The spread in football betting is the difference between the two teams’ opening lines. It reflects how confident the bookmaker is on the pre-game dynamics playing out on the pitch. When one team is favored to win by a large margin, the spread will be very wide. Conversely, if the spreads are very close together, then the bookmaker may be unsure of which team will ultimately emerge victorious. Of course, knowing when to back one team and when to lay another is the art of successful betting. This article will explore the intricacies of betting on football without the aid of a bookmaker.
Why Spread The Betting Bet On Two Teams?
Many people think that placing a wager on the favorite and the under dog is the best strategy in sports betting. While this may be true when you are backing the home team, it can also be the worst decision possible when you are posing the opposite bet. Why? It all comes down to the margins of error. When you bet on two teams, you are essentially doubling your chances of winning or losing. This is why you should generally only bet on teams you are extremely confident in.
As the saying goes, all bets are off when it comes to public opinion. If your friend, who is an expert in English Football, suggests that Aston Villa is going to beat Manchester United, then you might want to consider laying the bet on Manchester United instead. This is the same concept when it comes to the spread in football betting. When the spreads are close together, it means that both teams have roughly the same chances of winning. In these scenarios, it is best to back one team and lay the other. This is a safer way to wager and can help you avoid the mistakes that come with overbetting or underbetting.
The Spread As A Relative Term
When you are in the habit of comparing spreads across sports and bet types, you will soon see that they are not always as precise as they seem. For example, if you go back in time to early 2017, one of the biggest soccer matches of that year was Liverpool vs. Manchester United. The game was a classic, ending in a thrilling 4-3 win for Manchester United. The match produced a 1.95 spread, which is extremely wide considering the betting odds were generally 8.33 or more in favor of Liverpool. This is largely because the match was so tight that the oddsmakers did not want to take the chance of someone matching their perfect spread and putting the cookie in the jar.
Another example of a relative term is the tennis betting. If you follow tennis at all, then you know that almost every match is preceded by a head to head matchup between the two players. In the 2019 French Open, if you bet on Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic, then you are essentially betting on the head-to-head result. This will almost certainly come down to who is the superior player on that given day, and the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry is one of the most intriguing in all of sports. One could make a solid argument that it is the most interesting matchup in all of sports. In a tournament of this magnitude, the last thing the bookmakers need is to have a single bet go badly awry. This could send ripples throughout the entire industry and make bookmakers completely rethink their entire strategy for the day. For this reason, in the event of a Nadal-Djokovic showdown, it is advisable to avoid betting at all, or at least limit your wagers to safer alternatives, like the match winner or a side bet. The same logic applies to other high profile matchups that are preceded by a head-to-head, such as LeBron James vs. Rajon Rondo in NBA or Tiger Woods vs. Bryson DeChambeau in PGA.
What Are The Most Popular Matchups In Football Betting?
Although the most popular match-ups in football betting are often the safest ones, it is not always the case. For example, the 2019 World Cup may have ended in triumph for England, but many people will not feel quite the same way after watching the Three Lions pound Croatia 5-1 in the first round. The underdogs destroyed many a footballing nation in the early going, and one could make the case that England is the most popular pick to win the World Cup this year. Will it be a upset if Italy or France end up being the winners?
Other popular match-ups that involve the home team include Tottenham Hotspur vs. Liverpool and Manchester United vs. Liverpool. These match-ups draw a large audience because the home team is usually favored in most sportsbooks. If you are planning on watching the football this year, then these are the two teams you should be backing. In the event of either Liverpool victory, you can be sure that your team will go into full-on party mode for the rest of the season.
What Is The Difference Between The Money Line And The Totals/Match Winner?
Placing a wager on the money line means that you are backing one team or the other based on which one scores the most goals, or in some cases, which one wins the match. The advantage of placing a wager on the money line is that it is a very safe decision-making strategy. The disadvantage, however, is that it does not offer you much in the way of insight. If you want to make an educated guess as to who is going to win, then you should consider placing a wager on the totals or match winner. These are the points scored by both teams in the match, which is then totalled and converted into units of the winning team. In the event of a draw, the total is reset to zero. For example, if Manchester United and Liverpool both score a goal and the match ends in a tie, then the total will be zero and both teams will share credit for a perfect 4-0 win. This kind of scenario is very unlikely to occur, but it is one of the reasons why the total or match winner is a popular choice among football gamblers. The points in the match are not reset, so if one team achieves a majority of the goals, then they will most certainly win the bet.
The advantage of the total or match winner wager is that it gives you a clearer picture of who is going to win. If you are not sure which team is going to triumph, then the totals or match winner can help you make a better guess. Another advantage of the total or match winner is that the spread is mostly irrelevant when you are laying the bet. The only time the spread comes into play when you are backing the home team is if they are playing against the spread. In these situations, you will want to avoid betting on the home team all together. In almost all other cases, you can get away with putting down a wager on the total or match winner. In any event, be careful when selecting your wager. Make sure that you check the NFL odds before making any kind of purchase online or at a retail location.
Many online gambling platforms will not be available to U.S. residents due to the state regulations regarding sports betting. This should not worry you as much as it might worry someone reading this article who is based in or spends a lot of time in the United States. If you are going to be using a VPN to access your favorite bookmaker, then you should do so before coming to the United States. This way, you can assure yourself of consistent and trustworthy service even if the bookmakers are operating within the States. It is often the case that some bookmakers are more reliable than others, and you should be careful to stay away from any bookmakers that have a history of bad customer service. Even if you are not located in the U.S., there are ways that you can use a VPN to ensure that you are still accessible to online sportsbooks that are permitted in your state. Some of the best VPNs also work for free, so you can consider using one of those as well to secure all of your vital data while browsing the web. As stated above, the money line is a very safe option and gives you very little to work with. In the event of a tie, however, you will have to decide which team you believe is going to come out on top based on the results of the other matches being played that day. As a general rule of thumb, it is usually best to avoid betting on the underdogs in any category. This is because the bookmakers have a much easier time laying than they do backing the underdogs. Most people are not blessed with amazing athletic ability, and a lot of people do not have the mental fortitude to outlast the competition. This is why it is generally best to sit back and relax, pick your winners and leave your losers be. This is easier said than done, of course, but it is something that every bettor needs to consider before placing a wager. The last thing you want to do is place a wager on a team that you believe is going to lose, only to have them rally back in the last minute and surprise you with a victory.