In-play betting, also known as live betting, allows you to place bets on a football match while it is still in progress. This type of betting has become increasingly popular over the years, as it provides more opportunities for punters to make informed decisions based on the events happening on the field.
But like all good betting options, a strategy is always a handy thing to have in mind and in our latest article, we are going to serve up a football in play betting strategy – one that can that have you coming out on top as the action develops in front of you.
The key points that we will cover in this guide are:
Choose The Right Sportsbook
Keep Your Eyes On The Match
Analyse The Game
Place Your Bet
Monitor Your Progress
With these five key points outlined, it is now time to take a deep dive into each of them:
1. Choose The Right Bookmaker
Perhaps most importantly, you want to find a bookmaker that offers in-play betting. It may sound as simple start to our guide, but you would be surprised by the number of bettors who are caught out by a lack of functionality being offered.
Thankfully, your search should not be all that difficult as bookmakers are now queuing up to offer the processing of in-play wagers and with so many options being available, it also means that there is plenty of competition in the market.
Competition that usually means a race to offer the best odds and if you do your research on the best prices being made available, you can also maximise your potential profits at the same time. As always, it pays to shop around.
2. Keep Your Eyes On The Match
When it comes to pre-match betting, you will obviously have a hunch as to how you reckon the game will unfold. If you believe that Manchester City will come out on top against Newcastle, then you would back the Etihad outfit to win.
While because you are betting before a ball has been kicked in anger, you are hoping that your hunch is strong enough to eventually see a winning bet be declared. With in-play betting, your hunch is based on what is beginning to play out in front of you.
You Should Always Keep An Eye On The Match You Are Betting On
Which is why it is so important to watch the game that you are planning to bet in-play on. If you are not observing the clash that you have placed a wager on, it could lead you into some big trouble and this is a point we will expand on below.
3. Analyse The Game
If you are watching the match that you have just staked money on, you can then go on to make far more informed choices. For example, if you know that Manchester City are creating far more chances, you would be unlikely to back Newcastle to win at the interval.
Of course, you could simply look at the stats of a game and try and make a call on how the game unfolds but a huge amount of context would also be missing. In this instance, it is better to use the eye test before placing any mid-match wagers.
If you have placed any football bet in the past, then the concept of in-play betting will not be all that different. However, there is one fundamental difference to remember and you are also betting against the clock.
Not only are seconds going to tick down to zero but outcomes or actions on the pitch can also lead to a heavy fluctuation of the odds being offered. For example, we shall assume that Wolves and Tottenham are currently contesting a goalless draw at Molineux.
As the clock moves over to 60 minutes, Spurs are still 1.45 to find a winner in the last half hour and you are deliberating whether to place the bet. In that period of deliberation, they find themselves a goal ahead and the odds have fallen to 1.08. A moment of dallying, a considerable drop in price.
5. Monitor Your Progress
Sometimes when you bet in a pre-match environment, you can place the wager and then come back to it hours later. For example, If Manchester City are playing Bristol City in the FA Cup, backing Pep Guardiola’s men at odds of 1.28 should often take care of itself and leave you free to do other tasks.
However, things are a lot different when it comes to in-play betting and if you are betting in a live environment, you should always keep track of what is going on. You may want to cash out early and bag some winnings but you may also need to halt your potential loss.
Monitoring Your In-Play Progress Is Also Recommended
If you have backed Liverpool to win in-play and Manchester United have raced into a 2-0 lead, the chances of Jurgen Klopp’s men coming back into the game are rather slim. Better to cut your losses then lose all your initial outlay.
Now that you know the five key principles of in-play betting, you will need to know the best time to place the bets and there are two main ways to beat the bookmakers.
Betting On The Next Scorer
If you are keeping an eye on the game in front of you, certain players will begin to stand out from others on the field of play and this usually means those men or women who are tasked with breaching the opposition’s defence.
Should a player be testing the opposite goalkeeper’s gloves with regularity, you may get the feeling that a goal from the centre forward may not be all that far away and that is precisely when you want to back them to get the next goal.
Betting On The Next Scorer Could Prove To Be Valuable
Once again, the principle comes back to watching the game instead of just picking a name at random. You may have an idea of the teams involved and who their best players are but until you see how they play, you are only making things more difficult for yourself
Final Score Betting
Another recommended way to bet in-play is by betting on the score at the full time. Unlike pre-match correct score betting you not simply starting from scratch and trying to guess how two teams will perform, you may already have a steer to lead you to victory.
If we see that Arsenal are playing Bournemouth and are 2-0 up with 15 minutes remaining, the decision is going to be steeped in whether the Gunners are going to find another goal before the final whistle or there will be no further additions in the scoresheet.
Of course, you may watch in-play and the Cherries pull one back with just eight minutes on the clock. The momentum is theirs now and they are throwing everyone forward and if you are brave enough to back them to score a second, your bravery might just be rewarded in the dying seconds.
