Beach Volleyball Betting Strategy

Contributor | July 8th, 2014

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Beach volleyball is increasing in popularity every year, but while some are still skeptical about the merits of the sport, a quick look at beach volleyball betting opportunities should dispel any prejudices.

Know the Rules

Beach volleyball is different to indoor volleyball in many different ways and, before betting on beach volleyball, it's worth considering them. The key differences from a gambler's perspective are:

• The court is smaller.
• There are two players, rather than six.
• A match is the best of three, not five.
• A game is won by the first to hit 21, not 25; and just 15 in tie-break sets.
• There are no rotation errors or 'attack line.'
• A block at the net counts as a touch, so the ball often has to be dealt with quicker.
• The playing surface, which is sand instead of a hard court.

What these boil down to is a faster game, where players can move more freely and must turn around losing games rapidly. There's no 'long game' in beach volleyball.

Picking an Approach

The tempo and style of beach volleyball makes in-play betting a tempting prospect, especially as many betting sites will allow members with a positive balance to stream matches live from the betting console. When betting in-play, games change quickly, and bookies' odds fluctuate in response. That means arbitrage, backing high and laying low, are important tactics.

For example, when Borger and Büthe of Germany faced Zumkehr and Heidrich of Switzerland met in the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Grand Slam at Gstaad 2014, the Germans entered the match as heavy favourites. But after losing the first set, they were available at 6/4 in the match winner market with Winner, and their opponents just 9/20. As the Germans got back into the match, their odds steadily dipped until their eventual triumph, showing how important timing can be. When playing the match winner market, it's also worth considering using cash out options, since an early bet on the Swiss underdogs, in this example, could have been cashed out at a significant profit after the first set.

Choosing a Market

Gamblers may also prefer to place bets in alternative beach volleyball markets. For example, in the same match, more conservative gamblers could have backed the Germans to win the second set in the set winner market, which was available at 8/13 with Winner Sports at the start of the set.

For hotly contested or one-sided sets, gamblers should turn to the total points market, since backing either high (usually over 38.5 or so) or low points tallies in a single set can be an excellent way to get value from matches that otherwise may be too one sided to gain significant returns from; or too tight to call.

Using Statistics

When making pre-match bets, there are also a variety of statistics that can be harnessed to assess opportunities. Ahead of Grand Slam tournaments, it's essential to at least consider the FIVB rankings, which contain total point tallies by team and player. Examining the form is also an important way of identifying which teams are on form, improving, or weakening. Though taking into account the strength of their opponents is vital.

Visit Winner Sports today for all of the latest beach volleyball odds.