Betting on a live match is a lot riskier but more fun because you get to enjoy every step of the match while also making the most informed bets at each stage. It is still a risky affair, but so are all forms of gambling and so the only thing you can do is be smart about every step of the match. Most people just bet without observing the shift in odds as the match progresses and that reduces their chances of winning big. While odds actually become bigger with an increased risk, especially if you use non gamstop betting sites, a football match is a dynamic affair and even the bookmakers don’t have any better control of the match’s progress than you do. All you need to do is watch for these weaknesses in the odds and make bets that maximize your winnings.

Under/Over 2.5 in the first 15 minutes

This is always a risky bet because you can never predict how the game will flow within the first 15 minutes. However, if a historically high-scoring team is not involved, the books tend to favour less than two goals which is not always the case. It is, therefore, safe to bet for more than one goal if the 15th minute approaches without a goal having been scored. If you have strong defensive teams, you can go for Under 1.5 goals because good defences don’t tend to concede early on in the game and rarely do in the first half.

Bet over 1.5 early in the first half of the game is fast

When you have a high pressing team, the highest possibility is that a goal will come through in the first minutes. Weaker teams tend to go for an early goal when the stakes are high but tend to be caught on the break, so someone will slip up and a goal will come. With an early goal, especially if the weaker team scores first, chances of more goals in the first half increase and that will give you big wins if you bet early. The odds for over 1.5 reduce drastically when a goal is scored early so you will reap big if you place your bets early enough.

Avoid “which team scores next?” bets

This also applies to which players will score because the odds are high but extremely risky. If any prolific scorers are in the charts, their odds will be too low to waste your money on. It is also easy to predict which team will score next if a strong team is playing a weak one but the odds on that will be low and not worth it either. These bets often test your patience so that you can bet on the side with the higher odds which are almost certain to fail.

Look at the odds for fouls and corners

When one team has scored many set pieces before, chances are, the opponent will try as much as possible to avoid them which means fewer corners and freekicks will be taken. Corners and freekicks actually tend to be more in a game where the stronger team is on the losing end or desperate for an early goal. When such an opportunity presents itself and the odds are good, then you can wager on it. Another thing to capitalize on is a red card which often increases the corners against the team with fewer players because they are more defensive, meaning midfield and forward-minded players defend more and those ones tend to concede more set pieces and corners.

A goal after 30 minutes of the first half

One thing you will notice after the 30th minute is that the odds for an extra goal go up. If no goal or just one early goal was scored, then you are in luck because you will have bigger odds to bet on. Most goals in average games are actually scored between the 25th minute and the half-time whistle, so betting on a goal before half-time in this period will increase your winnings.

Trust the stronger team if they go down early in the first half

When Manchester United is playing Crystal Palace or Barcelona playing Valencia and the bigger team goes down fast, the bookmakers tend to favour the bigger team to score the second goal. That gives you a chance to go bet big on the odds for the small team getting a second goal which often happens. To hedge your wager, you should also bet on the bigger team still winning because they tend to do that and the bookmakers tend to bet against them winning when they go down early which gives you a chance to win big.

Avoid handicapped bets

These are some of the bets that earn the most money for betting companies because all they do is give them big odds and people fall for the trick. When a team is labelled as handicapped, the odds against it are more or less decided. The company is in full control of that bet because they are the ones choosing the level of advantage to give the winning or the losing team and that gives you less advantage. It is better to go for bets that you have full confidence in depending on how you see the match.

Bet on many goals when average teams are playing

When mid-table teams play each other, the odds are always more lucrative for the gambler because the bookmakers have little confidence in both teams. The one thing books don’t bet on are more than two goals in either half of the game. You still need to time your bets wisely but you are bound to win because when average teams start scoring against each other, lots of goals end up being scored in the game.

Avoid minute-range bets

Being given the choice to predict the outcome of a match in a span of ten minutes is a highly risky bet that is rarely worth it. If a goal is scored even a second after the specified range of minutes, you lose your money. The smart choice is to bet on enough spans in the game that accommodate all kinds of results. Never fall for the fallacy of choosing which team will win the match within the next 10 minutes because that gives a clear advantage to the house. The best time to bet against a team is when they have made substitutes because most teams lose their form for a few minutes as the newcomers find their place in the team.

Bet for a goal after the 75th minute

Just like the odds go up after 30 minutes, the same happens after 70 minutes and becomes more lucrative after the 75th especially if no goal or only a single early goal was scored in the second half. If one team is clearly stronger and eager to score, you should bet for at least one goal after the 75th minute and take advantage of the great odds. You should avoid betting for Over 2.5 goals if a game ended goalless in the first half though. Those odds given by the company are often lucrative but they often lead to losses.

Do you have any other live sports betting tips you would like to share? Do let us know in the comments below.