What Are Football Odds? Your Guide to Precise Score Calculation

Today, besides watching football matches for entertainment, many fans have engaged in betting. Especially at recent major football tournaments like the 2022 World Cup, the term "betting odds" has been mentioned frequently. Let's find out more about what bookmaker betting meaning ​and how to calculate them most accurately!

What are football odds?

Football odds refer to the betting ratio for football teams provided by bookmakers. When a match takes place, players predict the winning team, and bookmakers offer suggested betting odds for players to consider. This term is commonly used in football betting scenarios.

Usually, football odds are updated about a week before the match takes place. This is a suitable time frame for players to research and select betting which bookmaker has the best odds .

To provide attractive odds, reputable bookmakers often have a team of analysts to analyze matches and offer betting odds. Smaller-scale bookmakers may purchase data from larger sports entities. However, the more attractive the odds, the riskier they may be.

Some common football odds

There are various types of football odds, here are the details of the most common ones:

1st half handicap odds

1st half handicap odds are for the first half, based on the strength and form of the playing teams. When players participate, they can choose to bet on over or under odds. The 1st half handicap odds are generally more favorable, easier to bet on, and yield better results.

1.25 handicap odds

1.25 handicap odds (1 ¼ handicap odds, 1 ½ handicap odds) are applied when there is a significant difference in strength between the two teams in the match. Here are some specific scenarios:

When players bet on the favorite team, and that team wins by a margin of 1 goal => The player betting on the favorite loses half the bet amount, while the player betting on the underdog wins half the bet amount.

When players bet on the favorite team, and that team wins by a margin of 2 goals or more => The player wins the bet and receives the full betting amount, while the player betting on the underdog loses the entire bet amount.

When the match ends in a draw or the underdog team wins regardless of the score => The player betting on the favorite loses the entire bet amount, while the player betting on the underdog wins.

1x2 odds

1x2 odds are the most common type of football odds nowadays, often referred to as 3-way betting. This betting format is widely used in the Americas and Europe. Players participate by betting on outcomes like win, lose, or draw.

Football handicap odds

Football handicap odds are provided by bookmakers to balance the odds between the underdog and the favorite team. The handicap ratio corresponds to the number of handicap goals, creating balance between the two teams.

Since the handicap goals favor the favorite team, the higher the handicap odds, the greater the difference in strength between the two teams. Conversely, if the strength between the two teams is balanced, the handicap goals will be fewer, with less difference.

There are typically two types of handicap odds: money handicap odds are used initially, and when the betting amounts between the two teams differ significantly, bookmakers will switch to offering odds on the opposite side to balance the betting amounts.

Exact score odds

Exact score odds are where players predict the exact final score of the match. Regarded as the most difficult odds to win by bookmakers, but when predicted correctly, the rewards are substantial.

Before the match, bookmakers will provide data on possible match scores, such as 0-0, 0-1, 1-0, 1-2, 2-1, etc. Players will choose, with the lowest odds typically being X3 or X4 the betting amount, depending on the chosen outcome, there will be variations in the reward payout.

Goal odds

Goal odds (Total Goals odds) are highly diverse, with players making predictions like: Will there be goals in the 1st or 2nd half? How many goals will be scored?... And betting on the total number of goals both teams will score after 90 minutes of play. Bookmakers will also provide potential scenarios that could occur in the match.

Corner kick odds

Corner kick odds (Corner odds) are a type of bet where players don't need to care about which team wins or loses or how many goals are scored in the match, but rather focus on the number of corner kicks taken by both teams to place their bets.

This is a relatively new form of betting but has attracted many players. Depending on the characteristics of the tournament, bookmakers will offer different types of corner kick odds, with the winning odds often being much higher than other types of bets.

Offside odds

Offside which betting site has the highest odds a side bet applied during the entire match, excluding injury time or extra time. Players participating will bet on the total number of offside calls made by both teams in the match. This betting format is similar to handicap betting or exact score betting.

Penalty odds

Penalty odds appear after 90 minutes or 120 minutes in deciding matches when a penalty shootout is needed to determine the winner, rather than occurring regularly like other types of betting odds.

This type of odds is now applied with popular formats such as predicting the total number of goals scored by both teams or just one team. Bookmakers typically offer odds before the penalty shootout takes place, about 5 minutes before it happens.

In cases where the penalty shootout fails to determine the winner, the odds will continue until a final outcome is decided. Penalty odds are considered risky bets, and choosing the team with a successful penalty conversion rate is not simple.

Calculating football score odds

When placing a bet, whether winning or losing, you also need to know how to calculate the score odds accurately. There are various calculation methods based on the betting odds from bookmakers.

Above are the information surrounding the topic of what football odds are and some common football odds. We hope to have provided useful information for readers who are interested. Feel free to explore it for entertainment, but remember not to get too carried away with it!