how to bet on tennis

When digging into the most popular wagered on sports, tennis does not rank near the likes of football, basketball, or baseball, but there is a heavy contingent of VIP wagering on tennis across the various sportsbook operators in the United States. Here, we’ll walk you through all the ins and outs of how to bet on tennis online – to help make you a more informed tennis bettor.

Whether it's the heavy favorites that appear often, the advantages for certain tennis players on different types of surfaces or recent form that may make one tennis player seem more enticing over another, sportsbook operators for legal sports betting in the United States keep a careful eye on tennis.

Tennis sometimes provides a quick-hitting option that can fill in the gaps between the regularly scheduled sports schedule, which also adds to its popularity.

Customers who won their basketball or baseball wager at night can often find a live tennis match across the world if they want to continue wagering their winnings. The sheer amount of volume of tennis matches also adds to its popularity amongst legal sportsbook providers. Check out our how to bet on tennis guide to become an ace at tennis betting.

How to Bet on Tennis: Most Popular Tennis Markets

It is important to note that not all tennis tournaments run in a uniform style and as a customer, it is important to know how many sets a particular match is going to be. Different tournaments offer three-set and five-set matches, so it is important to look up the format before wagering.

How to Bet on Tennis: What Are Money Line Tennis Wagers?

Like other traditional money line wagers in other sports, money line wagers in tennis are just selecting which player will win the match. For example, if a customer selects Roger Federer to beat Tommy Paul and the odds are -600 for the money line, the customer will have to risk $600 to win $100. If Paul is +400 odds on the other side of the match, a customer will have to risk $100 to win $400 if Paul were to win.

How to Bet on Tennis: What Are Game Spread Tennis Wagers?

In the example above, Federer is a large favorite, which may turn some customers off to risking that high of odds to bring back a certain amount. This tends to happen often because of the one-on-one nature of tennis, with limited outside factors and teammates (unless it's doubles) affecting the action. This is where tennis spread wagering options come into play.

When thinking about how to bet on tennis, bear in mind that there are both game spreads and set spreads. For example, a customer can select Federer against Paul with a game spread of -4.5. If the match is of the three-set variety and the final score of the match is Federer wins by a score (6-2, 6-2) Federer spread wagers are graded as winners. Federer won the total amount of games by a score of 12-4, which covers the -4.5-game spread.

If Federer defeated Paul by a score of (6-4, 6-4), Federer spread wagers would lose because the final total of games would be 12-8, which does not cover the -4.5-game spread. If a customer took Paul with +4.5 games against Federer, that would be a winning wager as Paul lost by four (4) games or less.

how to bet on tennis

What Are Set Spread Tennis Wagers?

Like game spreads, tennis offers set wagering for customers looking for a quicker result than a full match, a better price for a huge favorite, or an alternative to wagering on the spread that isn't games. With almost the same setup as game spread wagering in tennis, the difference being wagering on sets instead of games.

For example, If Federer is favored in a match over Paul, he will have -1.5 sets spread option available, very similar to baseball's run line wagering. (Can link to baseball betting article here if you want*****). Wagering on Federer with -1.5 sets means Federer would have to win in straight sets for a three-set match (6-4, 6-2), or win three (3) sets to one (1) in a five-set match (6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1).

Over/Under Tennis Wagers Explained: How to Bet on Tennis Over/Under

Like baseball with runs and basketball and football with points, an over/under tennis wager is on the number of games that will be played during a match. For example, If Federer and Paul's three-set match has an over/under at 21.5 games, the match needs to last for at least 22 games. A score of (7-5, 6-3) or fewer would result in a loss if a customer wagers on the over. How to bet on tennis successfully often depends on your ability to predict over/tennis wagers!

How to Bet on Tennis With Live Betting: Live Tennis Wagers Change the Game!

Live tennis betting is an incredibly attractive market because of the large odds swings that happen each point, game and obviously, set.

With tennis points usually happening at a quick pace, it may be difficult so select a live wager but do not be frustrating as the time will appear during a break in the action. The quick changing of the odds is one of the more attractive elements to betting tennis, as customers can get a huge pre-match favorite for better odds if that player is having a slow start, with the danger of taking a player who is behind in the match.

There are quicker and larger odds swings compared to other sports, because serving players 'usually' win their games. If a player breaks a game and then serves next, it can cause a two-game swing in a set that greatly impacts the odds of winning a set. Other live betting markets include "X Game Winner Live", "X Game Points Odd/Even Live", "Match Correct Score Live" and Match Points Odd/Even Live".

How to Bet on Tennis – Other Live Tennis Betting Options

As mentioned earlier, the live tennis betting markets fluctuate at a rapid pace due to the odds changing based on how the event is going. "X Game Winner Live" is when a customer chooses which tennis player is going to win a specific game within the match.

A customer can do this until the match ends and will have multiple opportunities to place these wagers. "X Game Points Odd/Even Live" is a customer deciding if the points within a game will end as an odd or even number. For example, a customer may wager that the second game of the match will end in an even number of points.

The customer will win if the second game finishes 11-7 (18 points total, even), but will lose if the second game finishes 11-8 (19 points total, odd).

how to bet on tennis - tennis betting guide

What is Match Correct Score Live in Tennis Betting?

"Match Correct Score Live" is a customer deciding the exact score of the result of the match. A customer can wager on if Federer will win the match six (6) games to two (2) games, six (6) games to one (1) game, etc.

Live Tennis Betting Markets Move FAST

These live markets are very reactive, and it may take a customer some time to get the hang of when they're able to place these wagers. With points happening in rapid succession, it is easy to get locked out of a live bet and miss an opportunity as the odds continually change as every point is completed.

Each sportsbook may offer different live tennis betting options, so it is best for a customer to familiarize him or herself with all the options before diving into a match.

Want to Learn More about Sports Betting?

WagerTalk offers an expansive group of guides to all elements of sports betting. Check out our how to bet on golf, how to bet on hockey, soccer betting guide, or learn more about specific types of bets, like what is the run line in baseball, what is a parlay bet, or even how same game parlays work.

Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?

Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Vegas lines updated in real time, including who the public is betting on.

Last Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our sports betting tips video library)

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Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?

  • Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Vegas lines updated in real time, including who the public is betting on.
  • Last-Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our sports betting tips video library)
  • Want an expert opinion? Check out the latest Free Sports Picks and Best Bets from our team of expert sports handicappers.

Make sure to bookmark all the above!