Bet types
How each betting market works, and what moves the odds inside it.
13 articles
Bet types
13Handball2 minHandball is priced thinly and scores heavilySixty goals a game means variance behaves differently from every other team sport here, and the handicap board is where that shows up first.Volleyball1 minVolleyball set betting and the serveRally scoring makes every point count, and the serving side is at a disadvantage. That makes volleyball the most predictable set market here.Basketball2 minNBA totals and the pace trapA points total is two numbers wearing one coat: how efficiently teams score, and how often they get the chance. Confusing them is the usual mistake.Football2 minHow to read a football match odds marketA 1X2 market is three prices that add up to more than certainty. How to strip the margin out, what is left, and where the market is usually right.Esports1 minEsports map handicaps move fastestA roster change announced on a Tuesday can reprice a match by twenty points. No other sport lets the participants change this much between fixtures.Snooker1 minSnooker frame handicaps in a long formatA best of nineteen is a completely different bet from a best of nine, and the handicap board is where that difference is most badly priced.Baseball2 minBaseball run lines and the starting pitcherOne player accounts for more of a baseball price than any player in any other team sport, and a late scratch invalidates the whole number.Rugby2 minRugby handicaps and the bonus pointA side chasing a fourth try plays differently from a side protecting a lead, and league table incentives move a rugby handicap in ways form never explains.Cricket2 minCricket markets change with the formatThe same two teams are priced differently over five days and over twenty overs, and the reason is not form. It is how much variance each format allows.Ice hockey2 minWhat a puck line actually pricesHockey's standard handicap is a goal and a half in a low scoring sport, which makes it a far bigger ask than the equivalent line in basketball or football.Football1 minWhy a both teams to score price movesBTTS looks like a mood about attacking football. It is two scoring rates multiplied, which is why it moves when nothing exciting happened.Football1 minAsian handicaps without the jargonA quarter-ball handicap is two bets at half stakes. Once you see that, the whole notation stops being cryptic and starts being useful.Tennis1 minReading a tennis match marketTennis prices are built from serve and return points, not from results. Once you know that, the whole board becomes readable.