How does live-betting work?

One of the most popular features that a betting site can offer its customers today is live betting or in-play betting. It does exactly what it says on the tin, allowing you the punter to bet on a live match as it takes place right in front of your eyes.

The huge popularity and desire amongst punters for live betting has resulted in a wide range of betting companies looking to offer live betting and to develop the feature to maximise the player experience.

Today betting sites supplement their live betting service by offering a huge level of statistics even as the match progresses in order to aid your live betting. A number of betting sites now even offer live streaming in tandem with their live betting odds, which has become a highly sought after feature and not surprisingly, a huge success.

If you’ve ever watched a match live, whether it’s on the tele or in the stadium you know that familiar sensation of having a feel for how you think the match is going to play out. Live betting isn’t just a great way to get more involved in the match and to have more invested on it, it’s also a great way to sharpen your instincts, knowledge and to make something out of the match itself.

It’s always good to take advantage of live odds, especially when they aren’t set right!

The majority of betting sites adjust their live odds in-house, meaning that their feel of the game doesn’t always match up to your own insight and feeling for how it will play out. Because betting sites have to adjust their live odds instantly, it’s a great chance to catch the betting company off guard. As opposed to pre-match odds, they don’t have the chance to prepare as much as they would otherwise. It’s always good to take advantage of live odds that are set wrongly.

Live betting has expanded to the extent that it’s now possible to place a range of bets all at the same time. By placing one bet and adding more selections to it you have the chance to increase the odds and the potential winnings with it. It’s not just possible to do it on a range of selections in one game but also across different matches, leagues and sports that are all taking place at the same time.

In some cases it’s even possible to combine live odds with pre match odds into one single bet or accumulator (acca).

What sports is live betting available for?

Betting sites nowadays offer a huge range of live odds across sports, leagues and there’s something for everyone with a big amount of live odds markets even within a single match.

You’ll find the largest range of odds and live betting markets for the following sports:

• Football
• Rugby
• Cricket
• Golf
• Ice hockey
• Basketball
• Tennis
• E-sports

Many punters who enjoy live betting choose to do it as they’re watching the match. For a few years now some of bigger betting sites who offer live odds have successfully combined their in-play markets with a selection of matches where it’s possible to bet and to live stream at the same time.

Never has the live betting experience been as good as it is today

It’s good to note that to take advantage of live streaming services on a betting site you’ll first need to have a registered account. In some cases you may need to deposit money into your account or have an active bet on your bet slip.

Never has the live betting experience been as good as it is today. There are more live odds markets available than ever before, more live streaming events, and a whole range of statistics to improve your insight and your chances of winning at live betting.

Combining live streaming with live betting

It’s always a good idea to take advantage of all the added extras a betting site offers as part of its live betting service package. If you have the time and opportunity to live stream a match that you’ve placed a live bet on it will help you see how the game progresses in front of your eyes. If you think a team looks better on the pitch than what the live odds are maybe telling you then it’s a good chance get one up on the bookies.

There’s no better way to be live betting than this combo

The best way to maximise your chances of success is of course to watch the match itself, whether that’s live, on TV or live streaming on a betting site. But now it’s even possible to utilise a betting site’s statistics that are updated in real time.

Taking advantage of a wide range of statistics, whether it’s possession based, passing accuracy or number of shots and corners gives you the punter a boosted advantage of winning more than ever.

By watching the match and combining it with a solid statistical foundation as you follow the odds is the optimal live betting experience. There’s no better way to be live betting than that combo.

The range of odds, live streams and statistics varies depending on how popular a particular game or sport is around the world.

For example, with sports such as football that are popular around the globe, with the bigger betting sites it’s possible to place a bet on almost any league or match where there is an official game taking place.

The same goes for the availability of the live odds markets themselves. In the case of the Premier League which is one of the most popular leagues in the football will naturally have more live betting odds available for each match than say a less popular league.

Many betting sites now give you the option to close your bet as the match is still taking place, more commonly known as cash out. Cashing out basically means that you will be given a live return on your original bet which the betting site will determine by shifting the odds according to what is taking place in the match.

Cash out is useful if you need to minimise your losses if you have a losing bet, or if you have a winning bet and feel the game turning against you.

Automatic cash out

Some betting sites will even allow you to cash out automatically. If you preset an amount that you think will be a reasonable return for your bet, if the live cash out figure on your bet reaches that amount the betting site will automatically cash out your bet.

Advantages

• Live betting is a great way for you to make the match mean more and to become more deeply involved. If you place a more specific on live odds you will naturally have to follow the stats and each occurrence more closely.
• Gives you the chance to test your wits and your instincts on how you view the match to be playing out. 
• Allows you the opportunity to win cash more quickly as the odds shift

Disadvantages

• One of the risks when it comes to live betting is the tendency for punters to want to use it as a way to win back money from losses. This can lead to carelessness when choosing your live bets.
• Try to avoid making bets that are not grounded in statistics, such as who will win the next corner or who will win the next throw in.
• It’s always good to do your homework beforehand, even when it comes to live betting. Take into account the statistics and your previous knowledge, not just your gut feeling or instinct while you’re taking in the match in front of you.
• The cash out feature is a tricky one. While it has many advantages there can be a tendency amongst punters to cash out too early or to not use it at all in the hope they can win their full bet. Study up on cash out and always use it carefully.

For a full and comprehensive list of the best betting sites for live betting visit our specially dedicated page here.