![\"Red](\"https:\/\/www.rulesofsport.com\/betting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/red-card-yellow-card-400px.jpg\")
They say that the only currency that matters in football are goals, but for those who enjoy a flutter on the cards markets there\u2019s no doubt which number is most important.<\/p>\nThey say that the only currency that matters in football are goals, but for those who enjoy a flutter on the cards markets there\u2019s no doubt which number is most important.<\/p>\n
That would be the card points, or booking points market as it is sometimes known. Quite simply, this assigns a points value to each card, and the object for the punter is to determine whether or not the number of cards shown in a game \u2013 and thus the number of points \u2013 will be over or under the line given by the bookmaker.<\/p>\n
Naturally, some matches lend themselves to being low key, tackle-less affairs, and that is reflected in the number of card points bestowed upon the players. Conversely, local derbies and those featuring hot-headed players are more likely to be tempestuous encounters, and as such more booking points are likely to be recorded.<\/p>\n
Knowing the unique character of the players involved in a game will help you to decide whether to go over or under the given line, and the cards points market can be a profitable point of interest for those who can predict how feisty a match will be.<\/p>\n
![\"Booking](\"https:\/\/www.rulesofsport.com\/betting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/booking-points-bet-400px.jpg\")
While the points brackets can differ slightly from one bookmaker to the next, often the Over\/Exactly\/Under line will be set at 40\/45 points.<\/p>\n
Again, this will change based upon the nature of the two teams and the type of game they are involved in \u2013 dead rubbers would usually tend to accrue fewer points than competitive matches with lots on the line.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s think about some of the combinations that would breach the 40-point line. You would need five bookings for the overs, four for the exact and three or fewer for the unders line, and when we add a red card into the mix the over 40 option looks to be a near certainty.<\/p>\n
Of course, you\u2019ll need to know how many points are awarded per card for totting up how many you think there will be in the 90 minutes.<\/p>\n
Happily, the points totals are universal across the bookmakers, so whoever you bet with you\u2019ll need to know:<\/p>\n
With this information, you can begin to visualise how many points there might be per game, so what do the stats suggest is the smart play?<\/p>\n
![\"Football](\"https:\/\/www.rulesofsport.com\/betting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/football-cards-match-report-765px.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
It\u2019s interesting to take a look at the average cards per game dished out, as that offers a guide as to the number of points we might expect to be accumulated.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the data for five completed seasons of the Premier League:<\/p>\n
| Season<\/th>\n | Avg. Yellows per Game<\/th>\n | Avg. Reds per Game<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|
| 2020\/21<\/td>\n | 2.88<\/td>\n | 0.13<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2019\/20<\/td>\n | 3.37<\/td>\n | 0.11<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2018\/19<\/td>\n | 3.21<\/td>\n | 0.12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2017\/18<\/td>\n | 3.09<\/td>\n | 0.1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2016\/17<\/td>\n | 3.46<\/td>\n | 0.15<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n As you can see, if we round the decimals up or down as necessary the average number of card points per game would be 30 \u2013 three yellows and zero reds.<\/p>\n In that sense, we might expect the unders line to be the favourite with the bookmakers, but here\u2019s how the odds looked for a Premier League game chosen at random, Chelsea vs Manchester United:<\/p>\n
|
![\"Football](\"https:\/\/www.rulesofsport.com\/betting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/football-foul-400px.jpg\")
Of course, some games just descend into chaos \u2013 at that point, all bets on the \u2018unders\u2019 line are off.<\/p>\n![\"Referee](\"https:\/\/www.rulesofsport.com\/betting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/referee-red-card-765px.jpg\")
<\/p>\n