Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world and it’s been around for a while now. It’s one of the simplest sports to follow and it’s easy to learn. These days, it’s not just for kids either as there are many competitive leagues and activities for adults as well.
The betting scene in soccer is similar to that of other sports with regards to totals and spreads. However, there is one particular betting option that you should know about, and that’s the spread-2. Now, before you start calling your bookie and begging for your money back, let’s discuss what is the spread-2 and how it works.
What Is The Spread-2?
The spread-2 is the difference between the first two scores of a match. For example, suppose a match between the LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders FC is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. PST game and the early scores are Galaxy 1-0, will the spread-2 be 1-0 or 0-1?
Before we answer that question, let’s take a look at how the first two scores in soccer match up. After all, it’s only fair to assume that you know what you’re getting into when you place a bet on a soccer game. The first team to score wins. There is no under or over / full score in soccer. That is the beauty of the game.
If the Galaxy and Sounders FC both score a goal within the first 10 minutes, then the score would be 0-0. However, if the Sounders FC score a goal first, then they would have the advantage in the spread-2. In this case, the score would be 1-0.
There are some differences between the spread-2 and the first two scores. For example, the spread-2 includes the second and third goals in the calculation whereas the first two scores do not. There is also the possibility of a 0-0 draw if the two teams end up finishing 0-0. For those situations, there is no spread-2 as it would be a tie.
How Do You Calculate The Spread-2?
It’s actually quite simple. Take the first two scores and add them together. In the example above, the spread-2 would be 1-0.
If you’re curious, here are the different ways you could calculate the spread-2:
- Subtract the first score from the second score
- Add the first score to the second score
- Take the absolute value (the “modulus” operation) of the first and second scores
- Take the difference between the maximum and minimum values of the first two scores
- If the two teams are tied after the two scores, then there is no spread-2. In this case, you would simply need to calculate a tie.
- The result of the first two scores, rounded down to the nearest even number
It’s important to note that if the two teams are not tied after the two scores, the spread-2 would still be valid. For example, in the above scenario, the Galaxy and the Sounders FC would finish 3-2. In this case, the spread-2 would be 3-2, even though a draw is the most common result when adding the first two scores.
When Does The Spread-2 Expire?
The spread-2 basically expires at the end of the half. For example, if there is another goal in the second half, then the spread-2 would be recalculated at the start of the half. In the third quarter, if there is another goal, the spread-2 would be updated again at the end of the quarter.
However, if the two teams end up drawing, then there is no change in the spread-2 for the remainder of the game. If a game goes into additional periods, then the spread-2 would be updated at the end of each period, with the exception of the half.
When Is The Spread-2 Used?
The spread-2 is generally used to determine the outcome of matches between two teams. For example, if you think that the LA Galaxy are going to beat the Seattle Sounders FC, you can lay some big odds on that game because you know that the Lakers will beat the Suns. In this case, you are trying to determine the winner of a match between two teams and you are using the spread-2 to do that.
When you are placing a bet on a match that will have an immediate result, then you will generally want to go with the outright winner. However, if you are placing a bet on a match that is going to have an effect on the final result of the game, then you will want to use the spread-2 to determine the winner. If you win the spread-2, then you will win the game. It’s important to note here that some bookies will not accept bets on matches that are going to have an effect on the final result. The reason behind this is that determining the winner of a game with an immediate result is more profitable for them. In some cases, they might even refuse your bet if they think that you are trying to determine the winner of a soccer match based on the outcome of the entire season. It’s always safer to presume that they know what they’re doing, even though you might be right.
What Are The Risks Of Using The Spread-2?
If you’re using the spread-2 to determine the winner of a match between two teams, then there is always the possibility that one of those teams might wind up scoring a lot of goals. In this case, your risk is increased because you might end up with a lot of goals scored in your favor, but without the right calculation, you could still lose the bet. There is also the other possibility that a team might score none of its goals, which would result in a tie game and you would not win the bet.
The best way to lower your risk is to not place bets on matches that are going to have an effect on the final result of the game. Instead, you can place bets on games that are going to have an immediate result. In most cases, this is the preferred option as it’s easier to win big on games with an immediate result.
Which Team Is Most Likely To Score First In A Soccer Match?
Here is where we get into some advanced statistics and calculations, which might not be for the faint of heart. To find the answer to this question, let’s use a website called “Five Thirtyeight” to crunch some numbers.
We will use the information they provide to calculate the spread-2 for every single match going forward. That is a lot of work, which we are going to avoid if we can. Fortunately, there is a shortcut that will do all that work for us. Let’s look at the average score for each team in the English Premier League this season. As always, the EPL is the official name of the English Premier League.
The EPL is considered to be the best soccer league in the world, which is understandable, given that it is the most popular league in England. If you are an English speaker, then you probably already know what an EPL is and how it works. For those of you who don’t, the EPL is the top professional men’s league in England. The EPL has 20 teams and each team plays the others twice, resulting in a total of 40 games per season. If we go to http://stats.5382auto.com/teams/en/ and click on the “Full Play-by-Play Data” tab, then we will see the average scores for each team. For example, Arsenal has an average score of 1.8 in 2018 and it ranks second in the EPL. Therefore, we can conclude that Arsenal is the most likely team to score first in a match this season.
As you can see above, there are a few caveats to this particular analysis. One thing to keep in mind here is that there is no causation implied here. Another thing to keep in mind is that this calculation only works if both teams are within the top 20. If a team is outside the top 20, then their average score will not be included in the analysis.