Booking points betting is a market that has grown exponentially over the last few years. As stats outlets like OPTA continue to increase the volume of data tracked and stored for football betting, one of the biggest beneficiaries of this has been card betting. The bookies have jumped all over it, and we’re going to show you exactly how it works and, more importantly, how to implement this into a profitable betting strategy.
What Is Card Betting in Football?
Put simply, you're betting on the number of yellow and red cards shown in a game. You need to predict how many there will be and, if the market dictates, who the cards are shown to.
There are several ways the bookies profile the bet, but the most common is the over/under line. So, the football card betting market might have a line of over 3.5 cards, and then you choose the over or under for the line. Pretty simple, right?
What’s interesting in the Premier League is that we’re seeing an increase in the number of cards shown per game. Referees are stricter than ever, with the average jumping from 4.2 yellow cards per game in 2023/24 to 5.1 in 2024/25 after crackdowns on dissent and time wasting.
What Are Booking Points?
To expand on yellow and red card betting, the bookies created a points system to give weight to red card offences. This then converts to the betting market as the total number of points rather than cards. If you think about it, this makes a lot of sense as a horror red card challenge might only warrant one card, but realistically, it’s a much worse offence than a yellow. Therefore, the bookies give it more points.
But how exactly do booking points work, we hear you cry? Well, let’s check out the table below:
| Card Shown | Booking Points |
|---|---|
| Yellow Card | 10 points |
| Red Card (straight red) | 25 points |
| Two Yellows → Red (same player) | 35 points |
Again, not exactly rocket science here, but yellow cards are 10 points, straight red cards are 25 points, and two yellow cards resulting in a red is 35 points.
From a betting perspective, it simplifies the process of booking points betting. The bookies usually have this market as an over/under bet, where you accumulate the points either per team or for the full game. Some will have totals markets where you can choose groups of points; E.G., 10-30, 30-50, 50-70 and so on.
Booking Points vs Total Cards: What's the Difference?
In its simplest terms, when you bet on total cards, all cards are equal, whereas with points, red cards hold more weight than yellow cards, given the severity of the foul.
Let’s assume Manchester United are playing Arsenal, and there are four yellow cards and one straight red card. For the total cards, it would be five (four yellows + one red), and for booking points, it would be 65 (four yellows = 40 points + one straight red = 25 points).
Points betting is slightly more complicated than total cards, but it does offer more granular lines (over/under 30/40/50/60 points, etc.), which makes it easier to fine-tune.
Best Bookies for Card Betting
The popularity of these markets is trending faster than an Ange Postecoglou post-game meltdown, so the range of UK bookies that are now targeting football card betting is increasing. Below, we’ve listed the best in the business and included a little bit about their best features.
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Founded:
2000
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
Payment methods(11):
Bet £10 & Get £30 18+. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
Good to know:
Min. stake: £0.10
Max. withdrawal: £100,000
Min. deposit: £5
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|
Founded:
2006
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
Payment methods(7):
Up to £30 Matched Free Bet if your First Acca Loses + 100 Free Spins + £30 Uber Eats Voucher 18+ New UK customers only. Min Stake: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football, Horse Racing, Tennis, Cricket or Basketball multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. 100 Free Spins on More Unusual Suspects (£0.10 per spin) credited on settlement of qualifying Acca bet. No wagering requirements on free spin winnings. Earn a £30 Uber Eats Voucher on successful Acca qualification. Debit Card deposit only (exclusions apply). This offer is valid 7 days from the new account being registered. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
Good to know:
Min. stake: £0.20
Max. withdrawal: £100,000,000
Min. deposit: £5
24/7 Customer Support:
Mobile-App:
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Founded:
1934
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets 18+. Play Safe. From 00:01 on 18.10.2022. £30 bonus. Credited as 3 x £10 bets. New customers only. Minimum £10 stake on odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater on sportsbook (excluding Virtual markets). Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad |
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Founded:
1946
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
Payment methods(6):
Bet £10 & Get £30 in Football Free Bets 18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £10 or more on any football market at minimum 1/1 odds within 7 days of registration. No cash out. Get £30 in Free Football Bets, selected markets. Free Bets expire in 7 days. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
Good to know:
Min. stake: £0.05
Max. withdrawal: £50,000
Min. deposit: £5
24/7 Customer Support:
Mobile-App:
Android
iOS
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|
Founded:
1994
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
Payment methods(4):
Bet £10 & Get £50 in Bonuses 18+ New Customers Only. Opt in and bet £10 on football (odds 2.00+) within 7 days. Get 4x£10 Free Bets for set markets and a £10 Slot Bonus for Big Bass Splash, 30x wagering, to withdraw max £250. Rewards expire in 10 days. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
Good to know:
Min. stake: £0.10
Max. withdrawal: £50,000
Min. deposit: £5
24/7 Customer Support:
Mobile-App:
Android
iOS
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|
Founded:
1926
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
Payment methods(8):
Bet £5 Get £20 18+ New Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £/€5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4 x £5 free bets. Free bet available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
Good to know:
Min. stake: £0.01
Max. withdrawal: £250,000
Min. deposit: £5
24/7 Customer Support:
Mobile-App:
Android
iOS
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Founded:
1989
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
Payment methods(7):
Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets 18+ New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Mobile exclusive. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won't apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
Good to know:
Min. stake: £0.01
Max. withdrawal: £50,000
Min. deposit: £5
24/7 Customer Support:
Mobile-App:
Android
iOS
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Founded:
1999
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
Payment methods(6):
Bet £10, Get up to £60 in Free Bets 18+ Spread betting losses can exceed deposit. 18+ www.gambleaware.org. Place a £10 fixed odds single or £10 each-way bet at minimum odds of 1/2 and get 3 x £10 free fixed odds bets, 3 x £5 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x £5 Winning Favourites spread bets and a £1 racing Race Index spread bet. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
Good to know:
Min. stake: £1.00
Max. withdrawal: £25,000
Min. deposit: £1
24/7 Customer Support:
Mobile-App:
Android
iOS
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Founded:
2019
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
Payment methods(10):
Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets 18+ New UK customers. Min £10 first deposit. Place a bet of £10 at min odds of 2.0 and get £40 in Free Bets within 48 hours. Restrictions apply. Bet Responsibly. Full T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org #ad
Good to know:
Min. stake: £0.05
Max. withdrawal: £100,000,000
Min. deposit: £10
24/7 Customer Support:
Mobile-App:
Android
iOS
|
|
Founded:
1967
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
Payment methods(7):
Bet £10 Get £50 in Free Bets 18+ New customers only. Register with BETFRED50. Deposit £10+ via Debit Card and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
Good to know:
Min. stake: £0.10
Max. withdrawal: £20,000
Min. deposit: £5
24/7 Customer Support:
Mobile-App:
Android
iOS
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Popular Card Betting Markets
The main cards betting markets are totals and points. As we’ve highlighted, this is either betting on a combined number of yellow and red cards to be shown or a cumulation of points based on points scoring.
As the market has grown in popularity, the bookies have jumped at the chance of expansion, and we’ve outlined what these popular markets are and how they work below.
Player to be Carded
As the name suggests, player to be carded markets are where you pick a specific player to get either a yellow or red card in the match. For example, picking players like Liam Delap at Ipswich (now Chelsea) or Sasa Lukic at Fulham would make a lot of sense here, as they picked up the most cards in the 2024/25 season.
Utilise Sub On/Sub Off Promotions
Sub On/Sub Off promos are where the bookies will keep your bet alive if the player you’ve picked to be carded gets subbed before getting a booking. Then, if the player who replaces them gets booked, your bet wins. bet365 and BetVictor are two bookies we rate highly, and both offer this promo.
First/last card
First and last card betting is all about timing. You need to pick a player to get the first booking or a player to get the last in the game. It’s a tricky market to call, to be honest, as there are so many variables, but it will pay at considerably higher odds than the anytime bets, so if you can nail it, you’re quids in.
Team cards
For team cards, we’re concentrating on one team, rather than the total for the game. Markets are usually over/under lines, but you can also choose one team to get more cards than their opponents as an extension of this. For example, the line might be over 1.5 cards for Chelsea when they play Arsenal, which means if you bet on the over, you need two or more cards for the bet to win.
Over/under 3.5 cards
This is a classic total cards market where you’re betting on the combined over/under line. The over 3.5 cards meaning would need four or more total for the bet to win. If you bet on the under, you need three or fewer.
Tips for Betting on Cards
Before you jump into the market, we want to outline some card betting tips that you can apply to your bets. There are several variables that influence card betting, including the referee's leniency, game context, head-to-head duels, and the overall intensity of the game.
For example, let’s jump back to Sasa Lukic for a second, who leads the 2024/25 Premier League for most yellow cards (12). If he comes up against a skilful opponent that draws a lot of fouls, like Bruno Guimaraes at Newcastle, the likelihood of him getting into a scrap and picking up a booking will increase. It’s these little data pockets that allow you to deep dive into this market and find value betting opportunities.
Yellow Card Betting Tips
Given that yellows are shown far more frequently than reds (1,506 yellows vs 52 reds in the 2024/25 Premier League), we can invest more time researching yellow card betting options than who might be sent for an early shower. Here are some quick tips to include:
Target Habitual Offenders
One of the easiest places to start is the bookings league table. See which players are at the top of the pile and target games they’re involved in. Sasa Lukic, Flynn Downes and Liam Delap are three key names to keep an eye out for.
Consider the Role and Matchup
Defenders and midfielders counted for almost 80% of the total number of bookings in the Premier League. Given that they are more defensively minded than forwards, this makes sense, but what’s interesting is that the split is almost exactly the same between the two. Also, consider the matchup for the day. If Dan Burn, one of the most booked players in the league, goes up against Mo Salah, one of the most fouled players, it doesn’t take Archimedes to predict that the chances of a booking increase.
Team Tactics
Generally, teams that employ a high press cause more fouls. More fouls equal an increased likelihood of a yellow. And it’s not just the severity of the fouls here, but more accumulation of niggling tackles where the referee eventually says enough is enough. Teams that sit deep are less likely to have to jump into tackles, therefore reducing the chances of a booking.
How to Predict Cards
To kick things off, we like to start with data around the referee. So, we’re looking to see how many cards they average per game and if the matchup means that these numbers can be bolstered at all.
John Brookes averaged a whopping 5.44 cards per game in 2024/25, so that immediately draws us to his games. Now, if he were then refereeing high-intensity games like Liverpool vs Everton or Arsenal vs Spurs, it’s highly likely he would surpass his average in these games.
The flip side of this is referees with low averages, such as Andy Madley at 3.70 cards per game. If he’s got Wolves vs West Ham in a mid-table dead rubber, chances are the intensity won't be there, so the average would be lower.
Mistakes to Avoid with Betting on Cards
The biggest mistake we see week in, week out is the flip side of how to predict cards, and that is not taking into account the referee factor. These are the only people who can directly affect this market, so if you’ve been betting on high over lines for referees who are synonymous with keeping their cards in their pocket, you’re likely going to struggle to profit from the market consistently.
Next up, it’s betting blind. This is common in casual punters who bet on all derbies to have a lot of cards and avoid the mid-table, low-context affairs. Sure, statistically this would be the way to go, but it’s not the same for all games. Just because it’s a derby does not guarantee cards. You need to find context and data to back up why certain things will happen in the game. Do your homework, research the teams, examine starting lineups, and review historical data trends. Booking points betting will soon become a lot easier.
Advanced Betting on Cards Strategies
Let’s geek out for a minute and look at areas where we can elevate our card betting strategies.
We can kick things off by inverting stats to examine how teams perform against specific opposition. For example, Liverpool highlights a fascinating trend where they’ve had 230 fouls committed against them at a yellow card rate of 3.80 fouls per card (the Premier League average is 5.50). This is the lowest of any side in the Premier League, which shows that bookings are given more readily for teams playing against Liverpool than any other team.
So, next time you hear a Liverpool fan complaining about a decision, you can fire this back with glee.
One of the next steps to take with card betting is to apply handicaps. This is where you can use your advanced data knowledge to eek out even more value from the handicap markets.
We’re basically taking outlying data and levelling the playing field to create value. For example, Man City have the lowest number of yellow cards in the league (57) and Chelsea have the highest (99), so if they were playing against each other, you could look to take advantage of Chelsea’s much higher likelihood of getting a card to your advantage.
Instead of taking Chelsea to win on booking points betting markets, you could add a handicap given their dominance in the game. Just based on this alone a -25 or -35 handicap on Chelsea wouldn’t seem farfetched and much better value than a simple head-to-head.
Pros and Cons of Betting on Cards
- Mispriced lines – The markets generally aren’t as heavily scrutinised, so there is more chance of finding value on mispriced lines.
- Variety of markets – Wide range of markets to choose from, including total cards, booking points, player to be carded, first/last card and over/under cards.
- Sub On, Sub Off – Use of sub on, sub off promo means markets run for the entirety of the game, regardless of whether the original pick is on the field or not.
- Short lines – Odds for serial yellow card offenders can be as short as odds on when players average one in four or greater, which lacks value.
- Information gaps – A lack of metrics like expected cards (xCards) means you need to apply multiple data points to find value.
ThePuntersPage Final Say
A growing, exciting betting market that, if used correctly, can be a little gold mine. Booking points betting needs to be used in context, and it won’t necessarily play out long-term if you bet on every game. But, applying data such as who the referee is, what’s at stake, and the type of players involved, it can open a ton of value outside of the usual suspects and should be something you’re considering for your footie bets.
Betting on Cards FAQs
No, a straight red card is just one card on bet365. However, if a player were to get a second yellow, resulting in a red, this would count as two cards.
If you’re betting on booking points markets, then a yellow is 10 points, a straight red is 25, and a second yellow leading to a red is 35 points.
The most common is the total number of cards in a game, which is the combined number of cards by both teams. Then you have booking points, where each card has a value, and you accumulate the points. You’ve also got individual players to be carded, first/last card, and over/under card totals.
Yes, most bookies have markets where you can bet on specific players to be carded. You can use this as a standalone market or combine it as part of a wider bet builder or accumulator.
The total number of cards is the sum of all cards distributed in a match. So if there were four yellows and one red, there would be five cards. Booking points give a value to each card, and you bet on the total number of points. Yellow cards are 10 points, straight red cards are 25 points, and a second yellow resulting in a red is 35 points.