Many patient punters have season or outright bets on markets that are more complex than merely who will a football match.
Whether it’s making the top four, six or 10, promotion, relegation or staying up, or heading into the playoffs, the potential for each-way betting exists on many. Depending on what terms are available, then you can still win money off just the place part of the bet.
This can be particularly useful for top scorer markets. Common pre-season terms covering an each-way selection may be a quarter of the outright odds for four places which then shorten to three places in the course of the season.
Gambling on a proven goalscorer to top or place high in the league charts, for example, is a particularly sound strategy as it gives you an extra level of protection. Having all bases covered, because footballers pick up injuries and suspensions, and go off on international duty while league games are still going on, is essential.
If, for example, you had backed Harry Kane in pre-season for the top scorer market, then going each-way would have been wise as he picked up an injury while playing for Tottenham that is set to keep him out of action until March.
(CC BY-SA 2.0) by enviro warrior
That time while Kane is out injured gives fit footballers the chance to increase their goal tally over and above his own, while he sits on the sidelines waiting until he’s recovered. If you just backed him to win and not each-way, then you don’t have the place part of a bet to fall back on.
Even with his enforced absence and slip to 14/1 in the football betting markets, Kane may still get among the top four Premier League goalscorers and so each-way betting mitigates the potential for any loss.
On top of injuries, bans and playing for their country, footballers can also be sold during the two transfer windows. They may be tearing up the league they play in during the first half of the season, but there is always the danger that a foreign club has spotted their talent and off the back of these exploits will want to buy them in January.
An example of this is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabon forward was one of the last players signed for Arsenal by Arsene Wenger, yet he arrived at the Gunners midway through the season after continuing to be prolific for top German club Borussia Dortmund.
If you had backed Aubameyang in the Bundesliga top scorer market, then you would need nobody else to have overhauled his goal tally in Germany during the second half of the season. Such outcomes are not impossible, but highly unlikely and in this particular case, many did surpass him.
Each-way betting is thus something punters need to keep in their locker and turn to their advantage in the eternal battle with the bookies. A bet filling places reduces loss and if you’re on a winner, then you are paid out on both the win and place parts of the wager!
