Corners and cards betting explained

Besides goals, you can also bet on other events in a match. The most common are corners and cards. They usually work like over/under bets: the bookmaker sets a line and you bet over or under it.

Corners betting

Typical lines in the major leagues are 9.5 or 10.5 corners per match. There are also corner handicaps (which team wins more corners), corners per half or per team.

Corners depend heavily on playing style. Teams that attack a lot down the flanks and cross the ball win more corners. A side that keeps pressing against a deep-lying opponent can easily force ten corners on its own. The score matters too: a team that is behind pushes forward and wins corners, while a team that is ahead hardly does any more.

Cards betting

Cards are often not simply counted but calculated in booking points: a yellow counts 10 points, a red 25 points. A second yellow leading to a red is treated differently depending on the bookmaker, often as a yellow plus a red, but with a maximum of 35 points per player in total. Other markets only count the number of cards. Cards for managers or substitutes on the bench usually do not count, nor do cards shown after the final whistle. The exact rules are set by the bookmaker.

The most important factor is the referee. Some show three cards per match on average, others more than five. On top of that come derbies, matches with a lot at stake and teams with aggressive pressing.

Good to know

Corners and cards markets usually have higher margins and lower maximum stakes than the main markets. In Germany, they are not available in-play, i.e. during the match, from bookmakers holding a German licence. Before the match, availability depends on the bookmaker.