Betting in bookmakers
A bet on the outcome is a bet directly on the result of the match. Perhaps the most popular type of betting in bookmakers, which also does not require special knowledge: here we simply bet either on the victory of one of the opponents (team or athlete), or on a draw in the match.
In betting on football, hockey or basketball matches, bookmakers usually offer three outcomes and in the line they designate this market most often as 1X2 (these symbols should mean possible outcomes):
- 1 or P1 — victory of the first team
- X – draw
- 2 or P2 — victory of the second team
In some sports, a draw is not provided (for example, in tennis), and then a bet on 2 outcomes will be offered in the bookmaker’s line: in this case, you can only choose the victory of one or the second opponent.
Also, a victory in 2 outcomes is offered by bookmakers in the case when the match must necessarily reveal the winner, for example, in accordance with the rules of the tournament.
Please note that bets on the outcome of the match in football or hockey are accepted for the main time of the game (unless otherwise specified by the rules): the results obtained following the results of extra time/overtimes are usually no longer taken into account.
Most often, bets for the entire match, taking into account extra time / overtimes, are also available in the lines of most bookmakers. This market can be called “Passage” (we bet that the team will go to the next stage of the competition) or “Victory in the match”, and this bet differs in that there are only 2 outcomes, there can be no draw.
Double chance in betting: what is it
In betting on the outcome of the match, despite their simplicity, you should also know some things. Such a phenomenon as a double outcome (also called a “double chance”) implies two possible results of the match, which mean winning the bet. Examples of bets on a double outcome:
- 1X — the first team will not lose
- 12 — there will be no draw
- X2 — the second team will not lose
And if everything is clear with the first and third options (the bet will win if the team wins or draws), then the outcome of 12 in the bets for beginners awakens the question: what is it? Everything is quite simple, there are also two possible outcomes in which the bet will win. In short, a double chance of 12 is a bet that there will be no draw, that is, either the first or the second team will win.
Intermediate outcome
The intermediate outcome includes only a certain time period of the match/event. The bookmaker, at his discretion, indicates in the line the specific minutes of this time interval and offers to predict the outcome of this segment.
For example, it can be an outcome “from the 1st to the 5th minute”, “from the 45th to the 60th minute” or at any other specific interval of the specified time.
In their lines, some bookmakers call this market exactly “Intermediate outcome”, while some use other formulations, for example, “Outcome for the minute played”.
Also, betting on the outcome of football halves or periods in hockey is also available to customers of bookmakers. The same rules apply here as in the main outcomes, only the bet is no longer on the result of the entire match or a segment of several minutes, but on the result of a certain half / period.
How to bet on the outcome of a match
In theory, everything is simple: you need to predict the result of the match (or its main time) and bet on one of them.
As a rule, there is always a favorite in the competition, whose chances of winning are considered higher. Accordingly, the coefficient for such a team/athlete is lower than for an opponent.
Some players try to collect only favorites with odds of 1.5 and lower in the express, thinking that the chances of winning for such teams are 100%. Unfortunately, this tactic leads to a loss: firstly, because the favorites can lose, and secondly, because the betting margin is embedded in the size of the coefficients, which may well lead to losses during a long game.
Another common misconception is betting against the favorite (to win the underdog). Many people think that if the odds on the favorite are underestimated, then the odds on the outsider and the draw result are significantly overestimated. This is not so, the odds for outsiders and a draw also have a margin.