A Beginner’s Guide to Table Tennis Betting

An Introduction to Table Tennis

To the uninitiated, Table Tennis may look like a miniature game of tennis and there is no denying that there are similarities between the two sports, but there are also some very important differences.

The game is usually played between single competitors, although there are also doubles matches. The players stand at either end of the table that has a low net across the middle of it. They then use wooden bats to hit the ball back and forth. The basic objective is for a player to prevent their opponent from bouncing the ball onto their end of the table and past them, which scores a point.

The first player to reach 11 points wins the game, as long as they have at least a two-point lead. The matches may be best of five or seven, depending on the competition.

There are a few more important rules that you should be aware of. Players are not allowed to hit the ball into the net or allow it to bounce more than twice in their own half of the table. Furthermore, players cannot hit the ball into the side-line margin of the table or to hit back a ball that entered the side-line. Finally, a ball that is hit into the opponent’s half must leave the table via the back edge, if it falls off the edge then the player concedes a point.

The way that the ball is served is also a bit different from tennis. In Table Tennis, each player will serve twice in succession before it alternates. Furthermore, after each game players will switch ends of the table in order to be sure that no player has an advantage due to the layout of the venue.

The most popular Table Tennis events to bet on are the ITTF championships, which are held across the world in numerous countries. The other major betting event is the Olympic Games, which are of course held every four years.

Table Tennis Betting Markets

There are numerous Table Tennis betting markets available to fans with many options for betting on games, matches and tournaments. Here we will explain the most popular betting markets and how you can use them.

Match Winner

This betting market is entirely self-explanatory and it is by far the simplest and most popular market. You just have to select which player you think will win. If they then win the match, regardless of by how much, you win your bet and receive a payout.

Handicap Betting

When you look at the Match Winner markets, very often the odds will be quite short. This means that to be in with a chance of winning a large amount, you will have to bet a large amount. In order to offer punters more generous odds, Handicap betting was introduced. It assigns the favourite to win a handicap that they must overcome, allowing for longer and more generous odds.

Very often in Table Tennis, there is a standard handicap of 1.5 games, this is particularly true when the match is the best of five. This means that the favourite, Player A, would be given a handicap of -1.5 and the underdog, Player B, would be given a handicap of +1.5. If you back the favourite, then you will win the bet as long as the player wins the match by more than one game. If you back the underdog, then you will win the bet as long as the player does not lose by more than one game.

Over/Under Bets

This is a very simple category of bets. In Table Tennis, the markets usually refer to how many points are scored in a game or a match. It is the total points rather than the points scored by a specific player. For instance, the market may offer over or under 40.5 points in a match, which means you bet over if you think there will be more or under if you think there will be less. The same principle is true when applied to individual games. Furthermore, you may find more markets, such as the number of points scored by a specific player.

Correct Score

This is a bet on what you think the final score of the match will be. You will be presented with a number of options and then simply need to pick the one that you want to back.

Outrights

These markets don’t relate to individual matches but rather to tournaments as a whole. You can bet on things such as who will win the tournament and who will be the runner up. You may also be able to back players to reach certain stages of the tournament, or bet on which players will score the most points over the course of the tournament. Before an event, it is always worth taking a look at these markets to see what is on offer as you might spot some excellent opportunities.

In-Play

In-play betting, also known as live betting, makes watching Table Tennis even more exciting. It allows you to bet on a match as it is taking place. The odds for the various markets are updated in real time to reflect the action, and those who are sharp eyed may be able to spot some excellent opportunities. For instance, you may be able to bet on which player will win the next point, or who will win the next game or set.

What to Consider When Betting on Table Tennis

The key to successful betting is to do as much research as possible. While it will never guarantee a win, it will go a long way to improving your success.

An obvious place to start with Table Tennis is the player rankings. You should also look at how the player has been progressing through the rankings in recent times. It sounds obvious but a player who is climbing through the rankings is likely to be in better form than a player who is falling. However, the player who is falling may be more desperate, and this adds another dimension to your considerations.

In addition to rankings, you need to look at the players’ recent results, as it should give you a good indication of their current form. You may also want to consider factors such as their schedule and their travel, as both of these can affect the energy levels and make a difference to their performances.

You can also examine the playing style of the two players within a match. For example, some players may struggle against left-handed opponents, and it is always good to be aware of this. In addition, look at the way they hold the racquet, some players may be more comfortable with a backhand, while others are better with a forehand. European players tend to find it strange to play against penhold style grip opponents while Asian players find the more standard shakehand grip quite uncomfortable. The way in which a player serves the ball and whether they curl it is also very important.

If possible, you should try to get a sense of the players’ personalities and mentalities. This can have a big impact on how they perform, particularly in high pressure events. This is not easy to do with Table Tennis, as it is not widely reported on, but any research you can do is likely to make a difference. On a more practical level, try to stay aware of any player injuries and get a sense of how long it takes to recover from different types of injuries. If you know that a player has been injured and it seems that they are returning very quickly, then it is likely that they will not be playing at their best.

It goes without saying that you should be watching as much Table Tennis as possible. The more you can watch, the better your understanding of the sport and the players will become. You can then combine what you learn through watching with your research when trying to make predictions. Of course, it is not an exact science, but it is far better than simply guessing or betting on the player with the shortest odds.

Table Tennis is a hugely enjoyable sport to watch and play, and betting on it only adds to the excitement. Now that you have read the guide, you should be well positioned to start placing bets on Table Tennis matches, and hopefully, you will soon be collecting your first winnings.