One of the most common bets out there at the minute when it comes to football betting is to use the over/under goal market to predict the amount of goals in a game. This has risen quickly and gives punters a chance to have a bet in a game, without actually choosing the winner of the game. This makes it a great market for neutrals and a great market for those that want an interest in a game, without taking sides. This is where it has a benefit over other things like the first goal scorer market, that market can leave you without an interest if there is a goal in the first minute of the game.
My favourite way to use the over/under goal market is to use it in a game where I feel a lot of goals would be scored. This means backing the overs pretty much every time I have a bet on the market. I have found that it is a lot easier, and much more fun, to predict games that will have a lot of goals, rather than games that will have few goals. In those games, it only takes a deflection, a penalty or just one piece of brilliance and your bet is either already beaten or close to losing. This is why I tend to stick to backing the overs, the more goals the better.
The Bookmakers Line
This is the most common line to use when betting on the over/under goal market. This line is set at 2.5, and the line always ends in .5 because that way there will always be a winner, there can never be a draw on this market. That makes the line a two way line and it is another reason why many punters love this market, a draw cannot muddy the waters on this one. The odds on this line are always roughly the same, with both outcomes slightly odds on, or in rare circumstances, one will be slightly odds against and the other will be odds on. Whichever it is, the line always offers something close to a 50/50 bet, which not many other football betting opportunities do and that adds to its popularity.
Thanks to a huge rise in popularity, the bookmakers have created different versions of this bet for us to use, depending on how we want to bet and how we believe a game will turn out. Each line serves a different purpose and can be used in different ways, it is entirely up to you and what you want from the bet. The new lines start at 0.5 goals and go all the way up to 5.5 goals, sometimes even more in very one sided games. The main lines are 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5, these are the ones that interest me from a betting point of view and the ones I usually place my money on.
Each line has a different type of bet for me, I use the 1.5 line for accumulator betting, while the 3.5 line is a great place to back a single on a live TV game to give you interest at a good price.
Accumulator betting on the 1.5 line
A lot of punters are beginning to see how they can use the 1.5 goals line in an accumulator as part of their bets for the weekend. The ‘both teams to score’ market started the revolution, and the goals markets have continued this. For those that found the both to score bets too difficult, their attentions turned to the over 1.5 goals line. The odds offered on this line are not great, usually between 1/3 and 1/5, however, in an accumulator, these soon add up to a good amount when put together.
The advantage of betting this way is that you are not choosing a team to win the game, you are not bothered about the result, just simply the total goals in the game. You also don’t mind who scores the goals, both teams don’t have to score, the same team can score all the goals to make your bet win.
One of my regular bets since backing on the total goals market has been to have an eight team accumulator on over 1.5 goals in each game. To show the type of odds you can get on this, if all eight teams were priced at 1/4 then the accumulator will pay just under 5/1 if it wins. That means you are betting an accumulator, with eight games involved where you need there to be two goals or more in each game. It doesn’t matter who wins the game, or who scores the goals, it just matters how many goals there are.
If you are looking for an alternative accumulator to try on a weekend, then this offers a great, different way to bet. The odds are short, but together in an accumulator, it offers a good balance between risk and reward, without needing to pick a team to win.
The Standard 2.5 Line
This line is where it all began as far as over/under goals betting is concerned. The 2.5 line was the original line created a few years ago and some purists see it as the only place when it comes to betting on goals. I still prefer to use this to back the overs line, as like I have said before, it is easier to predict a game with three goals in it than predicting one to have two goals or less.
This line is the one that offers as close to a 50/50 chance as possible in most games, and the bookmakers price it up accordingly. By betting on this line, with the odds available, you can back on anything from singles to small accumulators and the returns will be pretty good on your bet.
Placing accumulators on this line will probably be the most popular bet out there on the line and you will get a much better return than on the 1.5 line, although obviously, the bet is harder to win. If every selection you back is 10/11 then an accumulator on four selections will pay out over 12/1, a bit different from the 1.5 line, which pays less than half of that but requires double the selections. In my opinion, small accumulators, or even just trebles are the way forward with this line.
The 3.5 Interest Single
The final line to mention is the 3.5 line. This is a line I use, but only now and again as I don’t believe there is too much call for it. This line is made for betting on singles, in games I feel that goals will be scored and I want an interest. This is ideal for those who want to place a bet on a game they are going to watch on TV, allowing them to have a single on that game. By backing over 3.5, you are aiming for a high scoring game, with 4 goals or more in it, so when you do back this you really need to be cheering on the goals.
I usually use this market for two different reasons, one if I think a game will be hugely one sided and the other if I believe it will be a high scoring close game. These can be potential 4-0 or 5-0 victories, or thrilling 2-2 or 3-3 draws, it doesn’t matter which, as long as four or more goals are scored in the game. The odds on this market vary and are usually between 2/1 and 4/1, big enough to stake a single bet on and see a nice return for it.
In Conclusion
Betting on the over goals market has become increasingly popular in recent years. Many people are jumping on this market, using their own strategy to bet in the way that they think is the best. I have shared my views on what is the best way, and I think a lot of other people also bet in the same way as me. For those looking to find an alternative betting market to use for their football betting, the overs goal market is one that I would highly recommend.
Whether you choose to start backing an accumulator on the over 1.5 markets or just use the 3.5 market for backing singles, I am sure it is something you will enjoy. The market has the added bonus of not needing to pick any team to win or rely on both teams to score, something that lets a lot of people down each week with their betting.
With good odds on offer, a great fun way to bet and a multitude of different betting plans available, depending on the market you choose, you will find yourself with endless opportunities using this market. Give it a try next time you place your bets and you may have just found your next great football betting market for you to use regularly.