How to Construct the Perfect Football Bet Builder
Take any random Premier League match, and you’ll likely find that there are 100s of betting markets. Sure, most of focus on the win-draw-win markets, but others will look at a range of options, covering handicaps, goals scored, first scorer, corners, yellow cards, shots on target, and so on. But more and more, punters are combining different elements from a single match into a match into what has been termed a “Bet Builder”.
Today, Bet Builders are a key aspect of online betting, particularly on football, but also on other markets like NFL. As mentioned above, it is about combining elements from an individual game into a single bet. It can be entertaining, especially if you are watching the game live. Indeed, we see a lot of social media tipster accounts sharing details of Bet Builders. It can become a kind of communal experience when there is a big game on.
But what exactly is a Bet Builder and how to you construct a winning one? Let’s break down this type of bet, and then ask what expert bettors do in terms of strategy.
First, let’s choose a hypothetical Premier League game – Chelsea vs. Manchester United – to see what a Bet Builder might look like:
Chelsea to win
Manchester United to take over 7 Corners
Thiago Silva to Score First
Bruno Fernandes to receive a yellow card
Now, the Bet Builder would offer combined odds for all those events to take place. However, it should not be confused with an accumulator (or parlay bets in American terms). Some of those “events” influence each other, so the odds are not accumulated in the traditional manner. For example, Silva scoring the opening goal impacts Chelsea’s chances of winning the match. Regardless, the bookmaker’s algorithm will provide odds for all the combined events happening.
Stats are important for Bet Builders
So, what should punters be thinking about when it comes to constructing a winning Bet Builder? The most sagacious advice is to not make it too complicated. Moreover, your bet builder should be rooted in statistics. For instance, if United average 4 corners* away from home, and Chelsea concede very few corners, then the example above of United taking over 7 corners in the game might be a poor selection.
*please note that the stats here are hypothetical and only used for illustrative purposes
We would also advise punters to stay away from random events. By “random”, we mean things that aren’t based on statistics and have little association with a team’s strengths and weaknesses. For instance, betting on which team will take the first throw-in. Barcelona could be playing Barnet, and it would still be a toss-up on who wins the first throw-in, so try to avoid random occurrences.
Keep Bet Builders Simple
What we have learned from experts is that they try not to be too elaborate in their Bet Builders, opting to combine more predictable markets at lower odds. If you are going to pick players to score or receive yellow cards, try to settle on one, rather than creating complex bets just because the odds are high. Remember, just one event not going wrong will scupper the entire bet.
Finally, whatever you do, make sure you research your bet. There is a wealth of football data out there on the internet, and you’ll be a more successful bettor if you pay heed to what the stats say. Use your intuition, too, of course. But keep it simple and rooted in stats, and your Bet Builder will be much more likely to win.