All types of football bets explained

Football bets at Unibet
Football bets at Unibet
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In betting on football, there are literally dozens of different bets possible. Some of them aren't that easy to understand. In this article we will take a look at the most common football bets.


1X2 / Match / Straight bet

The 1X2 bet is by far the most popular. Here you simply bet on the end result: 1 is a home team win, 2 is an away team win and X is a draw.
This bet is also available for the half time score.
Be aware of the fact that the 1X2 bet only applies to the regular playing time - 90 minutes plus stoppage time. In a tournament where overtime and penalties are possible, there will also be a 'to qualify' bet, which you can use to bet on the team which will advance to the next round. In this case, a draw is of course not possible.

Totals: Over/Under

The total number of goals in regular playing time - of both teams combined - is another very popular bet. Half numbers are used to display the odds, so that a draw (or 'push') isn't possible.
This means that you can for instance bet on more (over) or less (under) than 2½ goals in a game. Naturally, everything is available, from ½ to 4½.
Over/unders are also available for the half time score, and often for more than just goals. You can often also bet on number of corners and yellow cards in an over/under.

Double chance

In this bet, you bet on two out of three possible results in a 1X2. The possibilities are 1X, 12 and X2.
If you bet on the 'Double Chance X2' for instance, you will win if the game ends in a draw, or when the away team wins. You can choose to bet on the full time or the half time result.

Draw no bet

A 'draw no bet' (DNB) offers the security of getting your money back in case of a draw. In this version of the 1X2 it's only possible to choose between the 1 and the 2. This bet can often also be made for the half time score.

HT/FT

HT/FT stands for Half Time / Full Time. This is a combination of two 1X2 bets on the same game, one for the half time score, and another one for the full time score.
An example is 'X/1', in which you bet that the teams are level at half time, but that the home team will manage to win in the end.

Correct score

In correct score you try to predict the exact score after regular playing time. This certainly isn't easy, which is why the payouts for this bet are often big. Again, you can also bet on the exact half time score.

Handicap

Handicap bets are the most complicated. This is because there are several possibilities. There are for instance the three-way handicap, the Asian handicap and the Line handicap, to name just a few. The details are different every time, but the basis is always that one team gets a 'virtual' lead in the game. This handicap is then added to the real result, to get a handicapped result.
In our article about handicap betting we will explain this in more detail.

Goal scoring

There are many different bets available for if teams manage to score or not. For the most part these are self-explanatory:
  • Which team scores the first goal. 1X2 bet. (X = no goals)
  • First goal. Void with draw / 'Draw no bet' (Money back if the score is 0-0.)
  • Both teams score / 'Both to score'. Yes/no bet.
  • Home team (or Away team) to score. Yes/no.
  • Home team scores both halves. Yes/no.
  • Home team wins with clean sheet / 'Win to nil'. Yes/no.
  • Home team keeps a clean sheet / 'Clean sheet' (0-0 also pays out in this case). Yes/no.
  • Goal scored in 0:00-29:59. Yes/no.

Odd / Even

Besides over/under, you can also bet on if the total amount of goals (or corners, etc.) will be an odd or even number. Of all kinds of football bets, this one comes closest to pure gambling.

Disciplinary / Booking points

Besides an over/under on the amount of yellow cards, there is usually also a yes/no bet about whether or not there will be a red card in the game.
A more complicated bet to understand is perhaps the 'booking points' one. This is an over/under on the amount of disciplinary points in a game. In this bet a yellow card counts for ten points, and a red card for 25. One player can never cause more than 35 booking points.

Player specials

Of course there are also plenty of bets aimed at the performances of individual players. Here you bet on one player in particular, in bets such as:
  • Which player will score the first goal
  • Which player will score the last goal
  • Player X to score yes/no
  • Not to score
  • Scores at least 2 goals
  • Scores at least 3 goals
  • Scores using his head
  • Gets booked
  • Receives a red card
As you can imagine, the possibilities are endless.

Head-to-heads

In special head-to-head bets, two players or teams are compared to each other, and you can bet which one will do better. Some possible bets are:
  • Which player will score more goals during the season
  • Which player will be the first to score in the tournament
  • Which team will end higher in the league

Outrights

Outrights are special tournament or seasonal bets. The most popular example is of course which team will be champion at the end of the season, but there are countless other options:
  • Which country will win the World Cup
  • Which team will win their qualifying group
  • Which team will relegate at the end of the season
  • Which player will score the most goals
In championship bets you will often come across the options Win and Place. In Win you bet on the winner, but if you choose Place, your team can also become second, third or even fourth.
Be sure to check if the top 3 (medal) or the top 4 (semifinal) qualifies for this bet. This could make a big difference.

Live betting

With live betting on a game, there will be even more possible bets after the kick-off. Some examples:
  • Which team will score the next goal
  • Which team will take the next corner kick
  • Which team will receive the next yellow card
But many of the pre-match bets will also still be available at live betting, and their odds will be adjusted depending on the score of the game. It is certainly worth it to try this sometime. If you are able to read the game well, there's a lot of profit to be made there.

Choose the right bookmaker

It is important to choose an online bookmaker where you have as many of these bets available as possible. Because perhaps sometimes a corner bet will be more easy to predict than a 1X2, or an over/under on the amount of goals.
At the Unibet sportsbook you can be sure that you will have all of these bets avaliable to you. This online bookmaker offers one of the widest ranges of football bets in the world, which means you will always be able to find what you are looking for.

Click here to open a free account at Unibet »





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