Booking Points in Football Explained

Written By: Bradley Gibbs
Last Updated: December 6, 2022

If you’ve looked into card betting and have visited any of the big UK betting sites, then you’ll have probably seen that you can bet on something called ‘Booking Points’. 

At first, this can seem like something of a foreign concept. After all, booking points aren’t awarded during a game of football. Well, in a betting sense they are. 

So, what are booking points? Let’s find out below. 

What are booking points? 

Booking points are the numerical values that some bookmakers assign to yellow and red cards. Why do they do this? The idea is simple, it allows punters to bet on the number of booking points that a game will have, as opposed to betting on the number of yellow or red cards individually. 

How many booking points is a yellow card worth? 

In this instance, all bookmakers who offer booking points value a yellow card at 10 points.  

So, if a game contains three yellow cards, this equates to 30 booking points. 

Let’s say that you bet on ‘Over 30 Booking Points’. There would need to be four yellow cards at ten points each for you to win your bet. 

If you’re betting on booking points, just remember that every yellow card has a value of 10 booking points. 

How many booking points is a red card worth? 

Every bookmaker who offers booking points assigns a value of 25 points for a red card. This means that if a game contains one red card, the points value of that game will be 25. 

If you were to bet on ‘Over 20 Booking Points’ then you’d need there to be just one red card in order to collect. 

When betting on this market, don’t forget that each red card has a value of 25 booking points. 

How many booking points are awarded when a player receives two yellows which become a red? 

Based on the above, it stands to reason that 45 booking points should be awarded when a player who is shown two yellow cards, which in turn becomes a red card. Unfortunately for booking point bettors, this isn’t quite how it works. 

When a player is shown two yellow cards and then a red card, 35 booking points are awarded. This is because the second yellow card does not count as a card in its own right, it merely signals that a red is about to be shown as a result of two separate infringements. 

In the case of two yellows becoming a red, the booking points awarded are as follows: 

10 points + 25 points = 35 points. 

Important Booking Point Info

If you’re betting on booking points then there’s a few things to keep in mind. As well as knowing the values, e.g. 10 points for a yellow, and 25 points for a red, here are some other things to remember: 

  • Sometimes players not on the pitch, such as substitutes, are shown yellow cards. Such yellow cards do not count towards the booking point total. 
  • Like most mainstream betting markets, booking points only apply to 90 minutes (plus stoppage time). 
  • If you bet on over or under a certain number of booking points, the total must be under or over for you to win. It cannot be equal. For example, if you bet on ‘Over 20 Booking Points’, there must be at least 30 booking points in the game. 

How do booking points work for each bookmaker? 

Fortunately, if you’re looking to get involved in booking point betting, then you’ll be pleased to know that most of the well-known sports betting providers in the UK operate the same system. 

Skybet, betfair, William Hill and PaddyPower all award 10 booking points for a yellow card and 25 booking points for a red card. 

Bet365 

Very much one of the big boys when it comes to online sports betting, bet365 do not follow suit. They’ve opted to do things their own way and do not offer booking points. Instead, they simply offer bettors the opportunity to bet on the number of cards. 

Bradley Gibbs
Bradley Gibbs

Bradley is a freelance writer and sports betting analyst, specialising in all things golf, football, and horse racing, who has also written a variety of educational sports betting content. Over the years, Bradley has produced a plethora of content in the sports betting niche, writing for numerous websites and publications, including popular UK betting newspaper The Racing & Football Outlook.

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