bookies offer punters lots of different card and corner markets. These might be total corners, team corners, corners in a half, race to X corners, or even which side will take, for example, the sixth corner of the game. Similar bets are available based on yellow and red cards, too.
- Shots on target – a popular stats-based live football bet, this again offers punters different options. You can back a player to have a certain number of shots on target, back over a certain number of shots on target in total, and also place shots on target bets for either half only.
Advantages of Live Football Betting
Punters love live football betting for a range of reasons. One of the biggest advantages is that you can get a feel for the match before committing your money. If you watch a lot of football, this can really help you better predict what will happen.
In-play betting also gives you real-time engagement. You can react to the match and place additional bets as it develops. Moreover, if your original bet wins (or loses) early, you can place further wagers to maintain a betting interest in the fixture.
Some punters also use live football betting to get better odds. For example, if there is a big favourite, you might wait to back them. If the game is still 0-0 at half-time, you will get much bigger odds. Those prices could be even better if they concede first, but you still fancy them to win the game.
Key Strategies for Success
Betting in-play is different from “normal” wagering in many ways. Perhaps the most important thing to say about football live betting strategy is that it is vital to watch the game. This ensures you are making decisions based on the best possible information. Relying on stats, or even worse, just the odds themselves, can give a very misleading picture of how the game is playing out.
However, it is also important to understand just how “live” the pictures you are watching really are. Even the best TV footage is slightly delayed. But if you are streaming the game, you could be a minute or even more behind the action. Consequently, if something about the odds seems wrong, or too good to be true, it may be that a major incident, such as a goal or penalty, has occurred, and the images you are watching are behind.
Another crucial strategy for live football betting is bankroll management. It is easy to get addicted to live betting and to chase losses. Because of this, you should set a fixed budget per match and stick to it with discipline.
That said, live betting can offer excellent opportunities for those who can spot or even predict changes in the flow of a game. If the play indicates a side is beginning to get a grip on a match, backing them at big odds just before they score is a great feeling.
One final strategy for football live betting is to use cash-out properly. It can be tempting to cash out too early because you are fearful of losing. However, if you believe the bet still has value, you should let it run. That said, if the flow of the game suggests your bet is in danger, using cash-out can be a great option in-play.
Risk Management in Live Football Betting
As said, live football betting carries more risks when it comes to responsible gambling. When a bet settles early in the game, it is very tempting to have another one. That is especially the case if your wager loses, and it is easy to fall into the trap of chasing losses.
Therefore, it is important to have a fixed budget for the game and stick to it. That said, even if a bet wins, making another bet just for the sake of it is unwise. Only place another live bet if you feel it offers value and will genuinely enhance your enjoyment of the game.
Conclusion
Live football betting is a fun way to add excitement to the big game. However, while it offers some good opportunities, it also carries certain risks. Make sure you bet responsibly and always keep control of your emotions. Remember, you do not have to bet on every game, and sometimes it is nice just to enjoy the football.