Soccer betting sites

Soccer is the sport I know best, and it is the one where I'd be choosiest about the book.

The draw

A soccer game can end level, so the basic bet has three outcomes, not two: home, draw and away. That is the three-way moneyline. Say the prices are home +150, draw +230 and away +200. Turned into percentages they are 40.0, 30.3 and 33.3, which add up to 103.6. The extra 3.6 is the book's cut, and on a soccer game it is easy to miss because there are three prices to add instead of two.

Almost every soccer bet settles on 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Extra time and penalties don't count unless the bet says so, which matters in a cup game. A bet on a team "to advance" or "to lift the trophy" is the one that includes them.

Asian handicaps

A book that is serious about soccer deals Asian handicaps, and a book that doesn't isn't. The handicap takes the draw out with a half goal or splits it with a quarter goal.

The quarter line is the one people find strange, and it is simple once you see the money. A bet on a team at -0.25 is half on 0 (draw, and you get that half back) and half on -0.5 (draw, and that half loses). Say you put $100 on a team at -0.25 at -110.

Result	$50 on 0	$50 on -0.5	Net
Team wins	wins $45.45	wins $45.45	Up $90.91
Draw	stake back	loses $50	Down $50.00
Team loses	loses $50	loses $50	Down $100.00

I'd much rather bet a favorite I like at -0.25 than lay a short price on the three-way line, because the draw costs me half a stake instead of all of it.

Leagues and limits

The top leagues in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and the European cups carry the highest limits, because the whole world bets them and the price is hard. Further down, the second divisions, the smaller countries and the women's leagues, the book knows much less, the limits are lower, and the numbers are softer. A book that covers those leagues at all, with totals and handicaps and not only the three-way line, is worth having if that is where your knowledge is.

Corners, cards, both teams to score and correct score sit around every game. Correct score carries a large cut on most books. I'd leave it alone.

World Cup betting sites

A World Cup changes the market for a month. Money comes in from people who never bet soccer otherwise, and it goes on the famous national teams and on their star players to score. Books get busier and some raise their limits, but the popular sides usually cost more than they should by kickoff, and the outright winner board, priced months ahead with dozens of teams on it, carries a much fatter cut than any single game (the futures page shows how to add one up). Check it.

Live soccer is slow by comparison with basketball, and a goal or a red card moves the line hard. I'd bet before kickoff or at halftime, and keep each bet to 1 or 2 percent of the bankroll. A month of games every day is a long time to bet on national pride.