Football Betting Mistakes To Avoid

Betting is becoming an increasingly significant part of football culture, with fans ranging from casual match-day bets to placing bets on their predictions at the start of the season, putting their money where their mouth is.

However, for those who do bet, it costs, with fans losing large sums of money as everyone makes betting mistakes.

From overhyping your favourite player or club to ignoring form and placing an ambitious bet that could produce a fine return.

But here are some of the common mistakes that are made in football betting and some of the solutions to prevent them.

Top 10 Football Betting Mistakes

1. Ignoring Form

One of the most telling pieces of analysis when it comes to football is the form of a player or team. You might be inclined to bet on a player who is on fantastic goal-scoring form, while a team on hot form could be seen as a banker when it comes to betting.

However, for many, the temptation could be to bet against form and gamble for strong odds.

Solution: If casually betting - only place small stakes and do not bet on games, disregarding form unless you are confident of the game's outcome.

2. Failing To Respond To Speculation

Football has an astronomical number of eyeballs, creating both attention and media. This means reliable and unreliable rumours constantly occur in the footballing world, with news breaking before different games.

In the modern day, social media is one of the main platforms when it comes to journalism. However, not everyone is telling the truth, and several troll accounts have been set up to trick fans, leading to bets being placed and failing due to the lies spread on the internet.

Solution: Only listen to rumours and information that could affect a bet if the source is reliable and trustworthy.

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Arne S(L)OT. 😉 pic.twitter.com/D4beYQrV03

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) September 14, 2024

3. Relying On Statistics

When placing a bet, it is easy to look at statistics and rely upon them. But a common mistake is to make assumptions and predictions in betting based on those numbers.

For example, one team might be unbeaten against the other in several meetings. However, that does not mean that it would be wise to bet on them if the other team is in a higher league position despite being the underdogs in the fixture.

Solution: Make your own assumptions and mix those with statistics – do not purely base your opinions on statistical analysis, current form must also be kept in mind.

4. Being Blindsided By Opinions

For several reasons, football brings a number of different opinions from a number of different people. Fans make their opinions and support their sides, but in the 21st century, pundits also play a large part in swaying public opinions.

Being ex-professional these people understand what they are talking about, but if Gary Neville takes to Sky Sports and makes a claim that many agree with – that does not mean that it is true.

Solution: Do not have your opinions changed by pundits and opinions – the most important thing to analysis is what is happening on the pitch, and this means that you do not need to change your bets in the moment.

5. Emotional Bets

Every football fan backs their team, potentially being deluded with their opinions and seeing the positives in every outcome.

However, when it comes to betting, putting money on your favourite club is a dangerous game as fans could make ridiculous and unlikely selections based on emotion.

Solution: Choose to not bet on your favourite team or be logical when putting money down – do not go for your favourites players but what you believe will be a likely result.

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— AB⚕ (@AbsoluteBruno) February 18, 2024

6. One Too Many Selections

ACCAs and bet builders are some of the most popular parts of sports betting, with fans placing low amounts for high odds.

A bet builder is likely to involve several actions and outcomes for a match, such as goal-scorers, cards, or the eventual winner of the fixture. But these types of bets become unlikely when fans begin to pick ridiculous.

Solution: It is not worth adding selections that are extremely difficult to predict the exact amount such as the number of corners, throw-ins, or fouls as they may affect and fail the entire bet.

7. Betting On An Unknown Match

Potentially the most extreme mistake on the list, this could be aimed more towards serious betters rather than casuals – one mistake that football fans make is

Solution: Only bet on games that you know and can have an opinion on.

8. Not Understanding The Structure Of A Bet

If you are new, betting can be complicated with an endless number of different bets and odds.

Moneyline bets, over’s and under’s, spread bets, and bet builders can be an incredibly daunting task for a novice often causing people to lose money, potentially placing several small bets rather than one larger one.

Solution: When betting for the first time be around an experienced individual that you can trust.

9. Betting Without A Plan

A huge mistake that is often made by new sports bettors is jumping straight into the betting world without a plan.

Without a plan, many bet randomly, find themselves out of credit rapidly, and will eventually chase their losses. This means that betting can quickly go from being casual to an addiction.

Solution: Set out a plan for an amount of money that you are comfortable with to place on bets and lose, meaning you can leave at a reasonable time and keep your finances in check.

10. Chasing Losses

Many people who lose when betting fall into the trap of chasing their losses and attempting to recover the money that they had once lost.

Chasing losses is the idea that a bettor will continue betting and will eventually win and make up for their losses. However, this is not what always happens, and by doing this process, the bettor could put themselves in an even deeper hole.

Solution: When you begin losing more money in bets – it’s time to quit.

How To Develop Better Betting Habits

Betting seems to have become part of a matchday for several football fans, placing a bet before attending a match or watching a big one on the TV.

While many are sensible, betting is a dangerous game, and to be able to develop better betting habits – one way to start is by making smaller bets, only placing down amounts that you are not afraid to lose.

Better betting habits can also be gained by being more selective with your gambling – going into a schedule and only betting once a week or when you are confident with your choices.

How Football Park’s Data Helps To Avoid Common Errors

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If you are someone who makes mistakes in betting, Football Park is a fantastic place due to its prediction and tip sections.

Football Park’s predictions and tips give an in-depth preview of each game of the week - this preview includes predicted lineups, recent meetings between the teams, and a look at the form of both teams.

More importantly, these pieces end with betting advice for the game and where to find the best odds. Football Park is a fantastic place for those trying to develop better habits and stop making mistakes when betting.