The World Cup gets underway in Russia later this month.
The hosts, holders Germany and 30 other nations will go up against each other for the chance to claims football’s biggest prize. Who will emerge victorious?
Brazil are the current favourites with the bookies, ahead of Germany, Spain and France. But recent international tournaments have thrown up the occasional shock, so there might be value to be found in backing one of the dark horses.
A World Cup is the sort of occasion that encourages even those who wouldn’t normally bet on football to have a bit of a flutter. And we can imagine there will be lots of bets placed in the build-up to the big kick-off.
For those who are either betting novices or more regular punters looking for some extra value, this article will do that.
Leave it late… or don’t
We’re hedging our bets a bit here, but there is value to be found in betting early or betting late. £10 on Neymar to win the Golden Boot is going to have much shorter odds at the moment than if news breaks later today that he has tweaked a muscle in training. Depending on the market in which you’re betting and what sort of returns you want to achieve, you need to keep an eye on pre-match developments and how they might affect the odds. It’s a matter of using your brain and your gut to find the right time to place your bet.
Bet with someone else’s money
This is the best way of getting value for your bet. Lots of bookies offer sign-up offers, such as free bets, when you join them. You will also find discount codes that will provide you with credit with which to bet. For example, a scroll through Bet365’s vouchercloud page shows that new customers can currently get up to £100 in bet credits by availing of the code displayed.
Remember that most bets refer to 90 minutes
A very basic point, but one worth making on this occasion: the general match odds for the knockout rounds will refer only to normal time and will payout on the result at the end of 90 minutes. If you’re wanting to bet on who will progress to the next round at the end of the tie, most bookies will offer odds on that separately. But bear in mind that reduces a three-horse race to a two-horse race (by taking the draw out of the equation), so any winnings will be reduced.
