In this article, we will talk about “booking points betting” in football. We will also give you a list of the best bookmakers for exploring this unique and exciting market.
Booking Points Betting in Football – Definition
Booking points betting is something that is exclusive to football. You simply bet on how many cards there will be in a match. Each card has a specific points value, and you can bet on the total number of points during the match, or during one specific half of the match.

What is Each Card’s Booking Point Value?
In football, there are yellow and red cards. Different point values are assigned to each.
- One yellow card is 10 booking points
- Two yellow cards for the same player (and the subsequent red card) is 35 booking points
- One straight red card is 25 booking points
You would ask yourself why a second yellow card plus a red card is worth 35 points, instead of 45 points. It’s because the second yellow card isn’t counted even if the red card is later reversed or appealed.
A single player can’t earn more than thirty-five booking points.
Managers and substitutes can also receive yellow and red cards, but most bookmakers don’t count those. Be sure to read all of the bookmaker’s rules, plus any terms and conditions for clarification on this.
What Information Do You Need for Successful Booking Points Betting?
When betting on booking points you need to consider three factors:
- See the past yellow and red cards received by the team, which will tell you about their type of play and if they tend to be more aggressive or not.
- Check out the number of yellow and red cards received by each player. Defensive midfielders and centre backs are known for picking up the most cards, due to their usual focus being on tackling.
- See who the referee is and if they have a tendency to give more cards during a match or less. Statistics about this are readily available online.
Other Card Betting Markets You Might Want to Check Out
Such is the range of markets open to football bettors, people can also bet on:
- Total cards
- Total team cards
- Card handicap markets
- Team to get the first or last card
- The first card (no card, no bet)
- Red card given
- Specific team to receive a red card
- Specific player to receive a card during the match
Each bookmaker is different and provides various markets in these categories, but if we had to choose the best bookmakers for betting on football cards, they would be Unibet and Bet365.
As well as providing an impressive range of football betting markets, they also offer competitive odds for Booking Points betting.
What are the Top Bookmakers that offer Booking Points betting?
Betfair

Betfair provides plenty of betting markets for customers, especially for football matches. When it comes to booking points specifically, the markets are called “card index markets,” and there are many of them, like:
- Home team index
- Away team index
- Total card index
- Exact card index
- First/second half card index and match bet
- Time of first booking
- Which team will receive the first booking points?
- Specific player to receive booking points
The bookmaker also provides plenty of betting features and promotions to keep you interested in football betting.
However, they don’t have the easiest platform to navigate for those new to wagering. Don’t forget to check out the Betfair sign up offer if you’re a new customer.
William Hill
William Hill was one of the first bookies in the UK, and they have a reputation for high-quality service in their varied football markets. If we are talking about betting on booking points, they have a huge range of markets available to choose from, including:
- Total bookings
- When will the first and/or last booking points be recorded?
- Which team or player will receive the first and/or last booking points?
- 1st half booking points
- 2nd half booking points
- Total home team bookings
- Total away team bookings
- Booking points/cards received from/to a specific minute in the game
William Hill is also called “the bonus king” for a reason, as you can get several football-related promotions on their platform at any one time. They are available to both new and existing customers. William Hill also provides a high-quality mobile app with a specific mobile welcome offer.
SkyBet
SkyBet is a widely-popular bookmaker with plenty of football markets, but not many Booking Points betting markets, unlike the other two bookies we mentioned.
Nonetheless, we had to mention them, because the “Each Team Total Booking Points” is one of their most famous football coupons. You should check out their platform too, because it’s user and mobile-friendly and they have an amazing welcome offer.
Coral

Coral is also one of the most popular choices for sports betting in the country, and they provide an average amount of markets related to booking points or cards.
If you already have an account, you should know that they have generous Coral promotions for football competitions, especially if they are popular, like the World Cup or Premier League. Coral also provides some exclusive betting features you might want to try out.
Booking Points Betting: Final Conclusion
Betting on booking points is quite popular in the UK, but like any other type of betting market, you should read up before placing your wager. There are specific pieces of information about team and player history that can prove useful when placing bets on booking points.
There are quite a few bookies out there which offer markets on booking points, and even more bookies who offer markets on cards alone. The bookmakers we mentioned in this article are some of the best, and you can be sure you won’t miss out if you choose to bet with any of them.
