It’s not a new phenomenon for sports bettors to team up with handicappers to create lucrative betting propositions. But the practice has become so mainstream in soccer betting that it has a name, coined by Unbeatable.com’s Simon Cole: team totals.
What exactly are team totals?
If you’re new to betting on soccer, you might wonder what Team Totals mean. Well, in the world of soccer betting, a Team Total is the combined score of a team (or teams) pitted against another team (or teams) in a match. The total combines both scores to create a winning proposition. (In a double-header, the total is the sum of the two individual matches.)
For instance, if team A scores three goals and team B scores two goals in a match, the total score would be five (3 + 2 = 5). A $10 wager would win $20, because five is a winner in soccer betting (You’d pay $10 to lay $20 on five).
Keep in mind: These are the official team scores as reported by the match officials. If you’re scoring your own goals (or allowing them), the total score may differ slightly from what is shown on the chalkboard at the end of the game. For more information, you can visit the Soccer Betting Information Center for in-depth discussions on the subject.
Why Are Teams Totalling Matches Now More Than Ever?
With the rise of social media, individuals are able to follow every aspect of their favorite team’s lives – including their sports performances. The advent of fantasy sports leagues has also made creating team bets easier than ever before.
Additionally, the increasing use of goal-line technology has made it easier for bookies to verify official scores. In the past, it was mostly up to soccer journalists and statisticians to verify the accuracy of scores. These days, with the click of a button, you can check the match result in seconds.
These three factors have combined to create one of the most popular betting markets currently found online. (Betting on sport is among the most popular activities found on sports betting websites today.)
What does this mean for you as a sports bettor? It means you can confidently enter into bets with larger groups of people, creating a sense of competitiveness along with a level of trust. If you’re new to the world of soccer betting, you might find the idea of teaming up with another bettor to lay odds on the World Cup 2018 very appealing.
The Rise Of Multi-Team Totes
If you’re a regular reader of this column, you’ll know that I often discuss how profitable multi-team bets can be. And it doesn’t get much more profitable than a Team Total.
A multi-team total is simply when two or more individuals (often referred to as a “team”) place a combined wager on a single match. The idea is to create the strongest possible team (based on the rules of your chosen fantasy sports league), lay the best odds possible, and then capitalize on the fact that your teammates trust you enough to bankroll your bold, high-risk, high-reward bet. (For those new to fantasy sports, read my primer on the subject to learn more.)
For example, let’s say that you’re the manager of a fantasy soccer team and you’re matched up against a team of handicappers in your league. You can bet $100 that your team will score five or more goals in the match. (In a dollar-line bet, where you raise the price of your wager with each goal, you’ll win $5,000 if your team scores five or more goals.)
The catch is that you have to actually score five goals to earn your money – your teammates have to agree to lay that bet with you. So, in addition to trusting you to manage their fantasy team, your teammates have to also trust you to follow the rules of the fantasy sports league. (Depending on the structure of your chosen league, you might have to set some ground rules regarding how you will handle ties and oversets. For more information about fantasy sports, check out this informative primer from Top Tier Sports.)
Believing that your team can outscore the opposing team by a large margin is not only exciting, but it’s also what the odds are implying. If you’re able to pick the right matchup (based on the rules of your league) and get the right result, your multi-team total will undoubtedly be a profitable venture. (Just remember: Even if you do everything right, you’ll still need favorable odds to make any significant amount of money. This is why it’s important to build a strong team before laying out hard-earned cash on one risky bet.)
In the example above, you’ll need the handicappers to agree to lay odds of 3:1 on your team scoring five or more goals in order to make $5,000. (In a three-to-one exchange, you’ll break even). Alternatively, if one of the handicappers decides to back out (or cancel the bet) and you end up losing $100, you’ll lose $300 – not a good look for a profitable venture.
The rise of multi-team sports has created the perfect opportunity for soccer bettors looking to make money off oddsmaking. With larger groups of people willing to wager on larger events, bookies have had to lower their spreads and offer better odds. While it’s always exciting to wager on your favorite team, using a tool like PropOrNot to keep track of which bookies are offering the best odds and to find a group of people to team up with is essential for making a profit off soccer betting.