When it comes to betting on football, many fans stick to a small selection of markets. Many of these are fairly self-explanatory, such as over 2.5 goals, or first goalscorer. However, there are now more markets than ever. The best football bookies may have in excess of 200 different markets on the biggest games. While many of these are derivatives of others, there are still so many choices when it comes to betting on football. And that’s before one even considers bet builders, accas and outright markets.
The so-called tyranny of choice can be a problem for punters, though. With so many betting options available, how do you choose what to back? Faced with so many options, many football bettors simply stick to what they know. The simplest, most obvious markets are often the best, and they are the most popular for a reason. But betting fans should not be put off a market simply because it is unfamiliar.
In this article, we explain the intricacies of one of the less common areas of football betting: booking points. We take a closer look at how bets relating to this work, what your options are and also similar markets you might opt for.
Booking Points Explained
Booking points is a general concept and a range of markets are based on it. There are so many different options, even when we focus solely on yellow and red cards, let alone the wider game. Many of these bookings markets are simple enough to understand.
For example, a bookie might offer a simple yes or no bet on whether the game will see a red card. Further derivative markets may be similar, but specify which teams have a player sent off or whether the dismissal will be in the first half, second or at any stage. Alternatively, you might include a player to be booked in a bet builder, place a wager on which team will collect the most bookings, or bet on whether the cards in a game will be over or under a preset level (for example 4.5).
In this latter case, and indeed many others, again the market may be offered based on a single team or both, a single half or both, or even more specific options such as the first 15 minutes.
Booking points is a slightly more complex idea, though it is still simple once you know a few basic facts. A yellow card is not simply one in the yellow card column, but instead is assigned a numerical points value. The same applies to a red, with a yellow worth 10 points and a red worth 25 points.
The first question many punters may have is, what happens in the event of a player being dismissed for a second bookable offence? One might assume that two yellows and a red garner 45 points. However, all bookmakers treat this scenario in the same way, and a player’s individual points total in the booking points is always capped at a maximum of 35.
- Player receives just a yellow card = 10 points
- Player receives just a red card = 25 points
- Player sent off for second bookable offence = 35 points (two yellows at 10 points, plus a red at 25 points
That, very simply, is how you should understand the concept of booking points in football. Aside from the fundamentals of 10 points for a yellow and 25 for a red, with no player able to accrue more than 35 in a game, you should also be aware of the following:
- Markets are generally 90 minutes only – by this we mean that cards shown in extra time or during a penalty shootout will not count
- Whistle to whistle – booking points are generally accrued only after kick-off and up to the final whistle. This means that cards shown after the half-time whistle count, but those after the full-time whistle do not
- Active players only – cards shown to managers or coaches, players who have been subbed off, or players on the bench do not count
- Settled at full time – points are determined after the market closes at full time. Consequently, where a player has a red card rescinded or reduced from red to yellow, this will not affect any bets
Booking Points Betting
Few fixed odds bookies offer booking points markets these days. In the past, you might have found a range of markets. This might have included how many points the whole game might have, or how many for one of the teams, or one of the halves. These could have been offered as over/under bets, or with specific brackets, for example, 20-35 points, 40-55 points or 80 points and over.
Booking points are still a staple of spread betting bookmakers, though. These are different to “normal” fixed odds bookies. Rather than betting on whether a certain outcome will happen and getting published odds, you buy (go higher) or sell (go lower) than a spread provided by the betting site.
For example, if a game is expected to be a feisty one, the spread might be 53-57 points. If you think there will be a lot of bookings, you would “buy” at 57. If there were six yellow cards, the total would be 60 and you would win three times (60-57 = 3) your stake. On the other hand, if you thought all the hype was nonsense and noted that the referee involved was particularly lenient, you might go under 53 by “selling”.
If you called it right and there was not a single booking in the game, you would win a massive 53 times your stake! This touches upon a key point when it comes to all bets relating to cards. Punters tend to overestimate the impact of the teams and players, and underestimate the ref. Whenever you bet on such markets, always check the ref’s stats first.
Leaving strategy aside, spread betting sites offer several more complex markets. These are based on the same system of booking points and the same use of a spread. Some examples include:
- Cross-bookings – the “make-up” of the market is the home team’s booking points multiplied by those of the visitors. A typical spread might be 560-650
- Multi-bookings – similar to the above but this uses first-half points and multiplies them by second-half points (for both teams combined)
There are also simpler options, such as the home team’s booking points, points in the first half, which team will get the most points, and various other options that combine booking points with other markets too.
Alternatives
If you prefer fixed odds betting to spread betting, there are various markets that you can bet on that relate to yellow and red cards, but don’t use booking points. We have touched upon these already, with options such as over/under a certain number of cards (available by match, team and half), which team will have the most cards (again, available for the whole match or either half), and many more, including player card bets, combined bets such as “to score or be carded”, and bets on which half will have the most cards.