Sports betting is a world on its own. Every punter knows that learning the specific lingo is a rite of passage before becoming a proper sports betting expert. There are many ways to bet on sports these days and almost limitless possibilities for filling out your betting slip. Among the many different betting types, one stands out as the bet you’ll start your punting career on – a single bet.

What is a single bet, and how can you place it? Is it valid on all sporting events or specific to just football? These and many more questions newbie punters pose every day, so it’s finally time to answer them all. We’ll explain how you too can start placing these bets, what makes the single bet different from other bets, which sports are the best to choose singles in, and how the odds are calculated.

What Are “Singles” in Betting?

A single bet is the most common type of bet. It’s what you’ll most frequently see on betting sites and in betting shops. But, what is a single sportsbook bet? It’s a bet you place for a single outcome of an event, like an outright winner of a football match.

The name, obviously, comes from the fact you’re betting on one particular outcome. These wagers are also the simplest to make, as they don’t involve any complicated math or systems that require you to select different events for, say, a horse race. You pick a horse and, if it comes in first, you collect your winnings. A Single either wins or loses; it’s as simple as that.

How to Place a Single Bet

Singles are the simplest and safest bets you can make. If you’re frequently betting online, you might’ve seen them featured on banners, waiting to be added to your betting slip. The good thing about these bets is that you don’t need to combine them with anything and, if you win, you immediately get your winnings. No need to wait for a set of matches to end to check if you’ve won anything, and no reason to correctly guess more than one game outcome. That’s the reason why they’re so popular.

As you’ve seen in our single bet explanation, it’s a bet with just two outcomes – it either wins or t loses. Placing such a bet is incredibly simple. Here’s how to do it:

  • Visit your favourite betting site. Not sure where to bet? Check the list on our homepage.
  • Create an account and deposit some funds so you can start betting.
  • Pick a sport and then a sporting event you wish to bet on.
  • Check the bettings odds for various types of bets on that event, then place your bet.

That’s it. Now, you just have to wait for the match to play out and, hopefully, collect your winnings. Congratulations on making your first single bet!

Strategies and Single Bet Odds

The trick with singles is not to expect big cashouts from each match but play the long game. Since these are among the safest bets, their odds are usually pretty low, thus making your payout more modest compared to other betting options.

To calculate your possible payout, you simply multiply your wager with the odds written on the site. For example, if you stake £10 that your favourite team will win, and the odds are 2.1, that means you can win £21. When placing a single bet, some people like to take bigger risks, but playing it safe is a more foolproof method in the long run.

Of course, you may pick an outcome with much higher odds to bet on if you want to win big, but keep in mind that this also means there’s less of a chance for that to happen. In both offline and online betting, the more likely an outcome is to happen, the lower the odds are and, accordingly, the payouts.

A general strategy is to pace yourself and your funds. In-play betting is ideal for this, as you can try out different events to bet on while building confidence to combine the singles into bigger, more lucrative accumulator bets.

Single Betting Examples

There are many options when it comes to online bets. Of course, it’s all different based on the sport you choose to bet on, as some sports have more events the betting sites will let you place your bet on.

Some of the more common football bets include betting on the winner of the match, the number of cards, the total score, and which team gets the first free kick. In tennis, you can bet on who will make the first double fault, try to predict the winner of the whole match or any given set, etc.

Single bets are great for all kinds of races as there’s always just one winner of the race. No matter if you’re betting on horse racing, greyhounds, cars, motorbikes, or even Tour de France, picking a single racer to win is what’s considered a single bet in this case.

Fighting sports like boxing and MMA follow a similar pattern to team sports – you can try to guess the outright winner, whether there will be a knockdown, etc.

Conclusion

This is, in short, everything you need to know about singles, the core of the sports betting experience. We hope you now have the answer to the question “What is a single bet?” and understand how to place such bets on various sporting events. The stakes might be low, but singles are the most frequent winners on betting sites. And a win’s a win, no matter what.

FAQ

What is the difference between a single bet and a multiple bet?

A single bet has only one outcome. On the other hand, a multiple bet means you’re betting on several possible outcomes and, if one of them happens, you’ll win. The other difference is in the stakes – when you place a single bet, you’ll be able to bet any amount you like (matching the betting shop’s minimum requirement, at least), while multiple bets or multiples will require you to pay significantly more.

What are single and double bets?

Double bets are just two singles combined into one bet. Both selections must succeed if you’re to win. If either of them fails, you won’t get your payout.

Is an each-way bet a single bet?

No. An each-way bet is made of two parts – a win bet and a place bet – and thus, the total stake is doubled. You’re not betting on a single outcome, so it’s not a single bet.

What is a single bet in football?

A single bet, no matter the sport you’re betting on, is simply a bet with a single outcome. It can be an outright winner of the football match, goal difference at the end of the game, and many other options.