Live & In Play Betting Tips, Strategies and Rules

Published: 18th May 2018
Author: Joe Kizlauskas
Last Updated: 29th August 2021
In Play Live Betting Tips Strategies and Rules graphic

In-Play Live Betting – Your Guide to Live Betting 2024

Take your wagering skills to a new level of excitement and give live betting a try at some of the best betting sites in the UK. You don’t have to stop placing wagers when the game begins.

Introduction to Live Betting

Live betting is when a wager is placed on a sporting event while it is in play. Sporting events are fluid, and every game action will change the potential outcome of a game. With each play, the odds change, creating unique wagering opportunities. What’s more, with most betting sites now, it is so popular that most betting sites now let you use their promotions and free bets on live betting as well as ante-post and pre-match betting.

Just about any sports event is open to live betting. Online wagering companies list the types of wagers available during live-play, and some also allow personalised requests for unique bets using tools such as Build a Bet, BetBuilder and My Bets. Referring to a live betting guide and implementing a strategy could help make your in-play bets more profitable.

How To Place Live Bets

Refer to reviews when searching for the best betting sites to suit your needs. Remember to keep an eye out for any free bets offers. Follow these steps to get started:

  1. Create an account
  2. Click in-play bets
  3. Choose a sporting category and league – try live football betting or live horse race betting
  4. Pick the odds & special bets available
  5. Decide on your bet type
  6. Submit your bet

You can make a single bet or try a few at once. Learning specific sport and betting terminology can help you to understand the game and bets more clearly. Using live betting tips are valuable if you aim to make a profit.

Best Betting Sites for Live In-Play Betting

Extraordinary rewards and advancements for all games are offered on the gaming websites. UK wagering destinations like William Hill live betting, and Coral live betting sites are excellent sources. These sites update this information regularly to provide the most current data possible.

Other sites such as bet365 and 888sport are also great for live betting, as is the new site Infernobet, which is geared towards creating a great in-play betting experience. All of the top sites offer great features including the chance to cashout and bet on multiples and accas.

Why You Should Bet In-Play

In-play betting gives the advantage to change or make a new wager based on what transpires during the game. Which player scores the next point, or what team is leading during the next half are common bets. Hedging, doubling down, or finding new wagering opportunities are part of the lure and thrill.

When punters take advantage of gameplay that creates new wager potential, it can become lucrative entertainment. The gameplay is fast; goals, injuries, player changes, and a multitude of other actions affect outcomes within seconds.  Using research and sites like bet365 online sports betting with several live in-play markets is vital to get a return on your bet.

Top Sporting Events for Live Betting

Football

This sport dominates the UK wagering market. The Premier League attracts fans on a global scale. Football live betting is an exciting part of the competition. It’s also one of the most popular sports for live betting and most betting sites are heavily geared towards it.

Tennis

Tennis live betting has become quite popular. Bookmakers now permit wagers on nearly every play that occurs within the match. Events such as Wimbledon and the Opens, as well as the high-profile players in the sport attract the attention of punters who enjoy the game.

Horse Racing

Horse racing is another favourite for sports betting enthusiasts. The Grand National, Royal Ascot, and Epsom Derby attract large numbers of enthusiasts. There are plenty of opportunities for horse racing live betting.

Boxing

WWE and UFC have increased in popularity. Punters can bet on who will win and how, as well as the length of the fight. Bookmakers post odds on reports of possible upcoming fights between high-profile boxers.

US Sports

MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL all attract sports speculation interest even within the UK. US sports in-play betting generates a wide assortment of wagering options. In a hockey game, you can place wagers on when a match will end, which team wins the most periods, what player blocked the most shots, and the time of the first point.

Understanding Live Betting Odds

In the UK, fractional betting odds reflect how much money you can win on your wager compared to how much you bet. Odds are posted as 11/2. For every £/€2 you bet, you’ll win £/€11.  Another way to calculate it is 2/(11+2)=12, so a 12% chance that the play that was bet on will happen.

Popular In-Play Live Betting Strategies

If you’re planning on venturing into the world of in-play betting, then there are some basics you should think about before you start. Some top tips include:

Focus on one sport or league that you know well

Keep detailed records to track progress and spot trends

Keep current with the player news and team updates

No matter what sport you bet on, if you keep to these three rules, you will have more chance of success!

Manage Your Bankroll

The number one rule to managing your bankroll is to bet only what you can afford to lose. Place your wagers responsibly, grow it slowly, and don’t chase losses. Consider the value, your previous results, and the potential return on your wager before each bet.

Pre-Match Analysis

Do your research on the team and how they play together. Get to know the players, their stats, and achievements. Make sure you know the opposing teams too.

If you use game insights when placing a wager, you could possibly turn a profit. A crucial part of betting in-play is getting to know all the facts about the team and its players and how motivated they are to win.

Post-Bet Review

Keep track of the results of your bets in detail. List the odds, stake, loss or profit, league information and statistics to analyse your wagers and see how they worked out for you. Was it a good decision? Are there certain kinds of bets that seem to have more value for you? Are you losing money on long shots or by placing odds on favourites only?

Have a Solid Strategy – But Be Prepared to Change

It sounds strange to say that one main strategy is to actually have a strategy, but it’s true. There is not much use in just going in blind when betting in-play. You need to use live stats along with game analysis to make the best wagers. Percentages change rapidly during gameplay. Use them, but don’t stick to them religiously.  You do need to be flexible though. If one strategy isn’t working, try something else.

Betting Markets

Match Results

The most popular wager is on the match result – 1-x-2. The punter is placing a bet on the final result or score of a game. The wager will be made on one of three outcomes: win, loss, or draw.

However, there are several variations of bets available with in-play betting. Some bookmakers offer the ability to request a bet. This allows punters to request odds on just about anything that happens during the game. For each sport there are some in-play wagers common to them.

Football

  • Next team to score
  • Corners – a wager on which team will win the most corners within the game
  • What player scores the next goal
  • Over/Under – predetermined by the bookmaker for a statistic (like corners or the combined game score) and punters place wagers if the final number will be higher or lower.

Tennis

  • Next point
  • Full games in a set
  • Set score
  • Next game to deuce-A yes or no bet on the next game to reach deuce
  • Race to 2, 3, 4 or 5 Games – which player will achieve 2, 3, 4, or 5 wins during a set

Horse Racing

  • Back to lay – when you back a horse at one number and lay off at a lower number
  • Lay to in-running back – same kind of bet as back to lay with number moving opposite directions
  • In-running back – a punter thinks a horse is good but might have bigger odds early in the race and they want to wait on their wager to see how the race starts first
  • In running lay – a wager can be made before the race and kept in-play, so if the horse hits the expected odds, a wager will be made

Live Betting Free Bets and Promotions

Competition between online betting sites is tight, and promotions and bonuses for new members are attractive. There’s always a free bet or sign up reward offered. Always read the terms and conditions to understand how the promotions work.

Some basic guidelines:

  • Free credits can come with an expiration date
  • A minimum deposit or stake amount may be required to qualify for the promotion
  • The promotion may apply to the first bet or future lay odds action
  • Wagers under a certain amount may not be eligible for the free bet promotion
  • An offer may be claimed once
  • Free bet credit has no monetary cash out value; it cannot be withdrawn
  • Each site has its specific terms and conditions that you are responsible for reading

Free bets are a typical welcome offer on the betting sites. The welcome offers can look like:

  • The casino matches the amount put down
  • Free credits for wagers, no deposit needed
  • An amount will be added to first deposit
  • Bonus amount added to your free bet
  • Bonus Promotion

A fixed amount added to your first deposit is called a betting bonus. This allows for more money to be placed with your first wager without putting your own money at risk. There may be limitations on how it can be used, so read the rules before placing a bet.

Live Streaming

Watching a live stream sporting event can bring the game to you when you can’t get to it. Some online bookmakers limit their site live stream access to one sport, while others have several live stream sporting events available. Check which games are available for live streaming on the site and if a minimum bet amount or viewing charge is set.

Licensed bookmakers buy the rights to stream live sporting events, so online streaming is legal. All you need is a good internet connection, a flash or HTML5 system, and in some cases, a mobile app. Bringing the sports to you gives the ability to track several games at a time or even cash out a bet in-play.

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About Joe Kizlauskas

Joe is a seasoned iGaming copywriter and speaker who has been in the business since 2015. He's written more words on all elements of iGaming than he likes to remember, and he's contributed material to a number of well-known brands. Joe may be seen playing 5 a side, at the gym or playing games on his Playstation when he is not writing.