Learn How to Bet on the FIFA World Cup:
What about betting in the upcoming FIFA World Cup? Some people bet for fun only during World Cup time, so even if you are just a recreational bettor, that is, someone that bets for fun and not professionally, check our FIFA World Cup betting guide to beat your friends during the Qatar tournament.
Football and sports betting: basic concepts
Unlike lottery games, you won’t simply buy a ticket. Unlike a casino, it’s not all about spinning the reels. Unlike playing cards, it’s not about beating someone and winning the pot prize.
Sports betting involves the concept of odds. It means that even if you bet on the same team to win the upcoming FIFA World Cup as your neighbor, you may win different amounts of money. Even if you bet the same amount of money!
But it’s easier than it sounds at first. Let’s understand what a betting odd is.
Soccer betting odds: beginners’ guide
Right now the average market odds for England to win the upcoming FIFA World Cup are 7.76.
It means if you bet £100, if England wins, you’ll win £776.
But let’s say England reaches the final.
Then they are very close to winning the World Cup. In that case, the odds will drop significantly. If the adversary is a strong team like Brazil, Germany, or Argentina, the odds will be around 2 to 3.
This means that if you wait to bet when something is almost happening, the odds will be lower than when they still are less likely.
Match Result Betting: Football betting guide
The same principles apply to match result betting. If you wait to see If the team is winning let’s say at the 60th minute, in case they are really winning you’ll earn less money by placing a ‘safer bet’.
Let’s use a real-life example. The opening game of the upcoming FIFA World Cup will be Qatar – Ecuador.
The current odds for the victory of the hosts are 3.68, while the odds for the victory of the South Americans are 2.08.
Let’s suppose that as of half-time Ecuador is winning, and the score is 0-2.
You’ll still be able to bet on Ecuador, but the odds will be smaller.
Perception of probabilities: the key to understanding football betting markets
There’s a big misconception in terms of how the betting markets work. A lot of people believe the odds translate actual probabilities into perfectly well-calculated, flawless numbers. They couldn’t be more wrong!
The odds are determined by the perception of the sportsbook and the betting community around an event.
Even if it’s very likely to happen. For that reason, it’s possible to profit off sports betting knowledge, but you need to have a keen eye and a good understanding of a specific sport, team, or league.
The more you know about something in the betting markets, the more likely you are to have an actual edge and profit.
Good luck trying to beat the betting markets! Check our special guides to learn more and more about betting.