Soccer Betting 101

As mentioned earlier, we will soon be back with another Free MLS Pick as we continue to bet on soccer. For those who are new to betting on this game, here are some thoughts on soccer betting.

(In preparing this article, I got some help from online gambling guide, and that’s the reason for the using European soccer and the Premier League as an example.)

Basic Sports Betting: Money Lines and Point Spreads

In most sports, as you probably know, there are two ways of betting on your preferred team. The point spread is the amount of points the favored team needs to win by for a bet on that team to win. For example if Team A is a 7 point favorite over Team B, a bet on Team B would win if Team B won or lost by less than 7. The money line works more like a traditional odds bet. A money line might show a team favored like this: Team A +140/-260 Team B. This means that Team B is a favorite, and to win with Team B you must put up $260 to win $100. Team A is the underdog and to win with them you can put up $100 to win $140.

Problems with Soccer Sports Betting

The low scoring nature of soccer presents some problems for traditional methods of betting. Due to the low goal differential of many games, a goal spread is not practical. Even a team that is far superior to another may win by only one goal, and games often end in ties. This propensity to end in a tie also creates problems for the money line, as in most circumstances ties do not pay either side.

Solution to Sports Betting on European Football

To solve this problem, bookmakers offer a modified money line to soccer bettors. This works exactly like a traditional money line except that unlike money lines in other sports, there is a draw option. For example, a line might read: Manchester United -120 Draw +110 Arsenal +140. This would mean that to bet on Manchester United you would have to put up $100 to win $120. To bet on Arsenal you would put up $100 to win $140, and to bet the draw, you would put up $100 to win $110. Since there is a draw option, bets on either team do not push in the event of a tie as they do in other sports. If the team you bet on does not win outright, you lose.

We hope this helps as we continue to bet soccer here at Stock Lemon!

Help Vote On Our Summer Betting Plan

Last summer, we took some time off from the betting world and posts were few and far between as a result. This summer, we don't want that to happen again.

With our Free MLB Picks system easily our least reliable of the major sports, we tend not to play too many MLB games. Which leaves us no choice--if we want to wager on summer sports, we're going to have to wager on some obscure sports leagues.

In our minds, that leaves three choices. Here's where you come in. In our first ever poll here at Stock Lemon, we need you to vote for which of the following three leagues we should bet on over the summer. We want to narrow it down to just one so that we can focus our full attention on what would be an entirely new league for us, so that we can learn as much as possible about that particular league. So, in no particular order, here are our three options:

MLS

The MLS has already kicked off (get it... soccer!) its 2009 season, so already we are a little behind on the pitch. We follow soccer very loosely, but think we could pick it up with relative ease. The MLS is nowhere near the competition or popularity of England's Premier League, but their season doesn't start until August, and we're already going through betting withdrawls.

WNBA

The WNBA is our next choice due to our familiarity and success betting basketball in the NBA, although the women's game is entirely different. We feel that we could pick it up, but we're not sure we could make it through an entire season of women's hoops. We want this to be a profitable experience, but we also want it to be fun, and we haven't heard too many people raving about the excitement of the WNBA. Like the MLS, the season has begun, but is in its early stages.

CFL

Just as we have experience and success in basketball, the same can be said about football. We love the NFL and would enjoy watching the games regardless of whether or not we were involved financially. Considering how excited we are to begin betting on the inaugural UFL season, it would only makes sense to bet on Canada's version of the game which, give or take ten yards, is pretty much the same. Two weeks of CFL action are in the books, and Week 3 will conclude before the results of our poll are in, but there is still plenty of time for us to dive into the league.

The poll is located in the upper right hand corner of this site, so be sure to help us decide which league to begin placing bets on.

We Still Like AIG

Last week we gave you AIG as our first Free Stock Pick in a while. Since then, it has dipped a little, but with the economic bailout finally coming through from the United States government, AIG should rise again soon.

That said, we still like AIG... and so does Wayne Rooney and Manchester United of the English Premier League. If you're unfamiliar, the England star and the rest of his Manchester teammates are sponsored by AIG, and represent our Free Stock Pick with every goal.

So, just as it is with this site, if you stick with it long enough, you're going to make some money.