The Key to Making Consistent Profits Betting on Football In-Play

Every year, billions of pounds are bet on the outcome of football matches. Much of this money will come from football supporters who will either back their favourite team to win or back other games they watch live on television to improve the match as an entertainment spectacle. Nevertheless, while many people will lose long-term betting on football, both pre-match and in-play, there are many ways to give yourself a better edge to make consistent profits that you can use to either compound the size of your betting bankroll or treat yourself to something special.

The key to making shrewd in-play football bets is to keep a keen eye on the match statistics. Most online bookmakers are supplied with a live data feed from games by companies such as Running Ball, which they then use to create a useful dashboard, displaying the number of shots on target, possession stats, the number of corners, yellow and red cards, and so forth. Sites such as BetStars will list all in-play football markets, making it easy to navigate between multiple live matches.

However, the ability to get your hands on fast and accurate in-play statistics isn’t the only thing that will determine the consistency of your profits betting on football. You’ll also need an arsenal of betting strategies that can help you deal with any kind of consequence.

Backing under 2.5 goals market – A useful tactic for matches involving two evenly matched sides is to back the under 2.5 goals market from the outset. Most online bookmakers now offer a cash-out facility that enables you to guarantee a percentage of your overall profit had you let it run for the full 90 minutes. You can make small, consistent profits by betting on close games to start slow with no goals in the opening 10-15 minutes and then cash out and move on to find your next tight match.

Halftime results market – This can be a particularly profitable betting strategy when a home side is considered a heavy favourite against the away side. Keep a close eye on the in-play statistics to see if the favourites are dominating possession and get plenty of shots on the goal. If that’s the case, back the home team to be winning at halftime as you’ll often get a better value in this market than the outright match odds market.

Backing over 2.5 goals market at HT if 0-0 – Another way to get good value for your bets is to consider the in-play match statistics at the half time. If the scoreline remains goalless, but both sides have had many shots on target, the possibilities of there being goals in the second half will be high. At this stage, you’re also getting better value on your over 2.5 goals bet than if you would have placed an initial bet on this outcome at the kickoff.

Backing over 0.5 goals market on 70 mins if 0-0 – This is particularly profitable in games where at least one team has a huge motivation to win the match. For instance, if a side must win to secure promotion or a goal is needed to qualify for the final of the Champions League, they will push forward in search of a winner in the closing stages if it remains 0-0. It is therefore prudent to back over 0.5 goals at this stage as it only takes one goal in the game to win the bet. Sometimes this may actually come from the other team that hits on the counter-attack, but you won’t mind whoever scores!

Finally, another important tip is to try and bet to level stakes. Break up your betting bankroll into 100 points or units and try to use 1 point or unit per bet, giving you the best possible opportunity to grow your bank without going bust. Now go make some money!