Playing to Win

Association Football (Soccer) is the most popular sport in the world, estimated to be played in over 200 countries by 250 million players. When it comes to fans, they also top the list, with an estimated four billion fans across the globe.

The World Cup event held by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is to honor the sport and give all the fans an opportunity to watch and cheer on their favorite teams. The event has happened every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except during the World War II years of 1942 and 1946. 

As fierce as the play on the field might be for this sporting event, so is the wagering taking place online at the best betting sites for this contest by the senior men’s national teams of FIFA members.

The qualification phase of the World Cup takes place over the preceding three years to the scheduled final event, and is used to determine which teams qualify for the tournament phase, also called the World Cup Finals. This results in thirty-two teams plus the automatically qualifying host nation or nations will compete in the World Cup Finals for the title at a venue within the host nation or nations over a period of approximately one month.

Soccer is played on a grassy field called a pitch, which is rectangular in shape and must be between 100 and 130 yards long and 50 to 100 yards wide. The maximum number of players on a soccer team is eleven, with a soccer game bet based on the results after ninety minutes of play (Regular Time) plus any time the referee might add because of player injuries or other stoppages. It should be noted that any Overtime, Golden Goals or Penalty Shoot-Outs do not count in soccer betting since these are not considered part of ‘Regular Time’ play. 

These are the eleven different player positions for each soccer team.

Goalkeeper
Centre-back
Sweeper
Fullback
Wingback
Centre-midfielder
Defensive midfielder
Attacking midfielder
Winger
Forward
Striker

In the competitive sport of soccer, there is normally a difference in the perceived expertise of the opposing teams. The size of that difference varies depending on a complex range of facts, ranging from historical dominance and financial backing to situational factors such as home field advantage or player injuries/availability. Soccer betting will interpret all these different factors and present them as the odds representing each team’s chances of success.

When the perceived difference in the team expertise is significant, the betting odds on the favorite will be so small it provides minimal returns on a bet, and offers little incentive for bettors.

To counter the perceived bias in experience, and to provide more balanced and appealing odds, bookmakers offer what is known as handicap betting. For the sport of soccer, the Handicap odds level the playing-field by accounting for differences in perceived strength of the participants by literally applying a goal handicap – positive and negative – to each side. This gives bettors the opportunity to win more than when backing a heavy favorite in traditional 1X2 bet – the most common way to bet on soccer.

The handicap is applied to the actual outcome of the game in order to grade (result) the bet. There are three types of Handicap bets you need to be aware of before betting on soccer games:

Level Handicap

A level Handicap is where there is no perceived difference in abilities between Team X and Team Y, so no Handicap bias is assigned and both teams start with 0 goals.

To win a bet, the bettor must identify the team which they think will score more goals than their opponent. This type of handicap isn’t relevant for one-sided encounters but is useful because it eliminates the draw; if the game ends in a draw (tie), all bets are refunded because on a zero handicap neither team has any advantage.

Single Handicap

A single Handicap occurs when there is a perceived difference in abilities between Team X and Team Y.

The alleged superior team will be given an appropriate goal handicap to level the playing field for betting purposes i.e. -0.5 goal, -1 goal, -1.5 goals etc.

For example, if you bet on Team X with a handicap of -1 goal, they must win by more than one goal to cover their handicap and win you the bet. If team X only wins by one goal, the result with this handicap applied is a draw for betting purposes, so your bet is refunded. If Team Y plays to a draw or wins, you will lose the bet on Team X.

Split Handicap

A split Handicap occurs when the difference between the team abilities is small. It allows you to split the stake over two handicaps.

For example, Team X might be offered at (0 & -0.5). If you bet on Team X and they lose, you will lose both bets, as they did not cover either handicap.

If the match ends in a draw, half of your stake at (0) will be refunded, and the other half at (-0.5) will lose. If Team X wins however, both handicaps will be covered, so both bets win.

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Take the time to learn all you can about the competitive sport you enjoy, and learn how to maximize your win by understanding the options available.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_men%27s_national_association_football_teams

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup