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The German Bundesliga will be the first premier football league in Europe to return to action after the coronavirus pandemic.
The Bundesliga is slated to continue its 2019-20 season on May 16, 2020, after getting approval from the German government to resume operations. The league went into a pause on the eve of Matchday 26 last March 13, 2020.
With most of sports still on a hiatus right now and with its contemporaries like the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, and Italian Serie A still unsure when to restart their respective campaigns, the Bundesliga 1 takes center stage as the top soccer league back in action.
While fans rejoice the return of the Bundesliga, punters see it as an opportunity to return to the betting table too. The odds boards in the major betting sites have become alive again with the Bundelisga’s return.
If you’re not too familiar with the German Bundesliga but want to get back into betting action, you are in luck because we will explain the basics of making bets on the Bundesliga games. So read on:
The German Bundesliga 1
The Bundesliga is a professional association football league which is the top football competition in Germany. It is composed of two divisions, namely 1. Bundesliga or the Bundesliga 1 and 2. Bundesliga or Bundesliga 2. Bundesliga 1 is the top tier of German football and this is usually the league that bettors turn their attention to although there are odds for the Bundesliga 2 as well.
The Bundesliga is the third-richest football league in the world behind the Spanish La Liga and the English Premier League. However, it is the league with the highest average stadium attendance worldwide. It averaged 44,500 fans per game, 6,000 more than the average of the English Premier League. As of 2019, the Bundesliga was the highest scoring league in Europe at an average of 3.15 goals per match, better than the Italian Serie A’s 2.79 and the EPL’s 2.75.
Bayern Munich is the winningest club in the Bundesliga with a total of 28 titles won. Bayern has won eight out of the last 10 seasons of the Bundesliga, including the last seven. Only Borussia Dortmund, which won in 2011 and 2012, is the other team to have won the Bundesliga since 2010.
Before the season was paused, Bayern Munich was on top of the 2019-20 Bundesliga table with 55 points. Borussia Dortmund was second with 51 while RB Leipzig came in third with 50 points. Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen rounded up the Top 5 with 49 and 47 points, respectively.
What Bundesliga Bets Are Available?
3-Way Betting
This is soccer’s typical Moneyline bet but unlike sports like basketball and baseball where there has to be a winner, a soccer match can end in a draw. Let’s use May 16’s match between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 as an example here. These are the odds for that fixture:
Borussia Dortmund is the favorite here because the team comes at a “minus” (-). Schalke 04 is the underdog because it comes at “plus money” (+). If both teams are at a “minus”, then the team with the bigger minus money is the favorite. If both teams come at plus money, then the squad with the lower plus money is the favorite.
For Example:
If Borussia Dortmund is instead pegged at -120 and Schalke at -110, Dortmund is still the favorite. However, if Dortmund comes at +120 and Schalke at +110, then Schalke is the favorite. Of course, the favorite has a better chance of winning the match because it is perceived to be the better team. However, don’t count out draws in soccer.
Going back to the sample odds for the May 16 fixture, You will need to bet $182 to win $100 for Borussia Dortmund. On the other hand, a $100 bet will win $420 if Schalke 04 is victorious.
Spread Betting
If you have been betting on the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL, you already know what spread betting is all about. Because one team is better than the other, the oddsmakers adjust the line so that the inferior team receives an advantage. Going back to our sample game above, the point spread for that match is +1. Again, from BetOnline:
Borussia Dortmund (-1.5)
-110
Schalke 04 (+1.5)
-110
Odds from BetOnline as of 05/12/2020
Here, you need to bet $110 to win on either team. However, because Borussia Dortmund is the better team, it must outscore Schalke by more than one goal if you are to win the bet. On the other hand, if Schalke loses by one goal or the match ends in a draw, a $110 bet on Schalke wins $100.
Over/Under Betting
Again, if you have been betting on the North American professional sports leagues, you are familiar with this bet. This is a bet on the combined total score of both teams. The bet here is whether the teams will go over or under a total set by the oddsmakers. Going back to our example above, this is the line at BetOnline:
Over 3
+120
Under 3
-140
Odds from BetOnline as of 05/12/2020
If the teams score more than three goals combined, a $100 bet on the over wins $120. If the teams combined to score fewer than three goals, then a $140 bet on the under would win $100. If the teams score a total of exactly three goals, then it is called a push.
A push happens when there is a tie between the bettor and the sportsbook. Under this scenario, neither party wins and your bet is returned to you. A push also happens while betting on the Point Spread.
Futures Betting
The 3-Way Betting, Spread Betting, and Over/Under betting is bets made on the games being played in the Bundesliga. Aside from these bets, there are Futures bets available when you bet on the Bundesliga.
These Futures bets are bets which are made for an event that will occur in the future. When it comes to the Bundesliga, the most common Futures Bets is who will win the season championship. Other futures bets include “winner without” which is the same as betting on the championship only that a particular team is omitted.
For example, Bet365 has a winner without a bet on the Bundesliga. When you look at the odds board as of 05/13/2020, it goes like this:
- Borussia Dortmund (-120)
- RB Leipzig (+100)
- Borussia Monchengladbach (+2000)
- Bayer Leverkusen (+4000)
You will notice that Bayern Munich isn’t on the list of betting options. That’s because this bet is made without Bayern. So under this bet, you will pick who wins the Bundesliga 2019-20 season if Bayern Munich were not there.
This “Winner Without” bet is important, especially in a league like the Bundesliga because with the way Bayern has dominated it in the last decade, they are almost a sure bet to win every year. As such, the odds for the betting favorite is too expensive. But if you take away Bayern, the Bundesliga is an even league and you get odds with better betting value.
Proposition Betting
These bets are also known as prop bets and they are made regarding the occurrence or non-occurrence of an event during a game or season. These bets are not related to the outcome of the matches. They are considered novelty bets since they can be related to player or team milestones.
Some of the most common prop bets in the Bundesliga are.
- Which team will be the first to score a goal?
- How many yellow cards will a team get?
- Will a particular player scores a goal in a match?
Live Betting
Live Bets are new in sports betting but it’s become very popular not just in soccer. These are bets that can be made while the game is underway. These odds vary now and then and is dictated by what is happening to a match. When a team is leading, the odds get higher. If a team is fading, the plus money gets larger.
This type of betting usually happens during high profile matches where teams usually play in close games. It keeps the fans and the betting public on their feet throughout the match and makes betting even more exciting.
Now That You Know
We’ve laid out the basics of how to bet on the Bundesliga. Now that you have the information that you need, you can start heading to your favorite betting site to place your first Bundesliga bet. The Bundesliga starts this Saturday so good luck!
