What is a push in football betting?
Before we get started with a push, we need to clear up some other terms first. You need to be comfortable with the term “spread betting” and the term “parley”.
Just in case you need a reminder, a spread bet is a bet against the spread of goals scored in a game or the number of cards, or for a long-term bet, the number of points won in a season. The bookie will offer odds on a spread of results, and you decide if the spread will be higher or lower than the spread offered. For instance, the bookie may determine that the spread will be 3. If you believe the spread will be higher than 3, then you click buy. If you think that the spread will be lower than 3, then you click sell. This allows you to come out with a profit or loss at the end of the match depending on the spread you bet on.
A parlay is a bet that links together two or more individual wagers. If any of the bets lose in the parlay, then all wagers within this linked betting are lost. Parlays are a great way for recreational bettors to tie together wagers and receive a higher return, as the risk of losing is much higher. In the long term, parley betting is not seen as a profitable option.
So, what about push in football betting?
When spread betting you are betting on something being higher or lower than the bookies’ prediction. There will be more or less yellow cards, more or less goals scored, more or less corners in the game. However, what if the score is exactly as predicted? In other words, there is no higher or lower. Well, this becomes a tie between the bookie and the punter, and nobody should win. The punter receives the stake back as if no bet was placed at all. This is a push in football betting.
If you have made a parlay bet, then you will find that the accumulated bets decrease by one. In other words, this “tied” bet disappears from the card and the parley bet payout is judged by the other bets in the parlay. The same would be true in any form of accumulator betting.
Just to be clear, this is a no result bet. This means neither you or the bookie have won or lost. You just get your money back. This is annoying if you have sat and watched the game in anticipation of a decent return on your stake. However, it is also a relief to know that no money was lost either.
Half-point fractions and push football betting
If you have ever sat scratching your head wondering how half a yellow card can be shown, then the answer lies in avoiding push bets. If your bookie specifies the outcome in half-point fractions, then it is impossible for there to be a tie. The result will always be higher or lower than the stated amount, as you can’t possibly get half a goal.