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Tennis Betting Guide & Useful Tips

Bookmark and Share by Nila Amerova

We are in the midst of Grand Slam betting with the 2010 Aussie Open just a few days old and what would be a better time than now (so it occurred to me) to recap some of the betting options available in the BetUS market. Whether you are a novice tennis bettor looking to understand the nuances of tennis betting, an intermediate online sports bettor or an old hand looking for a re-fresh, this guide should offer something for everyone.

To help you along I will use example along the way.

Example Tennis Betting Line: Roger Federer -800 Nikolay Davydenko +460
Example First Set Betting Line: Roger Federer -300 Nikolay Davydenko +700

How to bet on Fixed Odds – the Money line

Betting on Fixed odds is the easiest and most straightforward option in the tennis betting market. Bookies set prices on matchups, balancing action on both ends so that the net outcome will be in their favour. At the same time, when bettors back those odds, the prices are an indication of what the expected outcome is and what the payout might be should the bet win.

Americans favour money line odds and they reflect positive and negative currency amounts based on $100. If we use the above example it is would be as follows.

Federer at -800 (to win outright) is the price a bettor would have to lay to win $100. I.E. for every $800 bet on Federer a bettor would win $100 (total payout should the bet win is the stake back + winnings = $900). Whenever you are forced to bet more than you would win if the bet comes through, you are betting on an almost sure thing. Bookies have to balance risk and reward. Bookies simply cannot dole out large sums on a sure thing. Low payouts = the bet is expected to win.

The opposite is true of Davydenko at +460. The price is set to reflect the winnings for each $100 bet. So for each $100 bet on Davydenko the return would be $460 for a total of $560 (stake +winnings). High payouts indicate low win expectancy. Hence, the greater reward if it does come through.

Set betting uses money line odds so the principle is the same you are just betting on a different aspect of the game. In the above instance you would be betting on Federer to take the first set at -300 (the expected outcome) and Davydenko at +700 (the less likely outcome).

In setting fixed odds, bookies give an indication of what the expected outcome is in their opinion. Bettors are free to choose – they can fall in line with the trend and back the bookies favourite for the “sure thing” or they can buck the trend and bank on an upset.

Example Games Handicap:
Roger Federer 33 ½ O -115 U -125
Nikolay Davydenko 33 ½ O -115 U -125

Scoreline 1: Federer wins 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Scoreline 2: Davydenko wins 6-7(4), 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4

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How to bet on Games Handicap – Totals

The totals might look intimidating at first glance but they are really rather simple. “Games Totals” odds are for the combined total of games played during the course of a match, irrespective of who wins the match. Therefore, in the first Scoreline example, Federer wins 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, if we add up all the games 7+6+2+6+6+3+6+4 we come up with a total of 40 games. The second score line brings a total of 50.

In both cases, the winning bet according to the odds set above would be Over 33 ½ -115. The price tag of -115 indicates the amount a bettor needs to wager in order to win $100, just like in fixed odds betting. Therefore, for each $115 risked a bettor would win $100. Note, it would have cost a bettor more to bet on the Under 33 ½ -125. A bettor would have had to lay $125 to win $100, which indicates the Under was the expected result. It just so happens that our example went against the bookies favoured outcome.

How to bet on Games Handicap – the Spread

Roger Federer -8½ -115
Nikolay Davydenko +8½ -125

Spread betting essentially is betting on the performance of players in a match, not unlike the performance of stocks in financial markets. More specifically, you are betting on a player’s performance within a point reference – which in this case is the difference between games won by each player. The fixed tennis money line odds next to the point reference set give you an indication which is the favoured outcome and which is less favoured. It also indicates the negative price amount needed to win a $100.

Firstly, one has to understand what the spread specifically denotes. In Federer’s case, or Federer to cover the spread (using the listed games handicap of -8 ½ -115), he has to WIN the match and by more than a difference of eight-and-a-half games. For Davydenko to cover the spread (using the games handicap of +8 ½ -125) he could either WIN or LOSE the match, but by no more than a difference of 8 ½ games.

Therefore, if the score were Federer wins 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 a bettor backing Federer to cover the spread would win his bet. If you are into maths, you can work it out for yourself. Federer games won (6+6+6=18). Davydenko won (1+1+1= 3). (Result: 18-3 =15). Federer won by more than 8 ½ games so the bet is a winner. In this case, a bettor backing Davydenko to cover the spread would have lost his bet.

If the score were Federer wins 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. A bettor would lose his bet on Federer to cover the spread. Federer won (7+2+6+6=21 games). Davydenko won (6+6+3+4= 19 games). Result (21-19=2). Conversely, a bettor backing Davydenko would have won this bet as although Davydenko lost the match, he lost it by less than 8 ½ games.

If the score were Davydenko wins 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 then a bettor backing Federer to cover the spread would have lost his bet while a bettor backing Davydenko to cover the spread would win this bet because Davydenko won and on a difference of 2 games. The conditions to fulfil were to win or lose but by no more than 8 ½ games, which he meets.

So that is it for my useful tennis betting guide. Hope you found some of this stuff enlightening and not too intimidating. Happy and careful tennis betting in 2010 everyone!