As one of the best sports betting markets on the planet, tennis offers you endless excitement, limitless opportunities to test your skill and an incalculable number of bets for avid and dedicated sports gamblers. And that’s what’s great about tennis bets: the number of markets you can place a bet on, whether it’s a Grand Slam final or a lowly tournament. The wonder of tennis is its international calendar, which gives you a chance to bet practically year-round. But dealing with these markets of betting is quite daunting when you are just getting started or need to brush up on your strategy.
Let’s get to know a little more about the biggest tennis betting markets, their operation and how you can play it smarter while backing your favorite players.
Match-winner bets
It’s the most simple and well-known tennis bet; the match-winner wager. You are basically betting on the winner of the game. It’s an option you might have figured out if you’re new to tennis bets because you don’t need to know everything about handicaps or over/under numbers.
Chances of the highest-rated tennis player’s matchups, especially when the best seed takes on an underdog, can vary greatly. Even if it looks like the best bet, you can never be guaranteed a win, especially in tournaments where surfaces are fast and the odds are higher.
Set betting
Set betting is a great extra bit of fun for those who want to take their tennis betting experience to the next level. In this market, you’re betting on not only who will prevail but the set-by-set result – for example, you may place a bet on the other team winning 2-0 in best-of-three, or 3-1 in best-of-five, depending on the tournament.
Set betting can be riskier but is more lucrative than a pure match-winner bet. You can capitalize on this market if you have knowledge of a player’s condition and ability to endure long periods of play.
Total games (over/under)
Over/under total games is another popular market when people are betting on tennis. This is where the sportsbook calculates how many total games will be played in a game, and you have to choose if the total number actually played will be higher (over) or lower (under).
This market is great if you want a fast-paced game where you will either win multiple games with each opponent– or just the opposite if you think one player will dominate and finish the game fast. It is especially handy when you aren’t sure who will win the game but you already know how long it could last.
Handicap betting
It is with handicap betting that things really kick off. The handicap is also used in tennis to balance the bets between a favored player and an underdog. In short, the favored player starts with a games or sets disadvantage, and the underdog gets the benefit.
For instance, if Player A is a strong favorite, the bookmaker may give Player B a +5.5 game handicap. In this case, Player B won’t have to win the game, they simply need to win enough games to overcome the handicap. So, if Player A wins 6-4, 6-4, then you still win your bet on Player B, because their loss in games by (4) is fewer than the handicap (5.5).
This market is ideal if you think that the match will be closer than the odds indicate, or that a favorite may take out the competition but not by a wide margin.
Direct tournament betting
This is an open betting type, in which you bet on who will win the whole tournament and not just a single match. The market is popular among big picture-minded bettors who fancy their pick throughout the entire tournament.
Outright odds are generally more expensive than single-match bets, especially in the early days of the tournament. But it can be tricky because tennis tournaments tend to introduce wild cards, injuries or other unpredictable events that disrupt the drawing.
One way to do open betting is to look for players, such as clay-court champs or high-altitude performers, who play consistently in particular tournaments or on certain surfaces. Also, bets on multiple players across sections of the draw can mitigate your risk but still reward you.
Live bets
Live betting, also known as in-play betting, has transformed the way we bet on tennis. Tennis, with high scoring and frequent changes in momentum, is a perfect fit for live betting. It allows you to make bets on outcomes, such as who is going to take the next game, set or point. This form of betting calls for keen concentration and judicious decisions, because the odds can alter quickly depending on the conditions of the game.
For the best experience in live betting, you must monitor the action carefully, observe a game for trends and get familiar with how various players deal with pressure. Some players may have hot streaks or collapse under pressure, so recognizing these factors is what makes for some good live bets.
My evaluation of bookies
When it comes to placing your tennis bets, sportsbooks do not all exist on the same level. There are several factors I use when assessing bet sites. Perhaps the most important aspect is safety, but shortly behind that come the odds and variety of the market – having access to as many tennis markets as possible will make sure that you never miss out.
While it might not have been mentioned in the article, having access to sideline bets, where you bet on a range of side events, is also something you may want to look for. Whether it be betting on the future of Danielle Collins or whether or not an athlete will get injured, it can do wonders for spicing up the experience.
I also consider site navigation speed, tennis-specific bonuses or promotions, and live betting. Customer care, security and easy payment are also factors.
Conclusion
The process of making it through the tennis betting markets consists of knowing what you can do and how you can leverage your tennis knowledge to place bets. You can be a lover of the plain match-winners or someone who likes to take on the more advanced markets, such as handicaps, or even simply tournament betting.
The secret to winning tennis bets, after all, is to stay educated, keep an eye on form and court surfaces, and, above all else, watch your bankroll. There are so many markets to choose from that you won’t run out of ideas for adding excitement to each serve, rally and ace.
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