Milan Rabszski, the famed Polish gambling expert known for creating and maintaining TopKasynoOnline–a well-known casino review site designed to give Poles a better chance to gamble–has taken an interest in the art of football betting. He often sees sportsbooks at online casinos but knows nothing about sports betting. Being a football fan himself, he has decided to visit his friend, Michael, an amateur footballer, bettor, and coach, to gain some insights.
“When it comes to legalne polskie kasyno online, I’ve got a lot of experience. But sports?” Milan shakes his head as he takes a seat across from his friend at a small outdoor cafe. “No.”
“So, you came to me for advice?”
“Oh, yes. I’m a casino reviewer, coming to a football coach to get some betting advice”.
“OK’” answers Michael. “Let me tell you how I got started.”
Football Betting: Origins
“My favorite team has always been Arsenal. I like hard-working teams,” says Michael. “And I always bet on them to win the Champions League.”
“My condolences.” Despite the club’s reputation, it has never won the UEFA Champions League. “You used to bet on them all the time when we were younger.”
“Oh yeah. I wanted my team to win. I thought that maybe giving up my pocket money for them would inspire them to win. It took me a few years of losses to realize that I could actually make money betting on football if I was a little smarter about it. So, I started studying odds. You know how you write about RTP and variance for slots?”
“Yeah. Odds are like that, right?”
“Yes. The higher the odds a team has of winning, well, the better their chances of winning. It’s like RTP, somewhat. Oddsmakers determine them, and they’re different for every sportsbook out there. There are many bets.”
Here, Milan raises a hand. “I thought the bet was the amount of money I was wagering?”
“It is, but there are also different kinds of bets. Poker is poker, right? But there are many different ways of playing it. There are different ways to bet on football, too.”
Exploring Football Bets
“Tell me about them,” Milan asks, and Michael explains some of the most popular bets to him.
The simplest bets involve picking a winner or a draw. This is called a moneyline. Moneyline bets pay more for underdog wins and less for favorite wins. A 3-Way Moneyline lets you wager on three-game outcomes. Bet on the home team, away team, or a tie. In football, the bet is decided by the score after 90 minutes plus stoppage time. There’s also the 2-way moneyline that doesn’t allow betting on ties. If the game is tied, the money is reimbursed.
Point spread betting and spread betting are also popular. Although the words are similar, they’re not the same. Point spread betting is when oddsmakers establish a goal disparity that the favorite must overcome to win. The underdog must lose by less than the margin (or win or draw) to win the ticket. Spread betting odds aren’t fixed; thus, your win or loss depends on the game.
“And then there’s Over/Under bets,” Michael says, grinning. “That’s what confused you, right?”
“Yeah. I had no idea what +0.5, +1, and +1.5 meant.”
“Well, it’s a system where you have to guess the final scorecard. Let me explain.”
First, oddsmakers estimate the number of goals that will be scored in a match, and then bettors decide whether more or less will be scored. There’s no winner. You wager on the cumulative points of both teams. Lines often have a full number plus a half-goal. This guarantees the total is above or below the line.
“Let’s take your example. Suppose you’re betting on Team A. If the spread is +0.5, they would need to either win or draw for a successful bet. For +1.5, they’ll need to win, tie, or lose by no less than 1 goal. If you set the bet at +1, you win if Team A either ties or wins by more than one goal.”
“Understanding RTP is so much easier.”
“You get used to it.”
“Yes, but I’ve seen numbers like 1.75. What’s that about?”
“Ah, you’re talking about Asian Totals.”
Betting on games with .25 or .75 totals provides an alternative to traditional totals betting, which only offers two outcomes (win or lose). This means that, in addition to winning or losing the stake outright, you could also split the pot. However, the amount you receive and the rate at which it is repaid are also variable. Half-wins result in a payout of 50% of the original wager. Half-loss wagers result in a return of 50% of the original wager at the conclusion of the game.
“Suppose the match you bet on ended 0-0, all right? Betting under 1.75 means you won. Betting over 1.75 means you lost. Because no goals were scored, you win–”
“–because it’s under 1.75. I get it.” Milan nods. “Tell me this… is football betting profitable?”
“Daman Chick won a million pounds in 2016 with a £5 bet. I’ve made a decent income too. I use the double chance strategy, meaning I bet more but lose more. For beginners, I’d recommend making small bets and don’t always back the favorite at away games.”
“Is there a best bet, Mike?”
“Often, it’s luck, but proper research always helps. It’s a dynamic field, and live betting really shows you that. It’s much more complicated than slots, but you learn to love it.”
“Wish me luck.”
Conclusion
Milan Rabszski, a well-known gambling expert, is branching out to betting. You can reach out to him for all your casino queries and, soon, for your betting queries as well. He is the editor in chief at TopKasynoOnline, a passion project of his that serves as an information highway for Poles. The website is designed by the Poles as well in an effort to help fellow gambling enthusiasts. Their office is located at Zlota 59, 00-120 Warsaw. Their phone is always buzzing with queries; reach out to them at +48 22 595 14 00. You can also listen to Mr Rabszski’s podcast at topkasynoonline.buzzsprout.com. At the time of writing in September 2022, Poland uses Blik, Prezelewy24, Paysafecard, Bitcoin, and Ecopayz http://topkasynoonline.com/ecopayz/ as official payment methods.
Please note: Gambling is illegal in Poland, so the content in this article is intended only for informational purposes and is available to users outside of Poland.
