With over a hundred betting markets per FIFA World Cup match, it may initially seem quite difficult to pinpoint the very best bet.
That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the most popular soccer bets so that you can pick your favorite.
1×2 Bet Type
The 1×2 bet (also called a three-way or a match bet) is the most straightforward bet available in soccer betting as you simply pick the outcome of the FIFA World Cup match.
The 1×2 refers to the following:
- 1 – Home team
- X – Draw
- 2 – Away team
It’s important to note that a 1×2 bet is settled after 90 minutes of play including stoppage and injury time.
Be careful as this bet doesn’t include any extra time or penalty shootouts for the knockout rounds.
American bettors familiar with US sports such as MLB, NBA and NFL will be used to 2 options on the moneyline but soccer includes the third option of a draw (X).
Double Chance Bet
As the name indicates you have 2 chances to win. Think of it as a modified 1×2 bet where you have the opportunity to pick 2 possible results out of 3 options for the soccer match:
- Home team or draw
- Away team or draw
- Home team or away team
As there’s more chance of winning, the odds are stacked against you and there’s dramatically less value in this type of bet.
This particular betting market is perfect for a bettor who desires to reduce risk while still coming away with a profit.
The ‘home team or draw’ and the ‘away team or draw’ options are the same as a +0.5 handicap, which brings us to our next bet.
Draw-no-bet
This bet can best be described as a 2-way moneyline bet and it is similar to the 1×2 bet except that the draw has been eliminated and as such the odds follow.
If you place a draw-no-bet and the match ends in a draw (the bane of soccer fans everywhere), your original staked amount will be pushed (refunded).
So, if there is a draw there is no bet.
With only 2 outcomes for this bet, both the favorite and the underdog’s prices will be shorter than the 1×2 market due to the built-in insurance against a draw.
Asian Handicap Bet
A handicap bet is also called a spread bet.
The simplest way to explain this bet is to think of a stronger team facing a weaker team. To even the playing field the stronger team is expected to good enough to beat the weaker team even if the stronger team has goals subtracted from their final score.
In contrast the weaker team is given additional goals and are then expected to win the match with the added goals.
For example, the favorite team is expected to win by 1 or 2 goals, thus giving the underdog a +1.5 goal head start makes it an evenly matched contest.
Asian handicaps include either whole numbers, halves, or quarters with the crypto sportsbook giving each team a plus + (usually for the underdog) or minus – (usually for the favorite) figure to denote their handicap.
Whole number handicaps
Example:
Favorite – 2
Underdog + 2
If you place a handicap bet on the favorite they’ll need to win by more than their handicap for your wager to win.
In the example their handicap is 2 goals so if they lose, draw or win by 1 goal then your bet loses, if they win by 2 goals your bet is refunded and if they win by 3 goals or more your bet wins.
Half number handicaps
Example:
Favorite – 0.5
Underdog + 0.5
Half numbers remove the possibility of a draw and have naturally become the most popular handicap bet.
If you place a bet on the favorite they’ll need to win to overcome the handicap. If the game is a draw or the underdog wins then your bet loses.
Quarter and three-quarter handicaps
Example:
Favorite – 0.25
Underdog + 0.25
The above example can also be written as:
Favorite 0.0/-0.5
Underdog 0.0/+0.5
These bets are quite different from the traditional handicap bets as you effectively place 2 bets as illustrated by 0.0/-0.5 format.
Half of your stake is placed on the nearest whole number and the other half is placed on the nearest half number.
So, if you bet the favorite in the example above you actually have 2 bets on:
Favorite – 0
Favorite – 0.5
Each bet is resulted separately which means you can win or lose with half your stake and have the other half refunded.
Total Goals over/under Bet Type
This bet is also called Asian totals.
A projected combined number of goals for both the home and away teams are set by sportsbooks. This particular bet requires a bettor to predict whether the total goals during full time will be over or under that total.
Totals can be either whole numbers or half numbers with the half numbers being more popular as it removes the chance of a draw and a refunded bet.
Take note that sportsbooks markets are considered for full time only unless otherwise stated. The results from penalty shootouts or extra time are not considered when calculating whether a bet wins or loses.
Historically FIFA World Cup matches end with low scores. In fact, the majority of matches have not exceeded 3 total goals.
Bet builder
Some crypto sportsbooks such as Sportsbet allow bettors to build a customized same game multiplier. These bets are accumulators that depend only on the various outcomes from a single match rather than several matches. These accumulators offer great odds and make a match even more exciting.
The accumulator can include various markets such as the number of yellow cards, the number of corners, goal scorers, player props, and more.
This is an ideal solution for a casual bettor looking to turn a large profit from a small stake.
Other bet types
Outright Bet Type
This bet predicts the outright winner of the FIFA World Cup.
Group winners and to qualify from group
These bets allow you to predict the winner of each group, or to bet on a team to advance to the knockout stages by finishing in the top 2 of their group.
Golden Boot
Golden boot betting lets you predict the top scoring player of the tournament.