Dave | January 3, 2023 | Updated on: January 8th, 2024
Live betting is a popular form of sports betting around the world. If you enjoy sports betting, you don’t have to stop placing wagers when the game kicks off. Live betting allows gamblers to continue placing different bets as the game goes on. It also doesn’t matter what type of sports you like betting on, gamblers will find live betting options at top online sportsbooks.
What is Live Betting?
As we said, live sports betting allows gamblers to place bets on a game while it is in progress. Live betting is also known by several different names. These could include in-game betting, in-running betting, or in-play betting.
Live betting isn’t just about being able to bet on the outcome of a match or tournament after it starts. There’s much more to it than that. Gamblers will be able to place a whole range of different bets while the game is being played.
If you’re watching football, you could bet on which quarterback you think will make first down in that particular play. If you’re watching hockey, you could bet on which team takes the next goal and so on. The good news is that live betting should be just as easy as any other form of sports betting.
Players will simply need to go to their favorite sportsbook and log into their account. Once logged in, they should be able to find a live betting tab. This will then show them all the events currently in progress, and they can choose one and see what live sports bets are available.
In addition to this, the best sportsbooks available will make following the sporting event easy as well. Some will actually provide gamblers with live broadcasts, while others might just have various information displayed in charts and graphs. However, because these games are in progress, be ready for the odds to change rapidly.
Live Sports Betting Options
If you’ve never tried, or even heard of, live betting, we’re sure you can already understand why its popularity is rapidly growing. As it grows in popularity, more and more betting options are being offered. This is great news for players, who will have more options when it comes to placing live bets.
Almost any sport will have live betting options. These include soccer, hockey, baseball, football, tennis, golf, horse racing, and even eSports. The other good thing is that games from all over the world will be available to gamblers from top sportsbooks, so you could bet on a golf tournament happening in England, just as easily as you can bet on the Super Bowl.
This also means that gamblers will never be short of live sports bets, as there is always something going on around the world. Keep in mind though, not every online sportsbook will offer live betting, but the majority of the top sportsbooks will.
Live betting Odds – Understanding the Odds
The good news about the odds with live betting is that they are displayed in the exact same way as any other form of sports betting. Players will likely find odds being displayed in either the American way or the decimal form. If you’re at all familiar with sports betting odds, you’ll easily understand what’s going on. If you’re completely new though, we’ll give you a quick rundown on the different types of odds and what they mean.
American Odds
If you’re enjoying live betting at a sportsbook that is targeted at American gamblers, this is probably the form you’re most likely to see. Some find it confusing at first, but it’s really quite easy to understand. Here is an example.
Team A: -200
Team B: +220
In this situation, Team A is the favourite to win. If the odds are positive, this is telling you how much profit you’d make if you bet $100. In this example, a bet of $100 would win the player $220.
If the odds are negative, this is telling players how much they must bet in order to make $100 profit. Following this example again, a player must bet $200 in order to win $100.
Decimal Odds
Some gamblers find decimal odds easier to understand. In some ways, they do make it easier to quickly see how much you’d win on a particular bet. Here is an example:
Will Team A beat team B?
Yes: 4.35
No: 1.50
When looking at decimal odds, all you need to do is multiply your wager by the odds. So in this case, if you bet $100 that team A will win, you’d win $435. If you bet no, you’d win $150.
Keep in mind though, that these numbers will include your original wager, so you need to subtract that to see what your actual profit is ($335 and $50 respectively in this case). In this situation, team A is very much the underdog to take the win, with Team B being the favorite.
British Odds
These are probably the least common odds players will run into in America. If you’re betting on a soccer match, then you’re probably more likely to see them. Let’s say you’re watching a soccer match and the scores are currently tied. You may see odds like this:
Which Team will score the next goal?
Team A: 15/10
Team B: 10/5
No Goal: 13/5
These can also be a bit confusing, but it is easy enough to work out when you know what’s happening. In this situation, if you placed a $10 wager on Team A scoring the next goal, you’d win $15. If you placed the same bet on team B, you’d win $20, and if you bet on no more goals, you’d win $26.
No matter which style of betting odds you prefer, top sports betting sites will allow players to switch between them. This ensures that all players can feel comfortable with the way the odds are being displayed to them.
Getting the Most out of Live Betting
When it comes to sports betting, it generally helps to do your research and be very knowledgeable about the sport. However, live betting is different, as you don’t have hours or weeks to do your research before placing a bet. Players must use what knowledge they have and trust their instincts to make the right bet, at the right time. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t give players some tips and tricks to try and help them be more successful when placing live sports bets.
The first thing is to manage your money. You want to be able to place bets throughout the game, so don’t go and waste your bankroll within the first few minutes of the game. Spread your bets out and make sure you set yourself a budget. If you’re going to make $100 in bets, don’t add more funds to your account if you run out of money.
We’d also recommend that you try sticking to betting on the favorites, especially while you’re learning the ropes. While you won’t win a lot of money, you are at least more likely to win more often. If you do bet on the underdog, make sure your bets are small, as this is the easiest way to run out of money really quickly.
Mobile Live Betting
Perhaps the best thing about live betting and online sports betting in general, is that it can be done from anywhere. As long as you have an internet-connected smartphone or tablet, you’ll be able to log into your account with your favorite sportsbook and place live bets. This means you can do it if you’re over at your friend’s house watching the game, or if you’re in a bar. You can even do it if you’re at the game itself.
