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Football Betting Strategy

There are many different ways to bet on football. Some types of football bet have higher risks than others so it's a good idea to develop a football betting strategy

You should always research the market to make sure that you are confident about what you are backing, and that you understand the terms of the bet. By carrying out your research you can become as well-informed as the bookmakers, increasing your chance of winning.

Our Types of Football Bet page highlights a range of bets, and this strategy guide will look deeper into a few of them, and give you some hints and tips about how you can prepare yourself before the big kick-off.

• Accumulator Betting Strategy

Many people enjoy backing a selection of teams in a small accumulator bet. This form of bet can be a good way to turn a small stake into a large win, but be wary of being too ambitious, as the unpredictability of football can come back to haunt you. As a beginner, accumulator betting may not be for you, and you may want to stick to lower risk bets for a smaller potential profit. However, as you become more used to football betting, you might want to try your luck with an accumulator bet.

A three team accumulator bet can be a good way to start. Depending on the odds, this type of bet can give you a handsome profit on your stake, without leaving you open to too many potential shock results.

An example of a 3 team accumulator would be to back three teams, all with solid home form, for home wins against teams whose form suggests that they may struggle on their travels. The home teams' odds will vary, but you can expect odds between 2/5 and 4/7 on a home victory. A treble place on these odds would give you the opportunity to potentially treble your stake in winnings.

Before you place your bet, you need to consider each of the team's form, and make sure that their team selection isn't hampered by injury or suspension. Most league tables separate the teams' home and away records and if you take a look at these you will be able to see which teams you should think about backing.

The bookies do not get it wrong very often: their odds will be a fair reflection on a team's general form, and on the quality of the opposition they are playing.

For example, a team that is top of the league, and is playing at home to the bottom side will have odds reflecting the expected one-sided nature of this affair. Odds could be a short as 1/3, or even 1/5. Odds of this value will obviously mean that you have a lower potential profit, and you may have to adjust your accumulator accordingly, either by increasing the number of teams you are backing or by sticking with teams with better odds, but therefore more risk, if you want to to earn a worthwhile profit.

The odds on an away win are normally more generous, and can be seen as a good way to spice up your accumulator. Don't be afraid to mix up your treble a little. Try backing two “safe home” bets, and look to a strong, in-form team travelling to a lowly opposition to boost your winnings, If you are looking for a really high turn-over, but only want to place a small stake, try selecting three draws.

Selecting draws can be difficult, but a game involving two evenly matched football teams can sometimes result in a huge win. Draws for evenly matched teams are usually given odds of around 6/4, and sometimes 2/1. A treble on these odds would leave you looking at a approximately a 30/1 shot on backing all three draws successfully. The odds do reflect the difficulty of this, but a small flutter could be made very worthwhile at this sort of price.

If you want to place an accumulator bet, then it's usually a good idea to stick to a small stake, and place the bet for fun rather than counting on a win. That way you won't be disappointed or too out-of-pocket if you lose, but can really enjoy the excitement of accumulator football betting and any wins you are lucky enough to have.

• Goal Scorer Betting Strategy

There are a few different types of football bet that you can place on an individual player, but the most popular individual player bets are to gamble on the first or last goal scorer of a match. The odds for the a player scoring the first goal is always the same as the last goal odds, but you can also bet on the player to score at anytime during the 90 minutes of a game.

The odds will always follow the same structure with the bookies. Strikers are given the shortest odds, followed by attacking midfielders, defensive midfielders, and then finally centre-backs and full-backs. It is important to study the team you are interested in betting on, as their tactics and style of play will greatly affect the amount of potential goal scorers.

Two teams that illustrate how different tactics will affect your bet, and also the odds available are Bolton and Chelsea.

In the past five years Sam Allardyce's Bolton have been noted for their competitive style of play, and “long-ball” tactics. One of Bolton's strengths is the set-piece, like corners, free kicks, and long throw-ins around the box. Because of this style of play their tall centre-backs are normally heavily involved and can often pop up with a goal. Backing the centre-back can be an expected 25-1 – 33/1 shot, and as most teams rely on their tall ball-winning defenders on corners and free-kicks to chip in with a few goals, backing them could result in a potentially large profit for you.

Chelsea, on the other hand, is currently using a five-man midfield. This is reflected in their team's top goal scorer being midfielder Frank Lampard, who has scored over 30 goals for his club in 2005, plus many for his country.

The bookies have adjusted their odds accordingly. An attacking central midfielder would normally be backed at around 10/1, but Lampard is now down to around 6/1, the same odds as most teams' main strikers.

The differences between Bolton and Chelsea show the importance of knowing a team's tactics, as it will give you a helpful insight into who you should be betting on.

Most teams have one main penalty taker, and in tough local derbies, or in games where quick tricky wingers are put up against a slow defence, there could be some good money to be made on backing the team's penalty taker to score.

Many bookies also offer odds on a player to score at anytime in the match. These odds are obviously a lot shorter than first or last goalscorer odds. For example, a striker who you can back first or last at around 4/1 would be even money, but that tall centre-back could be an appealing wager with odds of around 10/1 to score at anytime during the 90 minutes.

Another thing to look out for is a player hitting a “purple-patch” in-front of goal. All strikers and attacking midfielders go through droughts of up to even a month or two without scoring. Then after they get a goal, they just cannot stop scoring. Keep an eye on these players, as it isn't unusual for a player to bag eight goals in ten matches or something similar after 10-15 games without a goal. Be patient and there could be a player worth backing for a goalscoring spurt, and therefore a nice pay-out.

If you want to put your football betting strategy into practice, visit our Where To Bet on Football and Top Football Betting Sites.

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