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What Is An In-Play Bet?

This guide explains what in-play betting is, how it differs from pre-match betting, and how to place bets effectively while an event is live.

What Is An In-Play Bet?

An In-play bet is quite simply a bet that is placed while an event is taking place.

The most common offer would be one where you need to place a qualifying bet while a football match is ongoing. 

 

How Does It Differ From Pre-Match?

The two main differences that you will notice are the speed in which the odds fluctuate and change. This is due to the fact that the events happening live have a knock-on effect on the odds being offered. This can have both a positive and negative effect on the bet you are trying to make.

For example, if a heavy favourite concedes a goal early in-play then you will get better odds for them to win than pre-match due to the fact they are a goal down. Conversely, if the heavy favourite scores early then their odds will plummet further and you will get worse odds after that in-play compared to pre-match.

The other main difference is the speed of bet placement. When placing a bet in-play there will normally be a delay between you placing the bet and the bet being accepted by the bookmaker. This can be for a duration of anything up to 5 or 6 seconds, sometimes even longer. This applies to both bookie and exchange so bear that in mind when placing bets.

 

Tips For Betting In-Play

 

Tip 1: Wait for half time or extended breaks in play

When betting in-play on sports that have extended breaks in play then wait until that point to place your back and lay bets. The odds will be much more stable during this time as there is no play taking place.

For Example:

  • Football/Rugby: Wait until half time. 15-minute break in football, a 10-minute break in rugby
  • NFL: Wait until the 2-minute break at first or third quarter or, even better, wait until the 12-minute break at half time
  • Tennis: Wait until the end of a set to place your bets. Tennis odds move incredibly fast!
  • Cricket: Wait until the innings break in one-day internationals and T20. Test cricket odds move fairly slowly so you can probably look at using the various breaks in the day between sessions to bet.

Tip 2: Have Everything Ready To go

Have the bookie site and exchange loaded up and ready to place your bets quickly. Also, have the matched betting calculator open and filled in, with stake and commission, so that you can quickly calculate your stakes. If the lay odds do change don’t panic, just change them in the calculator and lay the amended stake.

Remember as well to make sure that you have enough money in your exchange balance to cover your lay stake. You don’t want to be in the situation where you are having to deposit at the same time as placing your lay bet.

Tip 3: Practice Makes Perfect!

Practice your in-play betting with smaller stakes and with football until you get used to the process. Football is great for in-play betting due to the 15-minute break at half time but also because of the amount of money available in the exchange betting markets.