The French Open is over and the grass court season has officially begun. This means that Wimbledon is just around the court. With the coming of the oldest of the four Grand Slam championships another pastime which is as old as tennis itself is about to roar back into top gear – betting.
Let’s face it, betting has been a part of tennis since the days of Henry VIII. It is not just for royalty, be it hustling players at the local courts or placing wagers on the outcome of important matches, betting has helped tennis to grow in popularity since the beginning.
But how does one bet on tennis matches? Sure, you can bet on the outcome of a particular match, game, or set. But are their other options and how can you handicap tennis players to make sure the odds are in your favor. Well, wonder no more as this article will give you a primer on how to bet on tennis matches.
1) Know How to Pick the Right Tournaments
Professional tennis has morphed into a year-round sport with the Australian Open kicking things off in January and then ending with the Masters series in November and December. It doesn’t matter if it is men’s or women’s tennis, the is a tournament going almost every week.
However, this doesn’t mean that all tournaments are created equal and beyond the Grand Slam tournaments there are a number to top-flight events with attract the best players, and by extension, the most action.
Now, in men’s tennis, there are three different tours to choose from – the ATP, the Challenge Tour, and the ITF Futures tour. When talking about the best players in world, then you are looking at the ATP and this tour will future all the big names that you know.
In addition, this tour offers close to 70 events throughout the year including highlights like Queens Club (the final tune-up before Wimbledon), Indian Wells, Monte Carlo and Cincinnati. Given then these tournaments are key stops before the Grand Slam tournaments then these events will get the most interest.
But let’s not forget about the ladies. In fact, women’s tennis is big business and even when the Williams sisters have finally retired, you shouldn’t forget the WTA as the events can offer nice payouts for a savvy punter.
2) Understand the Odds
As a gambler, you know that odds are an important part of deciding where to place your money. In the simplest terms, odds help to determine how much you will win based on the chances of a certain event happening. Just remember that the bigger the odds, the more risk. As such, you don’t want to pick the longshot too often.
In tennis, the odds are either presented as decimals, fractions, or as a moneyline – which is most popular in the U.S. If you want to see how the odds are presented, then check out https://www.punterslounge.com/. This site is based in the U.K. As such, the odds are presented as fractions.
What do the odds mean in tennis? Well, if a player has a 1.45 chance to win a match, then this means they have an ‘implied probability’ of a favorable outcome. So how to understand this? Well take 1 and divide it by 1.15. This will equal 68.97% chance the player in question will win. While this is not a sure thing, the player has a pretty good chance to come out on top.
So, let’s say you want to place a £10 bet on this player and they win, then here is a quick way to figure out what your winning will be: (£10 * 1.45) – £10 = £4.5.
As you can see, there is a good chance this player will win, so it is a safe bet. However, that safety means the payout won’t be as big. That being said, all gambling has an element of risk and you should only bet money you can afford to lose – if not, it could end up costing you.
There you have it, the quick and dirty on how to bet on tennis matches, just in time for Wimbledon. So, check out your betting site of choice and place your wager on your favorite player. Who knows, you might win big.
