Bookmaker Parimatch online offers bettors to bet not only on the victory of a particular opponent, but also to try to guess how convincing the success will be. In order to make such bets, it is necessary to understand what handicaps in tennis mean. This is a popular type of betting in this sport, allowing you to bet at high odds.
What is a handicap in tennis betting
A handicap in tennis betting is the margin that one of the athletes supposedly has in sets or games. As a result, the bet is placed at higher odds, as it will not come true if a particular tennis player wins, but only if he succeeds with a certain score difference.
This type of betting is popular in cases where the match has an obvious favorite. But in this case, betting on his success is meaningless, as the odds are too low. If a confident and large victory is expected, a minus handicap is taken. If it is assumed that the advantage of the leader will not be too big, the probability of a sensational loss is allowed, it is worth betting with a plus handicap on the underdog.
Plus handicaps in tennis
A plus handicap in tennis is an extra game or game, which is added to the number of games or games won by the underdog at the end of the match.
In the line of a bookmaker’s office it is recorded as F1 (+5.5). The number 1 indicates that you bet on the athlete whose name is listed first in the pair. The value (+5.5) means that he must concede with a difference of not more than five games at the end of the match. If the advantage of the second sportsman is six games or even more, the money is lost.
Bets on set handicaps are also accepted. In this case you need to guess what will be the final advantage of one sportsman over another in sets.
Minus handicaps in tennis
This is the opposite situation, when it is proposed to bet on the favorite, which supposedly starts the match with an inferior score. For example, a F2 (-4.5) means that the player, who is number two in the pair, must win more games than his opponent, even after 4.5 games have been played. It turns out that the bet is successful when the second athlete wins at least five games more than the opponent. In other cases, the bettor scored a defeat.
Also, this type of bet is used when counting sets. In tennis, it is a kind of analogue of betting on the exact score. For example, F1 (-2.5) by sets means that the first tennis player must win with a score of 3-0. If he loses even one game, the money will be lost.
How to calculate a handicap in tennis?
Let’s first consider the variant with a plus handicap. Let’s take a tennis match that lasts until two sets are won. The outsider is proposed to bet with a handicap (+5.5). It means that if you add 5.5 to the sum of all games won, he will win by games.
- If the game ends 0-2 (1-6, 1-6), the score is 2-12 by games. If we add 5.5 games, and the score is 7.5:12, the underdog still loses, it is a dead game.
- If it’s not that big a deal, i.e. 0:2 (4:6, 4:6), we get 8:12 games score. If we add 5.5 games to the underdog, we get 13.5:12. Under this condition he wins, the bet wins.
It is interesting that by winning more games than the opponent, the player does not always succeed in the match. For example, the meeting may end with a score of 1:2 (6:0, 5:7, 5:7). In such a situation, the first tennis player has lost, but he has a 16:14 advantage in games. This factor in tennis must necessarily be taken into account.
To demonstrate how a handicap in tennis is counted, let’s also analyze the minus options. These are bets on the favorites, which should win with the advantage indicated in the line. For example, we bet on the tennis player with a handicap (-7.5). The match ends with a score of 3:1 (6:1, 4:6, 6:4, 6:4). The score in games in this match is 22:15. Subtracting 7.5 games from the winning player, we get 14.5:15, which means that the betting lost. Just one game was insufficient for success.
A similar calculation is made when betting on the number of games. If a bet is made on a handicap (-1.5), then in a tennis match up to three won sets the bet will play if the selected tennis player wins with a score of 3:0 or 3:1. If the victory is minimal (3:2) or the underdog wins, the bet amount will go to the bookie.
Strategy of playing on handicaps
Having understood what handicaps in tennis mean, it is necessary to master several working strategies that could bring a stable income over the long term.
To maximize the chances of success, it is important to consider the following nuances:
- The number of games needed to win. In men’s tennis, it takes two or three games to win. As a result, the maximum number of sets reaches three or five. This should definitely be taken into account when betting on a handicap. Since in a match with two wins, the probability that a bet (-5.5) will play is an order of magnitude lower than in a match with three won sets.
- Of great importance in tennis is the coverage on which the meeting is held. Some tennis players perform brilliantly on grass, but are completely helpless on clay. This should be taken into account when betting with plus handicaps. If the favorite player does not feel confident on the surface, and his rival, even if not high in the overall ranking, regularly achieves good results on it, it is worth betting on the underdog.
- Making bets on handicaps, it is necessary to take into account how stable the athlete spends the whole match. If a strong tennis player often breaks down in the middle of the confrontation, losing the game with a large score, a bet on the plus handicap is justified again.
- When placing a bet on a small handicap (up to +2) in matches with two victories, it is necessary to take into account that in this case the underdog must win at least one game to make the bet valid. After all, even if he loses in two sets with a minimum score of 6:7, 6:7, the score in games will be 12:14. Adding two games, we get 14:14, a return of the bet amount. Small plus handicaps should only be taken when there is confidence in winning one of the games.
Betting on handicaps in tennis expands the possibilities of bettors at bookmakers’ offices, allowing betting with high odds even in a match with a clear favorite.
