Feature Focus

In-play betting

For some people, betting is still about clutching a dog-eared slip to their chest and awaiting their fate. For others it’s a bigger experience. It’s about being part of the action, on both sides of the market. It’s about being part of a market that moves as the event unfolds. It’s about changing your position as the play unravels. It’s about watching and being involved in a place that perfectly reflects what is happening in the event. Second by second. Winning and losing. All in the space of a cleared fence, a kick of a ball or a break of serve.

Tips for in-play betting

Whenever you’re betting in-play, speed is of the essence. Those few milliseconds between seeing the price you want, and placing the bet could cost you if the price disappears. So here are a few tips that will (hopefully) increase your in-play efficiency.

  • Screen grab from betfair.comWhen you place a bet, there is a confirmation screen that asks you to check your odds and stake. By unticking the box at the bottom “Show this screen when placing bets? ”, you can bypass this screen and place the bet immediately.
  • Use the keyboard to place bets. Hit the price, key in the stake and hit enter. The bet will be instantly processed.
  • Time delays. When watching on satellite television, pictures can often be delayed by a few seconds while the images bounce through space. If you have the option, watching on terrestrial television will generally produce quicker footage of an event.
  • Internet connection. Dial-up connections can be unreliable and slow to submit bets. Broadband access is far more reliable and could gain you valuable milliseconds over a Dial-Up customer. Some customers have reported a “spinning-clock” problem where the bet takes longer than normal to process. This happens when the connection is unreliable and the data transfer is being interrupted.

1000.0 shot Todd Hamilton wins the British Open...

To illustrate what we mean about the market reflecting the action take a look at Todd Hamilton’s price movement over 4 dramatic days before he won this year’s British Open. Hugely unfancied at the start of the event, the American was matched at 1000.0, however as the play unfolded his odds fluctuated before he sensationally defeated Ernie Els in a tense four hole play off.

Timeline:

Day One: Hamilton scores a par 71 and sits 5 shots behind early leader Paul Casey
Day Two: Following a 4 under par 67 Hamilton moves within 3 shots of new leader Skip Kendall
Day Three: A second 67 sees Hamilton lead the Open at -8. One shot ahead of Ernie Els.
Day Four:

Hamilton still heads the leader board teeing off on the 72nd hole of the tournament

Hamilton bogies the 18th leaving Ernie Els with a putt for the Championship

Els misses his championship putt and the Open is to be decided by a play off

Hamilton holds his nerve to win the play off and delight the Betfair users who had backed him at incredible odds during the event.

Chart