Online Tennis Betting
How to bet on Tennis Online
Most professional sports have a season that spans several months before the "year" is over. For example, the NBA regular season begins in late October, and the playoffs end in the middle of June.
Tennis is quite different though because it's a year-round sport where major events are spread out. The Australian Open happens in January, the French Open runs from May-June, Wimbledon takes place from June-July, and the US Open happens from August-September. There are numerous other Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women's Tennis Association (WTA) events which run throughout the year as well.
Seeing as how tennis matches happen from January through December, bettors have numerous chances to make money on the sport - especially with regard to the previously discussed four "Majors" (a.k.a. Grand Slams). If you're interested in online tennis betting, here's a quick look at how you can get started.
Find an Online Sportsbook with Lots of Lines
Overall, tennis betting isn't quite as popular as wagering on other sports such as basketball, football, hockey and soccer. So online sportsbooks can differ greatly in how many tennis lines they offer. One book might only feature lines on the four Majors, while another sportsbook will offer action on all of the APT and WTA events in between.
That said, the internet sportsbook you choose should reflect your interest in the game. But even if you've only got a casual interest in online tennis betting, it's a good idea to pick a sportsbook that offers plenty of lines just so you have the option to bet any time. Once you're satisfied with a book, simply create an account and make a deposit, and you're ready to start wagering.
Tennis Betting Lines
Those who wager on tennis will usually be dealing with the moneyline. The moneyline is a straight bet where you simply try to pick who'll win the match. However, in order to keep everybody from betting on the favorite, sportsbooks attach odds to balance out the action. You can see an example of this in the moneyline below:
Rafael Nadal +130
Novak Djokovic -120
In this match, Djokovic is the favorite because bettors would be risking $120 to earn $100 in profit. As for Nadal, bettors would wager $100 to earn $130 in profit. As you can see, the minus sign indicates a favorite since people have to risk more money to earn a smaller profit.
Also keep in mind that some sportsbooks use decimal odds or fractional odds to create betting lines. You can see more about how these odds work below.
Decimal Odds
Commonly used throughout Canada, Europe and Australia, decimal odds work a little differently than the moneyline (American odds). An even money bet starts at 2.0, rather than 100 with the moneyline. Here's an example of decimal odds in action:
Serena Williams 1.75
Maria Sharapova 2.30
Here Williams is favored to win because bettors are risking $1 to win $0.75 in profit ($1.75 total). A bet on the slight underdog Sharapova would require one to wager $1 for every $1.30 in profit ($2.30 total).
Fractional Odds
Most UK-based online sportsbooks attach fractional odds to tennis betting lines. This is a pretty easy concept to understand because the first number in the fraction represents how much you'll win, and the second number indicates what you're risking. Here's an example:
Roger Federer 10/11
Tomas Byrdych 6/5
If you were to bet on Federer, you'd be risking $11 to win $10 in profit. A wager on the slight underdog Byrdych would require you to risk $5 to earn $6 in profit.
Tennis Prop Bets
Many of the bigger tennis events like the US Open and French Open offer prop bets along with regular lines on players. Prop bets are a fun way to add extra excitement to tennis matches and make more cash. One of the most popular tennis prop bets involves which player will win the first set. Here's how a 1st set wager would look at an online sportsbook:
Na Li +160
Serena WIlliams -200
Here Williams is favored to win the 1st set and bettors would have to risk $200 to win $100 in profit. People would be wagering $100 to earn $160 in profit by wagering on Na Li in the 1st set.
Another common tennis prop bet involves "Set Betting," where you wager on how many sets a player will win and lose during the match. Below you can see a sample of set betting:
Roger Federer 3-0 (+400)
Roger Federer 3-1 (+260)
Roger Federer 3-2 (-120)
Rafael Nadal 3-0 (+480)
Rafael Nadal 3-1 (+310)
Rafael Nadal 3-2 (+110)
Since both Federer and Nadal are top-ranked pros and big rivals, this figures to be a very close match. So neither player is likely to win all three sets against their opponent. That said, you stand to earn $310 in profit ($410 total) with a $100 bet on Federer winning 3-0, or $380 in profit ($480 total) with a $100 wager on Nadal winning 3-0. A more likely scenario is that one of the players will win 3-1 or 3-2 in terms of sets.
Online tennis betting offers people a lot of different wagering opportunities. So if you love the sport and want to put a little money on your favorite player or doubles team, sign up at an online sportsbook and start wagering.