What Are First Goal Scorer Bets?

Do you ever feel like you have a solid grasp on one of the players in a football match and their performance this season, but you are not so sure about the teams playing and which one will emerge on top?  At times like this, one type of bet which makes a lot of sense is a First Goal Scorer (FGS) bet.  With this type of bet, you do not focus on which team will win or lose.  Instead, you just predict which players will score the first goal.  If you are right, you win.  If another player scores first, you lose.

These types of football bets can be very risky if you do not know what you are doing, for the simple reason that any number of players may be the first to score a goal.  It is not a “this or that” situation like picking the winning team of a match.  The payouts can be worthwhile, however, if you have a pretty solid idea as to which player will score first.  Note that you also have the option to bet on “no goal scorer,” which applies to “normal time.”  Other variations include Each Way FGS bets, where you can win on a player who scores the second or third normal match goal.  You also can place a Last Goal Scorer (LGS) bet, which is just what it sounds like. 

What about own goals?  The policy on own goals depends on your betting site.  Ask your online bookie what they do with these.  Typically betting sites ignore own goals and only count normal goals.  If the first overall goal is an own goal, it will be ignored, and the second goal will count for your bet if it is the first normal goal.  If there is an own goal only, and no normal goal, then the winner would be the “no goal scorer” and an FGS bet would be a loser.  This is not the case 100% of the time, though, so be sure to check.  Some bookies do count these goals!

And what about substitutes?  Good question.  If the player you bet on winds up on the subs bench during play when the first goal is scored, you generally will get your stake returned to you.  This is another one though where different UK betting sites have different rules, so you will need to ask in advance.

First Goal Scorer bets and variations are a fun and rewarding way to wager if your knowledge of a particular player allows you to predict that he will score first (or second, or third, or last), but your knowledge of the teams is not enough to tell you who will win the match.  This may be a particularly smart way to bet if you tend to focus more on specific players when you do your analysis than on teams as a whole.  Always be sure to ask your betting site about their specific policies governing substitutes and own goals before you place a wager.