Betting strategy: how to bet on set betting markets in tennis

In set betting markets, punters bet on the final tennis score, which means they must predict the match winner and the number of sets won by each player. For example, if tennis competitors play a best of 3 sets to win the match, the result can be 2-0 or 2-1 for the winner. If they play the best of 5, the potential outcomes are 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2.

Your potential payout is much higher in the set betting markets than other markets, like match betting. However, your risk increases at the same time. Learn how to improve your tennis odds and reduce your risk of loss.

The problem with match betting markets is that odds may be very low, especially if we bet that the underdog won’t win. In fact, it’s quite common to see favorite players rated less than $1.35 to win the match. A good strategy to get the best payouts is betting on set markets.

Let’s suppose that Fernando Verdasco is going to play against Dusan Lajovic in the next ATP competition in Sao Paulo. According to online bookmakers like Bet365, Sportingbet or Ladbrokes, the Spanish tennis player is the clear favorite to win the match. A bet on Fernando Verdasco to win is paid $1.33 in all main bookmakers’ sites.

In the meantime, Verdasco is at $1.95 to win 2-0 in the set betting market and $5.00 to win the match 2-1. If you believe in his victory, you can bet on Verdasco to win 2-0 and cover your stake with a bet on Verdasco to win 2-1.

• Bet nº 1: $20 on “Verdasco 2-1” at odds 5.00 (potential winnings $100)
• Bet nº 2: $100-$20 = $80 on “Verdasco 2-0” at odds 1.95 (potential winnings $156)

In this example, you place the $20 bet to cover your bet of $80 so that the final odd of your second bet is $1.56 (stake $100 / portential winnings $156). As you can see, this strategy is a good way to improve the initial odd of Verdasco to win the match ($1.33).