A Beginner’s Guide to Badminton Betting

An Introduction to Badminton

Much like tennis, Badminton is played by players either side of a net. However, rather than use a ball, the game uses a shuttlecock, which can reach speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. The aim of the game is to hit the shuttlecock over the net and have it land in one of the designated court areas. Points are won by a player when the opponent fails to hit the shuttlecock, hits it into the net, or hits it out of bounds. Most Badminton matches consist of three sets and the first player to reach 21 points wins a set.

As with tennis, there are two forms of the game, singles and doubles (including mixed doubles). Players hit the shuttlecock with a stringed racket, similar to a tennis racket but a different shape. They may only hit it once before it either hits the ground or goes over the net. The court itself is 6.1m wide and 13.4m long and the net is 1.55m high. There are of course more rules, but these basics are enough to be able to watch and understand the sport.

Unfortunately, Badminton was withdrawn from the Olympics, but there are a number of exciting Badminton tournaments and events each year. There is the BWF Super Series, which is an annual, second tiered event that was created by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in 2006 and involves 12 countries. There is the Super Series Masters Final, which is the culmination of the BWF Super Series. It takes place at the end of each year and it is contested by the top eight players and teams based upon the Super Series rankings. There is also the World Championships, which have been taking place since 1977 and sees the players compete across five divisions, women’s singles, men’s singles, women’s doubles, men’s doubles and mixed singles.

Badminton Betting Markets

There are a huge number of different Badminton betting markets available, giving you the chance to bet on many different aspects of matches and tournaments. Here we will explain the most popular of them to help you get started.

Straight Bets

This is the most popular and most straightforward kind of bet you can place on a match. It is simply a bet on which of the two players you think will win. After backing a player, if they then win the match, you will win your bet, regardless of the winning margin or any other factors.

Handicap Betting

When looking at the Straight Bet markets, very often there will be a clear favourite to win, which means the odds will be fairly short. This means that you will have to risk a large amount of money on your bet in order to win a significant amount. In order to compensate for this, Handicap Betting was introduced. It essentially assigns the favourite player a handicap, which means that longer odds will be available.

As there are only two possible results from a Badminton match, 2-0 or 2-1, the handicap is always fixed at -1.5 to the favourite and +1.5 to the underdog. This means that if you back the favourite with the -1.5 handicap, then the player must win the match 2-0 for you to win the bet. Alternatively, if you were to back the underdog with the +1.5 handicap, then even if that player loses the match, you will still win the bet if the player has won a set. As it is not uncommon for the favourite to lose a set but go on to win the match, this can be a very favourable market.

Over/Under Bets

This is a category of bets that is very simple to understand. You are simply betting whether something will happen more or less times than the given number. For example, you may be able to bet on the Total Points in a match, which means that you are betting on the number of points scored by both players. This will be presented as a choice of more or less than a specific number. For example, it may be over/under 72.5, which means that you should back the over market if you think the match will have three sets or back the under market if you think the match will be won in two straight sets.

Correct Score

As mentioned, there are only two possible winning score lines in Badminton, 2-1 or 2-0. This market simply allows you to bet on which of the two you think it will be.

Set Betting

These markets allow you to bet on the individual sets rather than the match as a whole. For instance, you can bet on which player will win a specific set or the over/under points in a set. You may also be able to bet on what the difference of points in a set will be. It is usually given as a range, such as 2-4 points, 4-6 points, and so on.

Leader After

This is a simple market that allows you to bet on which of the players will be leading after 5, 10, 15, 20 or more points in a set.

Odds/Even Total Match/Set Points

These two markets should be used for fun. It is simply a bet on whether the total number of points scored in a match or a set will be an odd or even number.

Outrights

These are markets that cover an event as whole rather than individual matches. For example, before a tournament you may be able to bet on who the ultimate winner will be, as well as who the runners up will be. Occasionally you may find some more interesting markets, such as which player will score the most points or win the most sets over the course of a tournament. The bets will vary from tournament to tournament, so it is always worth having a look to see what is on offer.

In-Play

In-play, or live, betting can make watching Badminton even more exciting. It allows you to bet on a match as it takes place. This means that if you think a player is looking strong, you could quickly back them to win the set or the match. You will also find a number of ‘next to’ bets, which are bets on the next thing to happen, such as the next player to score. The odds are updated in real time as the game progresses, so by keeping a careful eye on them together with the action, you may be able to take advantage of some rewarding betting opportunities.

What to Consider When Betting on Badminton

As with any sport, the key is to do as much research as possible before you place your bets. While it won’t guarantee that you win, it will improve your chances.

Most of the research that you should do is self-evident. You will want to look at the players’ recent results to see what kind of form they have been in. You can also consider things such as whether they have been particularly busy, so may be fatigued, or if they are recovering from any injuries. It is also worth looking at the head-to-head record between the two players.

There are a couple of things that can have a huge impact on Badminton that many people overlook. The first of these is the temperature, altitude, and humidity of the badminton court. All of these factors will affect the speed of the shuttlecock, which will give some players an advantage while putting others at a disadvantage. If the court is at a high altitude with a high temperature and humidity it will make the shuttlecock faster, and the converse is of course also true. If a player’s style is hard hitting and attack oriented, then the faster courts will favour them and the players that are more defensive and slower paced will suffer.

The second factor is much harder to judge, but if you can get a sense of it, then it can truly help. A shuttlecock weighs just 5 grams, which means that even a small change in air currents or a small draft can make a big difference. This will mainly be useful for live betting where you may see that there is an airstream affecting play, and you may then be able to capitalise on it.

Betting on Badminton can be hugely enjoyable and rewarding. If you make maximum use of all the different types of betting markets and carry out careful research, then with a bit of luck, you will soon be placing numerous successful bets.