When you are football betting, there are many different betting market choices for you to pick from. One market that is growing in popularity, at betting sites that offer it, is the booking points bet.
During a football match it is not unusual for a player to be awarded a punitive card in the game. That card can be a yellow or red card.
A yellow card is in effect a warning to a player that they have committed an offense on the field serious enough to warrant an official warning that if they do it again, they will be dismissed from the field of play.
A red card is awarded if a player commits what football authorities call “serious foul play” in which case a player will get a straight red card. This means the player must leave the field of play immediately with their team reduced by a man as a penalty.
But a player can also commit two offences worthy of two yellow cards. If that occurs then the player receives a second yellow, which is always followed by an immediate red card and the player is once again sent from the field of play.
It did not take long for betting sites to realise that they could enhance the betting experience of their customers when betting on football by offering them the opportunity to bet on bookings as well as other aspects of the game when football betting.
In this post, we will explain how the booking points market works, how the number of booking points tally up over the course of a game, and of course how much an individual yellow card, red card, or two yellow cards resulting in a red card, add up to.
We’ll also take a look at the different ways you can use booking points in a game to offer punters a range of different booking markets to bet on.
We will also examine whether there are any free bet restrictions when you place a bet on booking points using a bonus or other form of bet credit available with a betting site.
But let’s begin with a look at how booking points work in football betting.
How Bookmakers Use Booking Points
Not every bookmaker offers booking points betting as outlined in this post. Bet365, for example, still offers the chance to bet on the number of bookings or sending offs in a game as the basis for their cards betting markets.
But a growing number of bookmakers have moved on from the number of cards in a game, or the players that yellow and red cards are handed out to, and instead offer a pretty uniform booking points market.
Fortunately, the number of booking points awarded by sites operating the system is largely uniform across the industry.
- One yellow card is worth 10 points.
- A red card is worth 25 points.
- A second yellow card, equating to a red card being awarded, is worth 35 booking points.
It is a very simple points system to follow and depending on whether you have bet on a specific team, or even bet on a specific player, how these points accumulated (or not) in the game will impact on the chances of success of your bet.
So, let’s now take a look at some of the popular markets you can find markets for when looking to place a booking points bet.
What are some of the popular Booking Points betting markets?
Betting sites can offer a range of booking points markets. Some of the most common when betting on cards in a football match are as follows:
Total Booking Points
A bet on how many booking points both teams will accrue over the game. Depending on the bookmaker, you may be offered over a set number of points at varying levels, or a choice of different ranges to bet on.
Home Over Booking Points
A bet on whether the home team will accrue over a stated number of booking points in the game.
Away Over Booking Points
A very similar bet to the one listed above, but this time this will be on the number of booking points the away team accrues for the red and yellow cards they get in the game.
A Bet on Which Team Gets The Most Booking Points
A nice simple bet on which of the two teams will get the most booking points in the game.
How Many Booking Points Each Team Will Receive
A bet on how many booking points each team will get during the game. Both teams will need to get the stated number of booking points, or greater in order for the bet to win.
To help understand how these bets work, let’s now take a look at how a booking points total is generated within a game, both for individual teams, and the game as a whole.
How are booking points accrued in a game?
We know that a yellow card is worth 10 booking points, a straight red card is worth 25 points and that a second yellow card for the same player, and the subsequent red card, equates to 35 points.
So let’s take a look at this game from the English Premier League when Brentford faced Aston Villa.
As you can see from the screenshot here. Brentford had three players in their first XI yellow carded and one given a straight red card. However, they also had three substitutes booked in this feisty game.
That is six yellow cards (each worth 10 points) in total – 6 x 10 – 60 Booking Points
Plus, Brentford also land an additional 25 points for a straight red card for Ben Mee. 60 Booking Points plus 25 = 85 Booking Points in total for Brentford.
Their opponents Aston Villa also had a player sent off (Boubacar Kamara), as well as having two players from their first XI booked, and two of their substitutes were booked too.
Using the same process for the away team, we have four yellow cards (40 booking points) plus one straight red card (25 booking points) for a 65 booking points total for Aston Villa.
That means this game generated a whopping 85 + 65 = 150 booking points! And that was without any of the 35 points on offer for two yellow cards resulting in a red card!
It is rare that games have this high a total number of booking points. In some games no players are booked, in others just one card will be shown, most games tend to have between 2-4 cards shown.
Are Other Yellow and Red Cards Betting Markets Available?
Booking points are a fun way to bet on the cards shown in a football game, but it is not the only way you can bet on the cards in a game.
There are several other markets you can bet on to do with cards shown, but which do not rely on booking points for their basis.
- Who will be the recipient of the first booking in the game.
- Whether a specific player will receive a card in the game.
- Whether any player will receive a red card and be sent off in the game.
- Which specific player will be sent off in the game for either a second yellow or a straight red card.
- Which team will receive the first card in the game.
- The time that the first card in the game will be shown.
- Both Teams to receive a card
- Both Teams to receive 2+ cards
- Bet on how many cards a team will receive (usually an Over/Under bet)
Additional options also include handicap markets on the total number of cards shown in the game.
Can I use any free bet I have on booking points or card betting markets?
Yes, if you have a relatively restriction free bet bonus, such as a free bet on any sports betting market, or any football market, then you can use your free bet for booking betting.
However, you should check the terms and conditions of the offer to ensure that you are free to use your bonus on this market.
That concludes our booking points betting guide and we hope you have found it useful. You can now find booking points bets available when you place a bet on a wide range of markets, including bet builder bets.
Now that you understand what booking points refer to, you can enjoy this exciting form of betting with the increasing number of betting sites offering this option when enjoying a football bet!
