Volleyball betting: how to choose and where to bet

Despite the fact that volleyball is not one of the top 3 popular sports, it has many fans. The attention of spectators is attracted by its dynamics and the heat of passion on the court. Bookmakers can’t overlook this interest, and bookmakers offer in-play (during the game) or pre-match (before the event) betting on volleyball. What should be considered when wishing to bet on volleyball? Here’s a guide to the essentials.

The International Volleyball Federation was founded in 1947. As early as 1949, the first World Championship was held, and in 1964 volleyball was added to the Olympic Games. Volleyball requires a tall stature, so it did not become a grassroots sport, but the number of fans remains high.

It is a peculiarity of the sport: the rules are constantly changing.

The first rules of volleyball were published in 1897, and the game was quite different then. The rules called for playing on courts measuring 7.6 x 15.1 m, with a 198cm high net in the middle. However, there were no limits on the number of players on the court or on the number of times the ball was touched. The game was played to 21 points per game, with only own service points counting.

Such freedom of action created chaos, and matches lacked dynamism, so first a limit was imposed on the number of players on the court, with no more than six per team. Then the net was raised to a height of 243 cm and a limit of no more than three touches during combination play was imposed. All this was done in the first half of the 20th century, but volleyball rules have continued to change.

Now, the game is a home and away serve, you can touch the ball with any part of your body, and teams have a strictly defensive player, the libero. There are also restrictions on stepping behind the lines, touching the net and much more.

Even long-time supporters of the game do not always know all its intricacies and subtleties. The more so that in modern volleyball matches are often played under different rules at different tournaments. For example, at some competitions there is a technical break when one team gains 8 and 16 points, but at other competitions there are no such breaks. It turns out that coaches have less opportunity to influence the result in the course of the match by giving instructions to players.

Nevertheless, it is worth bearing in mind that a successful volleyball betting strategy is created by understanding the game and paying attention to various factors in analysis, and knowing the entire rulebook is just a “bonus”.

Types of volleyball betting: important points and nuances

Volleyball betting is broadly similar to betting on other team ball sports, although there are nuances.

Bets on the outcome, so popular in football, are virtually non-existent in volleyball. Although bookmakers do offer bets on both the outcome of the match and the result of a single set. But in many matches the difference in class between the teams is very big, and the odds on the favourite’s victory are too low. Sometimes bookmakers do not give it at all, limiting themselves to handicaps.

Betting on handicaps is a very popular choice for bookmakers who bet on this sport. What is a handicap in volleyball betting? It is the difference in the number of points scored between the teams, or more precisely, it is a known advantage or an acceptable gap of one of the opponents. In volleyball, bookmakers give handicaps either for individual games or for the whole match.

Total betting in this sport is also popular. Strategies for betting on volleyball totals vary. Someone bets on the number of points in the whole match, other players bet on the total in a separate set, and there are also individual volleyball player totals. In general, total betting involves betting on a certain number of points more or less than the number of points offered by the bookmaker.

Bookmakers also offer betting on the volleyball score, but experienced players rarely take advantage of this opportunity. When there is a big difference in class between the teams, the odds on a 3-0 score are too low. If the opponents are more evenly matched, it is difficult to predict the score.

Balance betting. Not a very popular bet, but one that involves betting on the balance to reach 24:24. Some gamblers use this option as a basis for their live volleyball betting strategy, as the balance can change considerably in the course of a set.

Statistical betting. Volleyball enthusiasts use their knowledge of certain patterns in the play of individual teams. For example, the number of shutout serves, the number of timeouts, and even video viewings in a match. It is worth noting here, however, that few bookmakers accept such bets.

Even/Odd odds betting. This kind of bet, also popular in basketball, can be called a lottery. Sometimes the players make such bets, but they do not have to do any analysis or make any preparations for the match: here they have to rely entirely on luck.

Long-term bets, such as winning the Nations League, the World Cup or a national championship. Those bets are placed long before the outcome of the tournament is known. The disadvantage of this type of bet is that you will have to wait a long time for it to be settled. On the other hand, if a punter succeeds in making a correct prediction without watching the teams in the tournament, there is the possibility of placing a higher odds bet.

How to bet on volleyball correctly?

To successfully bet on this sport, it is important to know all the ins and outs of volleyball betting. For example, be aware of the balance in volleyball.

• In this sport, the role of individual players cannot be underestimated. There are usually one or two volleyball players who score more than 15 points per match and determine the outcome of the match. Therefore, one should look for information about the condition of these players: whether they are injured and whether they will participate in the match at all.
• In volleyball statistics should be trusted, both as team and individual players. If some players have an average of 6-7 serves per match, there is a chance that in the game you are considering, the number will be close to these figures as well. The same applies to the number of blocks and other statistics.
• You should pay attention to the team’s competitive schedule and tournament motivation. If you have played several matches during the week and have secured your desired result beforehand, the reserves will probably play the final and not decisive game. This means that the result may not be the one that was expected at the beginning. The bookmakers are quick to react to these situations and the odds can change rapidly up to a few hours before kick-off. Therefore sometimes it is better to place bets just before the game starts.
• In volleyball it is important to stick to pre-match analysis and not to bet in a hurry. Even if the favourite has let his opponent off the hook a little early in the game, in most cases he will win the upper hand towards the end of the set.

Where can I bet on volleyball?

Knowing the secrets of volleyball betting is not enough – it is important to find a suitable betting shop. Even though volleyball is one of the ten most popular sports in the world, the betting variation and volume of information for analysis is lower than in football, tennis or other popular sports.

Most Ukrainian online bookmakers limit selection of volleyball bets to streams and handicaps, and not all of them even have totals. Also note that all bookmakers have high margins for volleyball betting, rarely under 4% and usually they are in the 5-8% range. This is one of the reasons why volleyball is not as often bet on as football, basketball and other sports.