Goalscorer betting is a popular, fun, and exciting form of betting that will keep you glued to edge of your seat – whether you are in the stands, in the pub, or on the sofa at home. Instead of betting and cheering on a team to success, your focus after placing this bet is on just one player and one goal.
Football is the most common sport in which you will find goalscorer betting, but this kind of bet is also available in a range of different sports from handball to water polo. Different forms of this bet can also be found in rugby, American football, and basketball.
If you would like to learn more about the different types of goalscorer betting and how to improve your bet success rate, you’re in the right place…
Types of Goal Scorer Betting
There are 3 main types of goalscorer bets:
- First goalscorer – This is by far the most popular form of goalscorer bet, and one advertised regularly by bookmakers. With this bet, you are looking for the first player to score a goal in the match. A bet will not be paid out if your player scores, but is not the first to do so. However, some bookies may return your stake if they do.
- Last goalscorer – This bet works in exactly the same way as the first. The only change being that you are looking for the last goalscorer in the match, not the first (although sometimes they may be the same).
- Anytime goalscorer – With this bet you are simply backing a player to score during the game. It doesn’t matter if they are the first, last, or 6th player of 10 to score in the match. Because the likelihood of scoring at any time in the game is higher, this bet has the lowest odds of the 3 main types.
Depending on the match and the bookmaker, other goalscorer betting options may be available. These include; first to score for team, to score 2+ goals, to score a hat-trick, own goal, and lastly by type of goal (shot, header, free-kick, penalty, etc.).
5 Goalscorer Betting Tips
The process of goalscorer betting is simple, but picking the right player is much more difficult. If you take first goalscorer as an example, with 22 players on the pitch and 14 substitutes (in the premier league), the odds of choosing the right player are obviously much lower than a regular 1X2 bet. However, the potential rewards are much higher. Even high scoring players such as Cristiano Ronaldo can be found at odds of 5/1 or more to score first.
Now, the bookies know that players such as Ronaldo are more likely to score, and the odds therefore reflect the chances accurately. So, how can you gain an advantage over the bookie? Here are 5 ways:
- Form – We all know when a striker has bagged 12 goals in the last 10 or hasn’t scored in the last 600 minutes. But the reality is, player form is much more consistent than it appears at first sight. If you look at a player’s records over the current and previous seasons their games/minutes to goals ratios will be remarkably consistent. Therefore, you can look beyond just those players in a rich vein of form to that midfielder or striker who hasn’t scored in a few games and is due a goal.
- Record against team – Its quite remarkable, but some players just love to play against particular teams. Take legendary Liverpool striker Ian Rush, who scored far more goals against Merseyside rivals Everton than other team. This can be taken further to records against certain managers and formations.
- Injuries and fatigue – With European teams playing 60+ games in a season, fatigue and injury are commonplace. It therefore makes sense that if a player has played in mid-week he will be less likely to score at the weekend. The same goes for injuries; are they being rushed back the manager, playing with a niggle, match sharp, etc.
- Goal timing – We all know who the top scorers in the league are, but very few of us –even the bookmakers – truly track when certain players score. Most of you will know about impact subs like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who often come on and change a game, but there are equally as many players who bag the majority of their goals in the early minutes.
- Media Reports – Knowing what is happing on the pitch is only ever half the story. A player’s mental state plays as much of a role as their ability. For top players, their personal lives are also in the public eye. Therefore, today, we know much more than if a player has had a bust-up with the manager, is not getting on well with his teammates, or is seeking a transfer. We also know if he has marriage or relationship issues, has lost a close family member, or is facing money or legal troubles – all which can have a huge effect on his form.
In closing, we have to be honest with you here. As with any bet with multiple outcomes, such as correct score, bookies set a high margin to protect themselves. This means that on paper and statistically, goalscorer betting does not appear to be the most attractive choice. But there are silver linings. Bookmakers very rarely look beyond form and goal-scoring records when setting odds, this means that you can gain a huge advantage with detailed research, which can ultimately lead to good profits in the long term.
