What is in-play betting? Live betting explained with William Hill

In-play betting is a form of betting that takes place after a game or match has started and before it has finished. With live betting, William Hill puts you in the hot seat during the action. 

What is in-play betting?

In-play betting, also known as live betting or run betting, is the process of placing a bet during an event. This could be, for example, during a football match, horse race, golf tournament, or any event that carries a betting market.

In-play betting during the event takes away the requirement to study form and stats prior to a match and lets you decide what you think is worth punting on.

William Hill has a wide range of in play betting markets to choose from so here’s everything you need to know in order to make that winning live bet.

In-play betting explained: Why choose a live bet?

Wherever you are able to place a bet, there will be odds which would have been determined prior to the start of the event. These may change during the build-up depending on circumstances and other considerations and are likely to change right up until the beginning of the event.

For example, the Red team may go into a match as clear favourites but as the event begins, they concede a goal to the Blue team after just a couple of minutes. The odds will change in order to accommodate this and whilst the Red team may still go on to win the match, conceding a goal has reduced the chances of them ending victorious, and will subsequently increase their odds.

Crucially, because of this, anyone who places a bet on the Red team will get better odds than they would have if they’d placed a bet on the Red team before the event had started. Cashing out too could have proved to be a sound decision too.

The odds are decided in real time by the bookmaker, and are updated based on whatever is happening during the event. They can also be influenced by what has happened in similar situations in previous events.

Every instance of what’s happening in the event is taken into consideration and used to alter the odds accordingly. It’s this system that is used during in betting across every sport, or event, in order to provide the most accurate in-play betting experience possible.

You can bet live, in-play across many different sports and events.

Check out our handicap betting guide including rules, bets and examples. 

In-play Betting: Our tips

Many of the in-play betting tips also relevant to the standard type of betting. If you a follow a plan and certain strategies, then these can certainly support your in-play betting efforts.

Here are some examples of those betting tips are below:

Back a favourite who is not currently winning – By backing a favourite who is currently losing, there is a chance they will find their way back into a match, so taking advantage of the long odds whilst they are losing may prove profitable if they are able to turn things around during the event.

Bet against the momentum – Understanding the momentum is a key factor in live betting. For example, if the Red team score an early goal, then their confidence will grow, which may increase their chances of winning. This can also work in the opposite way, for example, if the Blue team concede, or lose a key player through injury, and their in-play betting odds will diminish. Back losing favourites or the next goalscorer can potentially enable you to capture stronger live betting odds.

Hedge your bets – This involves betting on a different outcome to your original bet to ensure that you take a guaranteed profit or reduce exposure to a loss. For example, if you had placed a pre-match bet on the Red team to win 1-o. If after 75 minutes the Blue team are dominating and likely to score, you may want to add an in-play bet on the Blues winning 0-1, or alternatively, a bet of over 0.5 goals in the match.  If the bet lands, it will minimise the loss on your original bet. Having these kind of options open to you can make in-play betting more profitable.

For more advice, tips and guides got betting on this weekend’s Premier League action, visit our football accumulator article.

In-play Betting markets: What William Hill can offer you

Many of the live betting markets would not be possible with traditional betting, as the majority of markets available are only relevant until the event has finished, and these will depend on the sport that you are betting on. There are a wide variety of markets to bet on most sports, with popular sports including football, tennis, golf, cricket, and snooker.

Some examples of popular in-play markets are:

• Next goal scorer / assist?
• Which team will score next?
• Who will win the next half / frame / set
• Who will win the next corner?

Markets close and reopen again as soon as they have occurred, meaning that there are markets available almost continuously through the event.

Do in-play markets ever get suspended during, or before the end of the match?

Yes, if a significant action happens affecting the outcome of the event, then markets can be suspended temporarily in order to update the odds accordingly. This may happen before or during the event, and can happen a number of times depending on what’s going on. The odds are always updated as quickly as possible in order to provide the most accurate way to reflect the circumstances.