Everything you need to know about FA Cup betting sites
The FA Cup is one of the most famous domestic cup competitions in the footballing world. More than 700 football clubs enter each season – all with the dream of making it to Wembley and lifting the trophy. But it’s not just the teams that can strike lucky, the FA Cup serves football bettors an assortment of exciting betting odds and opportunities rarely found in league fixtures. Want to get involved but don’t know where to start? Take a look at the top online bookies for FA Cup football betting.
When does it all start?
The FA Cup tends to kick off at the beginning of January, though the road to Wembley starts in August for some players, as that’s when the qualifying rounds begin. However, bettors can expect to start placing bets on FA Cup football in November. As teams make it through the rounds and the bigger teams are in the hat, bookmakers go into frenzy. With 32 ties to be played in the third round of the cup, the number of betting opportunities runs into the thousands.
Who to back?
The great thing about this football competition is that it’s an open draw, which means it’s possible to get some of the country’s biggest teams competing with the smallest of minnows, opening up some great opportunities for betting. But is it worth placing bets on the smaller teams?
Betting on big clubs
Pros: You’ll be playing it safe. While there are some shocking results from time to time, these are relatively unlikely.
Cons: The odds for backing a heavy favourite will be low, which means you won’t get much bang for your buck, unless you can afford to bet big.
Tip: Place your bets using an 8+ fold accumulator to get better odds, which can result in a better return.
Betting on small teams
Pros: Odds are higher, so you can get heftier returns on smaller bets.It’s not uncommon for the odds to be 10/1 for a lower league side to win against a team in a higher division.
Cons: Though not impossible, it’s less likely that a lower league team will beat a Premier League opponent. The higher odds reflect the lower probability of that result happening.
Tip: You don’t need to place complex bets in these circumstances. Simple bets on outright wins can be enough to win big.
FA Cup betting options
Betting options for the FA cup comes to life as soon as the top teams enter the fray, opening up a number of pre-match and in-play markets allowing punters to bet on live football games. This means that, if you don’t do your research, you could miss out on some betting gems. Pay attention to these markets when you’re filling out your FA Cup betting slip.
- Half time vs Full time
We’ve all seen a football match turn on its head in the second half, so betting on a result at this point can sometimes be quite rewarding. This market is often overlooked by casual football bettors but can lead to hefty payouts, especially when a lower league team is competing against a Premier League side. There are a number of factors, such as adrenaline and excitement that can help a smaller team get ahead in the first half, but their lower fitness levels might mean they can’t maintain this performance throughout the second half. For this reason, it’s always worth checking the odds for a half time bet. - Asian handicap
Handicap betting is a type of spread betting, and attempts to make your bet on a football match a fair fight with a handicapped score. This gives the weaker team a head start, meaning they’ll need to score fewer goals for your bet on them to win. Let’s look at an example:Chelmsford (+2) vs West Ham (-2). The +2 is Chelmsford’s head start so, if you’re betting on them, you’re effectively 2-0 up already. If you’re placing your money on a West Ham outright win, they’ll need to beat Chelmsford by at least two goals for your bet to pay out. - Football betting in an Asian handicap market means you’ll get better odds on the stronger team, but they’ll need to overcome the handicap for you to win the money.
- Both teams to score (BTTS)
Both teams to score is another great FA cup betting market, especially when lower league teams are playing a stronger opposition at their home ground. It’s important to do some homework to check that both teams are likely to score, but once you’ve done this, you can get the betslip ready.
Compare and bet
FA Cup betting is exciting and it can be lucrative, if you play your cards right. Whether you’re looking to place an accumulator bet on favourites, or want to take a long shot on a smaller team, there’s money to be made- especially with welcome bonuses of up to £10 no deposit free bets at some bookies. The Compare.bet team has reviewed the top sites for betting on FA Cup football to get you on the road to a first-class football betting experience. All you need to do is compare, pick your favourite and start betting.
