Insights
Correct score betting explained
What is correct score betting? In traditional 1X2 football markets you are challenged to predict the outcome of a football match. Will the home or away side win? Could it even finish as a draw?
Correct score betting takes this idea a step further by not only asking you to predict the result but also the exact final score. If it sounds hard that’s because it is but the rewards are also far greater.
How to predict correct scores in football
Predicting correct scores isn’t easy but, if you get it right, it can be rewarding, particularly when betting with Colossus. So how do you predict correct scores?
The first challenge is to decide who you think will win the match. If you can narrow that down, it reduces the possible outcomes substantially. Websites such as soccerstats.com are useful resources for form tables, home and away tables and plenty more stats to help you form an opinion.
Alternatively, if you’re still stuck, don’t be afraid to check out the odds which will tell you who the bookmakers make favourite. This can be a useful guide but keep in mind that they aren’t always correct.
Once you’ve decided on an outcome, such as the home team winning, how do you narrow down the correct scores? A good start is to ask yourself how prolific that team are in front of goal, how resolute they are defensively and ask the same of the opposition.
As an example, let’s create a hypothetical Premier League game between recent champions Liverpool and last-placed Nowich, a match we would assume Liverpool to win.
The Reds scored 85 goals across 38 league games at a rate of 2.2 goals a game. They conceded 33 goals at a rate of 0.86 goals a game. Norwich, on the other hand, scored 0.68 goals a game over the season but conceded 1.97.
We can conclude from this that Liverpool are high scoring and likely to net two or more goals, particularly against a defence who concedes so many. Liverpool are also strong defensively, conceding less than once a game on average and might not be troubled too much by an unthreatening attack.
With this in mind we might want to cover correct scores like 2-0, 3-0 and 4-0 to Liverpool or, if feeling very cautious about Norwich getting a goal, 2-1, 3-1 and 4-1 as well. Coincidentally Liverpool vs. Norwich was the very first game of the season and it did finish 4-1 to Liverpool.
This is a very basic and simple approach to correct score betting but you can go into each team’s statistics as extensively as you want by incorporating things like xG, xGa, home and away form, goal margins and so on into your thinking if you wish, all of which are available online.
Fixed odds vs. pools betting
So what is the difference between correct score betting in fixed odds versus pools? At fixed odds bookmakers you have the opportunity to bet on a single game and you will know your potential return when you place the bet. More common scorelines such as 1-0 and 2-0 will tend to have much shorter odds and pay less than the rarer outcomes such as 5-0.
When betting on correct scores at Colossus, you are predicting the outcome of multiple matches, typically between three and six in any given pool, with each pool having a jackpot prize that can be won individually or split if there are multiple winners. Naturally the more matches in a pool, the greater the jackpot prize, with the Correct Score – Pick 6 the biggest of all.
To make football pools betting easier, you can pick multiple outcomes per match. For example if you think a match is too close to call but you fancy it to be a low scoring affair you can select multiple outcomes across home, away and draw to cover your bases, also known as ‘perming’. Be warned though that the more selections you make, the greater your stake will be.
Additionally whereas fixed odds betting is a solo pursuit, pools betting is a social affair. You can create or join Syndicates, a crowdbetting solution which allows you to split the cost of your ticket, and any prize money won, with other players to create a fun, social betting experience.
What is the meaning of ‘other’ correct score selections?
Although huge scorelines such as 6-1 and 5-0 are rare, they do happen. Just look at Leicester thrashing Southampton 9-0 as an example. When betting at fixed odds bookmakers you would have to select this exact score to win your correct score bet but Colossus make things easier by grouping unlikely scores into ‘other’ categories.
Any correct score where the home or away side win whilst netting four or more times is grouped as ‘other home win’ or ‘other away win’. Similarly, any draw greater than 1-1 is ‘other draw’. We think this is a much fairer way to do things, read more about the meaning of other home win / away / draw.
What is the Correct Score – Pick 6?
The Correct Score – Pick 6 is currently the biggest jackpot available at Colossus. Predicting the correct score in six different matches could land you up to £1,000,000 in prize money.
You could earn up to £100 (or currency equivalent) in bonus funds by joining Colossus with our New Player Bonus. Click here to join the action.
