Spread Betting Market Guide: Introduction and Key Definitions

This second part of Howtobet4free's spread betting guide focuses on key markets for football. This will help familiarise with the main markets, and also will help further understand how markets are priced and settled. We will explore the most popular football spread bet markets to show how each works, and give advice on how to place spread bets on each generally. The markets covered are listed below, with full definitions at the bottom of this page:

• Total Goals
• Supremacy
• Win Index
• Total Corners and Multi-Corners
• Total Bookings
• Shirt Numbers
• Player Goal Minutes
• In Play Betting

Spread Betting Market Definitions

Supremacy - A bet which places the two teams scores against one another. The market is shown as Team A/Team B, with whichever team is listed first being the more fancied team. This is the team you would buy if you think they will win, and sell if you think they will lose. The opening price will indicate a head start for whichever team is more fancied to win the game. This means for the less fancied team the draw, and in some cases a defeat, can still be profitable. The margin of the victory is considered as for each goal scored/conceded the settlement price will change.

Total Goals - The total goals market allows a position to be taken on whether a game will be low scoring or high scoring. The market is not reliant on the performance of just one team in the match with goals for either side counting. Buying in this market means to expect higher goals than the opening price, and selling is to expect lower goals.

Total Bookings - The total bookings market prices the total bookings shown to players of both teams in the game. Bookings are scored at 10 points, and red cards are scored at 25 points (a player sent off by being shown two yellow cards is valued at 35 points). Buying in this market is to expect more cards to be shown than the opening price, and selling is to expect less cards.

Total Corners - The total corners market prices the total number of corner kicks taken in the game by both teams. Buying in this market is to expect more corners to be taken than the opening price, and selling is to expect less corners.

Win Index – A spread bet with three outcomes. 25 points are awarded to the winning team, 10 points for the draw, and 0 to the losing team. The points are awarded regardless of winning margin. Buying a team backs them to win, selling backs them to lose. The draw settlement can be profitable if a team is unfancied in the win index (opening price below 10 points) or offers some compensation if a fancied team (opening price above 10 points) fails to win.

Player Goal Minutes - The player goal minutes market considers the total minutes of each goal scored by one player in a game. Each time the individual player scores the minute of the goal is added to their total. All players are set opening prices for their own individual performance. Buying would stake on the player scoring goals, preferably later in the game, selling would stake on the player failing to score.

Shirt Numbers Index - The shirt number index market prices the total sum of the shirt numbers of each scoring player in a match. A goal less score will be zero. Buying would stake on their being multiple goals scored by players with high shirt numbers, selling would stake on low goals scored by players with lower shirt numbers.