In an ideal world, tennis matches are tight, with rivals of similar potential and very juicy odds. But it’s not always like this. Sometimes tennis matches can be very uneven so a simple money line bet may not be enough. In those moments, some tennis handicap bets can be very useful to add juiciness to the final quota.
Is the best option? Are there others? Without a doubt, handicap betting in tennis is a great tool, especially in matches with a great handicap or inequality. It makes a lot of sense to do them in the early stages or when a competition starts, because that is when you find top ATP players against more discreet players. Although, now, we already told you that this is not enough to opt for this type of bet.
What is a tennis handicap bet?
A handicap bet in tennis (or any sport) consists of adding a fictitious odds to a certain event. In this way, the player we are bidding for must not only win the match, but must also achieve a certain advantage (the one necessary to overcome the established handicap). While in other sports, such as football or basketball, we can bet handicap by final result or by parts or quarters, in tennis we have two options:
Handicap by games: Let’s imagine that we bet on a victory for Nadal with a handicap of 3.5. In the match, he wins 6-3 and 6-4. To see if it has been fulfilled, we would subtract those 3.5 from Nadal. If the aggregate is 12-7, it would end up being 8.5-7, so we would have won the bet. The handicap can also be positive, but in this case, we add the points, so the logical thing would be to bet +3.5 on Nadal’s rival.
Handicap by sets: At a practical level it would be similar to a bet on an exact score, because if we bet on -1.5 in practice it would be 2-0. If it remains 2-1, the final result would be 0.5-1 and we would lose the bet.
With this, we already see that handicap bets in tennis are really useful in tennis, since they fulfill their function of converting modest odds into interesting odds, and interesting odds into very good odds, although you have to be careful, because they take away probability.
Handicap in tennis: Specific cases
Tennis handicap bets can be expressed in different ways depending on the operator. These are some of the examples that you can find in Sportium:
What does handicap +1.5 mean in tennis? Adds the chosen tennis player 1.5 points to his total points at the end of the match. It is used to improve the odds of winning the bet placed.
What does +5.5 handicap mean in tennis? When there is a clear favourite, the +5.5 handicap adds 5.5 points to the total of his final points for the player who is not the favorite. To obtain a bet with a higher probability of winning
How to place handicap bets in tennis? key tips
Now, these types of bets are not magic. Otherwise, they carry some dangers. Which is it? The risk is simply much higher. And the frustration of seeing that your winner is fulfilled, but not the handicap can become even better. In these cases, the ideal is to find an intermediate point between being too conservative and greed breaking the bag. What are the keys to hit your handicap bets in tennis?
- Know the market well: As always, there is no magic in betting, and success lies in knowledge of the sport. The one who knows the most, wins the most in the long run
- Check the history of matches: Do not rely only on the level in the ATP, there may be players who are highly motivated against certain rivals.
- Terrain is key: They don’t just affect overall level and your particular match history. Hard track or clay, for example, will be essential.
- ATP Ranking: It’s not everything, but obviously it’s a factor. The number 200 against the 1 will have a difficult time, no matter how good the type of track is and has a good run and the 1st is not.
- Check the odds: If a forecast seems feasible but its odds are excessive, check the data… you could miss something!
Other tennis bets
We have already seen that handicap bets in tennis are very useful, and above all how to do them. Now, not everything ends here. With the same function, adding excitement and improving the odds, there are other options, such as the total number of games (more or less than 21 for example), betting on specific set markets or a simple money line. The first two cases will make more sense in more unequal matches, and the last one in finals or final parts of a tournament.
Now, if you know the sector very well, nothing prevents you from venturing into any of the phases. You should always seek a balance between knowledge of the sport itself and the world of betting. The latter, you will only achieve with a record and a lot of practice.