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How to Bet on Tennis – Guides, Strategies, Best Ways and Systems
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Tennis may not be America’s pastime like baseball or America’s sport like football. It is, however, widely played, watched and enjoyed both nationally and around the world! As with all sports, if it’s even semi-popular, you can bet on it. Let’s break down how to bet on tennis.
What is Tennis
Tennis is a sport consisting of either two opposing players or two opposing pairs using rackets to hit a tennis ball back and forth over a net on a rectangular court. The objective of the game is to prevent your opponent(s) from being able to return the tennis ball back across the net.
Rules of Tennis
Tennis is played in matches typically consisting of a best-of-three or best-of-five sets format. Within these sets, the players or doubles teams play games. A game is played until a player or team scores 4 points. A set is won by winning six games. A match is won by winning two or three sets.
Scoring in each tennis game is much different than most other score systems you will see in sports. If you are unfamiliar, you clearly never played Wii sports!
- 0 points – Love
- 1 point – 15
- 2 points – 30
- 3 points – 40
- Tied score – All
- 40-40 – Deuce
- Server wins deuce point – Ad-In
- Receiver wins deuce point – Ad-Out
Betting On Tennis
“Okay, so, yeah I become a tennis ‘pro’ in Wii Sports. There can’t be that much to be on, though.”
Oh, there’s PLENTY to bet on, so let’s dig right into everything we can bet on.
How to Bet on Tennis
Similar to most sports, tennis is available on all the major sportsbooks in the country. Simply deposit money into your chosen sportsbook (see list of available books below) and find the tennis bets that you want to place!
You can also bet in-person on tennis, however this typically requires cash only and of course, the time it takes to get to the sportsbook.
Moneyline
A moneyline is as a moneyline does. If you want to bet on the outright winner, bet on the moneyline. Favorites are designated with a (-) symbol, and underdogs are designated with a (+) symbol. The secret is in the details, though, as you have to make sure you are betting on the correct moneyline. Let’s look at this below example courtesy of Caesars:
In the above example, you see you can bet on either the match money line or the first set moneyline. If you aren’t careful, you could be meaning to bet Casper Ruud for the entire match but accidentally snag the first set line and take a loss you shouldn’t have.
Handicap
Handicap is very similar to betting the spread. The principles remain the same with one large slight difference.
Here, Casper Ruud is the favorite. In order for a bet on him to hit he has to win by two or more.
Cameron Norrie is the underdog. In order for a bet on him to hit he would have to win or lose by less than two.
How to Bet on Tennis Over/Under
You probably know what over/under is when it involved the number of points combined the teams are scoring. In tennis, however, it means the number of games played in a match.
How evenly matched two players or teams are can really affect this. When researching, see how the players or teams have done against each other historically. Typically, when the skill level is more even, there are going to be more games.
Live Betting
Live betting is popular in every sport, but not more popular than in tennis. Because of the natural breaks built in between serves, games and sets, it can be incredibly advantageous to bet everything live as events unfold.
Don’t let that fool you, though, as you do still have to be prepared and vigilant when live betting. Even in tennis the lines can move fast so you have to have a game plan and execute it.
Futures Betting
These bets have to deal with outcomes that won’t take place until a bit in the future. Popular futures in tennis include, but are not limited to:
- Tournament Winner
- Stage Of Elimination
- To Reach The Final
- Name The Finalists
- Quarter Winners
- First Time Winner
- Tournament Specials
Tennis Betting Strategies
Remember, the best way to ensure a long-term profit is to be a sharp bettor who line shops and takes mathematically profitable lines. Using OddsJam’s Positive EV calculator, bettors can bet on tennis with odds that beat the sportsbooks in terms of value.
Of course, the best way to engage in mathematical tennis betting strategies is to open multiple sportsbooks. If you stick with just one, you’re limited to only one set of tennis odds, even if they aren’t at all profitable for you.
Other strategies to keep in mind are to do thorough research on the tennis players. Since tennis isn’t team-oriented like football or basketball, it’s critical to understand the individual players. Each will have their own strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to do thorough research to have a better feel for the matchup.
Tennis Odds Explained
The most common betting line in tennis is the moneyline, as most sports bettors are going to be thinking about who wins the game.
Standard odds are – and +, the latter being an underdog. A bet with -110 odds would mean a bettor has to risk $110 to win $100. On the contrary, a betting line set at +110 would mean a $100 risk would win $110.
There are also futures odds in tennis for tournament winners that you can bet on in advance. These are typically high-paying odds, such as +500 (which means $100 risk wins $500).
How to Win Bets On Tennis
Remember, mathematical betting and line shopping paired with thorough research on individual players is the key to winning tennis bets. Without properly looking for profitable lines, you could still be at a net loss in the long run, even with a large number of bets won.
Never place a bet at -140, for example, when another book is offering that same line for -120. Would you go to a store that is selling a TV for $400, when another one across the street is selling one for $300. You wouldn’t – and that’s why you shouldn’t do anything different when sports betting.
Sportsbooks For Tennis Betting
| Sportsbook Name | States Legal | Sign-Up Bonus |
|---|---|---|
 | AZ, IL, IN, IA, LA, MI, MD, CO, VA, NJ, NC, NY, TN, WV, WA, DC, & NV | First Bet Insurance of Up to $1,100 |
 | AZ, CO, DC, IL, IN, IA, LA, MI, MS, NJ, NV, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV & WY | First Bet Insurance of Up to $1,000 |
 | AZ, CO, IL, IN, IA, LA, MI, NY, PA & VA | $250 Bet Match* |
 | CT, NJ, & PA | $250 Bet Match* |
 | AZ, IN, IA, NJ, PA & VA | First Bet Insurance of Up to $250 |
 | AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, LA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV & WY | Deposit Match of Up to $1,000 |
 | AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, LA, MI, NJ, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV & WY | First Bet Insurance of Up to $1,000 |
 | CO, IL, IN, IA, MI, NJ, NY, PA, VA & WV | First Bet Insurance of Up to $2,000 |
All The Tennis Betting Books
As is our mantra at OddsJam: “More books = more money!” Make sure you are signing up for ALL of these books above, we have even made it easy for you and put direct links to their sign-up page.
You need every book available to you so you can shop around for the best lines. Now that you have your tennis betting game plan, get out there and make some wagers!
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