Five Amazing Table Tennis Betting Tips
Table tennis has often been an overlooked sport in much of the world. While other sports came to a halt during the pandemic, table tennis was the first international sport to return to action, which goes to show how much of a beloved sport it truly is. After the pandemic's lockdown period was lifted, sportsbook providers began to offer betting lines on the sport of table tennis that they never used to offer in the past.
Table tennis is an exciting sport to watch and bet on as well. If you're new to betting on the sport, or simply want to find new ways to get winners, follow our table tennis betting tips below.
Understand the Sport
The first thing you need to do if you want to bet on table tennis is to understand the basics of the sport. Even if you've played the game before, betting on professional matches is a completely different thing altogether.
Table tennis is played out a lot like actual tennis, but on a much smaller table instead of court and with paddles and a plastic ball. Many of the ways that points are scored are similar to tennis, too, which makes it a little easier to understand than some of the other alternative sports out there.
Players serve twice in a row before they swap to the other player, who will then serve twice in a row. Points are scored on every serve, just like in tennis. Each game is played until one player earns 11 points, at which time they'll be declared the winner of that game.
The overall winner of the match is determined by the number of games that particular match is being played to. Many singles matches are played out in a best-of-seven format, meaning the first player to win four games wins the match. Doubles are usually best-of-five.
Knowing what exactly you are betting on is very important if you want to succeed when you're betting on table tennis.
Start with Simple Bets
Any time you're trying out a new sport, it's a good idea to stick to the basics and bet small. In table tennis, this means trying out moneyline bets at first. This will work the same way that moneylines in other sports work. You will simply be picking which player you think will win the match outright.
You don't have to worry about how many points they win each game by, or how many games they win. Whichever player is decided as the winner of the match at the end is the one that will win the moneyline bet.
In addition to starting with a simple bet, it's also a good idea to start by betting not a lot of money. Even if you have a large bankroll and you're a serious sports bettor, it's always a good idea to get a handle on a new sport before you start risking large sums of money.
So, a good place to start betting on table tennis (if you're new to it) is to stick with the moneyline and only risk a few dollars on each match. This will allow you a chance to watch matches and see how they unfold before you go risking large amounts of money on the sport.
Follow an Expert
There isn't a lot of readily available information on table tennis. It's not like you're going to be able to watch in-depth analysis on the main sports media stations on TV like you could do with hockey, football, baseball, basketball or soccer, for example.
Luckily, there are plenty of resources you can find online where people will be talking about table tennis in general, and breaking down the main competitions coming up. So, a great table tennis betting tip is to search the internet for betting experts in the sport, and find a few who you like.
Reading expert table tennis blogs or listening to table tennis betting podcasts, for example, can give you some really great information and insight that you can then use when you're making your betting decisions. You could glean information from these sources that you wouldn't be able to get on your own.
This is a good idea in any sport that you bet on, but especially on a sport such as table tennis, where there's not a lot of information available -- or matches to watch every day on TV.
Find the Best Odds
Since table tennis isn’t a heavily bet-on sport, table tennis odds can range dramatically from one match to the next. The odds can also change very quickly based on how the money is coming in on the different sides of matches.
To this end, you really want to have a good handle on what good odds and poor odds on each match that you want to bet are. This will help you get the biggest payouts possible on your wins and also mitigate how much money you lose when you're wrong.
Always have target odds in mind for every match you want to bet. This will give you a good idea of whether you're getting great odds or poor odds from the sportsbook you are betting at.
Consider Live Betting Options
Live betting is a great option in any sport today, but especially in a sport such as table tennis. Since there isn't as much information available before matches start, you could gain some additional insight after watching a few points played out on the table.
By foregoing pre-match bets in favor of live betting options, you could put yourself in a better position to get more wins at better odds. Go into the match with an idea of who you want to bet on and at what target odds. Then, let the match play out a few points before you place your bet.
This way, you can see how the match is playing out before you jump on a bet or stretch for odds that you don’t really like.