The Most Popular Football Bets To Make

Betting has become a large part of football culture, ranging from fans betting on match-day for their team to bets on obscure matches in the second tier of Brazil.

Fans gain a thrill from placing bets and gaining the opportunity to win money. However, the different sites and platforms offer a variety of opportunities and ways to bet, including bet builders and match results.

So, when looking at football betting, what are some of the most popular bets to make?

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Match Result

At the beginning of betting and before bookmakers, the result of a match was the other thing that you could bet on, and the ‘Match Result’ option is as simple as the name.

Usually at the front and top of each game on a site, this is all about which team is going to win the match when it ends, handing bettors three options of a ‘Home Win’, ‘Draw’, or an ‘Away Win’.

Nott’m Forest shock Liverpool at Anfield! 😲

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side ends Liverpool’s unbeaten start to the season.#LIVNFO pic.twitter.com/WKBLSFe6fk

— Premier League (@premierleague) September 14, 2024

Coming into the fixture, the team that are the favourite will produce the poorest odds, potentially offering only a small return as they are expected to win. On the other hand, draws are a tough result to predict – often offering a strong return in bets, while the underdog in the match will offer the best option for someone wanting to make money, especially if they are away from home.

To sensibly bet on a match result, you will need to pick your chosen option and select an amount that you are comfortable losing on a bet – do not bet on a large underdog unless you are incredibly confident.

Things can, however, get a bit tricky when it comes to cup competitions. Match Result bets are usually settled over a 90-minute contest, so should a game be decided during extra-time or penalties, a Match Result bet placed on either of the two teams to win will return as a loser, as neither team won the game within the initial 90 minutes.

We all know of one friend or someone at a pub who constantly predicts a game correctly before a ball is kicked, so this is the option to put your money where your mouth is.

Both Teams To Score (BTTS)

Another popular option in football betting is ‘BTTS’, and similar to ‘Match Result’, this is as simple as it sounds.

For this bet to hit, both teams in a match need to score to be able to win. The time of the goals or the number of goals in a game does not matter. However, both teams need to end the fixture with at least one goal scored.

🧺 Arsenal have kept more clean sheets (9) than any other team in the Premier League this season pic.twitter.com/9hqgzV9CfQ

— WhoScored (@WhoScored) February 13, 2024

Form, statistics, and knowledge of the teams can be a huge hint in terms of this bet, with the quality in each team’s attack being the deciding factor. For example, in a game between Manchester City and Liverpool, both teams would be likely to find the net with the odds being poor, compared to Southampton playing against a team like Arsenal, you’d expect the Gunners to comfortably win the match with the odds likely to be high.

To be able to find this option on sites, ‘BTTS’ is often hidden under the ‘goals’ tab, which can often be found at the top of the screen on each match.

We all want to see goals and expect goals in football. Nevertheless, sometimes it is time to take bias out of your opinions, understanding that coaches like Mikael Arteta pride themselves on their defensive prowess, meaning goals are not always likely.

Accumulators

A staple of football betting, the Acca or Accumulator gives the opportunity to place one bet that features several different games and often has superb odds, giving the chance to win big.

An ambitious choice, an Acca can add up to a double-figure number of games with all bookmakers offering this type of bet. Most people opt for mega odds, making bets that are ridiculous and unrealistic with no chance of winning – in this case, the bookmakers and betting companies always win.

The more sections added, the higher the odds, but at the same time, with more matches comes more risk.

Potentially the most popular option, Accas are all about a ‘fun’ option to betting that often only requires a minimal spend. However, as much as we love an Acca, they are unlikely to bring back any money.

Goal Scorer

While the teams gain all three points, football matches are won by players, and this is another type of bet, with fans betting on their favourite players.

Goals scored is the most popular option – who’s going to score, is it a player who is on a hot run of form, or potentially an unlikely goal scorer who you believe is going to find the net?

■ Five consecutive games with a goal
■ Most goal contributions (15) in the Premier League

Who else but Mo Salah? 👑 pic.twitter.com/IsxL8XEbYI

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 24, 2024

Bookies will often offer the choices of ‘Score First’, ‘Score Last’, or ‘Score Anytime’, alongside the odds for each player finding the net. A striker or someone who has a recorded off getting onto the scoresheet will have poor odds compared to a defender who would have a big boost.

We all love dreaming about who is going to score in the 90th minute to win a match, or who is going to score a hat-trick, and this allows the opportunity of doing that.