In-game betting is just one of the many options that sportsbooks offer us bettors to help add to the always growing list of options on each game. Let's take a look at which books offer us sports bettors the best experience with live betting.
One of
the most profitable and fun ways to put action on a game is in-game betting or
live betting on a game that is already in progress. Sports bettors use it more
frequently to get a better number on the game or the side they want to bet on,
or to hedge out of a bet that is quickly going south.
Either
way, there are several factors that you need to take into account when choosing
a sportsbook for live betting, such as how much juice they put in their live
lines, their limits, and what events or sports they allow you to in-game bet
on. Below, I break down some of those factors from the highest rated books on
Sportsbook Review.
Juice man
As
mentioned in our video on live betting, sportsbooks put a little more juice in
their betting odds to protect themselves. Most sportsbooks will give you -110 on most
pre game lines, but you have to lay more after the game or match has started.
For instance, Bet365 makes you chalk -130 on in-game lines. This is mostly
because of their very high limits on in-game betting, which I’ll get into
later.
Sportsbooks
with a lot lower limits don’t make you lay more money. For instance, 5Dimes,
BetOnline, and occasionally BetDSI and Bovada only have -120 in-game juice, but
their limits are a lot lower.
In-game limits
It’s a
lot easier for sharps and pros to take advantage of in-game lines. It’s been
well documented over the history of sports gambling. The reason books like Bet365
have -130 juice is one can bet up to $750,000 on an in game NFL line, or $1.5
million US dollars on a soccer match. This could kill a sportsbook if the right
sharp has a beat on the right game.
For
those of use who can just dream of betting that much on a single in-game line,
you have other options for in-game betting. The other books I mentioned above
that have lower juice also have much lower live betting limits. For instance,
5Dimes and Bovada have live betting limits of only a few hundred dollars, and
books like BetOnline and BetDSI have limits of $2000 on live NFL betting.
From Super Bowl to Cricket
This is
one of the main reasons to live bet. Most sportsbooks won’t offer live betting
on any ole' game, because once again it would be easier for the sharps to take
advantage of a random WNBA game or a darts match. Most sportsbooks only offer
live in-game betting on larger games, most of which are nationally televised.
For
example, some of the more casual and lower limit books only allow live betting
on major sporting events like certain NFL games on a Sunday, or the nationally
televised NBA games.
Some of
the mid level books, with limits in five figures such as Pinnacle, offer live
betting on “most events.”
There
are only a few sportsbooks that offer it on all events and games, and they
happen to be the ones who have the most juice and the highest limits. Will Hill
and Bet365 are the books with the highest in-game limits, and they are
coincidently the books that offer live betting on all events and games. If you
make the kind of money these shops make, you can afford to sharp in-game linesman.
Best books and how to do it
There
are certain books that only allow you to bet during breaks in the action, and
others that allow betting while action is happening on the field. They normally
coincide with the limits as well.
Obviously
if you are a high roller than Bet365 is your best bet, but if you’re a casual
bettor, or can’t afford the high minimums and limits at other books, shops like
Pinnacle, BetOnline, and BetDSI might be your best bet with a combination of
lower juice, limits and games offered.