First Goalscorer bet is exactly what you’re thinking it is – a wager on the scorer of the first goal in a 90 minute game of football. As such, it is a simple market to understand and get your head around.
First Goalscorer Rules: Check what happens with your first goalscorer bet when the selected player doesn’t start a game and other possible scenarios.
What are First Goalscorer Betting Tips and Strategy: – Increase your chances to win a bet by using these smart strategies.
What is the First Goalscorer Betting Market: – In depth explanation on First Goalscorer bet.
Similar Bets to First Goalscorer Betting: – Read what Two or More , Anytime Goalscorer and other bets are all about.
Best Bookmakers for Goalscorer Betting
#1
Bet name: “Who Will Score The First/Last Goal In The Match”? HUGE offer of Goalscorer and related betsThe Most Competitive Odds for Goalscorer Bets
#2
Good odds for First/Last/Anytime Goalscorer”First Goalscorer And Team Win/Draw/Lose” available tooInteresting PvP market: “Goalscorer Match Bet”
#3
Wide selection of “Goalscorer Markets”Good Odds for “To Score 2 Goals or more” Possible to Cash Out your Goalscorer Bets
First Goalscorer Rules
At this point, you may have concerns about certain scenarios that might impact on your first goalscorer bet. Let’s take a look at these.
A Player Doesn’t Start?
If you find yourself with money riding on a player who isn’t even starting the game, there is no need to hit the panic button – right away at least. Generally speaking, all is not lost. For most bookmakers in the UK, this scenario will be treated as such. If your pick for first goalscorer doesn’t even make the bench then he will definitely not be involved at all so your bet is voided and your stake returned. If the player you’ve backed to score the first goal is on the bench but doesn’t get on the pitch, your stake will also be returned. You will also get your money back if a goal is scored by another player before your goalscorer selection is subbed on. However, if your player gets on the pitch before the first goal is scored the bet plays meaning he now has chance, albeit one with a smaller window of opportunity, to get that first goal so your bet is deemed valid. Of course, one of the best dutching strategies in this market is to select numerous picks.
Your Player Is Taken Off?
If your player is taken off, having started the game, all bets will stand as the player has had his chance to score first. If he did manage to grab the first goal of the match before his number came up, great! You win. But, if he is being substituted out of the game without scoring then you can kiss your stake goodbye.
Your Player Is Sent Off?
Much the same applies if a player is sent off. If he was on the pitch when the first goal was scored, or if no goal was scored at all, and then your guy gets shown a red card, then the bet is a loser. If, however, he scored the first goal of the match and then went and got himself sent off, his goal still stands.
The First Goal is an Own Goal?
Quite simply, own goals do not count towards this bet and are completely ignored. This means that, to all intent and purposes, the game remains 0-0 and the opportunity to score the game’s first goal is still intact. Therefore, the next goal to be scored, assuming it’s not another own goal, will count towards the first goalscorer bet. If that second hypothetical goal should be sandwiched between another own goal, and the game finishes 2-1, then the second goal will payout on both the first and the last goalscorer bets.
The Game ends Goalless?
According to first goalscorer rules, if the match ends 0-0 and your pick played some part in the match then he had the opportunity to score and didn’t take it so your bet is deemed to be a loser and you will not be getting your money back.
VAR Rule Out The Goal?
If the Video Assisted Referee (VAR) ruled out the first goal of the match then it doesn’t count towards the result and will not be acknowledged by the bookmaker either. Unless the bookmaker is running a specific promotion, then only official goals – and this includes who the FA’s dubious goals committee record as the official documented goalscorer – will count towards a bet.
The Match Gets Abandoned or Postponed?
If a match is abandoned half way through, then any first scorer bets will stand whilst bets on last goalscorer will be voided. Postponed games rules vary but for the most part, bets usually roll on to the rescheduled game it is rearranged soon enough.
What are First Goalscorer Betting Tips and Strategy?
First goalscorer might seem like a random bet whose outcome could be settled by any number of circumstances but there are a few things you can do to improve your chances of success.
Study Player Form
Consider the probabilities of the player you are considering putting your money on actually scoring the first goal such as is he in red hot form or going through a bit of a dry spell. Do take this into account, as you’re more likely to win on an in-form striker even if the odds will be considerably shorter. The same applies, in wider sense, to teams. If a team is in great form in front of goal, they’re perhaps more likely to score first. Also, remember that some teams are well known to nick late goals while others tend to score early on and, in some cases, sit back and defend their lead. This too can dramatically affect the first and last goalscorer odds. Is there a player who is considered to be a dead ball specialist? Better still if he happens to be a defender and he likes to take penalties or free kicks. What if the big number 5 wins a lot of headers when attacking corners? Is the opposing goalie world class or well known to be dodgy, especially at crosses? These are the kind of things you can use to your advantage.
Study The Head To Head
For whatever reason, some players do better against certain teams than others so check the head to head record for the past few meetings between the two sides. Again, there is no guaranteed formula or set reasoning but some top class strikers struggle against sides in the top or bottom four while others are deadly when it comes to derby matches. Consider too the opponent’s tactics, do they play on the front foot leaving gaps at the back ripe for a striker to exploit or are they a physical team giving away freekicks and penalties, maybe even picking up a red card? Will your guy rise to the occasion or wilt in a physical match? Also, remember, a player that is just coming back from injury could well take a few games to get going again. Additionally, they might not be able to last the full 90 minutes, in which case perhaps don’t back them to be the game’s last goalscorer.
What is the First Goalscorer Betting Market?
The first goalscorer market is simple. Bookmakers will produce a book of live betting odds featuring a list of the players likely to be involved in an upcoming, normally televised, football match. Using all of you footballing knowledge and bettor’s instinct, you select the player that you think will get that all important opening goal. If your selection is the first goalscorer in a match, you win and if he isn’t, you don’t.
Most of the players in a first goalscorer market will be priced at appropriate odds, which means shorter prices for strikers and attacking players and longer odds for defensive players and outright defenders. Remember though, defenders can still take free kicks and penalties as well as going up for headers when their team is awarded a corner kick, this is something to bear in mind.
For instance, in the 2018/19 English Premier League season, the golden boot was shared by three footballers, all of which coincidentally happened to be African. 2015 African Player of the year, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 2017 and 2018 winner Mohamed Salah and, in 2019, Salah’s Liverpool team mate Sadio Mane. Such was their form that season, and most seasons for that matter, that you will receive very low odds on any of these three players getting the game’s opening goal. This is because they very possibly WILL get the game’s opening goal.
To spot opportunities in this market, pay attention to the latest injury news which can lead to teams experimenting by employing a lofty centre back upfront as a centre forward. Perhaps a new coach might give penalty taking duties to a new player or move a winger inside to play as a striker. Any tactical change whatsoever might have an impact on a game’s first goalscorer because in football anything can, and very often does, happen.
Similar Bets to First Goalscorer Betting
The player markets don’t simply end with first goalscorer betting, there are plenty of other similar bets for you to consider on matchday.
Two or More OR Hat-Trick
Why stop at one goal when you can, for longer odds naturally, pick a player to get two or more goals or even a hat-trick. Yes, we know that a hat-trick is “more than two goals” but bookies still offer hat-trick odds so the choice is yours. Essentially, a two or more bet – also known as multiscorer – is where you back a player to score a minimum of two, commonly known as a brace. Should he achieve this, you bet will be a winner. The hat-trick market betting is similar but you are wagering on a player to score a hat-trick so this might be best to save for when the top players play against weaker opposition.
Last Goalscorer
Last goalscorer betting is very similar to wagering on the first goalscorer but, as the name suggests, this time you are betting on who will score the last goal of the game. In truth, the odds on first and last scorer are often the same and first goalscorer rules and last goalscorer rules are also identical. Once again, only 90 minutes apply and own goals are ignored completely. There is one key difference between first and last goalscorer however and that concerns players who are substituted. So long as your last goalscorer pick played any time at all during the game and doesn’t score your bet will stand and be judged as a loser.
Anytime Goalscorer
Anytime goalscorer betting is another similar bet, although the anytime goalscorer odds will be significantly shorter than when betting on what order the goals are scored. This is because, with an anytime goalscorer bet, bettors are putting their money on a player to get a goal at absolutely any point in a 90 minute match of football. It doesn’t matter if the goal is the ninth in a 9-0 rout, so long as it goes in, according to anytime goalscorer rules, counts towards the final result and is credited to your pick, you are a winner.
Team Goalscorer
Unless this is a David Versus Goliath of a fixture, then these are odds are generally quite short because you are betting on which team will score the first goal and there only two teams to choose from. Of course, there is a third option you can back, no goalscorer which brings to our next betting option.
Check out our full guide to first/last team to score here.
No Goalscorer
And that betting option would be to back on there being no goalscorer at all. It might seem a little disingenuous to put money on a game and hoping for no goals to be scored but it is an option, although not one with an especially high odds. However, there is one reason to back on this market and that is to use it instead of backing a 0-0 draw. True, more often than not the no goalscorer and 0-0 correct score market have exactly the same odds however, the no goalscorer market generally excludes own goals whereas 0-0 is recorded as an exact score. So, if a game ends 1-0 thanks to an own goal, it would payout on a no goalscorer bet but not on a 0-0 correct score bet. Just a little loophole to provide you a touch of bettor’s insurance.
Each Way
When you bet on first goalscorer each way on the first goal scorer, you will be paid even if your player doesn’t score first so long as he does score the second or third goal. Of course, you still get paid if he scores the opener too. This is because it is an each way bet and, as such, splits its stake between two outcomes, actually scoring first, and scoring one of the first three goals in a match. For example, let’s say you place a £5 each way bet on the first goalscorer rated at 9/1. If the player you’ve backed scores the game’s first goal and then goes on to get either the second or third goal, you’ll be paid out £50 for the first goal and, settled at 1/3 of the odds, another £20 for the second goal which makes up your each way bet.
First Goalscorer Betting FAQs
My Player Didn’t Start The Match, What Happens Now?
So long as he comes on at 0-0, the bet still rides and he could yet score that all-important first goal.
Does Anytime Goalscorer Include Extra Time?
No, according to first goalscorer rules, only goals scored in the first 90 minutes of play count towards this bet.’
No, don’t worry, own goals do not count in this market.
What If My Pick Gets Injured Before He Scored?
If he played in the match and didn’t score, your bet doesn’t win, sorry.
What Happens If The Game Is Called Off After My Player Has Scored?”
Postponed games will normally carry their bets over to the rescheduled game.
First Goalscorer Betting Conclusion
Goals win games and breed glory which is the real reason football is such a popular game globally. For this reason, betting on goalscorers is natural area of betting for punters to focus on. It’s true, goals are pretty random in reality, but a punter that is prepared to do their homework stands a better chance of making a profitable return on their investment and unlock all of the value in the numerous goalscorers markets that are, after all, among the popular bets at any online bookmakers.
