Soccer Betting - Never Forget the Draw

One thing that differentiates soccer from other team sports popular with punters is that tied results, or draws, are a distinct possibility. Unlike other sports where the game continues until one team or the other has won, in soccer this is not always the case. Further, the effect of draws on the leagues is tangible. In the 2008-2009 season of the English Premier League, there were 97 draws out of 380 matches played, so almost one out of every four matches resulted in a draw. Draws also have a notable impact on the rankings. In the 2008-2009 season, Liverpool came in second place, but this ranking included 11 draws. If these matches had been played until there was a winner, Liverpool's ranking would have been quite different. In continental Europe, where a more conservative style of play is more common, draws become even more common.

This factor significantly affects the punter's strategies for betting on soccer because every match has three, instead of two, likely outcomes: a win either way or the draw. Despite the role of the draw in soccer betting, betting on the draw has never been very popular simply because it is more exciting to bet for or against one of the teams playing. This means that betting on the draw remains a relatively uncommon practice and one that is most often used by serious punters as opposed simple enthusiasts. Despite being one of three possible outcomes, betting on a draw only makes sense if the punter is familiar enough with the teams to conclude that a draw is likely.

The odds given for betting on the draw are usually fairly generous with both local bookmakers as well as online exchange bettors. With local bookmakers this is intended as a small incentive to convince the local punters to bet on the draw. On the bet exchanges, laying the draw is quite popular with lay bettors. This means that a back bettor seeking to bet on the draw has his pick of bets to accept and can even negotiate with the lay bettors for slightly better odds than those originally offered. The back bettor that prefers to bet on the draw can have an easy time of getting good odds on the exchanges.

Even better odds can be obtained by waiting until the match is in play and taking advantage of the in play markets on the betting exchanges. A single goal scored early in the game - especially in the first ten minutes - can see the in play odds for a draw skyrocket. A shrewd punter with a good sense of timing, or a punter using a "betting bot" automated system, can take advantage of these increased odds.

Draw betting can be tricky, but if the punter is intimately aware of the teams, their records and tendencies, it can be quite profitable. Whether one wishes to experiment with draw betting or not, it is one factor - and an important one - that should be kept in mind by any serious punter.