Premier League Betting
Gambling and sport have had a long and storied connection and this is true about the game of football as well. One of the most popular football leagues in the world today is the English Premier League, also known popularly as the Premier League or EPL.
Betting on the outcome of the different games of the Premier League and also on the final results is very popular not just among people of England but across the world.
Betting on the Premier League can be very interesting because of the format the League follows. There are bets that you can place for short term results, like the outcome of individual games, and also for the long haul, like the final finishing lineup of teams in order of the points they scored.
There are different elements that come into play, the most important of which are the odds. In this blog we take a brief look at how Premier League betting works, starting with a brief description of the League itself and drilling down to the various aspects related to betting on it.
Understanding How the Premier League Works
Understanding how the Premier League works is very critical if you are serious about betting on it. The League has 20 teams. Each team plays the other twice during a single season: one at home, which is called the ‘home game’ and the other at the stadium of the rival team, which is called the ‘away game’. With a single season starting in August and ending in May, there are 38 games in all that each team plays per season.
The team with the maximum number of points at the end of a season is crowned the English Premier League Champions for that season. The champion team qualifies automatically for the UEFA Champions League, the most prized football tournament in Europe. The second and third placed teams in the EPL also qualify for the Champions League. The team that finishes fourth gets a shot at qualifying for the Champions League with a guaranteed slot in the qualifying rounds of the tournament.
The teams that make up the bottom of the Premier League table are relegated to the second tier division of English Football, the Championship. Relegation is for the last 3 teams in the EPL, at positions 18, 19, and 20. The relegated teams are replaced by the top 2 teams of the Championship. The third team making it to the EPL is the winner of the Championship Play-offs between teams 3, 4, 5, and 6 in the Championship rankings.
Betting in the Premier League
To be able to bet correctly on the Premier League and also ensure you are able to maximize when it comes to winning opportunities or creating them, it is important to understand the Premier League odds and how they can influence an outcome. It is also good to know about the different betting markets that you can utilize.
The first thing to be aware of is the kind of betting markets available when it comes to betting on the Premier League. There are majorly 3 different betting markets available:
Outright bets: These are bets on the final standings in the League or the result of a tournament. A few good examples are:
- Title Winners
- Top Four Finishes
- Top Two Finishes
Individual bets: These are bets you can place on individual games. Some good examples are:
Asian handicaps: Each team has a goals handicap and you pick a winner for the game
Goals Total Over/Under: Picking over or under a specific number of goals in a game.
Match Result 1×2: Picking the outcome at the end of the game. The time period is taken as 90 minutes and also the time added at the end to make up for time lost in delays/stoppages. The results could be one of the following:
- Home win
- Draw
- Away win
Score bets: These are bets on the possible score line at the end of a game.
The Premier League Title Odds
Title odds are offered every season by each and every bookmaker involved in Premier League betting – online as well as land-based. It is after all the odds on a team winning the League title. Bookmakers make it available even before the season begins, and it continues right till the end of the season. Players have the option of placing a bet at the beginning and then tweaking it as the season progresses.
Different bookies offer varying odds on the Premier League Title. You could zero in on one of the bookmakers based on reputation or do your homework: check which one of them offers the best odds and then stack that against past results and payouts to pick the one you think is the best bet.
There are different factors that can affect the performance of a team over an entire season. This in turn will affect the odds of the team winning; the odds usually change given that this is a bet that is on throughout the season. Different factors involved include:
- Player form
- Injuries
- Team composition
- Manager’s performance
- Game strategy
- Formation usage
One of the biggest examples of how this bet can help you make a fortune is the case of Leicester City FC in 2015-2016. The odds of their winning the EPL Champion’s title were marked at 5000:1 at the start of the season. Imagine the chaos that started seeping in when it seemed like they had a shot at winning it after all, and the mayhem that was unleashed when they actually won the title! It is till date the biggest upset in the history of the Premier League and also trigger for the biggest loss the betting industry suffered when it came to Premier League betting – the losses were put at approximately £25 million.
Premier League Top 4 Odds
Another bet that is very popular among Premier League betting enthusiasts is the Top 4 Odds bet. This bet has all the thrills and spills of high octane adventure as the teams slug it out for a shot at a Top 4 finish in the League. A Top 4 finish is very important for the teams: it means qualification for the Champions League for the Top 3 and a shot at the qualifying rounds for the 4th placed team and there is the added financial benefit the teams can earn.
While this is a very popular betting option, it is not the only one. Other odds available include:
- Premier League Top 2 Odds
- Premier League Top 6 Odds
- Premier League Top 10 Odds
- Premier League Bottom 10 Odds
- Premier League Not to Finish Top 4 Odds
- Premier League Not to Finish Top 6 Odds
- Premier League to Finish Bottom Odds
- Premier League Top at Christmas Odds
- Premier League Bottom at Christmas Odds
Relegation Odds
While betting on the winner or the top 4 finishes are definite betting options, another option available is betting on which teams are likely to be in the relegation zone and which are the teams likely to be relegated to the Tier 2 Championship. This bet is also available from before the start of the season and right till the end. Another option is to bet on the teams likely to escape relegation and the ones likely to stay in the League.
Other betting options available include betting on the Top Goalscorer of the League. There are also a number of other bets players can place on individual games, like the chances of a hat trick being scored, the goal margins, and more.
Tips for Betting on the Premier League
If you are new to betting on the English Premier League the above advice will stand you in good stead. Apart from that here are a few tips that you can follow for a better shot at betting and winning.
- Research the odds offered by the bookmakers carefully and choose the right one.
- Another option is to use multiple bookmakers so you have more bets and more winning options.
- Use a staking method that yields results consistently.
- Track and record all the wagers you place regularly.
- Make bets that have a certain intrinsic value.
- Check up the statistics available and analyze them carefully. You can get them at different established sites like:
- EPL Index
- ESPN Premier League Stats
- Premier League Stats