How to bet on volleyball: strategies and tips from the experts

Volleyball is not only considered one of the most popular sports in the world, following football, hockey and basketball, but also one of the most popular sports for betting at the betting shops. If betting on some sports is risky and unpromising, then betting on volleyball is likely to be profitable for bettors! But to do so, you have to be good at it.

In this article, we will look at the main types of volleyball bets that bookmakers offer in their lines, as well as a few features that are specific to the sport and should be considered when betting.

Volleyball as a sport and betting discipline

Volleyball is popular in most countries and betting on it attracts many bettors. It is loved for its dynamism, spectacle (yes, it’s all about spectacular saves, comebacks and more), and its predictability. But it’s also productive and split into segments, which gives you more betting opportunities.

If you bet correctly on volleyball, they can be very profitable over long distances, because with good sports analysis it is not that difficult to predict the outcomes of matches. Team and individual statistics always help in correct match analysis.

To bet successfully on volleyball you should also learn the rules of the sport (which change frequently):

In most volleyball tournaments the game is played up to 5 sets (games) or one team wins in 3 sets;
If a team wins the first three games, it wins the match;
To win a game, a team needs to score 25 points by a margin of at least 2 points; with a score of 24-24, play is played until one team has a margin of 2 points;
If the game reaches a fifth set, it shall be played to 15 points, with the condition of a lead of at least 2 points being maintained.

As volleyball rules also differ from tournament to tournament, it is best to read the rules of the competition before betting on it. Unlike football, hockey and basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball tournaments are virtually equal in popularity and importance.

The biggest national competitions are the World Championships and the European Championships, as well as the Nations League, which are held separately for men and women. Among the most important club tournaments are Champions League, Euroleague, championships of Russia, Italy, Poland, USA and several other countries.

Volleyball is the next most popular sport in betting shops after football, hockey, tennis and volleyball. Bookmakers offer quite competitive quotes on it with an average margin of 5-7%. The number of markets for volleyball matches in 2023 will also please players.

How to analyse volleyball matches for betting

Volleyball is not a particularly difficult sport to analyze or predict, it does not have as many subtleties as baseball or American football, but there are some. Here are the main features of the sport, which can help beginners to correct their predictions and beat the bookies.

• In volleyball two players in a team are of major importance: the libero and the leading attacker. These two players have a major influence on the outcome of a volleyball match. If they are injured or if they miss a match for any other reason, the performance of the team might be weakened.
• A gap of 10 points in volleyball can be overcome, let alone a difference of 5-7 points.
• A large lead in the middle of a set is not always maintained by the end of the set. This should be taken into account when betting live during a set, when the bookmaker offers a handicap, for example, a handicap (-10.5) at 15-5 will not always work. Yes, the leader may increase the lead, but this does not always happen. A team that is confident in the score may be able to work out and hone some combinations. In other situations the coach can put the team leader on the bench to release him in the next game, where he will need to build the lead again.
• Every strong team in modern volleyball should have a player with a powerful and difficult serve. In almost every match, and more than once, a streak of 3-5 consecutive scores occurs, thanks to strong and accurate serves. In volleyball, the saying of a team that loses several points in a row is: “Can’t break serve”.
• A third set in volleyball after a 2-0 lead is often won by the underdog. This can also happen for the reasons described above. There may be many other reasons for this, but to be sure, just take 10-20 volleyball matches where the score in sets is 2-0 in favour of the favourite, note the odds of the outsider winning the third set and look at the result, it is likely to surprise you.
• Volleyball’s top clubs play not only domestic championships, but also in various international tournaments. This can have an effect on the result of a not so important match in the domestic championship before a decisive game at world level.
• Volleyball is still a sport that can rely on statistics to make predictions. It is not as unpredictable as table tennis, hockey or football.
• Sealed matches are not uncommon in volleyball, especially in Eastern Europe and Turkey. It is difficult to know if a match is rigged before the kick-off, but odd play can help careful bettors avoid placing unnecessary bets on a match with a foregone conclusion.
• Despite the predictability of volleyball, in order to bet correctly on volleyball, live betting is better than pre-match. With today’s interactive broadcasts and match centres that bookmakers make available to their players, as well as masses of statistics, it is more correct not in terms of reliability, but to find the most profitable and justifiable odds.