A Guide to Betting on Goal Scorers in Football

Betting on football goalscorers lets you focus on an individual player rather than the result of the match. You can back a player to score the first goal, find the net at any point, score last or even score two or three times in the same game.

The basic markets are easy to understand, but there is more to a goalscorer bet than simply choosing a prolific striker. Prices reflect how likely a player is to score, while settlement rules covering substitutes, own goals and extra time can differ between bookmakers. Knowing exactly what you are betting on is therefore just as important as choosing the player.

This guide explains the main football goalscorer markets, how the odds work and what to check before placing a bet.

What is goalscorer betting?

A goalscorer bet is a wager on a named player scoring during a football match. Depending on the market, you might need that player to score the opening goal, any goal, the final goal or a specified number of goals.

You do not normally need to predict which team will win. If you back a striker as an anytime goalscorer and he scores in a 3-1 defeat, for example, the goalscorer part of the bet can still win.

The most common markets are:

First goalscorer betting

The first goalscorer market asks you to predict which player will score the opening qualifying goal of the match.

Because only one player can be the first goalscorer, the odds are generally higher than the same player's anytime goalscorer price. A striker could score in the second half and still lose a first goalscorer bet if somebody else had already found the net.

One claim worth avoiding is that first and last goalscorer odds will always be identical. Bookmakers can price the two markets differently, so you should check the actual odds rather than assuming the same price applies.

What happens if the first goal is an own goal?

Own goals are commonly disregarded when settling player goalscorer markets. That can mean the market moves on to the next qualifying goalscorer rather than treating the player credited with the own goal as the winner.

For example, both Betfair's football rules and bet365's player goalscoring rules state that own goals do not count in their relevant player goalscorer markets. Always check the rules of the bookmaker you are using, as settlement conditions are part of the bet.

Anytime goalscorer betting

An anytime goalscorer bet is simpler: your chosen player needs to score at least once during the period covered by the market. It does not matter whether the goal is the first, second or last of the match.

That wider opportunity usually means anytime goalscorer odds are shorter than first goalscorer odds for the same player.

Suppose a striker is priced at 2.50 in decimal odds, equivalent to 6/4, to score anytime. A £10 winning bet would return £25 in total: the £10 stake plus £15 profit.

Scoring twice does not increase the payout on an ordinary anytime goalscorer single. If you want to bet specifically on multiple goals, you need one of the markets described below.

Last goalscorer betting

The last goalscorer market asks which player will score the final qualifying goal of the match. The bet cannot be determined until no further goals can be scored.

A player does not have to score only once. If your selection scores the opening goal and then scores again to make it 3-2, with no further goals afterwards, that player is also the last goalscorer.

As with first goalscorer betting, check how the bookmaker treats own goals, substitutes and the time period covered by the market.

Betting on a player to score two or more goals

Many bookmakers offer markets for a player to score at least twice. These may be labelled 2+ goals, to score two or more or something similar.

The player can score at any qualifying point during the match. The goals do not have to be consecutive, and it does not matter whether another player scores between them.

Because scoring twice is less likely than scoring once, these bets normally come with bigger odds than an anytime goalscorer wager on the same player.

Betting on a player to score a hat-trick

A hat-trick bet requires your selected player to score at least three qualifying goals. This is a much less frequent outcome, so the odds can be considerably longer.

Do not confuse a hat-trick market with an anytime scorer bet. A player scoring once or twice is not enough: the third goal is what completes the bet.

Some bookmakers also offer related player markets such as scoring in both halves, scoring with a header or scoring from outside the penalty area. These have additional conditions, so read the individual market description rather than assuming standard anytime scorer rules apply.

Do goals in extra time count?

There is no safe universal answer. This is one of the most important details to check before betting on goalscorers in cup and knockout matches.

For example, Betfair states that its standard football goalscorer bets apply to 90 minutes plus injury time and exclude extra time. By contrast, bet365 currently states that its listed pre-match player goalscoring markets, including first goalscorer, last goalscorer, anytime scorer and 2+ goals, include extra time if it is played.

That difference can completely change the result of a bet. If a match finishes 0-0 after 90 minutes and your player scores in the 105th minute, the wager could be a winner under one set of rules and not under another.

Never assume that "full time" or a familiar market name means the same thing at every bookmaker.

What happens if your player is a substitute?

Substitute rules also vary between betting sites.

At some bookmakers, an anytime goalscorer bet can remain active if your player begins on the bench and later comes on. Other operators void certain pre-match player bets when the selected player does not start.

Current rules provide a useful example of the difference. Betfair says a player who enters the match can count as a participant for its anytime scorer market. bet365's current pre-match player goalscoring rules state that if the selected player does not start, the relevant bet is void, subject to specified exceptions.

This matters when line-ups are uncertain. Check both the confirmed starting XI and the bookmaker's rules before assuming a substitute appearance will make your bet active.

How to read goalscorer odds

Goalscorer odds tell you both the potential return and the probability implied by the bookmaker's price.

For decimal odds, you can estimate the raw implied probability using:

Implied probability = 1 ÷ decimal odds × 100

A player priced at 3.00 therefore has a raw implied probability of 33.33%. At 2.00, it is 50%. At 5.00, it is 20%.

These figures should not be treated as exact predictions of the player's true scoring chance because bookmaker prices include a margin. Our guide to how football betting margins are calculated explains why the percentages across a betting market can add up to more than 100%.

What to consider before backing a goalscorer

The best-known striker is not automatically the best bet. The price needs to make sense relative to the player's chance of scoring.

Factors worth considering include:

• Whether the player is expected to start: minutes on the pitch are fundamental to scoring opportunities, and starting status can also affect how the bet is settled.
• Playing position: a central striker will generally receive different opportunities from a full-back or defensive midfielder.
• Penalty duties: regularly taking penalties can increase a player's routes to goal.
• Recent role rather than just recent goals: look at where the player is playing and the chances they are receiving rather than assuming a recent scoring streak will continue.
• Opposition: the strength and style of the opposing defence can affect how many opportunities a player is likely to get.
• Expected team performance: a forward playing for a team expected to create plenty of chances may have more scoring opportunities than an equally talented player in a difficult fixture.
• The price: even a player you strongly fancy to score can be a poor bet if the odds are too short.

Statistics can help you investigate these questions, but they do not remove uncertainty. Our guide to useful football betting statistics covers some of the numbers bettors commonly examine.

First goalscorer or anytime goalscorer: which is better?

Neither market is automatically better. They ask different questions.

An anytime goalscorer bet gives your player more opportunities to make the bet successful, but the price is normally shorter. A first goalscorer bet is harder to win because your selection must score before every other eligible player, so the potential return is usually higher.

For example, if you think a striker has a strong chance of scoring but have no particular reason to believe the goal will come first, the anytime market may better reflect your opinion. If your analysis specifically suggests that one player is particularly likely to open the scoring, the first goalscorer market expresses that view more precisely.

The same principle applies throughout football betting: choose the market that matches what you actually believe will happen rather than simply choosing the one with the biggest odds.

Other football goalscorer markets

The exact selection varies between bookmakers and matches, but you may also encounter:

• next goalscorer betting during a live match;
• team first goalscorer markets;
• player to score in the first or second half;
• player to score in both halves;
• player to score and their team to win;
• first goalscorer combined with the correct score, often called a scorecast;
• first goalscorer combined with the match result, often called a wincast;
• each-way first goalscorer betting at bookmakers that offer it.

Each-way first goalscorer terms deserve particular attention because the number of places and the fraction of the odds paid for a placed scorer can vary. Read the displayed place terms before placing the bet.

Check the rules before placing a goalscorer bet

Goalscorer markets look straightforward, but many disputes come down to settlement conditions rather than the identity of the player who put the ball in the net.

Before betting, check:

1. whether the player must start or simply take part;
2. whether extra time is included;
3. how own goals are treated;
4. what happens if the match is abandoned;
5. whether the market has any additional conditions;
6. how the bookmaker handles official corrections to the identity of a goalscorer.

That is particularly important when comparing prices between betting sites. The highest odds are attractive, but two apparently identical markets may not have identical settlement rules.

Betting on goalscorers as a beginner

If you are new to football betting, the anytime goalscorer market is usually easier to understand than more complicated combinations. You pick a player, check the rules and price, and the selection needs to score within the period covered by the bookmaker.

No goalscorer market is predictable with certainty. A striker can have several good chances and fail to score, while a defender can score from their only attempt. Treat the odds as prices for uncertain outcomes rather than guarantees.