Correct Score

By
• Learn The Lines
• May 17th, 2022

A correct score bet is a sports wager type that involves making a prediction on the final score of a game. It is most popular in soccer betting but you will often see correct score wagers offered on lower scoring sports such as hockey games in the NHL and baseball games in the MLB.

Correct score betting can be an attractive option for sports fans as correct score odds are always generous as they are difficult to predict. Read on for an introduction into correct score betting, what exactly it is, how it works and the pros and cons of it. 

What is Correct Score Betting?

A correct score bet is how it sounds, you make a prediction on what you believe the final score will be and if your prediction is correct, your bet will settle as a winner. If the final score is anything other than your predicted score, then your bet will settle as a loser. 

Correct score bets can be hard to win, as even predicting the outcome or result of a game can be a challenge let alone predicting the exact score, that’s why sportsbooks will offer odds of around 500+ for lower correct scores anywhere up to +100000 for the more extreme correct score picks. So if you are lucky enough to land a correct score bet more than likely you will be in for a generous return. 

Soccer Correct Score Betting

As correct score betting is most popular in soccer, let’s take a look at an example of a correct score for a soccer game between Liverpool and Arsenal in the English Premier League. 

We can see that there is a wide range of correct score options available from 0-0 all the way up to 5-5 and this is just a snippet of the correct scores available on the game on the FanDuel website. 

As you can see the odds are extremely generous on even the more common scores, with FanDuel offering upwards of +750 on all correct score picks in this example. 

So let’s say we fancy the game to be a score draw and it to finish 2-2. This is how our correct score pick would look in our betslip and how much it would return from a $5 stake:

With odds of +1400 our $5 wager has returned a very generous $70, showing how profitable correct scores bets can be if you are fortunate enough to win one. 

It’s worth noting that in soccer cup competitions where there is the possibility of extra time (30 extra minutes on top of the 90 minutes), pre match correct scores will not count in extra time and are only valid in 90 minutes (plus any injury time). 

Hockey Correct Score Betting 

As a sport that has lower scores than that of the likes of basketball or football, hockey is also a popular correct score betting sport in the United States. Here’s how a hockey correct score betting market looks on a game between Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks in the NHL at DraftKings:

Hockey scores are generally higher than that of a soccer game, making it even harder to predict a correct score, as shown in the DraftKings correct score lines with extremely attractive odds offered. 

Let’s say we fancy the chances of the Colorado Avalanche winning the game 3-2, the odds of that happening are +900. This is how this correct score pick would look in our betslip:

Our DraftKing betslip tells us that our 3-2 correct score bet would return us $50 from our $5 wager. 

Correct Score Group Betting 

As we have already alluded to, correct scores are hard to predict and win, that’s why you will occasionally see sportsbooks offer correct score group betting. This basically means that they will list a selection of final score combinations for you to bet on and if any of the scores listed in the group bet lands, you will win your bet. Of course with more opportunities to win means the odds will be shorter than that of an individual correct score bet. 

A correct score group bet on the soccer might look like this:

Liverpool to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 – +300 

The above example has the sportsbook offering three correct scores, meaning you basically have three shots at winning your correct score group bet. If Liverpool were to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1, your correct score group bet would settle as a winner. In this example a $5 wager returning $20 in total. 

This can be a favorable option for bettors as you get more chances to win your correct score group bet and ultimately it’s easier to win than one individual correct score bet. 

When You Might Place a Correct Score Bet 

• When your correct score prediction is backed up by stats – You should always err on the side of caution with correct score bets, as they are harder to win than many of the other game bets out there. However if you are lucky enough to land one, you will be in for a hefty return. One reason you might place a correct score bet is if you have done your research on two competing teams and perhaps you have noticed a trend that their scores are low in previous games, they have a strong defense but are significantly weaker in attack. In this instance there would be good reason to believe the game could finish low scoring, so you might place a bet on 0-0, 1-0 or 1-1 or even all of them to cover a few possibilities. 
• When you want a shot at winning a bigger amount on a game – Betting should be all about enjoyment and of course you can place numerous bets on a game with betting against the spread and moneyline bets the most popular alternatives but correct score betting allows you to have a strong interest in the game with the possibility of winning a generous amount of money, unlike other bet types which perhaps are lower odds. Meaning with correct score bets you are likely to win more than that of other popular betting alternatives. 
• When you’re watching a game unfold and want to place a correct score bet in-play – Betting on a correct score live and in-play can be a good opportunity to place a correct score bet. Perhaps a soccer game is tied 1-1 with just 20 minutes left, one team is pushing hard for a second goal and you feel like there’s only one more goal in the game, so you place a 2-1 correct score bet on that team, which would return a larger amount that just a simple live moneyline bet on that team. In-play betting is a good opportunity to place a correct score bet as a pre match correct score bets can lose very quickly but by waiting to see how the game unfolds, you can make an informed correct score bet.

When You Shouldn’t Place a Correct Score Bet 

• If you are looking to run a serious profitable betting account long term  – There’s a reason why you will see generous odds offered on correct score bets, because they are hard to win. You should be selective when you place your correct score bets, as betting on correct scores solely over a longer period of time will more than likely result in an unprofitable betting account. That’s not to say correct scores can’t be profitable, you just need to be selective when you place them and be confident with your picks. 
• When there are two competing teams who regularly score high – Whereas you might be interested in placing a correct score on two teams who regularly have low scoring games, if on the other hand the two teams playing are regular high scorers, it would be advisable to avoid correct score betting on the game, as it’s much harder to predict a correct score of two teams who can score a number of games than those who are low scorers. 
• When looking to build a parlay bet – Parlay bets are notoriously hard to win as it involves winning two or more selections in order to win your parlay, with that in mind it would be highly advisable to avoid adding correct score selections to your parlays, as correct scores make parlays extremely difficult to win.