Online World Cup Betting
Soccer is definitely the #1 sport when it comes to online sportsbooks, so it should come as no surprise that most sites are frantically preparing for the upcoming 2014 World Cup, which is going to kick off on the 12 of June in Brazil. For the second time in the history of that country, 32 national teams are going to compete for the most prestigious title in the soccer world. Meanwhile, soccer enthusiasts and punters from all over the world are getting ready to take advantage of all the amazing betting opportunities, which undoubtedly will become available even before the tournament kicks off.
best sites to bet on World cup online
Ways to Bet on FIFA World Cup
If you’re planning to place a wager or two on the 2014 World Cup and you’re worried about having no online sports betting experience, you will undoubtedly be happy to learn that punting isn’t exactly as complicated as some of the accumulator bet coupons would make you believe. Quite the contrary, the vast majority of soccer traffic going through major betting sites is related to basic, popular bets, such as money lines, total goals, doubles and trebles. As a result betting on your favorite team is never more than a few clicks away whether you prefer to place your wagers before the match or to make your moves while watching the action unfold thanks to the wonderful live in-play betting functionality.
FIFA World Cup Line Betting
Betting the money line is often referred to as a 1X2 bet, since the bettor has only three selections to choose from: home (1), draw (X) and away (2). Quite obviously each of the selections comes with different odds, which are usually presented in a decimal or fractional format in Europe and in American format in the United States. Calculating the potential payout using the former two is as simple as multiplying the amount you’d like to stake by the number provided by the site. For example, if you bet $50 on a 2.00 selection, you’ll get $100 if you were right, so your profit will be equal to $100 – $50 = $50. The American odds are slightly different and always appear with a minus or a plus sign, which is used to indicate whether you’ll be able to win more than you invest. Consequently, a negative selection of -150 will require you to wager $150 in order to win $100, while a positive selection of +150 requires you to risk $100 in order to get a shot of winning $150. If you’re already used to one type of odds you don’t really have to worry about finding the right site to suit your needs, as most online sportsbooks allow you to select which format you’d like to use.
Over/Under Betting
Soccer bettors often refer to Over/Under bets as totals or total goals, as this kind of wager requires you to predict whether the combined score of both teams will exceed the arbitrary number posted by the sportsbook or not. For example, if that number is set at 2.5, the punter wins an over bet whenever the number of goals is equal to or exceeds 3 and wins an under bet if the number of goals is equal to or lower than 2. The higher numbers are rarely used in soccer due to the nature of the game, which means that a good handicapping effort may turn some of the wagers of this kind into amazing opportunities to earn some additional money.
Parlay Betting
Parlay bets, or combinations bets, are complex wagers that are made up of two or more standard bets, such as money lines or totals. The simplest parlays are composed of two and three selections and are often referred to as doubles and trebles, while the more complicated parlay wagers are called accumulators. It’s important to remember that parlay bets are very different from a series of money line bets that were placed separately, as each selection of a parlay needs to be covered in order for bettor to receive a payout. This means that even if you predicted the outcome of three matches on your four team accumulator, guessing wrong on the final game would result in losing your stake. Despite the obvious difficulties with getting a complicated combination bet right, parlays are exceptionally popular due to their massive payouts, which tend to dwarf the money you’d earn from a similar number of straight bets.
Futures Betting
One of the most exciting ways of betting on the World Cup is trying to predict the outcome of the entire tournament. Whether you opt to follow your favorite team or to make your decisions based on statistical information, all the major sports betting sites will have you covered when it comes to betting on soccer futures. In fact, those kinds of bets are always open well in advance of the tournament, which means that you won’t have to wait in order to place your wager. However, keep in mind that waiting until the contest actually starts will allow you to assess how each of the teams performs and adjust your predictions accordingly, which may mean the difference between receiving a hefty World Cup futures payout and losing your stake.
Proposition Bets
Proposition bets, often referred to as props, are wagers that don’t fall into any popular category. More often than not props deal with specific actions happening on the field instead of the overall outcome of the game, which makes them an excellent choice for all the punters who enjoy live in-play betting. Popular props include the first player to score, the first team to score, how many goals a particular star player will manage to score and so on.