Live Sports Betting Strategies for Odds, Props, and More

As sports betting has risen in popularity, so to have ways in which you can bet, such as live betting.

Live betting presents a unique opportunity as you wager on contests as they’re actively in progress, but it also has its unique set of challenges — and yes, this applies to the profits and losses.

Here, we’ll cover live sports betting in great detail, including live betting tips, sports live betting strategy, how to win at live betting, and more.

Table of Contents

How Does Live Betting Work?

At its core, live betting is wagering on contests that are actively going on.

Before the game starts, there’ll be lines for the moneyline, spread, totals, and more. In live betting, it’s the same thing, but these odds can vary wildly based on where the game is and can switch instantaneously.

This bet type allows you to bet on contests you may have forgotten about before the game and provides a unique opportunity at some value, especially if you bet live underdogs that make a comeback.

How Live Odds Shift

With live betting odds, they’ll lock as plays are in progress, at other times throughout the game that are relevant to the sport, or because the platform wants to — this happens to even the best live sports betting sites.

Working with Changing Spreads, Moneylines, etc.

Depending on the sport you’re wagering on, working with these ever-changing spreads and moneylines require a lot of quick thinking.

While your pre-game analysis can help, moors betting online can unpredictably go haywire, as we’ve seen many times.

When engaging in live betting, it’s almost always suggested to be watching the game to see what’s happening because context is important.

Did a player get hurt? Did a player in the NFL blow coverage? Is the top scorer on the NBA team having a down night?

Best Strategies for Keeping Track of Live Odds

Having the ability to multi-task by watching the game and lines and keeping track of the trajectory.

In these heat-of-the-moment decisions, the value that can be had is tested based on your understanding of that particular sport.

Below are a few tips to keep in mind to make this process easier.

Focus on One Game

With live betting having odds and lines moving quickly, attempting to do this on multiple moors betting online at once could result in you either making bad bets or just missing out on making a bet altogether because your reaction time isn’t not up to snuff.

Go into live betting with this mindset of only being willing to wager on the game you’ll be watching from the start.

Be Prepared to Adjust Analysis on the Fly

We all have an idea of how a game will go, but there’ll be a time during the game when you may need to concede that initial analysis. Holding onto your belief could result in your bankroll is that much smaller.

While you can reconcile with yourself that a team may come back, which may be a valid analysis, let the game illustrate where you should bet.

Bet Wisely — Know When to Not Bet

While we have a tip to focus solely on pretty much one game, never force a wager because the game you decided to pay attention to isn’t presenting the best value. Sometimes this happens and that’s OK — there’ll be more moors betting online. This can also apply to paying attention to multiple bet types.

Example: You may have strongly believed in the moneyline, but maybe you decide the spread is a better value bet.

Hedging a Bet

If you can bet on a contest before it happens, you’ll have an opportunity to wager live and hedge your bets.

Hedging a bet essentially allows you to wager on both sides of a contest and come away with some kind of profit.

The point here is this: Bet on what you think will win pre-game, but look for large underdog value that could award large winnings if the underdog turns it around.

Always keep your total wagers less than the potential winnings from each side.

Other Dos And Don’ts

Focus on One Bet Type

If you’re reading this live betting guide as a beginner, we recommend focusing on one bet type.

Example: You think the Buffalo Bills will win the game and you’re only interested in the moneyline.

By focusing on just one bet type, you’ll be able to hyper-focus on one aspect of a game and potentially identify value faster.

On the other hand, this can help teach you restraint when value simply isn’t there.

Play Devil’s Advocate

We’ve all been there — we see the pre-game totals and think “there’s no way that game goes under 50.5 points.”

When you weigh both sides of a wager, this can prepare you for a live bet as you have a more thoughtful approach to the game instead of being biased toward one potential bet.

Don’t Live in the Moment — Project Ahead

When Steph Curry hits that deep three, Aaron Judge hits a two-run home run, or Patrick Mahomes throws that 50-yard touchdown, it’s easy to live in that moment and think that single play is representative of things to come.

While this could very well be the case, the online sportsbooks know some bettors are reactive to that kind of thing and you may identify value.

This is an in-game betting strategy that can be overlooked but look for lines on plays immediately after those highlight-reel portions of the game.

Live Betting Strategy by Sport

With most sports, the underlying live betting strategies are similar. However, there are some unique perspectives and strategies to keep in mind for each popular sport.

Football

Be on the Lookout for a Comeback

When looking at an NFL game, it’s not uncommon for an underdog to come out to an early lead. When this happens, the odds on the favorite could be pretty different than the pre-game lines. This is an instant value play.

Pay Attention to Context

In the NFL, there can be many reasons for how and why plays happen. Perhaps a play broke down, maybe there’s just a real mismatch. The context surrounding these plays is essential.

Example: A team being up 7-0 because of a well-executed play is different than a team being up 7-0 because a cornerback tripped while covering a receiver.

Basketball

Don’t Be Afraid to Bet on Double-Digit Deficits

Generally speaking when a team is down by 10 points or more in the NBA, this isn’t an instant death knell to their chances of winning.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a favorite or underdog — the comeback is always possible, especially if a player fouls out or is in foul trouble.

Take Advantage of Timeouts and Commercial Breaks

NBA moors betting online move pretty quickly with hundreds of points being scored in a single game. Whenever a commercial break or timeout happens, this is prime betting time for the NBA as this is the longest period of time in which the odds are stable.

Baseball

Make Live Bets Per at Bat

With MLB betting, you can wager on the outcome of a players next plate appearance. Baseball is one of the most mathematically driven moors betting online and has an abundance of analytics to predict how batters and pitchers perform against one another.

If you’re savvy enough to interpret these analytics, you can gather some valuable and informed data for these in-game prop bets.

Focus on the Pitchers Performances

In baseball, evaluating the pitcher is arguably the most critical component to determining the trajectory of a game.

For live bets, is the pitcher performing poorly on his first time through the order? Are they dominating multiple times through the lineup?

When you approach the fifth or sixth inning and see one-run moors betting online, this could be an excellent time to capitalize on value.

Unlike other sports, any team can win any day in the MLB.

Hockey

Be Mindful of Rest and Days Off

Hockey is such a physical game; at times, rest is good, but too much rest can negatively affect players. If you have teams coming off moors betting online close together versus a team with more rest, you could see less time for key players playing for the teams that have played more recently.

The Total is a Popular Way to Make Money

Hockey is an interesting sport as game plans change quite a bit even with the most narrow of leads.

Example: If a team is up by a couple of goals, it’s not uncommon for the team to put themselves into a shell to prevent scoring instead of trying to score more.

Where moors betting online get interesting is when they’re matching scores.

Personally, if a team goes up 2-0 or 3-0 and the total was 5.5 or so, taking the under is advisable.

Golf

Bet on Tournament Winners

Betting on a tournament winner pre-game is fine, but with such large fields of players, +800 in golf isn’t the same as another sport — that may not be the best value.

For betting on outright winners, always wait to see how the tournament progresses.

Example: Scottie Scheffler goes into the tournament with a line of +1000. However, after the first day of a tournament, he is behind four stokes and is now +2500. There’s more value here for a golfer you believe in.

Wager on Per Hole Winners

While this kind of prop isn’t available everywhere, it provides plenty of value when it is.

With these wagers, there’ll be in-game live betting lines for two golfers and a tie.

It is more likely that both golfers will have plus lines as tying on an individual hole is more likely in golf.

Best Sportsbooks for Live Betting

BetOnline

Not only is there a dedicated page for live betting at BetOnline, but you’ll find a full menu of the moors betting online in progress on the left-hand side.

BetOnline also has a scoreboard with a background representing the sport, such as a baseball diamond or basketball court, to further immerse you into live betting.

Once a game is selected, you’ll see the entire roster of available live wagers.

SportsBetting.Ag

SportsBetting.Ag’s user interface is a carbon copy of BetOnline, including the Match Tracker and Market Tips.

This is another option to visit to take advantage of the $1,000 deposit bonus welcome offer.

Bovada

While Bovada doesn’t have the interface that SportsBetting.Ag or BetOnline has, Bovada has 10+ years of a reputation built up in the industry.

The interface Bovada offers, while not aesthetically superior, serves its function.

It may be something minor, but having flashing betting lines helps catch your eye if you’re trying to multi-task while watching the event.

In 2022 Bovada increased its welcome bonus. Players can now get a 50% deposit match up to $1,000.

MyBookie

MyBookie landed here on the list due to the lack of a dedicated live betting page. At the top of the site, there’s a live betting option, but it just shows the live bets, which can also be found in a tab in the online sportsbook.

The sites mentioned previously have dedicated pages or interfaces, which eliminates the additional “noise” when making a bet.

MyBookie has flashing boxes for when odds change, but MyBookie thrives when it comes to live player prop bets, offering close to 20 each contest, depending on the sport.

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