Bets are often won and lost over small details, either for a goal at the end of the match, a penalty failed, a ball that hit the goalpost, a player that was sent out or any other reason relating to a football match. Additionally, there are still bettors that for not believing entirely in their team to win, choose not to bet. Although this is a recommended strategy, it is important to remember that there are betting types able to protect us or give us advantage over the own bets. Besides the mentioned details, as the ball hitting the goalpost and the failed penalty being inevitable, since its is something completely out of our control, the truth is that the protected or advantage bets can comfort support you to minimize dramatically your bets’ risk and still make a profit from it. The protected or advantage bets market, besides offering low odds, is a possible source of profits, though most often it works as protection to lose bets in a match less fortunate moment.

Goals

Goals

The goal markets best known bet is the “Over 2.5 goals” or the “Under 2.5 goals”. However, we should pay attention to the protected goals’ market if you’re about to bet on “Over 2.5 goals”. It is important to remember that the bookmakers use on a daily basis mathematical models, which in fact is an exact science, and they take advantage from it, not only for the more generic analysis, but also for follow teams’ statistics and odds over several past years of matches. Has mentioned before, the most common betting method on goals is the “Over 2.5 goals”, and that happens because this is a market pretty much interesting and often generates profits. Taking as an example the Premier League 2012-2013 season, where in the first 100 matches we had 46 matches with less than 2.5 goals, meaning the average is very close to 2.5 goals, and that is easily explained as well in other markets, such as the “Both teams to score” that have a 50%/50% chance for yes or no. These numbers and examples show that it is very likely to easily lose a bet with only a goal difference, due to a penalty or simply because of a ball hitting the goalpost. Therefore, it is important that while being a bettor, you keep in mind the betting risks and find other more interesting protected solutions, in order to avoid losing bets when the matches are not predictable. One good option would be the “over 2.5 goals” and “under 2.5 goals” market.

Positive Handicap

Positive Handicaps

The positive Handicap exists to give goals advantage for a certain team, however, if the team is already the favorite and has a low odd, placing a positive handicap in favor of this team makes no sense and furthermore is very far from a Value Bet. However, for instance when we are dealing with a classic match, where we can be confident that the home team will not lose the match, but still it may end up draw, we can use a positive handicap on the bookmaker with +0.5 or +1. If the match ends up with a draw, you win the bet since you have to add +1 goal to the home team result. It is important to highlight here a huge difference between not losing and winning a bet with a positive handicap, which in the long term may generate a good bankroll earning.

Draw no Bet

Protected bet Draw no bet

This betting method gives us protection in case of a match ending up draw. If that is the case, the bet stake is returned and in fact, is as if you had never bet. This method may be used in events where we have doubts about the outcome, as it happened with Positive Handicap. If after analyzing a certain match, even so we doubt that a draw might be possible, therefore it is better to use the Draw no bet method. However, beginner bettors often don’t remember this market and end up not betting, losing an interesting chance to make a profit. It is always worth to look for this type of market, since most often it offers pretty interesting odds and teams’ protection, which mathematically leaves us with a 33% chance to lose and 66% chance to win. This percentage, combined with a good match analysis, drastically decrease the chances to lose and often may be used on our behalf to be profitable on tough matches in theory.

Corners

Corners

For who bets frequently in the corners’ market, have already won or lost at the match closing moments, as it happens with who bets on Over and Under goals. This is another football market that is exposed to the same exact details of a football match. In the Corners market we have “Over X corners” and “Under X corners”. In this market mathematics and statistics also counts, being the option “Exactly X corners” the match average corners, where we can risk to lose the bet for a single corner over or under our bet. However, in some websites, such as the Bet365 bookmaker, you may see the “Alternative total corners” option, where it is possible to find several other corner numbers to bet on, from which the bettors may choose the option considered the most viable and with that increasing your chances to win the bet.

Conclusion

The protected or advantage bets secret is the own bettor. It is important to understand that when betting there is no obvious success path or rule for all matches. It is up to the bettor to analyze each match and depending on your match analysis, choose a protected or advantage bet. It is certain that odds will always be lower, but on the other hand, it is undeniable that depending on the match, this option may be the most liable to profit with a complex and unpredictable match in theory. What matters is to find the value for these protections, find matches where it is worth to exploit this method and therefore, take advantage of this market, using it as a way to avoid losses and mainly as a profit mechanism in matches we probably wouldn’t bet.

Enjoy your bets!