Pre-Match VS Live: which bets are better?

Particularities of pre-match bets

We can say that this is the primary type of betting for bookmakers. They have many advantages over those that are placed live. The main ones are as follows:

• a wide action line
• a low margin, despite fairly high odds
• a possibility to bet a large amount of money on a specific event. There are often various kinds of restrictions for live betting that are not explained by the bookmaker.

Let’s take a look at each advantage separately

There are many more possible outcomes in pre-match betting compared to live. This has always attracted both new players and more experienced ones.

Statistics show that it is easier to win when placing a bet before the match since half of all live events do not go the way they should have. That’s why before you bet on a particular outcome, it’s best to think carefully about making the right choice.

A variety of outcomes of a single event

Just imagine that one of the leading betting shops in the world of gambling can offer an action line with more than a thousand different options for one match, and everyone can choose the best option for themselves from this variety. If we talk about live, there have never been so many outcomes. Very often, the choice of a bettor is minimised.

Profit margin

Statistics show that the odds in real-time are slightly less than those before the match. Bookmakers are trying to do everything to keep the margin for the most popular bets low. However, it does not always work out the way we would like here.

Betting limits

There are much fewer limits on real-time betting than those provided by the bookmaker before the match. This can be explained by the fact that it is much more difficult for the bookmaker to calculate the event’s outcome in live mode. Please note that the bookmaker has the right to set the maximum limit to any bettor without providing the reason for their decision.

A chance to find a mistake in the odds before the match

As a rule, odds for matches are announced a few days before the event. On the first day they appear, there is a chance to find a mistake since bookmakers can overlook important circumstances before the match. This includes things like key players’ injuries, ejections, various nuances in the team. If you pay attention to the odds, you will notice that a few days after the publication, they begin to change either way.

Pre-match bets do not rush the players. There’s always time to think about the possible outcome of the game and make the right choice.

Cognitive Distortion in live betting

This factor cannot be classed as the advantage of pre-match betting, as it is a significant disadvantage of betting live. The bookmaker, as a rule, has some idea of how the events in the field are likely to develop. As for the bettors, they often assume the outcome in a way that is beneficial to them. This can look as follows:

• If it is not going the way the bettor wanted, there’s always a desire to cancel it and place the opposite one.
• If it is going the way the bettor thought, there’s a temptation to bet the maximum amount on the likely outcome. This is often erroneous.

Experience shows that there are a lot of sensations, and unexpected twists in sports, which are sometimes impossible to predict. That is why before you place a bet, you need to think carefully.

Particularities of live bets

After looking at the advantages of betting before the match starts, it may seem that live betting cannot have many benefits. However, this opinion is erroneous. Next, we will consider the cases when live betting can have advantages.

The first minutes will help the bettor

It should be noted that this characteristic in relevant only to non-event sports. This mainly applies to football, basketball, rugby and many other sports. For example, a player decided to bet that more than 2.5 goals would be scored in the match. Not a single goal was scored in a few minutes of the game. In this case, the odds for the outcome will be greater. On the other hand, there may be another situation when a player bets on less than 2.5 goals, but in the first minutes of the match, one of the teams scores a goal. In this instance, there will be a total 3.5 with exactly the same coefficient in live.

Cyclicism of bets

Almost every event has a cyclical character. Many experts have even called basketball a game of jerks or leaps for a long time. So, what this means is that one of the teams can easily score several points in a short period of time. There may be numerous cycles in one match on behalf of either team. The main thing is for the player to catch the right moment and catch their luck.

At the moment, there is even a “corridor” strategy. The strategy is based on constant changes in the odds of one event. For instance, you can bet on the victory of one team. After a while, when the odds for the second team grow, you can bet on their success. In this case, you can ensure you win regardless of which team will eventually become the winner.

Last-minute bets

If we analyse football, hockey and other team sports matches, we can notice that most goals are scored in the final minutes. Just imagine that in this Premier League season, more than 20% of all goals for the season were scored in the last 15 minutes. This is a very high figure, considering what the goal odds will be just a few minutes before the end of the match.

In the NHL, it is common to let an additional player out into the ice rink instead of the goalkeeper a few minutes before the end of the match if the team is losing. Of course, in this case, the chance to score into an open gate of one of the teams is exceptionally high. Before placing a bet in real-time, you need to do the following:

To evaluate the likely outcome of the event, for which it is necessary to analyse the match as a whole;
Keep track of the odds, which can constantly change in real-time.

Live bets – an opportunity to win quickly

If a bettor placed a bet before the match started, he has to wait for the actual event for several days, then worry about the positive outcome, and only after that withdraw money in any convenient way. Of course, the possibility to win quickly is a significant advantage of live betting that determines the choice of many players.

In-play bets were created for the players who wanted to quickly receive their winnings without waiting for them for several days.