Corners Betting Explained: Tips, Strategy and Bookmakers 

Written By: Mike Lovatt
Last Updated: November 23, 2022

The sports betting world is ever-evolving. No longer are bettors limited in what they can bet on. When it comes to football, there’s a whole host of betting markets to explore, and it’s no longer just match results or goals that people bet on, oh no. 

Corner betting has become more and more popular, and people are far from limited in what they can do when it comes to corner betting. There’s a variety of corner markets, meaning that there really is something for everyone. 

Betting on corners, what does it mean? 

Corners betting does what it says on the tin. It’s where you quite literally bet on the number of corners in a football match. There are plenty of options. It could be that you bet on the exact number of corners, whether there will be more or less than a certain number of corners, or perhaps whether one team will take more or less than a certain number of corners. 

When the ball crosses the goal line, either side of the goal, and does so after touching one of the defending players last, the attacking team is awarded a corner kick. A corner kick is thus an event that takes place at varying intervals during a football match. As an event, it’s something we can bet on. 

Corner betting has increased in popularity because corners are independent of both goals and results, meaning that the number of goals scored during the game and the final result are both entirely irrelevant. For those people who don’t like to bet on the result of a match, and there are many such punters, corner betting is perfect. 

footballk pitch with ball on the corner
Corners betting is increasingly popular in modern day online sports betting.

Types Of Corner Bets 

There’s plenty of variation when it comes to corner betting. So much so that chances are, if you’re interested in turning into a corner punter, there will be something for you. 

Total Corners (Over/Under) 2-Way Corners

Maybe the most popular corner betting market, total corners allows you to bet on the number of corners a game will have by going over or under a certain number. 

Corner Race

It’s a race and you can bet on who will win it by choosing which team will be awarded a certain number of corners. You can also bet on which team will take a certain number of corners by half, so for example, the first team to take three corners in the first half. 

Team Total Corners

This is similar to the total corners (2-Way) betting market, but this time you’re betting on the total corners won by a certain team.

Half Time Corners 

Another over/under market where you can bet on there to be more or less than a certain number of corners during the first half of a football match. 

Exact Total Corners (3-Way Corners)

The clue is in the name. This market allows punters to bet on the exact number of corners, and there are several options per match. For example, you could bet on a match to contain 6 corners exactly. 

Asian Total Corners

This is where things start to get slightly more complex. If you’re familiar with Asian betting lines, then this should be simple. If you’re not, then the concept can take some getting used to. 

This market allows you to bet on the total number of corners in a match. The selection might be a half market, just as “Over 9.5 Corners” – where 9 total corners would be a loss and 10 would be a win. It might also be a whole number – such as “Over 9 Corners” – where 8 would be a loss, 9 would be a refund and 10 would be a win.

This is akin to the “Draw No Bet” market, whereby punters bet on a certain team to win, but are refunded in the event of a draw. 

Read more about how the Asian Total Corners betting market works.

First/Last Match Corner 

This market allows punters to bet on which team will take the first corner of a match. It also gives bettors the opportunity to place a wager on which team will take the last corner of the match. 

First 10 Minutes 

Here you can bet on there being more or less than a certain number of corners between 00:00 and 09:59 in the match. This could look something like: “Over 0.5 Corners”. 

Time of First Corner 

Here you are typically given a set time and you can bet on whether the first corner will be before or after that time. For example, you’ll bet on whether the first corner of the match will be taken before 7:00 or after 7:00.

In-Play Corner Betting 

Nowadays, betting isn’t restricted to pre-match. There’s a whole host of betting that can be done whilst the action is unfolding live in front of your eyes, and corner betting is a sizable part of that. Most of the corner betting markets mentioned above are available in play. 

Corner betting tips and Strategy Advice

Betting on corners isn’t just a lottery or a case of betting and hoping. Statistics and strategy can play a big part in picking your corner bet selections and expecting how many or how few corners there will be in a match.

Strategy is an integral part of betting, especially if you’re going to take it seriously. If you want to bet seriously, specialising is perhaps the first step. 

If your chosen sport is football, then specialise in a certain area of the game. For example, corners. See our guide on betting strategy – becoming a master of leagues, teams and competitions.

Focus on corner betting. Know the markets inside and out, and develop a deep understanding of all things corner betting. 

Everybody is different and in the betting world, profitable bettors have to be adaptable and must often change their approach to survive, but below is the sort of thing that corner bettors look for. 

Home Team Corners In The First Half

Lots of corner betters focus their attention on home team corners, especially first half corners. The idea is that teams want to put their opponents under pressure early in the game at home, especially those teams who need to make home advantage count. 

Think mid-table Premier League teams who can struggle on the road, and thus need to make every game at home count. From these home teams, look for teams who take lots of shots during the first half of home games. 

  • Those teams that are averaging a high number of first half shots tend to win more corners. 
  • When you see a home team who does this going up against a visiting opponent that they really ought to beat, this could be the time to strike a bet such as “Team A Over 3.5 First Half Corners”. 

Players & Formation

Think about the players that a team has in their lineup. Missing players for either team could mean more or less corners. Missing key attacking wingers might mean less corners. Similarly, a missing defender might mean an inexperienced defender or goalkeeper concedes more corners.

Here’s how players and their formation can affect betting on corners:

  • If a team plays with marauding wing backs that fly forward with a view to delivering lots of crosses, then their team is likely to win plenty of corners. 
  • Likewise, teams who have tricky wingers, the sort who drive at the full back and beat them at the byline. This style of play can often result in lots of corners. 
  • Players like Manchester United’s Antony, Chelsea’s Reece James and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold are notorious for driving towards the byline and winning corners. So knowing the starting eleven can be essential in corner betting, as these missing players could mean less corners for a team.
  • Team tactics are also worth factoring in. If a team tends to get on the front foot and use crosses into the box as a regular attacking tactic, then they’re probably going to win plenty of corners. 
  • If an opposing team has a back four that have conceded a lot of corners in previous games, the number of corners in the match is likely to be higher.

Team Pressure Late In a Match

In-play betting represents an opportunity for corner betting. The state of a game can play a big part in corners being taken. 

  • For instance, if there’s 20 minutes to play and one team is pushing really hard to get back into the game, a corner bet could be viable. 
  • If the defending team is flooding their box with bodies and blocking anything and everything, the attacking team will probably win its share of corners in a short space of time. 

How To Research Corners Statistics To Improve Betting 

When looking to bet on corners, you want to look at corner stats. You want to know what teams take lots of corners, what teams don’t. You also want to know if a team takes more corners at home than they do on the road, or if they take more corners against a certain type of opponent. Then there’s knowing if they’ll change their style of play depending on what happens in the game, which in turn could lend itself to more or less corners being taken. 

It’s not enough to just look at what teams are doing in terms of corners. You want to know what teams are doing in terms of shots taken, shots conceded, shots on target, shots on target against, general attacking and defensive tactics. Looking into this information will give you a better understanding of what teams do, which can help you to make better informed corner betting decisions. 

Best Websites For Corner Betting Research

There are quite a few good free sources for corner bettors to use.

  • Footcharts.co.uk is also an excellent free site that offers corner stats for a variety of leagues, as well as easy to interpret shots and shots on target data. These stats can really aid those looking to bet on corners.
  • FootyStats.org is great for a variety of stats, especially corner related stats. Covering pretty much everything you could ask for, they really do offer a complete package. 
  • Soccerway.com offer complete statistical breakdowns of the number of corners awarded and conceded.
  • InjuriesAndSuspensions.com is ideal for seeing when a team is missing players and likely to gain less corners.

Best Bookmakers For Betting On Corners

Plenty of sites offer corner betting, but the ones that do it best are as follows:

  • Bet365
  • Betfair
  • PaddyPower
  • William Hill. 

If you’re looking for variety and a wide choice within the corner betting niche, then these bookmakers are the ones to try. 

Bet365

Perhaps the best site in terms of variety and choice, Bet365 offers an excellent corner betting package. For most top-tier fixtures, certainly the big games, Bet365 offers punters the choice of over 15 corner markets, which is not something that many bookmakers can say. 

To find their corner betting options, simply find your chosen fixture, click on it, and select “Corners” from the tabs at the top of the page. Here you will find a plethora of corner betting markets and odds. 

Paddy Power

PaddyPower is another big player in the corner betting world. Punters can access the corner betting section of a game by finding the fixture that they want to bet on from the PaddyPower homepage.

On the main fixture page, simply select “Corners” from the tabs underneath the fixture information. Paddy offers plenty of corner betting markets, so you won’t be short of options. 

Betfair

Betfair offers no shortage of corner betting options, which is why they tend to be a popular choice among corner bettors. To bet on corners with Betfair, all you do is find the game you want to bet on, before clicking on the “Cards & Corners” section displayed at the top of the main odds page for that fixture. 

William Hill

With just about as many markets as anybody else, William Hill is a bookmaker to be considered if you’re betting on corners. To place corner bets here just hit the “Corners” link on the main odds page of your chosen game. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average number of corners in a football match?

According to FootyStats, the average number of corners taken in a match varies from league to league. In the Premier League, which is arguably the most popular league among casual football bettors in the UK, the average number of corners taken during the 2020/21 season was 10.15. During the 2019/20 season, the average number of corners taken was 10.7.

Is corner betting profitable?

Like many forms of gambling, corner betting can be profitable. That is if you know what you’re doing, know how to spot and exploit value, and can be very disciplined.

How do you predict corners?

Predicting how many corners will be taken is hard, and far from an exact science. You can aid your predictions by keeping tabs on the average number of corners taken by each team in a certain league. Look at the number of corners teams are taking on average when playing at home and away, and against different types of opposition. For example, a team might take lots of corners at home against bottom-half opponents, but might take very few at home against top-half opponents.

What does corners mean in betting?

Betting on corners means to place bets based on corners being taken in a football match. For example, you might bet on the match to have “Over 9.5 Corners”, or on Team A to take “Over 2.5 First Half Corners”.

Mike Lovatt

Mike has over 14 years of experience with online sports betting, having used countless online betting sites. Mike previously provided football betting tips on goals and corners in Facebook groups before starting his own betting website. A huge football fan, Mike has been writing betting guides and football betting advice for years.

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