betting strategy

A NEW APPROACH. THE FINAL PART.

EARLY STAGES.

When we first begin our tasks related to forecasting matches or other happenings within the match we tend to go at it like a bull at a gate. Simply because were full of enthusiasm. Like a little kid with a new toy.
Nothing is going to stop us hitting the big time. Until we see the days results.
As with any walk of life we need to crawl before we can walk.

We should be taking very furtive steps with out various systems and strategies.
Being over enthusiastic about things makes us blind to the small details which can be the difference between success and failure. others may think you scared for taking your time over what appear to be easy tasks. Don’t let that worry you.
This "game" is like a marathon. The first step is just that. The start on the road to success. Providing you don’t rush too quickly. Success favours the brave but also the methodical. Success isn’t easy. Those who might scoff at your slower pace will surely find out.

PRECISELY?

I read in a sports paper about someone who conducted a series of interviews with successful players and some not so successful players.
You know the difference. The snooker player who looks at the table and straight away plays his shot. Whilst other players seems to spend a lifetime deciding how to play the shot. Over time the quicker player is most likely to be the winner. (I know, I’ve seen the slower guys win too).
The lesson being that you can be too precise when analysing your strategy.
The goal is to try to strike a happy medium.

TEMPTATION.

It’s always there. The temptation to raise your stakes after a winning day. Or even just one winning bet.
Whenever you’re betting to level stakes there will always be a temptation to raise yor stakes. Sometimes after a winner but more often after a loser. Resist the temptation. If necessary, give the match itself a miss. Unplanned staking increases
are not for the long term winner.   

FEELING ANNOYED?

When things don’t go the way you expect or the way you forecast, don’t throw your toys out of your pram. This is just another form of commiserating over "bad luck". Or to be honest, bad judgement. Getting upset about getting a match result wrong and "harping on it", will only enhance the feeling of defeat that you already have.
Look at it from a realistic point of view. You screwed-up but you should also learn from the mistake. Getting upset about a setback is negative. Negativity clouds the judgement and is helpful to no one.
Just put it down to experience. It won’t be the last time. Unfortunately. However we do live and learn.

KEEP AT IT.

God loves a trier, or so we are told. I think it was the great Gary Player who once said, "the harder I try the luckier I get". These and many other sayings bear the same message in different forms. The answer to any problem we have is , WORK AT IT.
We can’t expect anyone else to do all the work for us. We need to "get are hands dirty" so to speak.
When trying to judge the outcome of a match we can access all forms of statistics at our finger tips, take into consideration the views of various pundits but the final decision is our own.
We must keep at it. The more we put into our deliberations and study, the more we’ll get out of it.

CREATING LUCK.

Many people appear to have good luck as if of right. It isn’t really like that though. These people seem to create their luck as if by magic. Again this isn’t so.
In my experience the "Lucky Ones" are the people who put themselves about. They are the people who are into everything they can find about the subject they’re interested.
It’s no surprise to see these people getting things right. They actually earn what they get
by hard work and diligence. Don’t just sit on your backside and expect everything to come to you. 
Do your bit and gradually you’ll find you’re getting luckier and luckier. When actually you’re just reaping the rewards of hard work and lengthy studying.

HAVING FUN, TOO.

All work and no play. We all know what that means.
It does hold a lot of truth.
When applied to winner finding it can have the same effect as in any other outlet.
Too much time in one place will soon find us growing restless and getting a little short-tempered.
By all means study but try to make a timetable. Work to a system. Just make sure that you don’t spend too much time on one portion of your problem. When things start to pall find a short term diversion.

SMALL STUFF.

There is a book entitled, DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF.
Good advice to take, for has it says in the book, "It helps you keep your perspective and to maintain a light hearted nature and a positive outlook on life".
Is it worth worrying over small problems? Worrying only makes them that much bigger thus inducing more worry.
The stuff Ulcers are made of.
We have so many things to do in our life that spending too much time on minute problems takes away a lot of our effectiveness to deal with things that really matter.
Is it such a big deal that Joe Bloggs spoiled your First Scorer bet when his side went on to win, just as you predicted?

The overall outcome much outweighs the smaller blip.
The way we relate to our problems decides how effective we are at overcoming them. Life is not the great big problem we envisage when we’re worn-out stressed and frustrated. When we’re like that we need to step back take a deep breathe and re-assess the situation. Like a second opinion at the doctors. The latter view will prove less important.
Try it. You’ll be much better for it and so will your forecasting.

THE FINAL WHISTLE.

This brings to an end my series of "nuggets".
Some will seem to contradict others. That is how I view winner finding. It’s a case of using the best advice pertaining at the time. If you move forward and things alter then so be it. You need to be flexible.

Finally a word of warning/advice.
The English season is entering a most competitive stage. Unless it’s imperitive that you back teams in the top or bottom quarter of the table, DON’T. Stick to the middle half of the table were the teams have little or nothing to play for.
These should turn out to be more true-to-form than the other teams who are fighting for glory or against relegation.
Less chance of a real upset to spoil your wagers.

Bet safely and only use cash you can afford to lose.

More betting information:
Online Sports Betting

NEW APPROACH 5.

ALMOST THE FINAL WHISTLE.

WISDOM and I.Q.

Which is most important to the punter? Wisdom is gained from your experiences. Hopefully when you make a mistake or an error of judgement this logs itself into your "journal" for future use. This is to me wisdom in it’s basic form.
I.Q. or INTELLIGENCE is the way in which you use statistics and other information from whatever source.
Put them together correctly and you have a lethal tool with which to challenge the bookies.

INTO REVERSE.

A funny thing to think about but "going into reverse", i.e. going back over the reasons you backed a certain team, in too much depth can be counter productive. The time can be better spent fine tuning your selection method. The more you dig to find reasons
for failure, the more you’ll find. Then what might well be a good method or strategy is reduced to the bare bones, when all that was needed was a little fine tuning.
This could be an instance when "MORE IS LESS".

BURNOUT.

Be aware that too much time can be spent over your hobby. Whatever it is. This does apply to winner finding too.
Too much "burning the midnight oil" etc, can lead to muddled thinking and your interest will wane.
Try to work out a schedule for study etc. Put in Coffee Breaks and don’t overdo it.  A regular programme of study will do more for winner finding than a haphazard approach to studying.

BULL BY THE HORNS.

If you’re going to try something new do it NOW. Putting it off until tomorrow will downgrade it in your mind and when you do eventually get round to assessing it your mind won’t give it the attention it may well deserve.
There will always be "good" reasons for deferring the start but in reality if it’s a good thing you need to get on with it straight away.

A CHANGE

A CHANGE IS AS GOOD AS A REST, so the saying goes.
This is something I really do go along with. Keep doing things in the same old way and you’ll get the same old answers.
Give the brain the same questions and it will give you the same old answers. However even if you only ask an old question in a different way your brain will accept the challenge.
Keeping to the old way you’ll eventually get bored and so will your brain.
So look at things from a different perspective, your brain will appreciate the fresh challenge.

HELP.

Don’t be afraid to offer help to someone who isn’t as gifted as yourself.
This has a built-in plus, I know from my own experiences.
As we "teach" others, it is amazing how often we find our own knowledge expanding too. It’s a kind of showing off. we’ll "expand" a set of facts to make ourselves look that little bit superior. By doing so we’ll actually learn something from the experience. Think back and you’ll almost certainly find such an episode in your life.
So you’ll get the "Feel Good" effect and you’ll expand your knowledge too. Not every time of course but quite often.

PERSEVERE.

This one word really sums up what it’s all about. Forget "WHO DARES WINS". It’s really "HE WHO PERSEVERS WINS". At least in this game.
Being successful in most businesses is a case of getting stuck-in and sticking at it. Taking the rough with the smooth not getting impatient.
Allocating a certain amount of time to the problems. SEEING THEM THROUGH. Not giving up. Learn to love what you’re doing. That way what was once a chore will be something to look forward to. Once you look forward to doing whatever needs doing, you’ll do it better. With better results.
Don’t believe me? Just give it a try.

OPTIMISM.

The pessimist is a "realist". He looks at things from the "Safe" side. The optimist is supposed to be the opposite. Which side do we want in our betting life?
Sometimes the pessimst is just too safe. He thinks that any chance taking is almost certain to end in disaster. He expects this and isn’t disappointed when it happens. He expects the worst.
The optimist has a vastly different outlook. Nobody can predict future happenings but those with the healthier outlook do appear to have a more pleasing life.
The energy of life follows one of two paths. If you’re a pessimist it goes along at a snails pace assuring you get the results you expect. Very little.
The optimist’s energy moves at a faster pace wanting to get at the good things in life. Nuff said.
When making your selections try to select the teams that are of the OPTIMIST BREED. Jump on their bandwagon.

LIGHTEN UP.

Choosing winners (and losers too), can be a very hard task. Enough to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm. This is were it’s ideal to have a little sideline to look at. Something to lighten the load, even if only for a few minutes. Stop what you’re doing and get a coffee and biscuit and read a joke book (comic) for a few minute. Then back to work with renewed vigour.

USED GOODS.

In business everything is "used goods" the day after they are bought. (Buy a system and watch how it performs). Very used goods, most of them. 
The same applies to any system or strategy you use. The day after you first use it, it’s Used Goods.
Obviously you need to keep on looking for another method. After all two methods are better than one.
You can go on like this for ever. The idea being that you strive to find something that will be give excellent service despite being Used Goods.

AMBITIOUS?

Silly question. We all are.
However being too ambitious too soon can be a downfall.
This can be down to many things. Mostly however because we worry how others will see us.
We want to look good to others. How often do we inflate how much we’ve won. Just for vanity’s sake.
Where betting is concerned don’t be afraid to take small steps. Small stakes will mean small returns. So what? It will also mean small loses, if we’re unlucky.
Small steps to begin with, then slowly over time lengthen your betting stride. I’ll wager you’ll do better than the people you were trying to impress in the first place.
Here it’s a case of LESS IS MORE. In the long run.

More betting information:
Online Sports Betting

What are the value of Over/Under 2.5 goals betting in the Premier League this season? It is one of those football betting markets which sometimes gets skipped over due to lack of time spent studying stats. It’s easy to say that if Chelsea are facing Wigan for example, that there will be more than 2.5 goals, but one way to read the Over/Under betting market, is really to look for frequency.  How often is a team involved in a match which produces over 2.5 goals? Not only that, who are the teams which regularly hit those targets at home, but fail away. When looking for matches to back in the Over/Under 2.5 markets, you really have to look beyond the supposed big guns. For example, while Chelsea are banging the goals in left right and centre, only 50% of their matches have produced more than 2.5 goals. That is because the opposition rarely gets on the scoreboard against them, while teams like Blackpool on the other hand, who have a weaker defence but know where the goals are, regularly produce high results in this betting market. Nearly 90% of Blackpool’s matches have finished over 2.5 goals, so you have to look beyond the obvious. Here is a guide to the current standings and stats of the English Premier League, and the frequency of Over/Under 2.5, both home and away. It will help to guide you football betting strategy when looking for teams to follow for this market.

Home Matches

Over: Arsenal are well worth looking at in Over 2.5 Goals betting, as they lead the way this season in average goals per match at the Emirates. When Arsenal are at home, there is an average of 4.75 goals per match (with Arsenal scoring 3.50 and conceding 1.25 per home match), which is pretty conclusive. No other team at home comes close. The nearest to the Gunners in the stats, is Manchester United and Newcastle United who are averaging 3.75 goal matches at home. You were maybe thinking that Chelsea would be up there higher along with Arsenal perhaps? But the problem with Chelsea, is that while they have an average of scoring 3.50 goals per match at home, they haven’t conceded any, which keeps the total average goals for Chelsea home matches, down. A slightly weaker defence would really make Chelsea one of the strongest teams in this market. But they are not there, and that 3.50 goal average has been all done by themselves alone. That has included the odd big score which have pushed the totals up, so don’t fully be drawn into Chelsea in this market. At an average of 3.50 goals per match though, they are still worth a good punt at Stamford Bridge, along with Blackpool and Wigan who have the save total average because they have conceded so highly at home.

Under: Here, you are generally looking at the solid, tight and awkward teams at home. Think Aston Villa, who play out home games averaging 1.50 goals per match. They are tough to score on, and don’t have much firepower themselves. Even tighter than them are Midlands neighbours Birmingham City, whose home games average just 1.25 goals per match, which doesn’t give the fans much to cheer about. Remember, these are totals averages, between both the home team and away team. So Birmingham at home don’t score many, and don’t conceded many. The perfect team to back in Under 2.5 goals. Worth looking at too in this Under 2.5 market is Sunderland, who are involved in matches averaging at 1.75 goals at the Stadium of Light. There is profit in low scoring, defensive teams!

Away Matches

Over: This is generally where the weaker teams show up well. West Brom lead the way in total average goals in away matches, because they have conceded so much while on the road. Similarly, Blackpool come in just behind them. The contrast in home and away form is in evidence here when you start looking, as away matches featuring Aston Villa and Birmingham have an average of 3.75 goals per match so far, signifying that they really don’t travel very well. That’s in stark contrast to their Under 2.5 betting strengths at home. There really aren’t many teams to follow with a lot of confidence when they go away in Over 2.5 goals, with those four teams being the stand out names.

Under: Two stand out names come to mind when considering looking for a team away from home producing an Under 2.5 goals match. Everton and Wigan keep the averages very low when they play away from home, with Everton’s matches producing an average of just one goal per match, while Wigan away matches produce only slightly more at 1.67. That makes for a safe Under bet and should be followed over the season. Next to those stand out figures, Wigan and Fulham are the only other teams which come in a 2.00 or less.

Totals
Topping the list again here, with combined home and away averages, and it is not the high scoring Chelsea, nor their London rivals, Arsenal. Arsenal matches routinely produce an average of 3.50, but Blackpool matches have the highest amount of average goals this season, registering at 3.88.  The teams which make safer bets in your Over 2.5 goals betting are the ones averaging around three goals, and not just hovering above the 2.5 threshold. For this, you are looking at Arsenal as mentioned, Chelsea at 3.13, Bolton 3.00, Newcastle 3.00, West Brom at 3.13 and Manchester United at 3.63. If you like your percentages to summarise all of this then read on.

Over 2.5 Percentages
87.5 of Manchester United games have been over
87.5% of Blackpool games have been over
62.5% of Arsenal, Aston Villa, Birmingham, Bolton, Newcastle and Stoke have been over
Avoid Everton, who have a percentage of just 12.5% of their games being over
Sunderland make a good Under bet at an average of 28.6%

Other notable Over/Under Streak Bets
All of Arsenal, Blackpool and Wolves’ matches have been Over 1.5 goals
Man Utd and Blackpool have a 62.5% of matches ending over 3.5 goals
Neither Stoke nor Blackburn have been involved in a match Over 3.5 goals

Scoring Stats
Other important stats to look over when weighing up an Over/Under betting markets, is clean sheets and failing to score. These can be strong indicators, along with the information above, of to what kind of goal returns you can expect. Wigan and Everton lead the way in matches in which they have failed to score (4) and that is why they make safe Under 2.5 Goal bets. Chelsea lead the way with six clean sheets this season, and that is what is something of a deterrent in taking them Over 2.5 goals, especially away from home. Take a look at Over/Under 2.5 Goals betting at your online bookmaker next time you are looking around sub market betting. Study the stats, use our and guide, and you may find new avenues of profit in your football betting.

Here are some pieces of advice that will hopefully give you a helping hand when it comes to your weekend wagers on the football!

Pay attention to the penalty-takers for each team

Graham Alexander might be a holding midfielder for Burnley, but the Scot has scored three times from the spot this season. At this rate, he will get close to double figures for the campaign and so the odds of 7.00 about him scoring at any stage would pay over time. Frank Lampard might be injured, although he has also scored three penalties this season, while Alessandro Diamanti, Darren Bent, Steven Gerrard, Danny Murphy and Leighton Baines have all scored twice past the keeper from twelve yards.

Back players to score at any time rather than first

Let’s face it, how can you back a First Goalscorer with any confidence? While punting on Darren Bent to achieve this in every game so far this season would have resulted in a 50% strike rate, it’s always a risky bet with each goal consisting of so many variables. If you genuinely believe that a player will find the back of the net during the ninety minutes, a far safer option is to bet on them scoring at any stage. Not least because your bet is guaranteed to last the full match unless the player is sent off. When Cristiano Ronaldo played for Manchester United, the bookmakers regularly used to offer the Portuguese forward at even money, even when he was on a scoring run of five games.

If Fernando Torres is fit for the Manchester City game on Saturday, then it’s worth noting that he’s scored in four of his last five Premier League matches. Similarly, Cesc Fabregas has scored in his past three matches and also five of his past seven games for the Gunners. The Spaniard will have the urge to get even further forward at Sunderland, now that Robin Van Persie is injured.

Consider Asian Handicap and Draw No Bet markets for bigger-priced selections

Ahead of Liverpool’s match at Sunderland earlier this season, it emerged that the Reds were missing Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres for the trip to Wearside. I was therefore surprised to find the bookmakers offering 3.00 about the Black Cats on the Draw No Bet market, where you get your money back if the scores finish level. This is a sound bet if you think the outsiders are good for at least a draw.

Asian Handicap betting can be employed if you either a) think that a favourite will win by a big margin or b) think that an outsider will only lose by a slender margin at worse. Last Saturday, Norwich City were available at 1.90 to beat Tranmere with a -1.0, -1.5 handicap. If the Canaries had won by one goal, then you would get half your stake returned from this wager, although they ended up triumphing by a 2-0 scoreline. This won the bet and was far more profitable than backing them at 1.40 to win the match.

Betting strategies (part 2)

Mention Unders/Overs and I’ll wager most punters will immediately think of the 2.5 goals mark.
However Betfair patrons will be well aware that you can also bet on such Under/Over goal totals as 1.5 , 3.5 and 4.5 as well as the usual 2.5.
For those who are unfamiliar with these markets, it’s a case of "It does what is says on the tin". You choose the total you wish to BET or LAY and wait for the result. If you choose to BET Over 2.5 goals then providing the match doesn’t end, 0 – 0, 1 – 0, 0 – 1, 1 – 1, 2 – 0, or 0 – 2 then you have a winning bet. Should you BET Under 2.5 goals, then you want to see one of these scores. It sounds easy but you must be prepared to do a lot of research. Current scoring form of both sides. Who they’ve scored against recently and do check the Historical results of previous clashes between the two sides. What has happened in the past has a habit of repeating itself.     
Whilst many punters are happy to have a bet and then wait for the result, Unders/Overs tends to lend itself to Trading. Usual choice for Trading is on the UNDERS MARKET. Basically, before the game starts, you BACK at what you think is a fair price. Then when the price DROPS as the game progresses, you decide at what point to LAY and TRADE-OUT. Giving yourself a GREEN BOOK.

Sounds easy. If only it were that easy.
With this strategy you really must do your homework before having a bet.
As you want the game to stay goal-less for as long as possible, your first necessity is finding teams that are notorious for starting slowly. You also need to know which teams are "mean" defensively, or which teams find it hard to score goals.
CHELSEA are notorious for grinding out low scoring wins. So pit them against a team with a tight defence and you have the makings of a "Good Trade". 
The "BIGGIES" for this strategy are The Price at which to have your BACK BET, then how long to wait before you place your LAY BET. The price should be as near to 2.0 (evens), as possible. Experience, eventually, will tell you when to bet. Don’t be greedy, though. A harder task is the decision when to place your LAY BET. Here is where you do need to get the stats on your side. You can find necessary times, usually split into fifteen minutes periods, on the site mentioned below. The individual team stats are really useful.
Now this is yet another occasion when keeping records is essential. The more detailed the better. When patterns begin to emerge you’ll spot them straight away.

Many strategies are based on either Goals scored or Goals conceeded. Therefore you need to have all the stats at your finger-tips. There are numerous sites on the "net" that will provide you with most of what you need to know but to be absolutely certain you should try www.soccerstats.com With this site you’ll not go far wrong. 

Something Entirely Different. ONE.

I don’t know whether there is anyone out there who still does the "Pools". They barely get a mention these days.
A little bet I used the have, revolved around a strategy called "WHEELING".
Basically for the Treble Chance pool.
Forget about form, after all this is aimed at winning the BIG ONE so form, unfortunately has to go out of the window. Choose your coupon numbers, (I chose eleven). Then add the number either side of each one you’ve chosen. This will give you roughly three times your initial choice. (Depends on whether you choose Nos 1 and/or 49). Naturally you need a good perm to go with these numbers, but they’ll give you a good run for your money.
In the far off days, after we’d just moved on from bows and arrows, I did hit the Jackpot. £349.75p. Around £10,000. in todays money.
If there is enough interest, I’ll keep this thread alive.
Incidentally, why not try this with your lottery numbers?

Remember the the"D’s".
DISCIPLINE
DISCIPLINE and more,
DISCIPLINE.

Good Punting.

More about betting strategies

I am assuming that you have a working knowledge of Betting Exchanges. If not, get in touch with us and I’ll put you in the picture. At  present Betdaq only charge 2% commision. You need to request this concession, via e-mail. This will run until the years end, at least. Better than Betfair‘s 5%.

 
TRADING ON THE BETTING EXCHANGES

I would imagine that the favourite choice for most punters would be Home Win. And why not? Stats will show that it’s the most likely outcome of the three. Find a home team that  is on offer at 2.00 or more and you feel confident will score the first goal. Assuming your choice is a good one and you find your pick in the lead, you now have to make a decision. Stay with your choice or trade and give yourself a GREEN book. (This is a situation where you cannot lose money, no matter what the result). Your choice will depend on many things. Mainly, when the goal is scored. The earlier in the game when it happens, the more thought should be given to "trading out".
An alternative to trying to find a home to that you think will win, is to find one that has a good record of scoring an early goal. Then trade out when this happens.
 
A very popular "Trade" is Laying and the Backing the draw. Whilst very popular, it is fast losing it’s "edge".  
Very simply, you LAY the draw before the game starts, then when a goal is scored you BACK the draw. Sounds nice and simple. But is it?
Firstly you need a price of between 3.0 and 4.0 and then the favourite to score first, to get some kind of movement in the Back Odds. Even this is not guaranteed to happen to the extent usually required.
If the outsider scores first, the odds movement will usually be negligible, especially early in the game.
Then there is the big "bug-bear". A 0 – 0 draw. This is usually expected in around 8 – 10 % of games. Just paper-trial this method and see how often you can lose your bank. Some punters swear by this method but they must have their own criteria for finding qualifying games. Of course they’re not going to tell anyone this. Well they would lose that little edge that they have made for themselves.

Another popular Trade is under 2.5 goals. The idea being Back under 2.5 before the game starts, then  wait for the game to run for a short while and when you have an acceptable shift in price, trade out. The "bug-bear" here being one or more early goals. So be prepared for some nail-biting.

Many punters tend to find their own pet trading method. If you’re content to make a small but regular profit try "dutching" win and draw prices of the team of your choice, in what appears to be a close game. Then when your favoured team scores, LAY it. Meagre pickings I know but you have a green book. Also if it ends in a draw, you have two successful trades. The reverse of this is to LAY the unfancied side and when your fancied team scores Back the unfancied team. Again small pickings. You do however, always need a "GET OUT"  strategy for that very rare occasion when things go wrong.

BETTING EXCHANGES.
 
I could spend many hours describing Betting Exchanges and their many many good points and their very few bad ones. I will explain things to the best of my ability but should there be something I miss or which needs further explanation, do let me know.
 
Using the Betting Exchanges to place you bets, is by comparison to Betting Shops, the new kid on the block.
The concept is a little older than many people realise. BetEx was the first exchange about 8 years before Betfair. Betfair however, is the company that really started to get the bandwagon rolling. The brainchild of Andrew Black, aided and abetted by Edward Wray, Betfair started trading in 2000. The revolution had begun. Of course it didn’t take the detractors long to get their voices heard. "Unfair competition" , "it’ll never work", "they should be taxed the same as us". The voice of the hard-done by bookies. (Me included, at the time). All to no avail.

It did work, of course, and threw open a door to better pickings than offered by the bookmakers. (well 99% of the time, anyway). Betting with the exchanges will almost always give you a better crack of the whip, odds-wise. Not always the 20% that Betfair claim in their ads, but the difference will be there.
The beauty is that you’re pitting your wits and choices, against a fellow backer. Also if the price you think your selection should show at isn’t there, then you can request for it to be "offered". Provided you’re not asking for the moon, you’ll more than likely be matched.

There are around half a dozen exchanges, Betfair, Betdaq and WBX the three most favoured. If you take your betting seriously you should have accounts with at least  two of them. Having an account with an exchange will give you the ability to "chop and change" your strategies and, hopefully give you that "edge".

The biggest boost from the exchanges, is of course, the chance to back at the enhanced odds. Closely followed by being able to bet "in-play" on football matches.( Or in-running if you’re a gee-gee backer).                                  
There are of course other "goodies" to be had.  Back your team to win,  or if you have that  little doubt about them, back your opponents not to win, (i.e. LAY THEM), instead.  This is just the start. 
You can expect to see twenty, or sometimes more, markets on an "in-play" football match. There’s something there for everyone. Match odds, correct scores, half-time/full-time results, over/unders, ( a goal count bet) number of corners, etc etc. You name it, there’ll probably be a market to meet your needs. 

Of course, with football being a world-wide game, you’ll find coverage worldwide too. How exotic to be able to have a double on say, Flamenco of Brazil and Real Madrid. They’re there for the backing.

Ultimately, you’ll find yourself  with three choices. Back, lay or trade. The purists throw up their hands in horror when you mention trading, but there is good money to be made trading, especially if you can give yourself a "Green Book".  ( More about this later). The main thing to do when you decide to trade, is to find your strategy.  There are many bandied about but most have lost their "edge". Due too being aired too widely. Hence too small profit that was there has been eroded. "Too many cooks" springs to mind.                                                 
If you’re content with a small, but often, profit, then trading might just be your thing.  Many people who make a living from their betting are quite happy to make between 5 and 7 1/2%. I know it doesn’t sound a lot but do you know anybody who does even this well?
So finding a strategy to suit your needs is the first goal.