Guest article written by Paul Micelli
This week I am posting the last part in my series on football spread betting. If you haven’t had a chance to read the other three parts then you can find them by clicking on the links below.
Football Spread Betting for Beginners Part 1
Football Spread Betting for Beginners Part 2
Football Spread Betting for Beginners Part 3
Betting on Bookings
If your side has a bit of disciplinary problem, it might actually be easier to place bets on the number of yellow and red cards they are awarded rather than placing wagers on them to win! Followers of Milton Keynes Dons would have made a small fortune last season, particularly in the fixture at Elland Road late in the season where three players were dismissed.
The booking index awards 10 points to a player who picks up a yellow card and 25 points to a player who picks up a red card. Local derbies are good games to look out for, especially those with a fiery history where bookings and dismissals are consistent. The Merseyside derby is a typically aggressive affair so let’s assume the spread is started at a reasonably high level of 44 to 48. This would suggest that the spread betting companies are expecting something in the region of 4 or 5 bookings.
Some punters may feel that this figure is a little low for a game that has a strong recent history of red cards so they might decide to buy at £3 per point. If the game actually turns out to be a little less fiery than expected then losses can occur:
- There are just 3 bookings which result in 30 points. This would lead to a loss of £54 (48 – 30 = 18 x £3)
However, if the game turns out to be a typically brutal showpiece with plenty of referee interaction, it’s highly likely that huge profits will be made:
- There are 7 booking and 1 red card resulting in 95 points. This would result in a profit of £141 (95 – 48 = 47 x £3)
Other Forms of Single Game Football Spread Betting
The actual scope of potential wagers in relation to football sports betting is almost limitless. Bets can be placed on the individual performances of players where points are accumulated for passes, shots, assists and goals. However, a great score can easily be dented by point deductions for red and yellow cards. Individual players can also be backed on the accumulated number of minutes they score goals in.
Spread betting can also extend to the match itself and wagers can be placed on the total number of minutes all goals are scored in or the total number of goals scored per game.
Long-Term Football Betting
Not all spread betting events focus on individual games. While traditional betting patterns might see a supporter backing their side for the title with a typical land-based bookmaker, spread betting allows fans and punters to buy or sell based on the projected number of points a team might score over the course of a season. One of the biggest benefits of this type of bet is the fact that there is no initial outlay. Wagers are settled at the end of the season or at any point where the bettor decides to close a bet while the season is in progress. This can be an attractive proposition for those who feel the outlay of £100 at a land-based operation is soured by the fact that there may be up to ten months before there are any signs of a potential return.
If you participate in spread betting then you should always realise that you run the risk of losing more than your individual starting stake.
