What is Corners Betting? Strategies for Betting on Corners
If you want to try something different when betting on football, as part of a bet builder, also known as a same-game parlay (SGP) in the U.S., corner bets are a good option to explore.
Corner markets aren't usually the first thing that springs to mind when you visit a betting site, but they sometimes provide decent value.
This article will explain the different types of corner markets you can bet on. We'll also cover some effective strategies for betting on corners.
Note: In this article, “football” refers to the global game known as “soccer” in the United States and Canada. Odds may appear in fractional, decimal, or American formats depending on your region, but the principles behind the bet remain the same.
What Are the Main Corners Betting Markets?
There are many pre-match bets on the corners market from which to choose. We recommend you carefully consider the different betting markets and work out the one that represents the best value.
Total Corners (3-way)
Bet on the total number of corners in a game. Betting sites usually offer this as an over/under market, and some offer handicaps on this market.
This is usually a three-way betting market where you might have something like the following for the match between Leeds United and Leicester City:
- Over 11 Corners @ 2.30
- Exactly 11 Corners @ 8.00
- Under 11 Corners @ 1.83
You can bet over/under the corner line and take a shorter price, or opt for the exact option at bigger odds and hope to land on the money.
However, the majority of bettors will take the view that there is a lower or higher number of corners with this sort of bet.
Alternative Corners (3-way)
Rather than betting over/under on a line set by the betting site, you choose the line yourself.
It’s a simple case of choosing your own corners line, and you’ll find the biggest prices when you either bet “over” a large number of corners being awarded or “under” a small number of corners.
Total Corners (5-way)
If you’re looking for more corner betting options within a particular market, then you can bet on this five-way betting market, where you can aim to be more precise with the number of corners throughout the ninety minutes.
The options might be as follows:
- Under 6 Corners @ 15.00
- 6-8 Corners @ 4.00
- 9-11 Corners @ 2.62
- 12-14 Corners @ 3.40
- Over 14 Corners @ 6.00
From the above, you’ll see that the biggest available price is 2.62, and you can get odds as big as 15.00 with this betting market.
Essentially, customers can cheer on the number of corners falling within a particular ball park, with the 9-11 corners bet giving you the possibility of winning if nine, ten, or eleven corners are awarded during the ninety minutes.
Total Corners (2-way)
Some punters don’t want to bet on a three-way or five-way market as it essentially means there is less chance of winning than on a two-way betting market.
Even though the latter offers shorter odds, there’s the obvious advantage of a more likely return, and the two-way corners market could be a simple case of either betting Over/Under 10.5 Corners or whatever the line has been set to.
Total Team Corners
This is another over/under market, except you're betting on the total number of corners a specific team will have in a match.
First-Half Corners
This is generally a three-way betting market where you can bet Over/Under/Exactly for several corners, which might be 5 for the average Premier League game. You will also find Second Half Corners live bets available with selected bookies.
Corner Match Bet
This is a bet on the team winning the most corners in a match. This isn't about the number of corners awarded, just which team is awarded more. The favourite to win the game will usually be favoured to win the most corners.
This is an excellent bet if you strongly believe a particular team is awarded the most or fewest corners. It doesn’t matter if Team A only gets one corner, provided their opponents don’t get any.
There is also the draw option if the team gets a similar number of corner kicks, which can be a great bet to cheer on in real time.
This market has variations, including total corners in a half or predicting the half with the most corners.
‘Race to’ Corners
Bet on either team to reach a specified number of corner kicks first during a match. This market is often listed as 'Race to Three Corners' or 'Race to Five Corners,' for example.
Odd/Even Corners
Guess whether a game's total number of corners will be odd or even for this bet. The word “guess” is apt here, and this isn't a bet we'd recommend for the savvy football bettor.
How to Win Money Betting on Corners
It’s all very well having all these corner betting markets at your disposal, but how do you make the right choice when placing bets?
Many recreational betting customers will go for the “Overs” option on a corners betting market to have something to cheer on during a match. However, shrewder punters should consider that it could pay to go against the grain.
Psychologically, betting on Under 9 Corners might be more complicated than going for the Overs option, especially as you’re effectively willing the ball to go out for a throw-in or a goal kick rather than a corner during a match.
However, it’s fair to say that a swell of punters wanting to place an Overs bet could affect the overall line and odds, with customers needing to bear this in mind.
Tips for Betting on Corners
Research Football Stats Before Your Corners Bet
Bookmakers only create corners markets after checking the latest stats for each team.
Many sites now provide football stats and data, including corners, and you should take advantage of this service to give yourself the most information possible.
Examine historical data and statistics when betting on corners. You should get a feel for the likely number of corners based on the style of play and historical data.
Understanding team tactics can give you an edge in all corner betting markets. If the total average doesn't match the over/under line set by the betting site, you might have found some value.
Remember that the most recent corner statistics will be the most reliable, as managers often change formations and game plans at various stages of the season. You should also look at a particular team's home and away form to see if there are any differences. It can often come down to whether we anticipate a one-sided match or a closer battle.
How to Bet In-Play on Corners Betting Markets
There’s something to be said for watching opening plays before deciding how the match might pan out.
That is certainly the case when it comes to corners, and you might decide to assess how many corners have been awarded after 10 minutes before wagering. Pre-game statistics are all good, but sometimes the evidence from your own eyes can be even more insightful.
The corners betting markets adjust in-play depending on the number of corners awarded and when a football match has elapsed. This means that a corners bet can offer value, whether you are wagering in the 1st or 89th minute of a game. Some punters will wait until half-time to assess the corner count and bet on what might happen in the second half.
For example, if an underdog is leading 1-0 and has decided to park the bus with 30 minutes left, it might be time to back the over on the total team corners market for the team trying to come from behind. This isn’t like the Full-Time Result betting market, where you might have a hunch that Spurs win and wait for the game to start, only to see Tottenham score an early goal, which shortens their odds.
Place a Corners Accumulator Bet for a Bigger Return
There’s a chance to make larger gains by placing corners accumulator bets, which involves picking out betting selections from different football matches.
Bettors love a corner acca if they plan to watch multiple games. The bigger the number of selections, the juicier the overall potential return.
Corner betting is also prevalent when making a bet builder selection, and it can be a great way to bump up the odds on your same-game multi by adding a corners selection to the overall mix.
Cash Out Your Corners Bet Before Full-Time
Anyone who has watched football matches knows that corners can be like buses. That’s because you wait ages for one and then three come along at once. How often have you seen a corner taken and an opposition defender head it out for another corner? When punters place an In-Play corners bet, they usually hope for that to happen to get into a profitable position with their bet.
Let’s say you bet on Over 10.5 Corners in the Leeds vs. Leicester game at even money, and there are seven corners by half-time. You are then only four corners away from winning your bet, and it might be that the bookies are offering you an attractive Cash Out value, which means you can make a profit without waiting to see if your bet lands.
Therefore, bettors can either cash out their bet for a profit or a loss early, or stay in the bet they placed. Cash Out has obvious benefits, and it’s a fantastic feeling if you cash out on a corners bet for a profit only to find that the original bet would have lost anyway. However, taking an early profit when you could have enjoyed a bigger return can sometimes be a sickening feeling.
Recommended Markets to Combine With Corners
Bet builders allow you to combine markets from one game into an accumulator.
Here are some of the markets you should consider combining with corner bets in your same-game accas or parlays:
- Both Teams to Score (BTTS): Bet on both teams to score alongside an “over” corner bet. This can be a good combination if you expect an open game with both teams attacking.
- First/Anytime Goalscorer: Combine a player to score a goal with your corner bets. If there's a player known for capitalising on crosses from corners, this could be a wise pairing.
- Total Goals: Combine a corner bet with an over/under bet on the number of goals scored in a match. This can be strategic if you reckon an attacking game will result in both corners and goals, or if a defensive game will lead to few corners being awarded.
