In Play & Live Betting Tips

Get our live/in play betting tips:

Overview

Rather than going for the pre-match markets in sports betting, it can often be quite valuable to wait to place your bets once an event has kicked off. This is because events that take place in the game can cause the odds and the markets to swing quite dramatically. This then creates an opportunity for you to place a bet on a market at significantly higher odds than you would have found in the pre-match markets.

Obviously this is advantageous for a whole range of reasons, but you do need to know how to actually use the in-play markets so that you can regularly lock-in the value that we have just discussed. The good news is that most sportsbooks these days provide in-play betting opportunities, and if you want to go and use an exchange to bet on sports, things can get even more appealing.

With that in mind, let's now focus on some tips that you can use if you want to engage in live betting. All of this information is contained below, so simply read on and enjoy.

In-play betting tips

With in-play betting being so accessible these days for the average sports bettor, it is simply inexcusable not to try and use this form of betting to your advantage. While it is common knowledge that the bookmaker always has the advantage in sports betting, if you do decide to go down the in-play betting avenue, things can definitely start to look a bit more appealing. You can use several strategies to actually turn things in your favour with in-play betting, and we have identified these strategies along with some rather cool tips below.

Tip #1 – bet on the favourite if they concede first

As we have touched upon in the introduction above, by waiting to make your bets once the event has kicked off, you might find much larger odds for a market than you would if you bet before the game has started. This is because anything can happen in football, and if you wait for this situation to arise, you might just find a tonne of value. For example, if Manchester City were listed at 1.5 to win a game before it kicked off and they concede, you might notice that this odd then goes up to 2.0 or even higher.

This depends on what time the first goal is actually scored, but if it is early, or basically any time in the first half, it is usually a good idea to then go ahead and bet on the favourite. Most of the time, these high-calibre teams can turn things around and find a way to win, and you can lock in some rather tasty odds on this market if you wait for them to concede first.

Tip #2 – if the game is goalless or even after 75 mins, bet on the favourite

Football is a little more interesting than other sports, as there is always the possibility of a draw in this game. This is different from other sporting events such as tennis and basketball, where there is no possibility of a draw and the game will always end with somebody being the winner. However, you can use this to your advantage in football, especially by using in-play betting to facilitate this strategy. Basically, if you can identify a game that is heading for a draw after 75 minutes, you will see that the draw market then becomes the favourite.

If you identify the winning markets for either team at this point in the game, you might find that the odds are at least 2.5 or even higher for the team that was initially the underdog. This gives you an ideal opportunity to bet a little amount with the possibility of a much larger return thanks to the way that the game has played out. Obviously there is always the risk that the game will ultimately end in a draw, but after all, that is football.

Tip #3 – bet on a substitute as an anytime goalscorer

The anytime goalscorer market is one that you will typically find with most online sportsbooks. This is a highly popular market among sports bettors, and if you can identify a striker or attacking midfielder that is in good form, it's always an appealing market to go for. With that being said, the anytime goalscorer market operates a little bit differently once a game has kicked off. This is the case with all the other markets we have discussed, and the odds here can be absolutely huge depending on the player you go for.

So, with this strategy, you will be waiting for a player to actually come on as a substitute, and ideally, the player should have been brought on with the intention of scoring a goal. The odds that you can find here will depend on the situation as well as what time the player has actually been brought onto the pitch, but you will usually find that the potential return can be quite large for a relatively small wager.

Tip #4 – make the most of the cash-out feature

The vast majority of online sportsbooks these days will offer a cash-out option as one of their primary features. There is a common misconception that cash-out features are only ever offered for bets that are made within the pre-match markets, which isn't the case at all. If you sign in to your online betting account and make an in-play wager, they will still offer you a cash-out option if things start to go in your favour. Obviously this is fantastic from a football betting perspective, as you could make a bet and then cash-out just a few seconds or a couple of minutes later and simply take the profit

Needless to say, things won’t always work out that way, but this is how powerful the cash-out feature really is and the top sites even allow you to perform partial cashouts too.