Outright betting on football remains a great way to make a profit while betting on football leagues across the globe, but of course you have to have some patience because these types of bets are not ones that pay out quickly, unless you have placed them during the final days of the season.

Outright markets are straightforward – you are betting on subjects such as league winners, relegation, top-four finishes etc, and these prediction markets are available all season long so you can wait to see how a team performs before backing them in one of these markets. So what markets are available?

Read on for our football guide using the Premier League as an example…

Football Betting Guide

Winner

The Premier League Winner market is exactly what the title says – you are betting on who will win the top-flight of English football. This market goes live very early on – you could bet on the 2018/19 Premier League Winner market before the conclusion of the 2017/18 campaign – and the earlier you bet on it, the bigger the price you will get in most instances. Look at Leicester City who were 5000/1 to win the Premier League heading into the 2015/16 season and left the bookies facing some massive pay-outs when they went all the way. You will not see prices that big anymore – the bookies have learned their lesson – but if you are a patient punter this could be the market for you.

Top 4 Finish

The Top 4 Finish market gives you the opportunity to bet on a team finishing in – you guessed it – the top four places in the Premier League. It does not matter if the team you back finishes first, second third or fourth, as long as they are in the top four at the end of the campaign your bet will be a winner. Now, you are not going to make much in the way of a profit by backing a team like Manchester City in this market, but the race for Champions League football is a hot one with several teams looking to fill the four places and that means even some of the big clubs are available at backable prices before and during the season. But of course, as the league season pans out these odds are likely to fluctuate and in many cases get shorter, so you really have to get your timing right to get the best possible odds.

Top 6 Finish

This market is just like the Top 4 one, but in this instance you are betting on a team finishing in the top six. The big guns will always be short odds in this market, but if you feel there is a sleeper team in the Premier League that could upset the established order a little bit – Burnley threatened to do it in 2017/18 – you could make a healthy profit while betting on this market. But just like the Top 4 Finish market, the odds will change throughout the season so timing is everything. 

Top 10 Finish

While the Top 4 Finish and Top 6 Finish markets are dominated by the usual suspects, the Top 10 Finish market is one that can produce some very healthy returns because there is almost always one team that springs something of a surprise by finishing in the top half of the table. In recent years the likes of Bournemouth and Burnley have gone from relegation candidates to top-half finishers in the space of 12 months, and if you successfully back a team to follow in their footsteps you could enjoy a tidy profit at the end of the campaign. But just like the previous Top (position) markets, the odds will change throughout the season so timing is everything.

Relegation

Those first few markets were looking at the top end of the table, but betting on the other end of the Premier League standings is also a popular form of outright betting. The relegation market is simple – you are betting on a team to go down to the Championship at the end of the season. It does not matter if that team finishes 18th, 19th or 20th – as long as they head down to the second tier at the end of the campaign your bet will be a winner. Newly-promoted teams tend to be short odds in this market, but in recent years we have seen quite a few surprise relegations and because this is a market that is available all season long, it really does offer the chance to make a tidy profit when betting on the Premier League. And what you really want here is a congested bottom half because that will result in several teams being available at backable odds even at a late stage in the season.

Relegation Treble

This is very much like the previous market in which you are backing teams to go down, but unlike the Relegation market where you pick just one side, the Relegation Treble market requires you to pick all three teams that will be relegated at the end of the campaign. Due to the risk involved – you need three teams to deliver – this is a market that can lead to a big return.

Read more: Official home of the A-League

To Finish Bottom

While the Relegation market asks you to pick a team that will go down, the To Finish Bottom market requires you to select a side that will be propping up the rest of the Premier League table at the end of the season. You will see bigger odds in this market than you will in the Relegation one because you do not have three league positions that will hand you a winning bet, but if you are betting on this market you need to do it before a team gets cut adrift at the bottom, otherwise their odds will shorten quickly and dramatically. 

To Stay Up

Staying at the bottom end of the table, we are switching things up with the To Stay Up market. No longer are you backing a team or teams to be relegated, you are backing them to secure Premier League survival. Of course, teams that have featured in the top flight for several seasons are going to be at short or unbackable odds in this market, but if you like the chances of a newly-promoted team lasting more than one season in the Premier League or fancy a team that narrowly avoided the drop the season before to stay up once again, this is the market for you. But just like the other outright markets available for the Premier League, timing is everything here as you look to make a profit because the odds available can – and will – fluctuate.

Top Goalscorer

With a wealth of attacking talent plying its trade in the Premier League nowadays, the race to be the English top-flight’s Top Goalscorer is always an interesting one and it remains a popular outright market for punters to bet on. With so many options available, it is a market that offers an opportunity to make a nice profit because even the most lethal strikers are available at backable odds during the early stages of the season. But of course, as the goals flow the prices shorten and that means this is a market you really need to consider jumping on early to get the best possible price.

Winner/Top Goalscorer

This market combines the Premier League Winner and Top Goalscorer markets – but you do not necessarily have to back a striker that plies his trade for the team that wins the league. After all, in recent seasons the Premier League champions have not boasted the services of the league’s top goalscorer. The fact you are combining two different markets means there is more risk involved, but if you can successfully select the Premier League Winner and the Golden Boot winner then a healthy profit could be making its way into your account at the end of the campaign.

Betting on football matches has never been easier and there has never been so many markets to choose from for every single game – but which markets should you be using in an attempt to make a profit?

Bettingpro.com offers betting tips for football matches across Europe and the following markets feature regularly in our previews…

Winner

Football betting markets do not come much more simpler than this one – you are simply backing a team to win the game or for the match to end in a draw. This market is available for every football match you can possibly bet on, but it goes without saying that sometimes it will not offer the most appealing odds. The best chance of making a decent profit in this market comes from what the bookmakers perceive to be a very competitive match – for example, Watford v Burnley or Manchester United v Liverpool. If a match looks to be one sided then there will be one clear favourite and that team’s odds will not be appealing.

Handicap

The handicap market is very similar to the ‘Winner’ market, but in this instance you are backing a team to overcome a fictional handicap. For example, Chelsea are 3/10 to beat West Ham United, but that price offers very little in the way of appeal. However, you can still back the Blues to win the match, at a better price, thanks to the handicap market. In this instance, Chelsea -2 to win the match is available at 21/10. So what does the -2 mean? It means West Ham will start the game with a fictional 2-0 lead and Chelsea must win by three goals in order to erase the deficit and win the match, landing you a winning bet. On the opposite side, you may believe Chelsea will win by a single goal so you could go West Ham +2, which is available at Even money. That means if Chelsea win the match 1-0 on the field, West Ham will actually be 2-1 winners in terms of your bet once the two-goal handicap is applied. 

Half-Time/Full-Time

Another way to back a team to win at a better price than the one available in the ‘Winner’ market is to dive into the Half-time/Full-time market. This market requires you to bet on who you think will be winning at half-time and full-time in the match. So for example, you may believe Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur will be drawing at half-time but fancy Tottenham Hotspur to be in front at full-time. Therefore the selection you would make would be Draw/Tottenham, which is currently available at 7/1. This market can offer a great way to make a healthy profit because you need two things to happen for it to be a winner. 

Winning Margin

Winning margin is another way to back a team at a better price than the one available in the ‘Winner’ betting market – and just like the previous markets I have mentioned this is straightforward. You are merely betting on how many goals a team will win by – Manchester City to win by 1 goal, Manchester City to win by 2 goals, Manchester City to win by 3 goals more etc. So instead of backing Man City to beat Everton at 1/3, which is hardly tempting, you may fancy them to run out comfortable winners by two goals. Backing Manchester City to win by 2 goals in this instance would offer a higher, and more appealing, price of 3/1. 

Total Goals

The outcome of the match does not matter as far as this betting market is confirmed – you are merely betting on how many goals will be scored in total. So for example, if you are expecting to see at least two goals you could back Over 1.5 Total Goals, or you may expect to see three or less so you would select Under 3.5 Total Goals. The prices in this market will obviously vary from match to match, so while it may offer a tempting price in one game it may not be particularly appealing in another.

Both Teams To Score

Just like ‘Total Goals’, this football betting market is not affected by the outcome of a match. When betting on this market you simply need both teams involved in the game to find the back of the net – it does not matter how many times they both score, each team just needs to score at least once. Of course, just like ‘Total Goals’ the appeal of this market will vary from match to match. For example, the odds on both teams scoring will be bigger if one team has a rock-solid defence that rarely concedes, while the price will be short if the match is features to two teams with leaky rearguards. 

Match Result & Both Teams To Score

This market combines two of the previous markets I have mentioned – Winner and Both Teams To Score. It is straightforward though and it does offer another opportunity to back a match outcome at a bigger price than the one available in the ‘Winner’ market. In this instance, all you are doing is betting on the outcome of the match and whether or not both teams will score. So for example, you may expect odds-on favourites Liverpool to beat Crystal Palace but want a bigger price than 6/13. By going into this market you can get a price as big as 2/1 on Liverpool to win & both teams to score. For this bet to win you just need Palace to score in a losing effort. Of course, the odds are affected by the likelihood of both teams scoring.

Match Result & Over/Under Total Goals

This is very similar to the last market I wrote about, but instead of backing both teams to score you are simply betting on who will win and how many goals will be scored in the match. For example, when Liverpool visit Crystal Palace you may be expecting the Reds to win a match that sees at least three goals. Therefore you would back Liverpool/Over 2.5 in this market at odds of 21/20. It does not matter if Liverpool win 3-0, 2-1 of 10-0 – as long as they are victorious and three total goals are scored then your bet would be a winner. Of course, the odds are affected by the likelihood of goals being scored in the match.

First Goalscorer

First Goalscorer betting remains one of the most popular forms of betting when it comes to football matches. This market is available for every match in top club and international competitions, and it offers a great opportunity to make a healthy profit because you are simple betting on who will break the deadlock with the game’s first goal. With 20 outfield players on the pitch when the match gets underway, there are plenty of players to choose from and that means even the likes of Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane will be available at backable prices. But perhaps you like the look of a goal-scoring midfielder – his odds could be rather sizeable and if he does break the deadlock you will enjoy a very tidy return.

Anytime Goalscorer

Odds in this market are shorter than the First Goalscorer market because you are merely betting on a player to score in the match. It does not matter if he nets first, second, third or last – as long as he finds the back of the net your bet will be a winner. Big name players are usually at short odds in this market, so you often have to be a little creative when picking out a goalscorer. Perhaps one team is excellent at set-pieces, bringing a defender into play in this market at a big price? Or perhaps a side has a midfielder with a knack for ghosting into the box and grabbing a goal here and there? This market can offer good rewards when you successfully back a player that is not exactly prolific in front of goal.

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