Common Football Betting Mistakes to Avoid

Football fans often make a series of avoidable mistakes when they start betting on the beautiful game. These basic errors can seriously damage your chances of success, so it’s important to stamp them out as quickly as possible.

This guide rounds up the most frequent football betting mistakes. If you avoid these errors, you’ll drastically improve your chances of enjoying long-term success.

1. Betting with Your Heart, Not Your Head

Many football fans allow emotions to dictate their betting decisions. They blindly bet on their favourite teams each weekend, without considering form, injuries, motivation or the strength of the opposition.

It’s crucial to bet with your head, not your heart. Try to strip emotion out of the process when making your betting decisions. You may love or hate a particular team, but that shouldn’t influence your bets. Approach each decision with an objective mindset, and you may just reap the benefits.

2. Ignoring Statistics

Gut instinct is important when betting on football. For instance, if you regularly watch Premier League games, you’ll have a strong inclination as to how a match between Bournemouth and Newcastle will unfold.

However, it’s still important to conduct thorough research. You might find that Bournemouth have found the back of the net in their last 5 games at the Vitality Stadium, while failing to keep a clean sheet. In that case, a bet on “both teams to score” may be more appealing than predicting the result. Intuition is important, but a well-researched bet has a higher chance of success.

3. Overlooking Team News

Focus on injuries and suspensions before making your selections. The absence of a key defender or playmaker can knock a team off their stride. Check reliable sources for team news, and pay attention to pre-match press conferences from both managers.

Some seasoned punters also wait until the starting lineups have been revealed before placing their bets. That takes place an hour before the game. This is particularly important for cup competitions, when it’s unclear how seriously a team will take the competition.

4. Ignoring External Factors

Weather conditions, pitch quality and the referee can all have a major impact on the result of a football match. For example, heavy rain might slow down an attacking team, while a bobbly pitch may stop a Premier League team from completely dominating lower league opposition in a cup competition.

Some referees also have a significant bearing on certain games. It’s crucial to consider factors like the weather and the ref, but issues like motivation and fatigue are also important.

5. Not Shopping for the Best Odds

Shopping around for the best odds will maximise your profits on every winning bet you place. Over the course of a season, this can make the difference between earning a profit and slumping to a loss.

You can use an odds comparison site to find out which bookie offers the best odds on each selection you make. It’s also helpful to hold accounts with multiple football betting sites. That allows you to move quickly and pounce on attractive odds when you spot them.

6. Overloading Accumulator Bets

Accumulators are popular with football fans, as they offer the chance to earn a large payout from a small stake. However, these bets – which are also known as multis, combos or parlays – are risky.

Every time you add a leg to your acca, you increase the house edge. As such, it’s easy to see why betting sites make far higher margins on accumulators than single bets. Use accumulators sparingly, and restrict the number of legs you add.

7. Chasing Losses

After a losing bet, some gamblers try to recover their losses by placing larger, riskier bets. This often leads to a downward spiral, as desperation clouds judgment.

Try to gamble responsibly. Don’t chase losses, never bet when stressed, angry or drunk, take regular breaks, and manage your betting budget carefully.

8. Betting on Too Many Matches

Spreading yourself too thin is another common mistake among punters. Some football fans place loads of bets on several games each day, without conducting proper analysis.

This scattergun approach reduces your chances of securing long-term success. Try to focus on a few well-researched matches instead. Also stick to markets that have a lower house edge, so such as the result or the total goals markets.

9. Overlooking Arbitrage

Arbitrage opportunities arise when two rival betting sites offer significantly different odds on the same market. That allows you to cover both sides of the same bet, ensuring you lock in a profit regardless of the result.

Opportunities for arbing, which is technically known as dutching, are rare. However, it’s helpful to keep an eye out for them, as it’s the only free lunch you’ll ever receive when betting on football.

10. Not Claiming Bonuses

Claiming attractive bonuses can boost your betting budget. Look out for appealing promos that come with simple 1x wagering requirements, such as free bets and insurance deals. Avoid odds boosts on accas that stand little chance of success.