FOOTBALL BETTING TIPS

Online football betting has become increasingly popular in recent years, becoming punters` third favourite gambling medium after the traditional favourites, horse and greyhound racing. Football offers a plethora of online betting opportunities, including the Premiership, all divisions of the English and Scottish leagues, FA Cup and Champions League along with European leagues and internationals.

Online Fixed Odds Betting

For league and cup games in England, Scotland and various European countries, fixed odds football coupons are offered by all online bookmakers. These coupons offer prices for the home win, away win and draw in each match.
 

BETTING SYSTEMS

The current “fashion” in fixed odds football betting online is to use some form of betting system or strategy. Many systems and strategies have been devised in an attempt to beat the bookmakers.
 

Rating Systems

Rating systems are a method of assigning numerical values to the probabilities of the 3 possible outcomes in a football match. There are many rating systems available, particularly online. Almost all systems rely on some sort of points scheme, whereby a team is awarded points depending upon factors including home advantage, league position and recent form. Rating systems range from very simple to extremely complex, depending on which factors are taken into consideration in determining the ratings. Listing all the available systems would be impossible and probably fruitless, as the performance of different rating systems varies from season to season. Rating system software (some free) is available online, which can take the drudgery out of the “number-crunching” aspects of rating systems.
 

PROBABILITY & VALUE BETS

The key to successful football betting is the correct determination of the probabilities of the possible outcomes of a match. Obviously, a match result depends on a great number of different factors, and it would be unreasonable to suggest that any system could consider them all. However, there are several fundamental factors (which may appear obvious, but are often overlooked), which should be taken into consideration when assessing a match, including:
 

1. League position

A team`s league position is a general reflection of its overall ability.
 

2. Recent form

Winning has a positive psychological effect on players. A team in the middle of a “hot streak” is likely to perform better than one on a long losing run.
 

3. Injuries

Injuries to key players will affect a team`s performance.
 

4. Consistency

For a variety of reasons (bigger squads etc.) top teams can be expected to perform at about the same level, week in, week out. Some lesser teams can prove to be inconsistent, following an excellent performance with a dismal one. Furthermore, some teams are excellent at home, but very poor away.
Based on any information considered relevant, the idea is to calculate your own probabilities and hence prices on a given match. If an online bookmaker`s price is higher than your calculation, this represents a value bet. There are several other points that may aid successful online football betting:

1. Use the same stake for each bet.

2. Bet on single matches. Successful accumulators can provide a high return for a small outlay, but are rarely successful. In terms of long-term profit, they are a recipe for disaster.

3. Keep a record of your bets. This will enable you to keep track of the success level of your betting over a period.

4. For most online football punters, it makes sense to concentrate on teams for which information is freely available. However, some punters become experts in lower level football, e.g. non-league games, for which prices are now freely available. This may give an advantage over the bookmaker, whose odds compilers tend to concentrate on higher-level games, which are a more popular betting medium.

FREE TIPS

Many online sites offer free tips on football, including Premiership, FA Cup and international matches, including Euro 2008 online betting. Such sites claim various levels of long-term profit. For punters with limited time, these online sites may prove a valuable resource, as they do much of the mundane, time-consuming research. It is recommended that punters wishing to use such sites try out several, keeping stakes to a minimum, until the most reliable tipping site is determined.