Don't ever consider stereotypes or seemingly obvious options when live betting. Live bets are dangerous—and even catastrophic—to your bankroll.
Betting on the Favorite or Corners in Football
In football live betting, even top clubs like Barcelona or Manchester United can lose unexpectedly. Betting on favorites with low odds is a trap for beginners and should be avoided. One more myth is the following: "the team that is losing takes fewer corners." As a matter of fact, there is often no direct relationship between the result of the match and the number of corners taken.
Winning the First Set Means Winning the Match in Tennis
It is one of the biggest misconceptions in tennis that if a player wins the first set, they will win the match. While it is true for the majority of cases, it is risky to place bets based on this alone. You need to look at serve statistics, unforced errors, and other numbers. There have been plenty of matches where winning the first set has not meant winning overall.
Relying on Bookmaker Streams
A delicate topic, but we don't advise it. Most bookmakers offer live streams with a delay. The quality and availability of streams can mirror the stability of a betting firm since streaming rights are not cheap. Delays, however, can add up to 35 seconds or more, especially with local bookies. That kind of delay is unacceptable for live betting, especially for sports with a fast pace, such as tennis or basketball, where seconds matter. Also, don't base your decisions on predictions found right on the gambling sites themselves or from "endorsed" players—such information may be biased or even deliberately misleading.
Betting Without Sufficient Information
The worst possible thing to do is to live bet a match about which you have no clue. There is always information, usually from more than a single source. Never live bet blindly. Sometimes odds may seem suspicious, but the learned bettor watching the match knows why. For example, when a team has had a player red-carded, unaware betting can lead to epic errors.
Live Bets Are Not Just for Experienced Bettors
Some so-called "experts" say live betting is only for experienced bettors. But if you understand the basics of betting—even at a novice level—you have to give live bets a shot. If your bets are not going well now, five years down the line it will not matter much unless you study and develop. Live betting is not for old-timers—it's all about analysis and discipline.
Chasing Losses with Mass Bets
If you're placing in-play bet after in-play bet during a match and just keep on losing, chances are you're chasing losses. That's emotional betting, and that's a way to make poor decisions and lose money. Many in-play bettors do this. We're all human, not robots—but desperate, panicked betting is sure to lose you more.
Live Betting Strategies
Live Goal Betting Strategy: "There Will Be a Goal" (Over 0.5)
This is a strategy based on evaluating the likelihood of another goal being scored. This requires patience and attention to game progress.
Strategy from Strategia.com: Over 0.5 Goals
Statistically, the majority of goals in evenly contested matches are netted during the second half. In high-pressure games, teams usually push for a result in the last few minutes. That's your opportunity to make a live bet on Over 0.5 goals—i.e., at least one additional goal to be scored.
Key principles:
- 1. Make your bet at around the 65th minute (no later), or the 30th minute for Over 1.5 goals.
- 2. Look for odds above 1.65 (preferably above 2.0). In some desperate cases, though, placing a bet at 1.55 or 1.65 might still be a good idea.
- 3. Ideal scorelines for this system: 0–1, 1–0, 1–2, 2–1. Especially useful in cup matches where a draw or current score doesn't benefit either team.
- 4. Alright at 0–0 if the favorite is clearly pressing hard for a goal.
- 5. Do not attempt this strategy at scores like 0–0, 0–2, 2–0, or 3–0, where there is no incentive or pressure.
- 6. You must be realistic and patient—certain matches just don't have the dynamics for goals.
Live Betting Strategy on Corners
A very profitable market is corners. Corner stats, which are readily available, are where your research should start.
In the second half, you can live bet the home team to win 3–4 more corners—Over 5.5 or 6.5 total corners, if they already have 3.
Team strength does not always translate to corner count, hence the handicaps. Bookmakers typically offer a -1 to -5 corner handicap; betting on the underdog at +4.5 or more can be very profitable. Favorites do not usually cover large negative handicaps.
Additionally, some bookies provide combined bets—match result and corner statistics. You can enhance your odds by coupling a draw no bet on the favorite with a negative handicap on corners, especially when the match starts slowly and there are not many corners. The odds can rise, or the number of corners required overall can go down, giving you a compelling value bet in case the teams suddenly start earning a number of corners in a short while.
Live Strategy on Yellow Cards
Stats tell us that there are less yellow cards shown in the first half. Players start carefully at the beginning of the game. Around the middle of the first half is a good point to make an Over yellow cards bet.
You can also make a late game bet that 2+ cards will be shown before the last whistle.
Utilize card statistics: research average yellow cards for each team and each referee. If, for instance, the teams have an average of 4.5 yellow cards in a game and pre-match odds for Over are 1.5, your task is to seek 1.85+ in-play.