Best Live Betting Sites
Live betting is a form of sports betting. With a huge advantage of being able to place bets live; like while the event is taking place. The opportunity to bet live is extremely popular worldwide. Depending on where you are, real-time betting is sometimes referred to as play betting, in-game, in-play, and in-running. If you want to bet using the above payments, it’s best to check with the live chat to ensure they are indeed offered. New German betting sites - The “neue wettanbieter” In all honesty, the number of new German betting sites is constantly increasing.
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What Is Live Betting?
Also known as in-play betting, live betting is the act of placing a bet during an event. It’s safe to say that live betting revolutionised the online sports betting world when in-play markets started being offered towards the end of the 1990s. Instead of punters betting before an event started, they could now watch the opening few minutes and decide whether to place their original bet or choose an alternative.
Live betting markets can be found in the in-play section of the online bookmaker’s website or mobile app. Once you navigate to this section, you will be presented with a list of sports that currently have live betting markets available. Once you select the sport you’re interested in, you will then see all the events that are running. Choose an event to watch the event tracker, view statistics and lock in the latest odds.
We should note that not every event is available for in-play betting. For example, you can’t bet on which sprinter will win the 100m race at the Olympic Games. Why? Because the winner usually dashes across the finish line in under 10 seconds. This doesn’t leave enough time for bookmakers to change the odds and accept your bet.
What to Expect From the Best Live Betting Sites
Do you know what separates the best live betting sites from those that are bang average? There are many more factors to consider than which sports you can bet on and how long it takes for in-play bets to be accepted. How quickly can you deposit? Will you receive a price boost? Trust us, we could go on…
To save you spending countless hours researching and comparing live in-play betting sites, we’ve done all the hard work for you. At SBO.net, we rate and review the live betting offering for every single online bookmaker we come across. Some of the many factors we consider when deciding which live betting sites are worthy of our seal of approval include:
Number of Markets
You’ll be blown away by the number of in-play markets available at the best live betting sites. It doesn’t matter what time it is; you’ll always find numerous events to bet on. We expect a varied selection of markets for each event. Imagine being limited to betting on the outcome of a football match. Boring!
In-Play Offers
Virtually all new betting sites treat punters to exciting in-play offers. This is their way of making you feel at home and ensuring you remain a loyal customer. Free bets that can only be used on in-play markets are often issued to drum up excitement for major events such as the World Cup final or Super Bowl.
Price Boosts
A price boost is when the most generous live betting sites often offer higher odds on select markets than normal. These enhanced odds offers are listed at the top when you view an event. An example would be the odds of over 2.5 goals being scored in a football match being boosted from 2.00 to 3.00.
Event Tracker
Not every event is streamed live in HD or available to watch on television. If you’re someone who likes to know exactly what is happening during an event you’ve bet on, it’s important that the live betting site has a detailed event tracker. This is basically an animated version of the action with real time statistics.
One-Click Deposits
Imagine something significant happening during an event you’re watching. It could be a red card in a football match or the leading driver in a Formula 1 race experiencing engine problems. It’s vital that you can deposit funds in a single click to take advantage of the situation and make an in-play bet quickly.
Cash Out Feature
Whether you decide to cut your losses or lock in a profit by cashing out, the top live betting sites make life easy. Virtually all online bookmakers allow you to cash out a bet in its entirety. But only the best betting sites offer the flexibility of a partial cash out, allowing you to leave some of your stake to run.
Live Betting Markets for Different Sports
We’re sure you are aware of all the popular betting markets for different sports. But do you know what in-play betting markets are available for them? We would have to write a book to cover every sport, but let’s take a closer look at the most bet on in-play markets for three of the world’s most popular sports.
Football
Live betting sites offer countless in-play opportunities for football betting. Not only can you bet on the usual things like the outcome of a match and how many goals will be scored, you can bet on which team will score the next goal, which team will concede the next corner, whether a penalty will be scored, etc.
Tennis
Ever noticed how one-sided some matches are when it comes to tennis betting? In-play betting allows you to search for value instead of backing heavy favourites. You can bet on the winner of the current game and the current set, the correct score of the current set, whether a tie break will be required, etc.
American Football
If you’re a fan of betting on the NFL, then you’ll be blown away by the number of in-play markets for every game. You can bet on the outcome of the current play, which team will score the next touchdown, the total number of points that will be scored, plus countless other exotic bets that spice up the action.
Live Betting on Non-Sporting Events
Of course, it isn’t just sports that you can bet on in-play. The best live betting sites also provide real time odds for TV specials like the Eurovision Song Contest and the final of The X-Factor. You can even bet in-play while watching election results and major film awards like the BAFTAs and Oscars. If it’s live on your television, you can bet your life that online bookmakers will have created a market for you to bet on.
Pros and Cons of Live Betting
Naturally, live betting means the odds will fluctuate in and out of your favour. This is great when the odds swing in your favour, but it can be gut-wrenching when you have already placed a bet and see that better odds are now available. But that’s what makes live betting so exciting, right?
PROS
- Live Analysis – The main advantage of live betting versus pre-match betting is that you can watch the action and bet accordingly. You can watch the first 10 minutes of a football match and see which team looks the most threatening in front of goal before placing a bet. Perhaps a sluggish start from both teams will lead you to bet on under 2.5 goals. Options are endless.
- Value Betting – The patient punters amongst you can take advantage of how quickly the odds shift. The favourite in a football match may be 1.50 to win pre-match, but you could lock in odds of 1.75 or more after just 10 or 15 minutes if the team gets off to a slow start. If you’re confident that the favourite will win and back them, you’ve just increased your returns by 50%.
- Arbitrage Betting – Odds differ between online bookmakers at the best of times, never mind when an event is in-play. You can take advantage of contrasting views between bookies to lock in a profit. When conditions allow, you can place a bet on each outcome at two different sites. This guarantees that one of your bets will win, and that you’ll profit regardless of the outcome.
CONS
- More Emotional – The likelihood of you watching an event that you’ve bet on in-play is high. As you are watching the action unfold and have a vested interest in what will happen, your emotions may get the better of you. This often results in punters making impulsive bets without doing any research or thinking through their decision. This can lead to disaster in the long run.
Live Betting Tips for Beginners
We may not be able to share tips that are guaranteed to win, but we do have some advice to help you maximise your winnings from live betting.
Why should you pay any attention to what we have to say? We are betting experts who have been placing in-play bets since live betting became available in the late 1990s. By reading our live betting tips, you will benefit from our many years of experience and improve your odds of securing a profit.
Back Favourites to Win From Behind
How many times have Manchester City conceded early and gone on to win? How many times has Michael van Gerwen lost the first leg or set? How many times has Novak Djokovic lost the first set? These heavy pre-match favourites come from behind to win time and time again. Yes, they will probably still be odds-on to win when they do fall behind, but you can lock in superior odds when they do.
Never Chase Losses
NEVER! Trust us, we know how tempting it can be to make an in-play bet in the hope of recouping losses from a pre-match bet. However, this is the biggest trap punters fall into. With so many live betting markets available around the clock, it would be easy to search for another betting opportunity and bet bigger in the hope of clawing back your losses. Instead, you should cut your losses and log off.
Live Betting FAQs
How does live betting work?
Live betting is the process of placing a bet on an event after it begins and before it ends. The best live betting sites have dedicated “in-play” sections that list all the events that are currently in progress. The odds shift according to what happens during the event – such as a goal being scored in a football match.
Why do in-play betting markets get suspended?
In-play betting sites suspend markets when something significant happens. Examples include a goal being scored in a football match or the co-leader of a golf tournament going out of bounds. Temporarily suspending the betting markets enables online bookmakers to update the odds accordingly.
Is live betting profitable?
It certainly can be if you are knowledgeable about the sports you are betting on and know how to analyse the action. The rapidly changing odds give you an opportunity to lock in better odds than those that were available pre-event. By timing your bets correctly, live betting can prove to be very profitable.
Which sports are best for live betting?
Football is by far the most popular sport at live betting sites. No matter the time or day, you will almost always find football matches listed in the in-play section. You will also find live betting markets for sports like American football and tennis, as well as niche sports like badminton and handball.
Are there any sports that can’t work for live betting?
Even the best live betting sites don’t offer in-play markets for events that are over in the blink of an eye. Therefore, you won’t be able to bet on which sprinter will cross the finish line first during 100m and 200m sprint races. Nor can you bet on which swimmer will win a 50m freestyle race.
Best Live Betting Sites Horse Racing
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The 2021 PGA Tour season is underway following a 2020 campaign which saw phenomenal golf betting interest.
The PGA Tour was the first of the major North American sporting organizations to return to play last year. The added attention from sports fans and bettors led to the rapid addition of betting markets at most major sportsbooks.
This page will look at the various ways to bet on golf, which can be done for roughly 50 of 52 weeks in a given calendar year. We’ll highlight weekly golf betting odds and the top sites, and break down the many available betting markets. Finally, we discuss various strategies and areas of research when betting on a golf tournament, and spotlight 2021’s four scheduled majors.
Due to the nature of golf – including the impact of Mother Nature, extensive traveling, and course history – it’s a sport in which research can be used heavily to find the right player on the right week.
Golf betting odds this week
Best golf betting sites
How to bet on golf
Outrights and futures bets
Outright betting in golf is simply wagering on a specific player to win the tournament. Because of the difficulty of a player winning a tournament in fields that are often around 150, outright odds are much higher than someone betting on team sports is used to.
Strategy: Because the return on investment can be so high, you can bet on numerous players and still make a nice profit if one of your players wins. Betting on a couple players in each “tier” can be effective. For example, favorites (+2500 or lower), contenders (+2500 – +5000), longshots (+5000 or higher). Betting $10 on six players in that scenario would be just $60 invested. Even if you bet on a heavy favorite at +1000, he would win back $100 for a strong profit.
Top 5, 10, 20
A less risky version of outright betting is wagering on a player to finish in the top 5, 10 or 20 in a tournament, depending on what your sportsbook offers. While it doesn’t offer the high odds that outright betting does, it is much less volatile and rewards steady performances from your golfers.
Strategy: If you prefer betting on placement instead of outright, you’ll likely need a slightly larger bankroll to see decent profit. The market for placement betting is completely different than outright. You’re looking for more consistent golfers who may not have the firepower to win most weeks but provide steady results with a high percentage of made cuts.
Matchups
There are many forms of matchup betting on golf depending on your sportsbook.
Head-to-head: These can be week-long or single-round bets that put two players against each other with odds on who will post the better score. This provides a unique market where you can bet against a player you may be down on for the week compared to his pricing.
Nationality: Many sportsbooks will provide lines on which countryman will perform the best for the tournament. If you’re high on a certain player but don’t want to jump into an outright or top 5 bet, you can get decent value on a nationality bet depending on who is in the field.
3-Ball: An increasingly popular way to bet on golf because it provides a way to gamble on each round. 3-Ball betting typically uses the pairings in the tournament and gives odds on which player in the group will perform the best in the round. This can provide for entertaining viewing if you bet on a player in a featured group on TV.
First-round leader
Betting on the first-round leader is a niche market but seems to be growing. It is still not available on every sportsbook.
Strategy: It’s much easier to lead a single round than win an entire golf tournament, but odds for first-round leader mostly remains the same as outright odds. Keeping an eye on weather conditions is key to pick a player who tees off in calm conditions.
Live golf betting
Golf has live betting like most sports, except it allows you to put in much more research with ample time between rounds.
Strategy: Most live betting odds on the outright winner stay true to the leaderboard, but the market often still favors the well-known and highly ranked players. Taking a look at statistics and jumping on a player that is in contention but underperforming in a category he or she usually excels in can be a good strategy in live betting on golf.
Golf betting strategies
Bankroll management
Bankroll management can be tricky in golf due to the alarming potential of profit when outright betting. It’s important to stay reasonable and stick to a weekly limit on how much you bet on a tournament. Picking an outright winner is hard and you will often go weeks without getting a winner. But the profit of just one winner will typically make up for multiple weeks and more, especially if it wasn’t a heavy favorite. Pairing your outright bets with top 10 or top 20 bets is a good way to get some return on investment instead of going all-in on outright winners.
Injury reports
Injuries aren’t as common in golf as most sports, so there’s typically not much news on injuries most weeks. But there can be some withdrawals on Wednesday evenings or Thursday mornings, so it’s good to stay up-to-date on any lingering injuries that could come into play and ruin your bet.
Course form and recent form
Form will be talked about endlessly when taking in any content from golf betting experts. Not only is recent form important like it is in most sports, but the unique-to-golf course form is also a key factor. Finding players who perform well at a course in the past is an element that should always be considered when betting. Augusta National is a course that strongly favors course history due to its tricky nature, but an easier, simpler course like TPC Deere Run shouldn’t weigh course history as strongly.
Schedules
Golf requires a lot of traveling at times and has a very exhausting schedule at some points in the year. Keeping an eye on players traveling on short rest from overseas or someone who has played multiple weeks in a row can be a simple way to fade players who might be getting too much love from the casual eye.
Line movement
Most normal golf tournaments don’t have much line movement throughout the week leading up to the tournament, but some sportsbooks will have more favorable odds than others. If you see someone early in the week that might get a push to lower odds because of talk from the media or a storyline, it’s smart to jump on it quickly. Otherwise, it’s usually fine to take your time.
Situational betting
Golf has a lot of external factors to keep in mind each week. Weather is something you should always look at before betting. There are players who excel in easy conditions and there are those who do better when the wind is blowing and good scores are harder to come by. Getting ahead of the curve by checking the forecast and taking players who fit it is important. Motivating factors from week-to-week can also play a role – FedExCup points needed, a win to get a Masters invitation, local support etc.
Golf betting stats: Which ones matter?
Thanks to websites and podcasts specializing in golf betting content, knowing the golf stats that matter each week has gotten increasingly easier for bettors. But there’s still plenty of individual research to be done that can help you get ahead of the market on a player that might be peaking at the right time. Generally, the strokes gained statistics are the golden measure in golf. But certain courses will favor “strokes gained: off-the-tee,” certain courses will favor “strokes gained: approach” and certain courses will favor “strokes gained: putting.” Most courses will favor that statistic year-to-year, but it can change depending on weather and how the course is set up.
It is generally smarter to favor players who excel in ball striking statistics – driving and approach shots – due to their ability to run away with a tournament if they have a good putting week.
Golf majors: odds and trends
Masters Tournament
The 2021 Masters takes place April 8-11, returning to its regular position on the PGA Tour schedule. It is always held at Augusta National in Augusta, Georgia, and is one of the most famous courses in the world.
Recent winners’ odds: Dustin Johnson (2020): +800, Tiger Woods (2019): +1400, Patrick Reed (2018): +5000, Sergio Garcia (2017): +3000
The Masters favors course history more than any other event on the PGA Tour based on Data Golf’s course history tool. Creative ball-strikers excel, as evidenced by recent winners like Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson.
PGA Championship
Best Live Betting Sites
The PGA Championship will run May 20-23 at Kiawah Golf Resort (South Course) on Kiawah Island, S.C.
Recent winners’ odds: Collin Morikawa 2020: +3000, Brooks Koepka (2019, 2018): +1100, +2000, Justin Thomas (2017): +3000.
The PGA Championship is typically the easiest setup of the four majors and the most similar to a regular PGA Tour setup. That means if conditions allow, the tournament favors long and high hitters. Rory McIlroy won the 2012 PGA Championship here at 13-under par.
US Open
The US Open is scheduled to return to its standard spot on the golf schedule from June 17-20. Torrey Pines (South) hosts the major for the first time since 2008, when Woods at minus-1 in a playoff.
Recent winners’ odds: Bryson DeChambeau (2020): +2500, Gary Woodland (2019): +7000, Brooks Koepka (2018, 2017): +2000, +4000.
The US Open is typically the toughest test of golf in the world each year. The USGA sets it up to ideally be a challenge to break par, which is often the case when looking at the winning score. Length and accuracy off the tee have been a key statistic in recent years as the courses have gotten longer.
The Open Championship
The Open Championship was canceled for 2020 but returns to the schedule for July 15-18. Royal St. George’s Golf Club in England will remain the host the 2021 Open Championship after losing the 2020 Open.
Live Betting Bovada
Recent winners’ odds: Shane Lowry (2019): +6600, Francesco Molinari (2018): +2500, Jordan Spieth (2017): +1400.
The Open Championship is always held at a classic links-style golf course that often has windy and tough conditions. If the weather is calm, players can go low and any style of player can win. Windy conditions favor solid ball strikers who can keep the ball low. It’s one of the few golf tournaments where long hitters don’t have much of an advantage.