Pool is not as popular as snooker, but it still has a large following. There are many various types of pool and tournaments, which means that spectators have numerous betting alternatives. If you want to start betting on pool but aren’t sure how, you’ve come to the perfect place.
We will educate you about the various types of pool games, the various types of bets you can place, and how to investigate those bets to give yourself the best possible chance of success in this game.
Pool Betting Fundamentals
Pool is divided into three types: nine-ball, eight ball, and straight. The games share many similarities, yet they are distinct, and it is critical to grasp the differences.
The most popular version of pool in the United States is 8-ball pool. The fundamental goal is to pot all of the balls in one group, either the striped or solids (there are seven of each), then the number eight black ball at the end. After the break, a player is assigned stripes or solids based on which ball is pocketed first.
If the first potted ball is a solid, the player who potted it must then pot the remaining solids, and the same is true for the tripe of stripes. If a player pots both a stripe and a solid on the break, the player can select which group to pursue.
9-ball pool is the most popular form of the game in the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, and Asia. While there are sixteen balls on the table at the start of an 8-ball game (including the cue ball), there are six less balls in a 9-ball game. The balls are arranged in a regular numerical sequence ranging from one to nine.
The game is more dynamic than 8-ball, and the goal is to pot the balls in numerical order, from one to nine. There are more professional 9-ball pool events than any other type of pool competition. Straight pool is the ultimate type of pool. It is the game’s oldest form and was once the most popular professional form.
However, because it is slightly slower paced than the other kinds, it has fallen out of favor. Straight pool is played with 16 balls (including the cue ball) on the table at the start, with each ball counting one point. The game continues until a player has earned the required number of points for the tournament. It is played in a series of turns, with the longest series length in straight ball history being 281 points in a row.
There are numerous pool competitions available for enthusiasts to wager on, encompassing all of the primary formats of the game. Every year, tournaments such as the World Pool Masters and the Mosconi Cup are held to pit the United States against Europe.
The annual US Open 9 Ball tournament attracts some of the sport’s greatest players due to the large prize pools. The World Pool and Billiards Association (WPA) or other organizations recognized by the body organize the largest American pool competitions. World championships in 9-ball, 8-ball, and straight pool are also held.
Pool Gambling
Regardless of the type of pool you are betting on, the betting markets will provide you with a plethora of options. There are markets for single games as well as markets for tournaments as a whole. To get you started, we’ll walk you through the most popular betting markets.
Money Line (Winner)
This is the most basic and often used type of pool betting. It is basically a wager on who will win the match between the two participants. You will win the bet as long as your preferred player wins.
Betting on a Handicap
If one of the participants in a competition is clearly the favorite to win, bookmakers will provide handicap betting in order to offer better odds on the underdog. The favorite is given a disadvantage that must be overcome, whilst the underdog is granted a benefit. When betting on games, the handicap will always be half a game, for example, 1.5. In this example, the favorite is indicated as -1.5 and must win by at least two games in order for the bet to win. For the bet to win, the underdog would be rated as +1.5 and would have to lose by less than two games.
Over/Under Pool betting
This is a wager on the total number of games played in a given match. The market provides an option, and you just wager on whether there will be more (over) or fewer (under) games than that amount. You may come across more exotic Over/Under bets, such as how many balls will be potted during the course of a game or tournament, and they work in the same way.
Game Bets
There are numerous types of wagers that can be placed on individual games within a pool match. These are usually simple to grasp. You can, for example, wager on the game’s winner, the first player to pot a ball, the first type of ball to be potted, which player will pot the final ball, and so on. These markets will frequently alter from match to match, depending on the level of betting interest, but they are always worth keeping a look out for.
Match Betting
Markets spanning the entire match may be found alongside markets covering specific games of a match. For example, you might be able to place over/under bets on the total number of balls potted, or you might be able to wager on the first player to win three or four games, or who will be leading after the first four games, and so on. Once again, it is always worthwhile to take a good look at these to see what is available.
In-Play Betting
In-play betting, often known as live betting, is a terrific method to make pool watching even more entertaining. It allows you to gamble on a pool match as it is taking place. Many of the markets outlined above are available, and the odds are constantly changed to reflect the action. Furthermore, it offers the ‘Next To’ category of bets, which are essentially wagers on the next player to accomplish something. You can, for example, wager on the next player to pot a bool. You can come across some amazing possibilities if you maintain a close eye on the markets.
Betting on tournaments
You can even wager on an entire tournament, as previously noted. The most fundamental of these markets is on who will win. However, there are many more markets to explore, like as which players will make the final, and they are always worth examining. These bets can be placed both before and during a tournament, and as a general rule, the earlier you place the bets, the better the odds.
What to Think About When Betting on Pool
You should do as much research as possible before betting on pool. While there is no assurance that you will win your bet, the higher the quality of your research, the greater your chances.
The obvious place to start is with the player rankings and forms. Examine their most recent results, their head-to-head record, and so on. Rankings are not always a precise reflection of what is going on, but they do provide a good indication of a player’s overall form.
If you are betting on a tournament match, you should first carefully evaluate the tournament’s format, venue, and bracket. Some bettors will back multiple individuals to win a tournament when it first begins. When doing so, it is critical to analyze the bracket, as the bet will not make sense if all of the favorites are on one side.
When betting on Asian pool players, the location is especially significant. There are many good Asian players, but they appear to perform even better while playing at home with the support of the audience, which can make a significant difference.
You can also check to see whether any of the players have been in the news recently, and if so, why. It can help you gain insight into the athletes’ mental states, which will affect their performance. There is a lot of information available online, and while it should not be trusted blindly, it can be a very useful resource.
Finally, watch as much professional pool as you can so that you can acquire a sense of the different players and their strengths and limitations. With any luck, you’ll soon be on your way to making a lot of money betting on pool.
