Live betting is a fascinating betting discipline, but it requires from bettor sharp reflexes, stellar discipline, and a bit of luck. In this article, we will try to explain why so many bettors prefer to place their wagers in-play, and what are the best live betting strategies to make a solid long-term profit. Of course, nobody can expect just to use a live betting strategy and to make a profit immediately. In all other sports betting disciplines, there are a lot of things to learn, such as live betting tricks, and basic rules of sports betting.
Times when punters were missing some exciting betting opportunities, just because they failed to place wagers on time, are long behind us. Nowadays, most of the top betting sites onlineoffer to their clients the live betting feature with their excellent live betting platforms.
History of Live Betting
Not many bettors can remember the time before it wasn’t possible to place bets in-play. Back then, it was only possible to place pre-game bets and to watch the games and hope for the positive outcome. But with the advancement in technology, it became possible to place wagers during the games, and many sportsbooks saw the opportunity to make the extra profit.
While live platforms at sportsbooks were at first limited to a small number of sports and events, now many sportsbooks offer to their players endless daily live betting cards, with numerous sports, leagues, and events across the globe. Also, at many popular sportsbooks, in-play betting accounts for more than 70% of their yearly revenue, and those numbers are staggering.
Advantages of In-play betting
There are many advantages of live betting, as at live betting markets, bettors have a more extensive scale of choices, and with smart decisions, they can make a significant profit every day. The most obvious advantage is the possibility of bettors to place their wagers at any time, during the half time break, a few minutes before the end of the game, or in the first five minutes. Live betting platforms shift the odds in real-time, but in many cases, experienced bettors that specialized in live betting can find the value odds and make a nice profit from in-play betting.
Another advantage of in-play betting is the possibility to watch the games via live stream or see the most important statistical parameters, such as dangerous attacks, shoots, faults, penalties, etc. Even if you aren’t watching the game, with these statistics, you can get a decent insight into how some team is performing in the match.
Finally, bettors often can get better odds on their preferred team or selection after just a couple of minutes when the game starts. In most cases, sportsbooks have a team of live traders that set the odds during the games, and although they are usually very accurate, human error is inevitable, and there is a small window of opportunity for fast in-play bettors to make a profit.
The Best Live Betting Strategies
Several excellent in-play betting strategies can make a decent profit to the bettors, and we will talk about them in this part of this article. Some of them are designed for a specific sport, but some of them are universal for a couple, or even all sports.
Basketball Under/Over Strategy
This is one excellent in-play betting strategy that can be implemented in other sports as well. The main goal of this strategy is to take advantage of the line movement during the first half.
Example:
In the NBA game between Dallas Mavericks and LA Lakers, the pre-game total line is set at 217 points, as sportsbooks expect to see a lot of points in that game. If those two teams underperform in the first half, the total line should drop for 10 or more points. That is perfect opportunity to place an Over bet. Similar, if two slow-paced teams manage to score many points in the first half, then it is a smart move to place Under bet after the first half.
This strategy can be implemented in almost every sport where a lot of points, goals are expected to be scored.
Draw No Bet Soccer In-Play Strategy
This strategy is made exclusively for soccer as Draw no bet betting market is available only in this sport. For this strategy you will need to find the game where one team is strong favorite, and plus the favorite needs to trail at half time. When the underdog is upfront at half time, the odds on the pre-game favorite are usually pretty tasty. The Draw no Bet market gives you the possibility to place a wager on a better team, but to cover your stake if the game ends in Draw.
Other Interesting In-play Strategies
Except for those two strategies, you can make your own favorite in-play strategy, but you should know some basic rules, in order to make a nice and steady profit on this betting market.
One of the tips that many readers will not agree with us is to bet against momentum. The idea is to bet against the team that has the momentum, as many bettors will do the opposite, and there lies the value.
The second trick is to back losing home teams, as solid home teams tend to play much better at their stadium. Of course, it is much smarter to take the handicap in these situations, rather than a money line bet, but if you like to chase the big odds, than a clear win is a good option.
Conclusion
Overall, in-play betting offers a lot of opportunities for bettors to make a serious long-term profit. Before you start betting live, there are some things you need to remember. Always use the licensed and regulated sportsbooks, have a good staking plan, never bet with your heart, and most importantly, be patient.
FAQ
In the sports betting industry, there are several really interesting strategies, and there is no consensus between the bettors about the best betting strategy of all times. Every bettor has his own betting preferences, and that is the reason why bettors will never agree on which strategy is the best. Still, we think that Arbitrage and Matched betting strategies give to the bettor a fair chance to win risk-free money, and we consider those two strategies the best strategies at the moment in the sports betting industry.
The safest bet that you can place is not to bet at all. But, if you still want to place wagers, you should look for the markets where you have the most chance to make a profit. For example, it is smarter to bet on 2-way markets rather than 3-way markets, and it is good to find the markets where you can take advantage of the betting rules (betting on Over in basketball, because most sportsbooks count over time in total points count).
Nowadays, almost every sportsbook gives to their new and loyal customers various bonuses and promotions. Every bonus has certain advantages, but every bonus comes with a specific set of terms and conditions. The most famous is the so-called wagering requirements. If you want to know more about bonuses and promotions, you should read our article about bonuses.