Live betting is one of the fastest growing forms of football betting and it’s a major feature on any of the best betting sites in Nigeria. It basically involves betting on a football game in real time, as the action unfolds. Unlike pre-match betting where you have to place your bet before the game commences, Live betting works with the time remaining in a game. Hence the betting market and odds available might be different from what you can access while placing a bet before the game begins.
Understanding how live betting works and adopting the right live betting strategy can help you be more successful in your betting journey. This is why we have outlined the best live betting tips and how this form of football betting works. Read more to see live betting explained and get some tricks on how to beat the bookie using this method of betting
What is live betting
Also known as “in-play” betting, live betting is a type of wagering in which you place bets on a match while the game is ongoing. In this case, you get to place your bet as the action unfolds while hoping that the team you backed will eventually win or that last goal will be scored before the game ends. While the same betting rules apply here as it does in pre-match betting, Live betting sometimes doesn’t have all the betting markets that are normally available in pre-match wagering, in this case, more or less markets are available depending on the time remaining and the probability of winning. Also, the odds are sometimes higher than what you will normally see in a pre-game bet.
If you are placing a live bet that Over 2.5 Goals will be scored and the game is already in the 70th minutes with a 0-0 scoreline, the odds available will be very high given that the bookmaker is considering the possibility of the game ending with 3 goals seems unlikely.
Also, if you placed a BTTS live bet and the game is 2-0 with 40 minutes to go, the odds might not be so high because there is a possibility that the team behind might score one goal before the end of the match.
Essentially, the odds are not static and they change with the dimension of the game. Also, the odds are adjusted almost every second to reflect what is happening in the game. This means they can rise or fall drastically over the course of the football match.
In pre-game betting, you have to place your bet based on the odds available before the match. Once your bet has been placed, you have to wait for the outcome as in most cases, you cannot change or edit the bets you’ve locked in.
For live betting, you will need to wait for the game to start before placing your bet. The odds are available in real time and will go up and down as the game unfolds. You can use a live bet to counter what you already played in your pre-match ticket. For instance, if you played Man City to win in your pre match and City go behind at half time, you can go to live betting and place a bet on City to win. In this case, the live odds for City to win will be higher than the pre-game odds. This is because, City have gone behind and the odds will keep increasing or reducing depending on the time frame and the possibility of City coming back to win.
How to place live bet
Live betting is a very easy betting strategy for live and in-play games. It has no complex rules and can be easily played by both beginners and experienced bettors. Essentially you just bet based on how things pan out in an ongoing game however the same sports betting rules remain applicable. Don’t know how to place a live bet? Follow our guidelines below:
- Choose your betting site: Our bookmaker comparison page might be helpful
- Sign up and make your deposit
- Go to your preferred league or competition
- Wait for the game to commence
- Check out the odds and markets available
- Place your bet
- Withdraw your winnings
Best strategy for live betting
Pay 100% attention: Follow all the action on your mobile app, mobile lite or desktop version of the betting site. You must monitor the game to know when the odds go up or down and when to place your bet.
Trust your guts: As risky as sports betting is, it is still in your hands to decide which market to choose or how to place your bet. If you want to win a live game, you must trust your instincts no matter how unrealistic the odds might seem. A good example was when Argentina went 1-0 ahead in the Group stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Saudi Arabia came from behind and won that game. At some point the live odds for Saudi to win was 145.0. As unrealistic as it sounded at the time, if you placed a bet of 1,000 on that 145.00 odds, you would win 145,000 because the game actually ended in Saudi Arabia’s favor.
Go for the big odds: As risky as they may be, live bets come with high betting odds. Go for these big odds and stake what you can afford. If all goes well, you might get to triple or quadruple your winnings within a few minutes of play.
Advantages of Live betting
- Access to higher betting odds
- Offers opportunity to counter and win a pre match bet that is already going wrong
- Lets you catch all the action and place a bet at any point during the game
Disadvantage
- Odds can change at anytime
- Limited markets available