When live soccer betting came into existence on online sites several years ago, people thought it wouldn’t last long. But they were wrong. Live betting became a huge success from the moment it hit the online sites. People enjoyed playing live soccer betting more than traditional betting that most online sites made live soccer betting the primary form of betting.
What is Live Soccer Betting?
Live soccer betting very similar to traditional betting in terms of working. You choose a match you want to place your bet on, place your wager, and get paid according to the odds if you win.
The main difference between live soccer and traditional betting is that in traditional betting, you place your bet before the start of the match whereas, in live soccer, you place your bet after the start of the match.
Introducing the soccer betting odds:
Odds are represented in numerical forms. They determine the profit you gain after winning your wager. There are three types of soccer betting odds used by all bookmakers:
Decimal Odds:
One of the most commonly used forms of odds is the decimal odds. They are represented in decimals such as 1.50, 2.00, 1.76, and so on. Unlike the other odds, the odds in decimals do not represent the profit but instead the total payout.
For example, if you bet $100 for the odds of 1.5, your total amount on winning would be $150, which includes the profit of $50 and the initial bet amount $100.
Fractional Odds:
As the name suggests, fractional odds are in the form of fractions such as 9/15. “Nine-to-fifteen” is the correct way of referring to it. The denominator tells the amount you need to pay for the bet and the numerator tells the amount you win as profits.
The sum of the initial bet amount and the profit gives you the total payouts.
In the above case, you will need to bet $15 in order to receive a profit of $9, giving you a total payout of $24.
Conversion of fractional odds into decimal odds is achieved by dividing the numerator by the denominator of the fractional odds and adding +1 to the result. Hence the fractional form of 9/15 would be 0.6 +1 = 1.6
American Odds:
Unlike the other two odds, American Odds are displayed in whole numbers accompanied by a (+) sign or a (-) sign. The (+) sign indicates the profit you will receive for every $100 you bet, and the (-) sign indicates the amount you need to bet in order to receive a profit of $100.
The match favorites always get the (-) sign and underdogs always get the (+) sign. The formula for the total payout is as follows:
Total Payout = Initial bet amount + Profits
The American odds are generally showing in the following manner:
Barcelona: -200
Elche: +300
In the above example, if you bet $100 for Elche to win, your profit would be $300 and hence the payout would be $100(initial bet amount) + $300(profits) = $400.
Now if you bet for Barcelona to win, you would need to bet $200 to receive a profit of $100. Hence your total payout would be $200(initial bet amount) + $100(profits) = $300.
How does live soccer betting work?
Now that we know what live soccer betting is and the different types of odds, let us have a look at how live soccer betting works.
In traditional betting, the odds remain the same. The bookmaker fixes the odds before the start of the match and they do not change. Whereas in live soccer betting, the odds keep changing, depending on the situation of the match.
For example, if before the start of a live betting soccer match, the odds of team A winning is 2.00 and the odds of team B winning is 1.90 and if team A scores 3 goals and team B scoring none, then as the match gets closer to the 90-minute mark, the odds of team A gradually decreases going closer to 1.00 and the odds of team B increases at the match reaches the 90-minute mark. And if by chance team B takes the lead in this situation, the odds of team B decreases and gets closer to 1.00 and that of team A increases. This way the odds keep changing from time to time depending on the situation of the match.
In soccer, betting sites offer live betting on almost every league, with top leagues having more options for live betting like match result, next team to score, correct score, 1st half result, etc.
Advantages of Live Soccer Betting:
If you still feel confused about whether live soccer is meant for you or not, just have a look at all the advantages and decide for yourself.
1. Increased selection of betting options:
Live betting offers a variety of betting options apart from the traditional “which team wins” option. Here are some of the options available:
- You can either bet on which team will score the first goal and at what time.
- You can also predict the team to score the next goal while watching a live match.
- Betting on team or player to get the first booking
- Player to score the next goal
As you can see, there are just some of the most popular options from a ton of others provided by the bookmaker.
2. Lots of information to work with:
The result of a match not always depends on how strong or weak a team is on paper. Mentality and tactics play a huge part in a team’s win. Even an underdog team can beat a favorite if they have the right tactics and mentality.
3. Excitement like no other betting type:
This one is pretty obvious. The reason most online betting sites offer live betting as a primary form of betting is that people enjoy it a lot more than any other type of betting. Live betting can also make even a boring match to be exciting. The satisfaction one gets after knowing they predicted the right score is irreplaceable.
Some Live Soccer Betting Strategies and Tips:
Here are some of the live soccer betting strategies that beginners can make use of:
1. Watch the game:
In live betting, use its advantage as much as you can. Sit and watch the live match. Do not bet right away at the start of the match. Give in some time and analyze what the tactics are and how each player is playing. This gives you an idea of which team/player is more likely to score and win.
2. Use previous match information:
It is important to get information about previous matches of the teams that you are betting on. If the team has been successful in its last few outings, it is very likely going to stick with the same tactics and strategies. Analyze that information and place your bets accordingly.
3. Avoid any guessing:
If you feel like you have to guess a particular match, we recommend you avoid betting on that match.
4. Do not bring your emotions into betting:
Many times, people bet on a team or a player simply because it is their favorite team or player and get emotional about it. If a strong player hasn’t scored against a particular team in the past 3 or 4 matches, it is very unlikely he would score the upcoming match.