The game of tennis continues to be a sport that the average sports fan knows but does not follow as closely as any other team sports. That is changing quickly around the country, though.
Sports betting has begun to transform tennis, much like any other sport, and its market is ever expanding with wagering now legal and regulated in more than 35 states and Washington, D.C.
While tennis is a sport that is behind some of the bigger team sports in terms of popularity, it does not mean there aren’t ways to wager on the game. This article will serve as a “how to guide” into the world of tennis betting and how you can get involved today without feeling overwhelmed or confused.
How to bet on tennis
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Understanding tennis odds
The most essential thing in sports betting is understanding how the odds work. In tennis, like any sport, they are rather simple to navigate.
- Moneyline: The simplest and most popular bet, you simply pick which player will win the match
- Set spread: Similar to a point spread in football, the favored player must win by a certain number of sets to cover (-1.5 means player has to win by at least 2 sets to win wager)
- Total games (over/under): This is a line on the total number of games that will be played in the match, you bet on the number to be over or under the determined number by the books.
MORE: What are the best sports betting apps?
Moneyline
Tennis moneylines are simple: it’s a number — either positive or negative — assigned to each team in a set matchup. That number represents each team’s odds to win. When bettors pick the straight-up winning player of the match and put money on it, they’re betting the moneyline.
The negative number (usually -105 or greater) typically represents the odds for the favorite player, also known as the player that the sportsbooks expect to win. The positive number (typically +100 or greater) represents the odds for the underdog, or the player less likely to win the match.
You will always win less of a payout on a winning bet with negative odds, and profit more on the payout of a winning bet with positive odds.
Moneylines allow oddsmakers to set and tweak odds for games based on each player’s implied win probability. No sportsbook would ever give you 2-to-1 odds on an outright winner if that player was widely known to be the superior of the two in a matchup.
We often see lopsided or uneven matchups in tennis, even in the marquee tournaments. Moneyline odds allow bettors to pick straight winners and also enable sportsbooks to limit their liabilities attached to the overwhelming favorites.
How to read a tennis moneyline
Reading moneylines is simple. Favorites have negative (-) odds, with the number indicating how much you would need to risk to make your potential profit $100. Underdogs have plus (+) odds, with the number indicating what you would win on a $100 bet.
Let’s say you have some interest in betting Jannik Sinner to beat Novak Djokovic. If Sinner is listed as a -350 favorite, that means you would need to risk $350 to net a profit of $100 if Sinner wins.
If you think Djokovic will pull off a miraculous upset, you could bet $100 on him at +350 and walk away with a $350 profit if Djokovic indeed pulls off the W.
MORE: 10 common betting mistakes to avoid
Set spread
Another way for oddsmakers to set odds for a tennis match is through the spread. This is the process by which oddsmakers analyze both players in a matchup, consider their strengths, weaknesses and other factors, and assign a point spread that predicts how much the favorite will win by.
Betting the spread swaps out the moneyline odds for points. The favorite has points taken away from it, and the underdog receives those points.
If a player is projected to win, that favorite must win by the set amount — the spread — to cover. Similarly, players projected to lose can only cover if that underdog either (a) wins or (b) loses by fewer sets than the set spread.
Let’s go back to the hypothetical Sinner-Djokovic match. Sinner was listed as a -150 favorite, which roughly translates to a -1.5 favorite against the set spread. That means you would have to bet on either Alcaraz to win by more than two sets or Djokovic to lose by less than two sets.
Set spreads always have a second set of odds alongside them, which indicate the cost of placing the bet (also known as the “vig” or the “juice”). Most point spreads have a vig of -110 — to win $100, you would need to risk $110. Vigs can be adjusted depending on betting action and can vary from book to book.
Over/under game total
People love betting the over/under, also known as the total, and the majority of casual bettors almost always prefer to bet the OVER. Betting the total is simple: the sportsbook lists a projected numbers of total games in a match, and you either bet on the two players to finish with a combined match total OVER or UNDER that total.
This couldn’t be simpler. If the total combined score winds up higher than the projected total games, then the OVER wins. If the final games total is lower than the projected total, then the UNDER wins.
MORE: What to know about bankroll management
More advanced tennis bet types
Parlays
Parlays are wildly popular. In short, parlays allow bettors to combine multiple bets (legs) in one big bet for a larger potential payout. The odds of winning are longer because all bets in the parlay must win for the entire parlay to cash out even a penny. Thus, the potential reward is greater.
Bettors only need to combine two legs to make a parlay, but the most popular parlays tend to be in the range of 3-5 legs. The more wagers bettors add to parlays, the bigger the potential payout and the bigger the risk.
Sportsbooks typically allow bettors to add between two and 12 games in a basketball parlay. Some books will also allow you to incorporate player or game props, also known as over/under stat props.
How to calculate a parlay payout
Now that you know the definition of a parlay and how you can bet one, let’s quickly break down how to calculate a parlay bet value.
Once you figure out the odds for each matchup, bet, or prop, just divide what the total payout would be by the bet amount.
Let’s imagine a $100 parlay bet on these players to win their sets:
Alcaraz (-150)
Djokovic (+170)
Sinner (-120)
Alcaraz: -150 to win 100 with a payout of $250 250/150 = 1.6666
Djokovic: -100 to win 170, with a payout of $270 270/100 = 2.7
Sinner: -120 to win 100, with a payout of $220 220/120 = 1.8333E
Each of those three numbers we calculated is your multiplier. Now, just multiply those numbers to get your parlay odds. 1.6666 x 2.7 x 1.8333 = 8.2495.
That final number is 8.25, meaning your winnings would work out to be 7.25 for every dollar you bet on that particular parlay. Translation: your $100 bet just turned into a $725 win.
If you hate math or just don’t want to go through the bother of calculating your parlay odds manually each time, have no fear. Most sportsbooks do the legwork for you, and you can also find a ton of independent parlay calculators all over the Internet.
MORE: Betting terms glossary
Player props
Player prop betting has become wildly popular, much like fantasy sports has risen to such popularity since the turn of the 21st century. Props allow you to bet on a player going OVER or UNDER a set statistical amount.
If Spain’s Alcaraz has a games won total of 20.5, you can bet on whether you think he will go OVER 21 games won or UNDER 20 games. The side that is slightly favored might have a little more juice (or “vig”), so the sportsbook can cut into your potential profit and get a larger cut of your payout if you win. The side that’s less likely (or generating less action or betting interest) will see slightly longer odds and a better potential payout.
You can bet over/under player props on all sorts of statistics. These categories include some popular props of, win most games, not to lose a service game, aces and individual set winners.
Futures
Another fun method of betting on tennis tournaments is the futures market, which allows you to bet on whether or not something will happen in the future. You can place futures bets on players to win major tournaments like Wimbledon or the US OPEN to normal ATP/WTA events and these odds can be quite long and favorable to bettor with foresight.
Futures betting also includes the ability to wager on individual player awards. For example, users can bet on players to win a trophy at Wimbledon. As these are far less likely to predict way ahead of time, these futures bets often yield longer odds and therefore carry much higher potential payouts.
MORE: What is hedging in sports betting?
Common sports betting terms
- Action – Any wager, or any bet you have on any game.
- Bonus – Funds or free bets rewarded or gifted via promotions run by a sportsbook.
- Book – Sportsbook. An establishment that accepts wagers on the outcome of sports events.
- Chalk – Favorite. “Betting the chalk” is putting money on the projected winner.
- Cover – When the favorite wins by more than the required number of points or when the underdog loses by less than the required number of points (or wins outright).
- Dog – Underdog. The team projected to lose, always getting points and usually yielding plus moneyline odds.
- Futures – Wagers placed on the outcome of something in the future, like an MVP award, a championship, or a scoring title.
- Handicapper – Someone who studies and wagers on sporting events.
- Handle – Total amount of wagers taken on a sporting event.
- Hold – The percentage amount the sportsbook makes.
- Hedging – Betting the opposite team or side of your original wager to either try to middle the game, or to reduce the downside exposure of the original wager.
- Hook – A half-point, used by sportsbooks to avoid a push (no betting win or loss).
- Juice – A commission built into the line offerings, also known as “vig” or “vigorish.”
- Laying Points – To bet the favorite by giving up points.
- Laying the Price – To bet the favorite by laying moneyline odds.
- Limit – The maximum wager accepted by the sportsbook on a particular line offering.
- Line – The current odds or point spread offered on a particular game.
- Linesmaker (Oddsmaker) – Professional who establishes the probability of one team defeating another and by how many points. Oddsmakers create the line or point spread.
- Long shot – A team heavily expected to lose.
- Moneyline bet – A bet on the straight-up winner of a game, underdog or favorite.
- Off the board – A game, prop, or future in which the sportsbook is not accepting any wagers.
- Overlay – The odds of a particular wagering proposition are higher than they should be.
- Over/Under (total) bet – Wager that applies to the final score/total points in a given contest.
- Parlay – A combination of straight bets to increase the potential payout. All selections must win for the bet to win.
- Pick ’em – Neither team is favored, meaning the game is considered a toss-up for betting purposes. Pick’em odds usually hover around the -105 to -115 range.
- Price – Line or odds of a game or wager.
- Prop bet – A wager on a specific event happening or not happening in a game, usually player stats. Examples: Carlos Alcaraz to have over 7.5 aces or Alcaraz to win over 19.5 games in the match.
- Rollover – The required amount of real-money wagers a player has to accumulate after they have accepted a bonus from a sportsbook to qualify for a withdrawal.
- Set Spread bet – A bet on the forecasted point differential between two players. A minus (-) indicates the favorite, and a plus (+) indicates the underdog.
- Teaser – When you alter the spreads or totals in a parlay for a better chance of winning your combined bet.
MORE: Same game parlay strategies and tips
Tennis betting FAQ
What do the plus (+) and minus (-) mean in tennis betting?
The plus (+) and minus (-) in sports betting refers to either the point spread or betting odds.
Spread
In spread betting, the ” – ” always refers to the favorite, and the ” + ” always refers to the underdog. The favorite is giving sets to the underdog, who, in turn, is getting sets. To cover the spread, the favorite needs to win by more than that amount of sets The underdog doesn’t need to win to cover — it can cover by simply losing by less than the spread.
Odds
Favorites usually have a ” – ” unless it’s a pick’em (coin-flip) and both teams have negative odds. But in most cases, the favorite will have a ” – ” in front of its moneyline odds while the underdog will have a “+ .” Moneyline betting has nothing to do with the winning or losing margin but everything to do with wins and losses. Minus odds tell you how much you will need to risk to win $100. Plus odds tell you how much you will make on a $100 bet.
What is a “unit” in sports betting?
A unit in sports betting is a measurement of the size of a given bet. It’s mainly used because everyone’s bankroll is different and a unit refers to the percentage of a bankroll, aka the amount of money they are using to spend on sports betting. One unit is usually equal to one percent of a bankroll, though it’s not the same for everyone.
All bettors — especially new ones — should establish bankrolls. You should always bet within your means and with an amount that you are comfortable or capable of losing.
Here’s an example of a unit: If your bankroll is $1,000, one unit would be $10 or 1%. In this situation, if someone puts three units on a wager with a sports betting app, it would be a $30 bet. When someone recommends betting 3-5 units on a wager, they are saying they are quite confident in the win probability of that wager.
What is the 2-5 rule in betting?
Many bankroll management theories exist, so it’s up to you to decide which theory or strategy works best for you. The Kelly Criterion, aka the 2-5 rule, suggests that bettors should never risk more than 2-5 percent of their bankroll per wager.
Example: If you’re starting the basketball season with a $500 bankroll, the 2-5 rule would say that your largest bet should be no greater than $25. Your bet size would then decrease as your bankroll does.
Where is online betting on tennis legal?
More than 30 states (and Washington D.C.) have already legalized online sports betting, and more states have already begun the framework for legalization.
Here’s a look at which states offer online sports betting:
What is a good return on investment (ROI) in tennis betting?
Even a professional will say that simply doubling your money on a bet is a positive. Others prefer lower-risk, lower-reward wagers in which they walk away with 10 percent or 20 percent profit. Everyone’s different, just like every bankroll is different.
MORE: How to read American betting odds
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