Soccer Betting and Handicapping Articles

Women's World Cup Betting: Expert Gives Elimination Round Best Futures Bets
by Trevor Whenham - 6/18/2015

The round-robin portion of the Women's World Cup is in the books, and now we await the elimination rounds. It has been a good tournament so far, and this is where it gets really good. It's also where the betting really gets interesting. Sixteen teams are still alive, and by July 5 there will be just one. But which team will it be? And is there money to be made from betting on them? Let's take a look (odds to win the tournament are from 5Dimes):

Summer Soccer Tournaments Provide Great Moneymaking Opportunities
by Raphael Esparza - 5/19/2015

This Saturday another season of English Premier League soccer ends, and on Saturday June 6 the UEFA Champions League soccer tournament comes to an end. Don't be too sad, soccer fans, because this summer there are three enormous soccer tournaments that will provide us with some quick summer cash. I have spoken to Las Vegas sportsbooks and offshore sportsbooks and they all agree that betting interest will be high for these summer tournaments.

2015 Women’s World Cup Betting Odds and Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/7/2015

The Women’s World Cup is now less than a month away. It runs from June 6 to July 5 and will be played in six Canadian cities. There has been some controversy leading up to the tournament — the men’s tournament must be played on grass, so the women are upset that the whole tournament will be on artificial turf. Anger seems to have shifted to bitter acceptance at this point, though, so now we can focus on getting ready to make some money on the tournament.

2016 Euro Soccer Futures Odds with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/19/2014

Now that the World Cup is in our rearview mirror, the thing for soccer betting fans to do is to look ahead to the next major international competition — and the handicapping challenges that it will bring. The next big one is less than two years away — Euro 2016 kicks off on June 10 in France, with the final coming a month later. Given the top-end strength of the European squads at the World Cup — they finished first and third — there are a lot of reasons to be excited.

2018 World Cup Futures Odds with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/17/2014

The 2014 World Cup just ended, but is it ever too soon to start thinking about the 2018 edition of the world’s biggest sporting event? Of course it’s not! There will be a lot that changes between now and then, and qualification always offers plenty of surprises. Still, there are futures odds posted for the 2018 tournament at Sportsbook.ag already, so we might as well speculate about what could happen.

Betting on the World Cup Championship Game: Tips and Advice
by Trevor Whenham - 7/9/2014

Betting on the World Cup final is different than betting on any other game in the tournament. Significantly different. Those who are aware of those differences have the best chance of avoiding costly mistakes and of making the best decisions that they can. Here are five of those biggest differences and what they mean for bettors:

World Cup Handicapping: Betting Challenges for Third-Place Game
by Trevor Whenham - 7/9/2014

As I write this we are just a few hours removed from Brazil’s semifinal debacle. Time has not made it make any more sense — that was the strangest game I have ever seen. Among many other things to ponder coming out of that game, this 7-1 result forces us to think about the third-place game even more than usual.

Brazil vs. Germany World Cup Handicapping: Neymar and Silva absences
by Trevor Whenham - 7/7/2014

The good news for Brazil and their fans is that they beat Colombia and moved on to the Semifinals in their own World Cup. That is pretty much where the good news ends, though. Beyond that the semifinals were pretty much a disaster. First, captain Thiago Silva received his second yellow card in the game, and that means that he will not be available for the semifinal against Germany — though he can return for the final if they make it that far.

World Cup Handicapping: Judging the Quarterfinalists
by Trevor Whenham - 7/3/2014

As we await the start of the quarterfinals in the World Cup it is a good time to evaluate the eight remaining teams. What do they face going forward? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Most importantly, is there any value in betting on them to win the tournament?:

World Cup Betting: Handicapping the Regions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/3/2014

With time between the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals, this is a good time to look at how the regions have performed in the tournament so far. Each team is obviously separate from their region, but by studying the strength of the regions we can more effectively understand how well a team is performing based to the expectations we had for them coming into the tournament. In short, then, understanding how regions have performed can help us to predict how the team might perform going forward. Without further ado, and in alphabetical order:

Odds to Win the World Cup Update with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/2/2014

We get a breather from all the World Cup action as we await the start of the quarterfinals on July 4. It’s a good time, then, to look for value in the World Cup futures as they sit now with some picks and predictions for the final eight teams (odds for World Cup winner are from Bovada):

World Cup Betting Advice: Group Stage to Elimination Round Differences
by Trevor Whenham - 6/24/2014

As we move into a whole new phase at the World Cup — out of the round robin and into the elimination rounds — things change in significant ways for bettors. Those bettors who understand the differences, and the opportunities they can present, are in a much better position to thrive than those who treat all World Cup games essentially the same regardless of when they are played. Here are five of the most significant differences:

World Cup Handicapping: Third Game Differences
by Trevor Whenham - 6/24/2014

When it comes to betting on the World Cup, most people know that there is a big difference between betting on round robin games and those in the round of 16 and beyond. From a betting perspective, though, there are just as significant differences between the first two games of the round robin and the third and final game. By understanding those differences, bettors can avoid costly mistakes, and they can often open up opportunities for real value. Here are four of the biggest differences:

World Cup Elimination Round Betting Trends
by Trevor Whenham - 6/24/2014

As we get ready for the elimination games at the World Cup, it’s a good time to look at some trends that have emerged over the course of the last three World Cups. (Note — I am ignoring the third-place game in all of these trends because I don’t trust the motivation of teams in that game coming off a disappointment in the semifinals).

World Cup Betting Trends
by Trevor Whenham - 6/20/2014

With the win by Colombia over Ivory Coast, we have now seen 21 World Cup games, so we are officially a third of the way through the action (there are technically 64 games, but the third-place game is stupid and pointless and I don’t count it). This is a good time, then, to look at what has happened so far and to examine how it compares to what happened in 2010 and 2006. Are there trends that stand out? Or is this just a typical World Cup? Let’s take a look:

2014 World Cup Handicapping: Surprises and Disappointments
by Trevor Whenham - 6/19/2014

We are, as I write this, 20 games into the World Cup. We certainly can’t complain that it hasn’t been entertaining. There have been great games, amazing performances, and more than a couple of truly shocking results. There has also been some money to be made for bettors — and that is never a bad thing. As we sit almost a third of the way through games it’s a good time to look at the biggest betting surprises and disappointments so far and what they could mean going forward:

2014 World Cup Betting Props: Scoring Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 6/11/2014

Total tournament goals — “over/under” 154.5: On the surface the under would be the clear play here. In 2010 there were a total of 145 goals scored, and that was just two fewer than the 147 in 2006. The one thing that can elevate the totals, though, are a large number of lopsided blowouts in the opening round. So, are there enough of those to justify an over bet? In 2006 there were seven games decided by a margin of three goals or more in the opening round. There were five in 2010.

2014 World Cup Betting: Most Interesting First-Round Games
by Trevor Whenham - 6/11/2014

As we sit here on the eve of the great spectacle that is the World Cup, here are the five games in the first eight days of the first round action that have me most excited from a betting perspective along with some reasoning for my excitement:

2014 World Cup Betting Picks for MVP and Golden Ball Winner Props Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 6/11/2014

Sportsbook.ag offers an impressive list of potential World Cup MVPs — the Golden Ball — to bet on. In the dozens of names you can bet on are obviously very many players who can be ruled out almost immediately and others that are more intriguing. Before we get into looking at individual players, though, let’s look back at the last 10 World Cups to see what trends emerge amongst the winners of this award:

2014 World Cup Handicapping: Interesting Parlay Bets for Group Winners
by Trevor Whenham - 6/11/2014

Bovada has made betting on parlays for group winners in the World Cup very easy. They have offered a wide range of three-, five-, seven- and even eight-team parlays to choose from. The obvious concerns about parlays also apply here. Parlays are typically not the best way to find value because the odds of the parlay are typically far worse than they should be given the odds of the individual events involved.