There is a huge variety of tennis bets at Wimbledon. The Wimbledon tournament is one of the most popular sports betting events in tennis on an annual basis. With a trip to the All-England Club right around the corner, it only makes sense to provide the public with a primer for handicapping tennis tournaments.
Here is a look at the different types of tennis bets available to sports betting handicappers. Even if you don't know how to read odds, we'll get you up to speed.
Tennis Bets: Betting Favorites
The success of top players could tempt novice bettors to attempt to roll with the favorites in every single match. That's especially the case at a tournament like Wimbledon. However, it’s important to understand why that is not a good idea. The favorites are usually available at very short odds, which means very little return on investment.
For example, if Novak Djokovic were to play an unseated opponent, he would probably be listed at -1000 odds or worse. Therefore, the sports bettor must risk at least $1000 just to make $100. Those odds work if you bet on Djokovic to win every single match and he does it. The challenge is there is no guarantee that he wins every single tournament. It is much wiser to pick your spots with a favorite like Djokovic while also relying on players that could provide greater payouts for their wins.
Game Handicap Betting
One interesting type of bet that the professional handicappers rely on in tennis is handicap betting. This option is available when a huge favorite plays an underdog with low odds that are usually not very attractive to bettors. To counter the difference in the players’ abilities, the best sportsbooks will offer a handicap market. That refers to the number of games each player is expected to win.
In this way, the chance of either playing winning – pricing in the handicap-becomes as close to 50% as possible. For example, if Djokovic were to play an unseated opponent he could be listed at minus-four games. This means that Djokovic has to win four more games than his opponent in order to be considered a winner. This type of wager makes the handicap bet that much more attractive. It's a good alternate option to picking winners straight up.
Sets Or Games
The handicap bets can be listed as positive or negative depending on the market. While some bettors will still prefer to take Djokovic to win by at least five games or more against his opponent as the favorite, there is also the option of taking his opponent win enough games to cover the four-game spread. These types of handicap bets are excellent in situations where the underdog is projected to give a legitimate challenge to the favorite. Whether its based on talent, fatigue or any other relevant circumstance, there could be value.
Variety Of Options
The majority of beginner bettors will spend their time picking winners straight up but it’s important to know there are different options available. The handicap betting market provides a different set of options for tennis fans and the opportunity to bet on favorites without having to pay so much juice on each individual line. With Wimbledon right around the corner, now is the perfect time to get in to the action. All you need is to decide whether the handicap is what you prefer over the tennis moneylines.
