What is in-play Betting

Sports betting has long been dominated by wagers on the point spread, over-under or moneyline, but live in-game wagering has been rising quickly. These bets force you to make quick decisions, and they require you to pay close attention to momentum and how the teams are performing in a particular game.

It is a much more exciting opportunity for bettors, and most sportsbooks offer numerous options, from updated moneyline odds to various prop bets. Will the next play be a run? How many passing yards will the quarterback have on his team’s next drive? The possibilities are endless, and the key to success is paying closing attention and making timely decisions.  

One of the most popular in-game bets is putting money on a favorite that falls behind early. Before the game, bettors might have needed to lay -200 on the moneyline, but if that favorite falls behind early, you could get the same team at +100.

If you’re confident that the favorite looks good enough to rally, you can take advantage of the new odds and cash in. It also could allow you to hedge your bets a bit if you faded the public and went with the underdog and your instinct tells you the favorite just needs to seize the momentum.

Some sites have dozens of live options on a contest, and the type of bets available depends on how much time is left. You won’t be able to find a live spread late in the game, but you might be able to bet on whether or how a team will score.

Sportsbooks set live odds when there is a break in the action, and in addition to offering prop bets on upcoming drives or the next play call, they usually reset point spreads, totals and the moneyline. The moneyline can be especially profitable, especially if a team falls behind by a sizable margin.

In the AFC divisional round game in between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans in the 2019-20 playoffs, the Texans took a 24-0 lead in the first quarter. Kansas City came into the game as a 10-point favorite at -475 on the moneyline at most shops.

When the Chiefs fell behind, their odds moved to +265 at the end of the first quarter, meaning that you would have needed to bet $475 to win $100 before the game. If you were confident that KC would rally and you bet that same $475 after the first quarter, your profit would be $1258.75.