Cricket Betting for Beginners
In this beginners guide to cricket betting we are going to cover the most popular bet types you can place on a cricket match and what they mean. Cricket is a much popular betting sport in the UK than it is in the USA but the game is beginning to spread and it's firmly in the ICC's mind to get the game going all over the world. If you're new to cricket and cricket betting then this guide should take you from a complete newbie cricket bettor to someone who understands all the popular bet types and what you're betting on. You'll find all the best betting sites offer cricket betting so have a read on our beginners guide and get stuck in.
Popular Cricket Bets
We'd be doing you an injustice if we didn't cover the most popular bet types in this beginners guide to cricket betting so lets dive right in and look at what you can bet on before and during any cricket match.
Win/Lose/Draw
Cricket is no different to other sports when it comes to win/lose/draw betting. It's the most popular betting market and always holds the most liquidity. It's worth noting that the odds on a draw are going to be massive in any one day game. Draw betting is only really popular on test matches which are games that take place over the course of five days where both teams have two innings each.
Top Batsman
Top batsman is a common cricket bet type and here you'll find odds on all the players considered to be batsman in both teams. Covering all other players (the bowlers) you'll find the odds listed as 'any other' or 'none of the above'. Basically here you are betting on the player who you think will score most runs during the game. This applies to both teams so the player you back must be the overall top run scorer in the game.
Leading Wicket Taker
The leading wicket taker market is much like the top batsman market. You'll get odds listed on all the players considered to be bowlers in the game. Here you are betting on the bowler who takes the most wickets during the course of the game. Again to win on this market you must back the games overall leading wicket taker.
To Score 50 or 100
You'll find odds on all players in this market and here you are betting on a player to score 50 runs or 100 runs during the match depending on the market you've selected. Obviously recognized batsman and players in form will be listed at a shorter price here. It's not uncommon for lower order batsman or even bowlers to score 50 runs in a game and outsider odds are always good when betting the to score markets.
Next Batsman Out
Next batsman out is a bet which is placed during the match. As you can guess by the name of the market you are betting on the next batsman to be dismissed. You'll be presented with the names of both batsman currently at the crease for this market and the odds will reflect their chances of being next out.
First Innings Runs
The first innings runs market presents you with the opportunity to bet on the amount of runs a team will score in their first innings. Here you will get quite a few options usually starting at 100 and going up in denominations of 50 runs. The more runs you back the higher the odds will be. You will also find that betting sites offer second innings runs markets as well as first innings.
Method Of First Dismissal
You can even bet on the method of the first dismissal at cricket betting sites. Here you're basically betting on how you think the first batsman to get out will be out. Your options are caught, LBW, bowled, run out, stumped and any other method. The odds here will depend on the batsman who open the batting and the type of bowlers they will likely be facing.