Each Way First Goalscorer v Anytime Goalscorer – Which Is The Best Bet at Bet365?

Each Way First Goalscorer and Anytime Goalscorer bets are very popular and flexible goalscorer market bets. They certainly offer punters a much better chance of a return than the First or Last Goalscorer bets that are also available.

At bet365 Sport, you can bet on either of these markets and many punters believe that there’s not a lot of difference between the two. After all, in both cases, if a player scores a goal when you have backed them with either bet, you’ll get a return.

But to suggest that the bets are basically the same is erroneous. There is plenty of difference between the two in terms of how the bet is structured. This in turn then directly influences the amount you could get back from each bet, based on the same unit stake.

All the bets and examples we show in this post were taken from bet365 Sport and you of course need to be a member if you are going to access either of these bets. Click on the link above to sign up now and remember to take full advantage of the current bet365 Welcome Bonus.

So, let’s begin by clarifying the key differences between the Each Way First Goalscorer and Anytime Goalscorer bets, starting with the latter first.

What is an Anytime Goalscorer Bet?

An Anytime Goalscorer bet is a single bet on a player scoring at any point in the game.

It really is that simple!

The odds on the bet are given as a standalone market, rather than as a fraction of the First Goalscorer odds. This is why you see separate anytime odds when betting on goalscorers at bet365 Sport.

As a single bet an Anytime Goalscorer stake based on a unit stake of £10 would cost £10.

Your bet is then a winner if the player scores a goal in the game. There are no restrictions on how the goal can be scored (such as via a penalty) but own goals do not count.

What is an Each Way First Goalscorer Bet?

In contrast to the single Anytime Goalscorer bet, the Each Way First Goalscorer bet is a bet on the First Goalscorer market.

Only with the Each Way option listed, it means that the first part of your Each Way First Goalscorer bet, is placed on the market for the player to score first.

The second part of the each way stake is then placed at 1/3 of the stated odds on the player scoring at any other time in the game.

So with this bet, you still need your player to score a goal for you to generate a return. However, if the player scores the first goal in the game then both parts of your each way bet will win. But if they do not score the first goal in the game, but score a subsequent goal, then only the place part of the bet wins.

As an Each Way bet, you need 2x your Unit Stake in order to cover both parts of the bet. So, a £10 Each Way First Goalscorer Bet would cost you £20. Double the cost of the anytime goalscorer bet option.

What is the Void if Player Does Not Start Option?

For both bets, bet365 Sport offers its customers the option to void their bet if the player they select to score in the game does not start as one of the 11 players on the pitch for their team at kick off.

Of course, players can still start the game on the substitutes bench and score a goal. However, the amount of time they will have to do so will put them at a disadvantage compared to players that start the game.

To reflect this, bet365 Sport gives customers the chance to void their bet if the player they back does not start in a game.

Once the bet is voided, the stake is returned to the customer and the bet is cancelled. No returns are issued, even if the player comes off the bench to score in the game.

However, this action acts as a very useful insurance policy just in case a manager switches out a player you have backed due to injury or a tactical reason, which means that your bet would have been at a disadvantage.

What Is the Key Difference Between the Two and What Does It Mean for My Winnings?

Now that we know that the Anytime Goalscorer bet is a single bet and the Each Way First Goalscorer bet is an each way bet (2 lines in one bet), then the differences between the two bets become easily apparent.

You can see this easily by comparing the bet slip for each type of bet on the same player, For this we selected Newcastle United winger Harvey Barnes in the game with Everton.

Let’s now assume you wanted to place a bet on Harvey Barnes to score in the game, but wanted the flexibility of the Anytime or Each Way First Goalscorer markets, rather than the First (or Last) Goalscorer markets.

At odds of 9/4 on the Anytime Goalscorer market, a £20 bet on Barnes scoring at any time against Everton would return £65.

However, a £10 Each Way First Goalscorer bet on Barnes scoring at odds of 7/1, would still cost you £20, but would pay out the following:

• If Barnes Scored the First Goal in the Game – £113.33 – (£80 return from the First Goalscorer part of the bet and a £33.33 return for the Place part of the bet).
• If Barnes Did Not Score the First Goal in the Game but Scored a Subsequent Goal – £33.33.

So, you can see here that the potential return for the Each Way First Goalscorer bet is significantly more for this bet than the Anytime Goalscorer option, but only if Barnes scores the first goal in the game.

However, if Barnes does not score the first goal in the game, but does subsequently score, then you would earn more from the Anytime Goalscorer bet than the place return from backing Harvey Barnes.

The difference in what you get back from an Anytime Goalscorer bet, compared to a Place return for an Each Way First Goalscorer bet tends to be more marked for the shorter odds options. For some of the longer odds options on this market, the difference between the Anytime Goalscorer and Place part of the Each Way First Goalscorer bet can be considerable.

For example, at the offered odds of 50/1, Everton fullback Seamus Coleman would return £176.66 (for a £10 each way bet stake) from the place part of the Each Way First Goalscorer bet if he scored a goal other than the first goal in the game. But the Anytime Goalscorer odds of 18/1, mean that Coleman would return £380 if backed in the Anytime market.

Is One of The Bets a Better Option in Some Circumstances Than The Other?

This does mean that in some circumstances, one bet offers a better option than the other in terms or relative value compared to the other bet.

For shorter priced options, it is probably better to bet on the Each Way First Goalscorer bet in the hope of landing both parts of the bet and the biggest return, but still have the Each Way part of the bet as a pack up.

For the longer odds selections, the Anytime Goalscorer bet is probably a wiser move as it tends to offer much better value for your stake with no risk of losing the win part of the bet.

However, these are very general rules of thumb. Some punters much prefer one of these types of bet over the other. There is no right or wrong option, you just need to use the bet that you feel will give you the best chance of a return for the selection you wish to back.

What Are Three Key Things I Should Take Away from This Article About Both Types of Bet?

So, to summarise this post, let’s recap the three key snippets of knowledge you should take away about Each Way First Goalscorer and Anytime Goalscorer bets.

• Despite being similar, both bets are structured differently and pay out slightly differently.
• For the same total stake per bet (£10 each way v £20 to win) the Each Way First Goalscorer bet offers a larger potential return, but only if the player you select scores first.
• If the player does not score first but does score in the game, then the Anytime Goalscorer bet will offer you a bigger return than the place part of the Each Way bet.

As we said before, there is no right or wrong option here. Both bets have their own benefits and can be used by punters to enjoy much greater flexibility around the popular goalscoring betting markets available throughout the season at bet365 Sport.