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journalism → support → readers
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we → click → commission
Tennis is an exciting sport to bet on and it’s more straightforward that other sports, given the format.
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it → bet → format
We cover areas like reading tennis odds, the main tennis betting markets to concentrate on, and posit some tennis betting strategies to keep in mind.
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We → cover → mind
In the UK, odds are commonly expressed as fractions (e.g. 4/6 vs 6/5 - margin included, for a close tennis match).
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odds → express → match
With tennis being a sport with only two outcomes by nature (win or lose), it is an easier sport for beginners to read the odds compared to football or horse racing.
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beginners → win → football
How to read tennis odds
Let’s look at an example of the tennis odds of a closely-priced match (e.g. a 4/6 favourite vs a 5/4 underdog) and work through the staking and potential returns on each side.
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’s → read → side
If we stake £10 on player A at 4/6 we can work out the returns using the following formula: stake x numerator / denominator + stake.
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we → stake → formula
Ie: (£10 x 4 / 6) +10 = £16.67
On player B: £10 x 5 / 4 +10 = £22.50
In this example player A (4/6) is the shorter odds and therefore the bookmaker’s favourite to win the match.
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A → win → match
Player B is what is known as odds against (5/4) and in this case is the underdog.
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what → know → case
These odds are very close, signalling a tight match, and the prices can fluctuate in the lead-up to the game.
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prices → signal → game
Tennis betting odds are set in a myriad of different markets.
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odds → set → markets
Here are three of the most popular markets for tennis betting:
- Match winner: Placing a wager on the player who will win the tennis match outright.
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who → place → match
- Set betting: Predict who will win a specific set or go one further and try and guess the exact score of the set to get bigger and better odds (e.g. 6-4).
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who → predict → odds
- Handicap betting: In tennis handicap betting, one player will receive a theoretical headstart.
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player → receive → headstart
For example, the underdog is given a plus-one set advantage meaning they add a set to their final score.
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they → give → score
Odds are adjusted accordingly.
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Odds → adjust → ?
Live tennis betting odds update constantly during a match for all these tennis betting markets.
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odds → update → markets
The strategy section below gives punters tips on how to take advantage of that.
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section → give → that
Tennis betting strategies
- A player’s ranking may not reflect their true chance of winning the match.
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ranking → reflect → match
Other variables come into play.
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variables → come → play
For example, certain tennis players excel on particular surfaces, whether it be clay, hard or grass.
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it → excel → surfaces
Rafael Nadal was a clay-court specialist and digging up his form stats on that surface painted a different picture than his overall stats.
- Head-to head: Different strokes for different folks.
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digging → dig → folks
Players might have a weakness in their game and when they come up against an opponent with a specific style, this might be exploited time and time again.
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this → have → style
For example, player A has a very strong serve that player B finds hard to deal with.
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B → have → serve
Typically this will be reflected in the head-to-head player history.
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this → reflect → history
- Live tennis betting odds are there to be taken advantage of.
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odds → take → advantage
Watching the odds shift in-play tells bettors the story of the match.
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odds → watch → match
A big favourite might lose momentum after a break in serve and the match becomes more even than the current tennis odds suggest.
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odds → lose → serve
- The match winner price alone on the favourite may be very short before it goes live.
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it → go → favourite
If you want to bet on the favourite or indeed the underdog, there are more obscure tennis betting markets to look out for like set betting and Asian handicap betting odds that are harder to price up and may not imply the true probability.
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that → want → probability
Regulated betting sites provides multiple responsible gambling tools.
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sites → provide → tools
These include deposit limits, self-exclusion, session time reminders, loss limits and time-outs, plus GAMSTOP registration for self-exclusion across multiple operators.
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These → include → operators
Responsible gambling can help bettors stay safe when gambling online.
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bettors → help → ?
By setting a budget, taking regular breaks, and not chasing losses, punters can limit the risk of problem gambling.
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punters → set → gambling
Tennis betting odds FAQs
What do tennis betting odds mean?
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odds → mean → What
Tennis betting odds are the prices offered by the bookmaker on a tennis match, game or set and props.
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odds → offer → match
The shorter the odds, the higher the implied probability of the selection coming in.
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selection → imply → ?
Long odds mean the player or selection is an underdog or the bet is less likely to win.
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bet → mean → ?
How do you read tennis odds if you're new to betting?
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you → read → betting
…and 9 more, not listed.
The Aporia
