How To Bet On Cricket - Betting Guide for Beginners

Outright (winner) bets

Outright Winner bets are betting options where you get to decide the match-winner, tournament winner, or series winner. Overall, Outright Winner is commonly referred to as match betting. For instance, if Pakistan is playing Australia in a one-off T20 match, Outright Winner bets will require you to decide which of the two teams will win the event. Of all the available cricket betting markets, you will find this betting option to be straightforward. But then, you must do adequate research on both teams to make a likely prediction.

Handicaps

Handicaps have become common in the cricket betting scene, with more and more bettors opting for the market. The betting option is where the operator levels the outcome by creating an advantage for the underdog. In short, thanks to handicaps, you can enjoy higher odds on instances where the odds would be otherwise not so competitive. A good example is if Scotland was playing Oman and the former ended up scoring 400 in their One Day International match.

This will trigger Scotland to receive lesser odds implying a smaller payout. However, you can decide to apply a -30.5 runs handicap to increase the odds. After the handicap, you get to bet on your favoured side while still enjoying great odds. But then, Scotland will have to overcome the handicap for you to win.

Over/Under Markets

Over/Under is yet another sports betting market you can consider when betting on different events such as the Cricket World Cup. This betting option involves predicting the total number of wickets or runs in a particular match. Your main task is to choose whether the totals will be over or under a specific number.

For instance, if you are betting on a T20 match between Sri Lanka and Australia. The operator may publish 295.5 as the total number of runs likely to be made during the event. If you think both teams will not be able to reach that number of runs, you can bet under 295.5. After the match, if both teams achieve a cumulative 240 runs, your bet wins. However, if the runs are 300, you lose.

First Ball/First Over Cricket Betting

First Ball/First Over is a betting market that is highly recommended if you want to bet on an immediate outcome. With this betting market, you get to determine whether the first ball will be a wicket or a four. Consider a One Day International (ODI) between the Netherlands and England. You can decide to predict a six will be hit for the first ball. If that is the case, you win. But then, some bookies can decide to be less specific and allow you to bet on the First Over or Under.

Innings Run

When betting on Innings, you need to predict the number of runs a team will score for the initial batting period. Unlike most bets, this option does not require you to state the exact score but rather guess whether the runs will be above or below a certain number. For example, in a T20 match between Ireland and New Zealand, you may choose to predict whether the innings run-rate for Ireland will be over 4.5. If you predict over and the team scores 5 runs, your bet wins. Note that this is one of the most common markets at cricket betting sites.

Player Bets

Player bets are markets that allow you to gamble on a particular player. In short, you can bet on Harshal Patel of the Indian Premier League to be the top bowler of a match. Like other betting options, you must do adequate research on these bets to predict accurately. But the good news is that your research may focus on a single player and not the whole team. Some of the markets revolving around player bets include:

• Top bowler
• Man of the match
• Bowler bet - Most wickets
• Batsman bet - Most runs

Team Bets

Team bets are direct opposites of player bets. With them, you focus on the whole squad and not a single person. For example, on a One Day International fixture of England vs South Africa, you can decide to gamble on Outright Winner. If you choose South Africa and they end up with more runs in the match, you win. Other examples of team bets include:

• Series score
• Team of top batsman
• Series winner
• Win toss

Indian Premier League (IPL)

The Indian Premier League, popularly known as IPL, is the cream of the crop of T20 tournaments. As the name suggests, this is a competition in India participated by ten teams based on the ten popular cities of India. The league was founded in 2008 and follows the Twenty20 format. Mumbai Indians are the most successful cricket team in the league, with some of the top bowlers and the best batters.

ICC Cricket World Cup

If you are looking for the most competitive cricket championships, look no further than ICC Cricket World Cup. These tournaments are held every four years to determine the best cricket team in the world. International Cricket Council has been organising the tournament since 1975, the day it was founded. There are tournaments for One Day International and T20 cricket.

Big Bash League (BBL)

Big Bash League or BBL is yet another top-tier championship in Australia consisting of eight competing teams. The championship was launched in 2011 by Cricket Australia and has been making headlines ever since. This league takes on the Twenty20 format and was a replacement for the previous KFC Twenty20 Big Bash, which only featured six teams.

The One Hundred

The One Hundred is one of the latest cricket competitions whose inception is meant to make the game faster and more enjoyable. This tournament is a limited-overs cricket played by two teams, each having a single inning of 100 balls. This tournament was launched by the England and Wales Cricket Board, with the main focus being to attract younger cricket players.

The Ashes

It is impossible to name a top test match cricket series without including The Ashes. This iconic series is between England and Australia, and has been active since 1882. The Ashes takes the 5-match series format, and for the years it has been active, Australia has proven to be the most successful team.

Look out for the best available odds

Always look out for the best odds when gambling on cricket. You need to take your time to compare match odds before you settle for a particular bookmaker. With the best odds available, you are sure to make a more significant win if your bet wins. One of the main secrets of finding fantastic cricket odds is opting for future bets and specials. A good bookie offers odds ranging from 1.20 to 500.00 and sometimes more. However, getting a sportsbook with average odds of 100.00 is a great start.

Take advantage of matched betting and arbitrage betting

If you are looking for the best betting system, you should consider Matched betting and Arbitrage betting. These systems entail backing a particular market at a sportsbook and then laying the same bet at a betting exchange. The idea is to either make a profit or break even. Note that matched betting and Arbitrage betting are great choices, especially if you are looking for a cricket betting strategy that works instantly and does not require too much mathematics.

Follow cricket tipsters and their expert predictions

Following cricket tipsters and taking note of their expert predictions is a brilliant move if you want to increase your chances of placing successful bets. However, make sure you do your research before opting for expert predictions. This will give you a wide scope of the markets. Applying this strategy is highly recommended to expert and novice players. After all, if you are good at doing research, you can use the information to verify your findings.

Take the small wins and profits

A Beginners' biggest mistake when gambling online is failing to enjoy small winnings. Gambling is unpredictable. It is pivotal that you appreciate any profits you make. Most bettors assume that they will enjoy significant payouts at one point or another. Well, this is not always true. Make sure you pocket every profit you make. You will be surprised to learn that the chances of small wins accumulating to a better payout are higher than that of achieving a substantial earning with a single bet.

Check the Weather Forecast

If you are an avid cricket fan, you can testify that the weather is a key determinant of the outcome. Knowing the kind of weather expected during cricket matches will determine the length of the event. Also, humidity can affect the movement of the ball, this may affect the team set-up - should the team include swing bowlers or not. It can also help you determine the expected score, especially if you combine it with your extensive research. This strategy is suitable whether you are placing player bets or team bets. It is also most recommended regardless of the event.

State of the Pitch and Creases

Take note of the pitch inspection as this will affect all aspects of the game. Is it a flat pitch so more suited to batters or will it deteriorate to create better conditions for spin bowlers? These questions and resulting answers will affect the coin toss when the winning captain must decide to bat or field first, so what pitch conditions suit his/her team the most. As you can see this will affect how the team plays and therefore your cricket betting strategy.

Not Familiar with The Sport

Before proceeding with cricket betting online, the first law is to make sure you are familiar with the sport. It is a significant mistake to start gambling on cricket without knowing the gameplay or formats. By understanding the sport, you will have an easy time doing your research. Furthermore, you will have a hint of what bets to place since different cricket formats require different types of betting.

Ignoring Team Form and Injuries

Ignorance is another mistake you cannot afford to make when you bet on a cricket match. A lot of people often ignore teams' form and injuries, not knowing they have a significant impact on the outcome of the games. You should note that if a team's best batsman or bowler gets injured, it will affect the entire team's performance. Therefore, research and watch their previous performances to gauge the team's form. After that, go through the latest injury list to know who will be playing the match and who will be missing due to injuries.

Mismanaging Your Bankroll

Most players make the grave mistake of mismanaging their bankroll by failing to develop a working bankroll management strategy. To be safe, you need to take control of your bankroll as soon as you start betting on cricket. Instead of gambling blindly, come up with your daily, weekly, and even monthly betting budget. How much you are willing to gamble should be money you can afford and not borrowed cash. If you exhaust your betting before the set time limit, pause until the next day or week. By doing so, you will avoid running into gambling debt.

Betting on Your Favourite Team

Betting on your favourite team is a mistake popularly known as emotional gambling. In most cases, such bets are not carefully analysed or researched, due to bettors following their hearts and not their head. As a result, they often fail, which can easily lead to a losing streak. Ideally, you should only consider betting on your favourite cricket club after thoroughly examining the teams and doing extensive research. Otherwise, place bets that are backed by statistics and facts. Avoiding emotional gambling is a step toward having a successful gambling career.