Football Betting Terminology

Glossary of Football Betting Terminology
Most Popular Betting Choices

Glossary of Football Betting Terminology

As you might have seen prior to this article, the football betting terminology is vast enough that can make anyone confused at first. Therefore, we decided to list all the terms present in football betting, with a little side explanation, so you can picture a bigger image before placing your first bet.

If you already support a big football club, such as Real Madrid or Manchester City, or you’re new to the sport and want to start understanding it better, this terminology might help you have a better perspective about football betting.

Terminology that implies the result

This might be one of the most facile parts of the football betting terminology, as we all know that in all sports there has to be a winner and there has to be a loser, eventually.

Considering this, most bettors tend to use this type of bet, given the fact that it implies the result at a certain point in the game, giving you fewer alternatives, and therefore, fewer aspects to think of.

TERMINOLOGY	EXPLANATION
Final Result	Here you have the simplest betting market out there. Choosing this betting market means that you will have to predict the winner of the match. Nevertheless, you can always choose X, which means that you will predict that the match will end in a draw. Furthermore, you can even choose double chances, such as 1X or X2, meaning that you will predict two possible outcomes instead of one, making your chances better.
First Half	The same principle as the previous betting market applies here. However, the difference is that now, you will choose the outcome of the first half, not the entire match. You can choose between the same scenarios as earlier
Final Correct Score	With this bet, you are going to predict the correct final score of the match
Half-Time Correct Score	This is exactly the former betting market, expect the fact that it requires you to predict the half time correct score, instead of the final correct score
Half-Time or Final Result	In this case, you can choose a certain scenario to happen either at half time or at the end of the game. This can improve your chances, as you have two separate opportunities to win the bet. For example, if your team leads at half time, but ends up losing the match, you still win the bet
Win Either Half	This bet implies that either team will win either half. Furthermore, you can choose X, which means that you can bet on a draw in either halves.

Terminology that implies the total number of goals

This is another football betting terminology that is widely used. As any football fan knows, the most important aspect of this game is scoring goals. Therefore, bookmakers have developed complex bets that can suit everyone’s needs. Here are the bets that revolve around the most important factor in the game, the goal:

TERMINOLOGY	EXPLANATION
Both teams to score	Here, bettors will have to determine if both teams will score at least one goal in the game.
Both teams to score - First Half	If you are predicting that both teams will score at least one goal in the first half, you can try out this bet.
Both teams to score - Second Half	In this case, the same aspect applies, with the difference being the fact that both teams have to score at least one goal in the second half
Team to score	With this bet, you can choose whether you think any of the two teams will score at least one goal in the match. You can choose between the home side and the away side.
Both teams to score 2+	Just like the both teams to score betting market, here you will predict that both teams will score at least two goals during the match.
First Team to Score	If you trust one of two teams to start with the upper hand, you can bet that your favorite team will be the first one to score in the match with this betting market.
Half with the most goals	With this betting market, you can try to predict which half will have more goals involved. You can choose between the home team, away team or you can pick X, in case you think both halves are going to have the same number of goals
Goals Interval	This bet requires the bettor to predict the interval of goals that will be scored during the game. ex: 1-3; 2-4; 3-6
Over/Under	Here you are going to have two options. You will have a certain number and you have to predict if the number of goals scored will be under or over that respective number
Odd/Even	This bet requires the bettor to predict if the number of goals scored during the match will be odd or even

Terminology that implies the statistics of a game

This is a part of the game that is sometimes overlooked. Despite not being as popular as the previous betting markets that we presented, statistics are a big factor in the football game. Therefore, there are a lot of betting markets that revolve around them. Here are the most notable ones:

TERMINOLOGY	EXPLANATION
Corners	With this bet, you will have to predict which team will have more corners during the game. You can either choose between the home side, the away side, or X, in case you think both teams will have the same number of corners
First Corner	Here, you will have to predict which of the two involved teams will have the first corner of the game
Corners Odd/Even	Just like the odd/even goals market, you will have to predict if the number of corners in the match will be odd or even
Corners Over/Under	Here, you will have to predict if the number of corners in the match will over or under a specific number of your choosing
Total Cards	With this betting market, you will have to predict which of the two teams involved will have the most cards during the game. You either choose between the home side, the away side, or X, in case you think both teams will receive the same number of cards
Total Cards - Over/Under	Just like the other over/under markets, you will have a specific number of your choosing. Afterward, you are going to predict if the total number of cards both teams received during the game is over or under that respective number
Total Fouls	With this bet, you are going to predict which team will commit more fouls during the game. You can either choose the home team, away team, or X, in case you think both teams are going to commit the same amount of fouls
Total Fouls - Over/ Under	This bet requires the bettor to predict if the number of fouls committed by both teams during the game will over or under a specific number. ex: over 20.5
Total Offsides	Choosing this betting market means that you are going to predict which team will have more offsides during the game. You can either choose between the home team, away team, or X, in case you think that both teams will have the same number of offsides
Total Offsides - Over/Under	Here we have the same story as the other over/under market. The major difference, however, is that you are going to predict if the total offsides are over or under the specific number that you are going to choose

Terminology that implies handicaps

Here is where it gets a little bit tricky. Basically, a handicap in football means that we are either going to give an advantage or a disadvantage to a certain team before the game starts.

However, things can get a little difficult, especially considering that there are two types of handicaps: European and Asian. If things seem confusing at first, don’t worry, as we covered all the details you might want to know about handicaps and about the difference between European and Asian ones in an article on our website.

After going through the pieces of information that we presented here, don’t hesitate to check out that article in order to better understand how handicaps work in football.

Before that, here are, in just a few lines, the main handicaps used in footbal:

TERMINOLOGY	EXPLANATION
European Handicap	With this bet, you can either give a head start to the underdogs or a disadvantage to the favorites. After the game is finished, those numbers subtract from the result. You can bet on either, win, lose or draw.
Asian Handicap	Works pretty much like the European one, expect you can’t bet on a draw. Moreover, the symbols and numbers are different.

Terminology that involves special events

These following bets will focus on the special events that can happen during a football game. Although not as usual, there are some aspects of the game that can occur, and these are the bets that focus them:

TERMINOLOGY	EXPLANATION
Certain Player to Score	By choosing this betting market, you will have to name one player that you think will score at any point during the match
Penalty	Here, this betting market implies that there will be at least one penalty awarded to either of the teams during the match
Red Card	Being another special event that rarely occurs during the match, this betting market implies that at least one red card will be awarded during the match to any player from either team

Now, keep in mind that these are just the general betting markets that you can find at the most bookmakers, without going into much detail. There are some points left out, but here are some factors that might help you even further:

Depending on the bookmakers you’re choosing, you might face special bets, with combined markets. Moreover, you can find bookmakers that allow to build your own market, combining two or more classic ones,
The terminology can be different at some bookmakers. However, the explanation and the main points of the betting markets remain the same.
You might find it difficult at first, given how many choices you can make. We are going to cover the most popular betting markets later in the article, so you can have a starting ground in this field.

Most Popular Betting Choices

Despite being such a vast field, football betting has certain markets that are more popular than others. This might occur due to the fact that they might be easier to execute for football teams, more often met, or just because they are easier to understand for the bettor.

Therefore, we are going to list some of the most popular betting choices, giving you a head start if you want to start betting and don’t want to bother searching for a particular market. Here are the most popular three betting markets in football:

Both teams to score

This is for sure, one of the most popular betting choices out there. Considering how much football has evolved nowadays, with the quality of players being exceptional, there’s no surprise that many bettors are choosing this market.

Especially in well-established competitions, such as the Premier League, where teams constantly deliver impressive games, this kind of market is working most of the time.

Half Time of Final Result

This betting market doesn’t usually offer the most profitable odds, as the chances of the scenario can be high. Despite this, as long as you want to go for a safe bet, this might be your cup of cake.

Moreover, the fact that the odds can be low is not that tough, considering how much help an odds comparison website such as BetBrain can get you.

Over/Under

The fact that this betting market only allows you two outcomes is the major factor that makes bettors choose it. Considering how difficult constructing a profitable bet might be, having just two choices can get you an easier time.

Furthermore, the odds for this betting market can be profitable.

In conclusion, the football betting terminology should be no big deal to a new fan who would like to discover more about the king sport. However, you can always check out our predictions for your favourite football matches, as well as the free betting tips provided by our community in case you'd like a better understanding on how a seasoned bettor or a professional approaches football.