Tennis Handicap Betting: Game & Set Handicap Tennis Betting Explained

To answer the “what does a tennis handicap mean” question, we first need to give some basic information about handicap/spread betting or even tennis handicap betting tips and tricks. In every sport, including tennis, every match has a favorite (team/player expected to win the match) and an underdog, such as tennis underdogs (team/player expected to lose the match).

If you’re new to betting you should know that tennis betting sites give “positive” and “negative” points to both sides in accordance with these expectations. These points indicate what the outcome of the match must be in order to win that bet. This system is generally called handicap or point spread betting.

Let’s give a simple example of the tennis handicap scoring system.

We won’t be talking about tennis betting rules in detail here. For more information, we recommend that you take a look at our tennis odds explained guide. For now, just know that a positive odds represent the underdog, and a negative odds represent the favorite.

Remember that the points indicate what the score should be: whether you’re playing European handicap, Asian handicap, or Asian handicap 0.5, you’re betting on the score difference on the outcome, rules that apply even on crypto betting sites. In other words, it is none of your business who wins or loses. You can win your bet as long as the outcome of the match matches the handicap points.

These are the general rules of handicap betting, but tennis handicap bets also have their own special features: you can bet on match points or set points. The outcome of the match is not your only option – below, we explain this in detail and with examples. Here you can see an example how Russian table tennis set handicap odds are displayed.

If you want to learn how to handicap a tennis match, you can start with game handicap betting tennis. It is actually pretty easy and remarkably similar to handicap betting on the match result, even when betting on mobile, which is why it is also called match handicap in tennis. However, due to tennis rules, a “match” is not a single game. It consists of multiple “sets” and the results of these sets will define the score difference.

Sounds complex? Let’s give a simple example so you can understand better. In this example, we will assume there is a tennis match with 3 sets between Karolina Muchova and Varvara Lepchenko.

Tennis betting set handicap is remarkably similar to game handicap tennis betting, but this time you are betting on the set results, instead of the game. The same principles apply to table tennis betting.

Once again, here is a simple example. This time, we are assuming that there is a game between Cori Gauff and Qiang Wang.

Once again, note that you are betting on the set results, not the game result. 

We answered what is tennis handicap betting question above, but there is one more thing we need to mention before moving on: live tennis betting. Tennis handicap bets can be placed on live matches too, and they can be either for the game or set points.

Other than the fact that you are betting on a live match in real time, in play tennis handicap betting has no difference. However, we can say that you will get better odds (and tennis spread betting opportunities) with live betting. 

Now you know the answer to the question of how to handicap tennis, but we also want to share some tips for you to be successful.

We answered the “is there handicap scoring in tennis” question and the answer is yes. What you have to keep in mind is that with the right market you can win pretty big figures, especially when courtsiding would say some. Without wasting any more time, pick one of our recommended bookmakers and try tennis handicap betting with a bonus today. Remember that some of our bookies also offer a free bet bonus, which can be used for tennis spread betting. Try your luck today and use our tips to win big!