One of the fastest-growing football betting categories in terms of popularity is player ‘props’.
The goalscorer markets – first, anytime, last – have been around for years, but newer options such as player shots, tackles and cards are helping to establish ‘Bet Builder’ type tools as a new way to wager in the 2020s.
These bet types are generally self-explanatory, however there are some rules that punters need to be aware of. What happens if a player you back doesn’t actually play? What happens to your bet if they come on as a substitute or are substituted off?
Let’s take a closer look….
What Happens to My Bet if My Player Doesn’t Play?
Let’s imagine a scenario where you have bet on a specific player to score/be carded/complete 75 passes but they don’t actually get onto the pitch at all.
What are your options? Well, your first choice may be available once the starting line-ups are announced around 30 minutes before the game starts. If your chosen player is not included in their team’s matchday squad, your bet will typically be voided and your stake returned.
If your chosen player is named as a substitute, you may still have the option to cash out your bet. This might be the smartest choice given that they may not get brought on, or at the very least their timeframe for achieving the objective of your bet will be greatly diminished.
If your player is named as a sub and doesn’t come on, most bookmakers will refund your bet – although, obviously, this won’t happen until after the game has finished.
If you have placed an accumulator or Bet Builder that features a player that doesn’t play, that leg will generally be voided and the rest of your wager will stand; albeit with a revised, lower return that reflects the new bet.
What Happens to My Bet if My Player is Subbed Off?
As a general rule of thumb, if your player takes part in the game – no matter for how many minutes – then bets will usually stand.
So, if your player is subbed off then your wagers will count up until the moment they leave the field – if they haven’t scored, been carded or completed the requisite number of passes, your bet would be settled as a loser.
That includes Last Goalscorer bets as well.
Some bookmakers will offer some caveats to that though.
At the time of writing, for example, Bet365 will refund losing bets (as bet credits) if your player is subbed off before half-time and the outcome of your wager has NOT yet been determined.
This is subject to change though and all bookies are different, so do check with yours.
What Happens to My Bet if My Player is Subbed On?
The complication for some bets will be what happens if your player is subbed on after the necessary act has been completed?
For example, you might have wagered on a player to score the first goal, they start the game on the substitutes’ bench and they are sat there as that first goal goes in.
In this case, the vast majority of bookies will refund your ‘first’ bets; be it first goalscorer, first player carded and so on. If that selection is part of a multiple, the leg will be voided but the other picks on your accumulator will remain live.
For bets where your player is subbed on, the golden rule is generally that ‘first’ bets will be voided while those can happen ‘any time’, such as player shots, tackles, passes or last goalscorer, will stand.
As always, you should check the rules for each betting market you wager on prior to parting with a single penny. Knowing these T&Cs may help you to avoid frustrating losses further down the line.
What Happens to My In-Play Bet if My Player is Subbed Off?
The water gets muddied somewhat when the player you have backed to do something in-play is then later subbed off.
In this scenario, all bets will stand – even if your player is substituted just seconds after you strike your wager.
There’s fewer things more frustrating in football betting then wagering on a player to score or be carded only for them to be substituted off the field of play. Unfortunately, it’s just one of those things – the bookies are covered in their T&Cs to settle your bet as a loss.
If you plan to bet on first/last/anytime goalscorer, or any of the other player prop markets that are available, it’s always worth waiting for the starting line-ups to be confirmed so that you know your chosen player(s) is going to have the maximum amount of opportunity to land your bet for you.