In the early days of Tennis betting, match betting and set betting were practically the only things punters could bet on.
bet365 now have a plethora of varying markets, offers and boosts amongst their Tennis offerings, so we have written this guide to help bettors through the process of placing a bet on Tennis sets, matches or tournaments.
Match Betting (To Win Match)
The most basic form of punting is trying to pick the winner of a match and, while even that can be more difficult than many observers believe, it remains one of the best betting mediums.
The important thing for punters is to be aware of the rules of the bookmaker you are betting with.
Some firms ask for one set to be completed before paying out on the player who progresses into the next round of a tournament, but many firms these days require that the match be completed, otherwise stakes will be returned.
At this point, whether betting on tennis or whatever sport, it's probably worth spelling out some basic punting mantras.
With match betting, many punters may find themselves backing a similar number of winners and losers.
And so with the odds in the bookmakers’ favour - the layer obviously has to take a cut - it's important for the backer to be aware that they often need to win a higher proportion of matches to show a profit, assuming stakes are equal or similar.
For example, if a punter bets on four 8/11 favourites in singles and two of them win and two lose, the backer is going to show a loss. Hence, the need to try to ensure you back a higher proportion of winners than losers.
Sometimes when backing favourites who aren't that short-priced, even backing three out of five winners won't lead to much profit, so punters should know what they are up against.
Outright Betting
So with match betting often featuring a number of ups and downs, some punters like to stick to outright markets, whether on tennis or any other sport.
Outright betting is also the medium which bookmakers regard with most caution. Longer-term results are more difficult to predict for both punters and bookmakers.
Therefore, backers may find tighter percentages on outright markets, especially at a time when they are previewed by tipsters, so it's worth taking time to view the histories over time of market movement trends.
Generally speaking, a punter will be allowed to place bigger bets on matches than outright markets, because considerably bigger prices are a feature of tournament punting allied to the uncertainty over how the particular events will pan out.
With specific regard to tennis betting and the Grand Slams in the last 25 years, anyone who backed outsiders would probably have had little joy in an era dominated by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
And it's a similar story nowadays with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner way ahead of the chasing pack.
Conversely, the women's Grand Slams have been much more open in terms of outright betting.
The now-retired Serena Williams was the most successful performer in recent decades, but there was no triopoly in women's tennis the way it was in the men's game and, because of that, outsider backers have had much more of a look-in as regards to the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
Bet Builder
Bet Builders are in vogue with bookmakers these days, but punters should be aware that coming up trumps in such markets is far from easy.
Bookmakers allow certain markets to be incorporated into their Bet Builders and, as far as tennis is concerned, options such as most aces, most double faults and fastest serve may enter consideration for backers, along with picking the winner of the match and first set, for example.
Sets
Set betting can still be an option for punters who are looking to fine-tune their prediction.
Total sets and first-set winner are markets to consider and the size of prices will often depend on the amount of variable results each market possesses.
Handicap Betting
Set betting almost always features four variables for women's singles in tennis and four in men's, rising to six in the Slams when the length of the match increases.
So, with punters facing tougher picks in men's Slam matches, handicap betting on sets, which can bring the bet down to just two variables (assuming the oddsmakers don’t introduce a tie), can offer a welcome alternative for some backers.
Games
There are a lot of ways to bet on games markets, but again two-way options are slightly easier than three-way for backers because the tie doesn't get in the way.
Games won by a player is a decent betting option, but all markets will have been produced with mathematical accuracy by the bookmaker, so the backer really needs to have a firm case for thinking the market is wrong before getting involved.
Handicaps, usually in the form of total games, are viable options but are also well considered, as are first-set total games offerings.
Aces
Betting on the aces count in matches offers potential for punters, but bettors should be aware not only of the records in each tournament but also of the history between players.
However, if the backer is prepared to put the work in to unearth the stats required before betting, there is genuine potential for profit in this market.
Double Faults
Like aces, double faults markets often tend to be released on the day of the match, so punters may not always get the time they need to carefully research their bets.
However, the same rules apply regarding double faults as aces and these markets, which often provide useful punting options in later rounds of Grand Slams, should not be passed over easily.
