If you’re new to football betting, you’ll see that there are so many different terms that you need to understand. As a first timer, making a bet can be intimidating as you don’t know what they all mean. Each way bets are popular in football, so if you want to get involved you’ll need to really understand them. Here’s what an each way bet is, and how you would place one.
What Is An Each Way Bet?
Each way bets, sometimes written as E/W, are bets that were originally used in horse racing, but now are used in other sports too. They’re a popular choice in football bets, so you’ll see a lot of betting sites offering them on matches. Typically, an E/W option will be offered on outright bets.
An each way bet will essentially double your stake on said bet. It’s placed half on a team to win, and half on a team to place.
It will depend on the event and the betting site as to how many places are paid and the odds given to you. As an example, let’s take a bet on the England team in the World Cup. The terms for an each way bet in this instance may be ‘0.5 first and second’. This means that the odds for placing are halved, and the placement bet will be a winner if England reach the final.
As such, when you make an each way bet on a football match, you’re essentially making a main bet – the bet on a certain team winning – and a back up bet – the place bet. Typically, a bookmaker will pay out for a second or third place, although some will offer lower places too. Check the terms of the bet before you make it to see exactly what they will pay out on.
How An Each Way Bet Will Work
So in this case, your bet would look like this: £10 each way on England to win the World Cup at 4/1, resulting in a £20 bet.
If England were to win the World Cup, you would get a return of £50, which £10 x 4, plus your stake. If England place, you get a return of £10 x 4 x 0.5 plus your stake, which works out at £30.
If England reach the final but lose, then your return is £30 for the placement.
Getting The Most Out Of An Each Way Bet
If you want to place an each way bet, you’ll want to ensure that you’re getting the absolute most out of it before you place it. Typically, you should only place such a bet if the odds are at least 4/1. Any shorter odds than that will not give you any profit if your team places, because you’re only getting a fraction of the pay out.
As such, this is more of a long term bet when you’re betting on football. If you’re looking for a quick return on a bet, it won’t be for you. If you like to keep the suspense up over time and follow your team’s progress over a season, then you will want to place an each way bet and see how it plays out.
Finding And Calculating Your Each Way Bet
If you’ve decided you want to make an each way bet on a match, then you’ll need to find those bets on your chosen betting site. Go to your site and select their football section, and then navigate to their outright bets.
When you find the team you want to bet on, make your selection and you’ll see there’s an option to tick for each way bets. That makes it pretty easy to make the bet and possibly make a bigger profit.
Before you make that bet, it’s a good idea to work out what your profit would be on that bet. A lot of good betting sites will have bet calculators that do the hard work for you, so if your site has one make good use of it before betting.
In the calculator you can adjust certain parameters such as the odds, whether a bet is a win or placed, and the percentage of the odds for a place. There are some cases where you can create multiples in an each way bet, too. For example, you can place an each way bet on the first goalscorer in a match, which can be combined with different players and different matches. With a combo bet like this, you can get a higher odds bet.
When To Make An Each Way Bet
Like most bets, there will always be a best time to make them. In the case of each way bets, it’s best to place them near the beginning of an event or tournament. At this point, there are going to be several possible outcomes, and the odds offered are going to be more favourable. At this point, you should be able to get a good return on odds of ¼ or even ½ for a place bet. It’s worth noting that a lot of these bets will be available before the event or tournament even begins, so you can place them early should you want to.
There are some situations where it’s usually best for you to make an each way bet. For example, if you think a long odds outsider has it in them to go all the way, then that’s when you’ll want to make a bet like this. Also, if you think there’s a team who could go far, or there’s a strong contender to win making the odds on other teams more appealing, you should try out an each way bet then too.
Now you know the basics of what an each way bet is, and how it can be used on football bets. They’re a great way to make a bet more exciting and pay out in the long term. Now you can try it yourself on your next football bet.
