It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings. It’s a proverb that is thought to have first been used in reference to the opera, but it has since been adopted by the sporting world – a game isn’t over until the final whistle blows/the last point is scored/the last putt drops etc, no matter how far a team/player are ahead.
So many football games – and thus betslips – are defined by what happens in the closing stages of the action; so often there’s agony or ecstasy for punters depending on whether their backed team scores or concedes a late goal.
But there’s a way you can insure yourself against the horror of a late goal, and that’s to utilise one of the most common football betting promotions: Two Goals Ahead, 2 Up and similar promos of the same concept.
What is the Two Goals Ahead Early Payout?
The simplicity of this promotion can actually take punters aback: the bookies will pay out on your bet as a winner if the team you have backed goes two goals ahead at any time….regardless of the final score.
So if your team comes firing out of the blocks and is 2-0 ahead within ten minutes, your bet will be settled as a win – it doesn’t matter if they go on to win 6-0, draw 2-2 or lose 3-4.
As you can imagine, this promotion can create winning opportunities on occasions when the bet wouldn’t have won at all – perhaps your backed team throws away their two-goal advantage.
Also, this is a promotion that can be exploited with some basic strategy – when you have a good idea of which teams will dominate and take a two-goal lead, you can start to plot additional bets around the offer.
Which Bookies Pay Out Two Goals Up?
Although they might call their own promotion by a different name, there’s a number of UK bookmakers that offer a two goals ahead style promo.
Paddy Power, Ladbrokes and SkyBet are just three such bookies that have Two Goals Head and 2 Up (and similar such names) promotions, so you can easily get involved with the offer.
In many cases, your match result bets will automatically be eligible for the two goals ahead promo – you don’t have to opt in, but you will be paid out if a team romps ahead. You can usually see it displayed on-screen when you have qualified for the offer.
How to Place a Bet for the Two Goals Ahead Promotion
If you head to the promotions page of your chosen bookmaker(s), you’ll see which are offering the two goals ahead style promo.
While you’re there, be sure to check out the terms and conditions for the offer – you will likely see which leagues and competitions are eligible for the promotion.
As a guide – but don’t use this as gospel, here’s a selection of the leagues and competitions for which the promotion applies:
- English Premier League
- English Championship
- English Leagues 1 & 2
- FA Cup
- Champions League
- Europa League
- Scottish Premiership
- Spanish La Liga
- German Bundesliga
- Italian Serie A
- French Ligue 1
If the English Premier League is part of the promo, navigate to that category on the website/app and head for the Match Result market – this is the one that triggers the two goals ahead promo.
Bet on which team you think will win the game, and if they do take a two-goal lead at any point your Match Result wager will be settled as a winner.
This applies to both single bets and accumulators, so if you have an acca with one or more match result selections, that leg will be settled as a winner if your chosen team goes two goals ahead.
Remember, it doesn’t have to be a 2-0 scoreline for this promotion to win. For example, your team can go a goal down and then come back to lead 3-1 – this satisfies the two goals ahead requirement.
It’s also advisable that you don’t cash out your bets early – yes, you can lock in a profit in this way, but you will naturally become ineligible for the two goals ahead offer.
Two Goals Ahead Promo Strategy
It goes without saying that the best games to use in the two goals up promo are those where one of the teams is expected to dominate.
You can mitigate your risk by betting on the opposite outcome as well, such as backing the underdog in the Double Chance market or by laying the favourite on the exchange. That way, you will be in a profitable position if the FAV goes ahead by two goals or if they fail to win at all.
You could also back some correct scores, such as the FAV to win 1-0 or 2-1, which will again offer a return if the favourite does win but doesn’t quite open up a two-goal advantage.
Some teams, if they go a goal ahead, will then sit back and protect their lead – these are not ideal for the two goals ahead promo. Conversely, other clubs will continue to attack even when they are a goal up….these are the types we want to be backing.
You can check the ‘goals for’ column of the league table to find examples of teams that average two or more goals per game. You can also use sites like Soccer Stats, which tell you specifically how many times a side has scored two or more goals in a match – this is, naturally, a vital statistics for those looking to profit from the two goals ahead promo.
