Football Betting Strategy: 1x2 Betting

Jamie Casey

June 1st, 2021

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When it comes to football betting, the most popular betting market is 1x2. For the uninitiated, this is simply a bet on either a home win, away win or the draw. You can choose to bet the 1x2 market on just one match and therefore place a single on a particular team (or draw) or alternatively you can place a 1x2 multiple bet that features two or more selections.

In this article, we look at the best way to approach the 1x2 betting market, which could come in handy, should you decide to test the betting market during the upcoming Euro 2020 championship. What sort of odds should you look for when it comes to betting on the match market and what’s the best strategy when it comes to placing a 1x2 accumulator?

Why is 1x2 Betting so Popular?

Most people like to take a view when it comes to a particular match. Will one team benefit from home advantage to land the three points? Will the away team prove too strong and claim the spoils? Or will it be a close encounter which means that the draw offers the best possible value of all?

The beauty of the 1x2 betting market is its simplicity. Anyone can understand the principle of predicting the outcome of a match after ninety minutes and betting accordingly. However, it’s another matter trying to make money on this market and it’s important to follow some golden rules to avoid placing too many bets.

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How Should We Approach the 1x2 Betting Market?

Firstly, it’s important to remember that there are three possible outcomes. Very few people actually back the draw on the 1x2 market despite the fact that it often represents the best value of all. The game is all square when the match kicks off and a cagey game means that the draw often becomes the favourite In-Play if a goal hasn’t been scored in the first half.

Whichever of the three options you select, you are betting against the other two, so you have to feel confident that the price you have taken represents decent value. If a team are even money to win a particular match, you should really feel as though they have a greater than 50% chance of winning as that would then make it a value bet.

Similarly, you might see a team available at 5/1 on the 1x2 betting market and feel as though their odds are too big to win a football match. If you feel that odds of 3/1 are a more accurate reflection of their chances of winning, you could bet at 5/1 even though the team are still more likely not to win than actually win the game.

Check Team News When Betting 1x2

Team news is absolutely vital when it comes to betting on any football market and that’s especially the case with the 1x2 market. If you’re betting on the outcome of a particular match, then it’s vital to know the predicted line-ups and then the confirmed line-ups which are announced roughly an hour before the game kicks off.

The best football betting sites will often adjust their 1x2 betting odds according to the team news that is released. If Manchester City are resting several players during a hectic festive schedule, you might see their odds drift before kick-off. Similarly, if a star player is back from injury and lining up to play, then the price might go the other way.

For big football leagues such as the Premier League, it’s not uncommon for the 1x2 betting markets to go live days in advance of the match kicking off. Sometimes early birds are able to snap up some value, with the bookies often adjusting their prices closer to the game, especially if there’s been a weight of money for one particular team.

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Betting 1x2 Accumulators Successfully

The most popular football accumulator bets involve the 1x2 betting market due to their simplicity. Punters love putting together a multiple involving several teams and then cheering on each side in the hope of landing a substantial return from a relatively small stake.

While accumulators are undoubtedly great fun, the biggest mistake that punters make is to pick too many teams for their multiple bet. Sometimes it might look bombproof to load up ten favourites into an acca and wait for the money to roll in, although there’s often an inevitability that at least one team will slip up.

Less is often more when it comes to winning with football accumulator bets. There’s nothing wrong with picking three or four teams if they are the only ones that you strongly fancy to win for that particular round of matches. The key is to avoid the idea of boosting the odds on your acca without considering whether you think a particular team will win.

You can often find a bookmaker site who will run an accumulator bonus promotion and that means you can get a bonus on top of your winnings. While a bookie will offer a bigger bonus for accas with more selections, there’s a reason why they do this and you should resist the temptation to load up on too many teams.

Some customers like to Cash Out on their football accumulator if the first few legs win. Say you pick out eight teams for an acca and the first six all come in. A bookmaker might offer you a handsome Cash Out value for your bet and you can walk away with a profit without waiting for the final two matches to be played.