How to Read Soccer Betting Lines at Online Sportsbooks

Soccer is a popular sport globally and is also one of the most bet-on sports.

As it continues growing in popularity in North America, people are beginning to wonder what the betting lines mean. This comprehensive guide will help you understand them better.

Betting Lines 

Before understanding soccer betting lines on soccer betting sites,  you need to make sure you understand the sport itself. 

It’s a game played over 90 minutes, with two halves of 45 minutes each. It is low scoring and does not always involve a winner. A draw is an acceptable result, except in the case of knockout games.

Most soccer games would also have stoppage time added at the end if there have been injuries or other incidents that stopped play. Some knockout games even go into a penalty shootout if there’s no winner in regulation time.

Moneylines

Moneylines is the simplest way to bet on soccer. 

All you need to do is pick a winner based on the odds set for each team. However, since a draw is also an accepted result in a soccer game, you should bet on the three-way moneyline.

Three-Way Moneyline

The three-way moneyline allows you to bet on each of the final results – a win for either side or a draw. 

Most matches will also have a three-way half time line. If neither team has scored after 45 minutes, the odds will lean toward a draw.

Two-Way Moneylines

As the name suggests, two-way moneylines remove a draw as a result and only allow you to bet on the winner of the game. A win pays out those who wagered on it, while a draw cancels out the bet completely. If you don’t find two-way soccer moneylines on the site you’re planning to bet on, you might find it listed as ‘draw no bet.’ This is quite a popular choice in tournaments or knockout games because these matches cannot end in a draw. However, there will be different rules for different sites, where a draw may be referred to as push or no action. 

Soccer Double Chance Lines

A double chance is a bet that will help you protect a three-way moneyline, similar to the draw no bet. 

However, in this scenario, instead of eliminating the draw, you can double your chances to place your wager on these three outcomes at the same time. What this essentially means is you will win whether the team wins or draws without doubling your risk.

Soccer Spreads

Spread is a common betting line in soccer and can also be referred to as a handicap or the points spread. These spreads are often set between 0.5 and 2 goals, but this can vary based on the competition and history between the two teams. Similar to any sport, the negative number of goals will be for the favored team, while the underdog will have a plus sign next to them.

Goal Line Over / Under Goals

These goal lines are similar to bets placed in basketball or football, where you simply guess whether the number of goals will be over or under the set projection by the odd maker. 

We’ve recently discussed the Over 0.5 goals strategy so you might as well check it out. 

Soccer Futures

These bets are ideal for people who are passionate about the sport because they have a lot to do with performance, injuries, trends and actions. 

They could be placed in various scenarios. For example, determining which team moves forward in the World Cup. Similarly, the bets can also include which players won’t make the squad, who will win the Golden Boot, the Golden Glove, and also the winner of the trophy. 

They can be as simple as how many goals are scored in a game or penalties awarded.

Soccer Props

A soccer prop is a bet placed on a specific statistic during a game. This could include predicting which player will score a goal, which one will provide an assist, who will get a yellow card, which goalkeeper will save a penalty. There could also be controversial bets like will a fight break out during a game or will someone get a red card for rash play.

Soccer Derivative Odds

A derivative odd is basically a timeframe where you determine whether a goal will be scored within the first ten minutes, the first half of the game, or the second half. These are side bets that can be placed in conjunction with other bets.

Conclusion

While these bets are easy to use, once you’ve determined how to place a bet, it’s important to have some knowledge of the game. You need to know which is the underdog, and which are the top players, so you can improve your chances of placing the right bet.