How to Bet on Volleyball Games

Volleyball remains a very popular game around the world, with men, women and children taking part. The two main versions of the game are indoor and beach volleyball and they both have different sets of rules. If you want to bet on games from either category, you need to understand the game, its rules and which types of bets you can place. We have put together a detailed guide on volleyball, taking you through the various markets available and everything else you need to know before you bet on a game.

How Volleyball Is Played

Both indoor and beach volleyball have two teams and a central net that the players on either team have to hit a ball over. Players use their arms to hit the ball towards each other and over the net, and the aim is to force the opposing team to make mistakes or to win points through regular gameplay.

A game of volleyball involves sets, and to win a set, you have to amass a certain number of points first. For indoor volleyball, the number of points is 25 and in beach volleyball, it is 21. However, the winning team must have a two-point margin to win. If they reach 25 points without the two-point difference, the game goes on until a team has a two-point advantage.

The number of sets in indoor volleyball is five, with the first team to win three being declared the winner. In beach volleyball, there are only three sets and the first team to win two sets wins the game.

The teams on indoor volleyball are composed of six players each while each team in beach volleyball has two players.

Scoring Points

The first set of rules for scoring points involves the court. A team gets a point when the ball bounces in their opposition’s half or if their opponent hits the ball out of the court (out of bounds). The other set involves the net where a team is awarded a point if an opposition player touches the net or fails to get the ball back over the net.

There are also rules involving the ball where no player is allowed to catch the ball during gameplay, no team is allowed to hit the ball more than three times before getting it over the net. Lastly, a team is awarded a point if an opposition server’s foot crosses the boundary line during a serve.

Betting On Volleyball

Now that we know how the game is played, how points are awarded and how the game is won, what types of bets can you place on a game? The most obvious type of bet is the match bet. As with other sports, a volleyball game must have a winner. A match bet is a bet on the team you think will win the game. There are no draws in a game of volleyball so there are only two options to choose from here.

Handicap Betting

Although more popular in games like football, handicap bets are also available in volleyball games. Handicaps are used to even out the odds between two teams that are mismatched. For example, you may have one team (A) that is stronger than team B. Team A is the favorite and B is the underdog.

If A is a strong favorite, the odds might not be favorable enough for you to get involved; they may be too low. However, sportsbooks can provide handicap markets where team A would have to win by a certain bet so a match bet placed on the team will win. The odds for the handicap are usually higher, making betting on the handicap a viable option albeit with some additional risk; the team might win by a smaller deficit.

Total Points

You can also place bets on the number of total points scored in a game. Since indoor volleyball requires three winning sets, the minimum is typically set at 75 (25 points for each of the three sets). With beach volleyball, the number is 50. However, it is unlikely for a team to win like this, so the number is often much higher.

The average number of points scored in an indoor game is 136 so this is a number to keep in mind. Bets are often placed on half points. So, you might see over or under 133.5 points for a game. Betting on overs, 133 points and below would lose and 134 points and above would win.

Correct Score

This is a bet on the number of sets from each set. The correct score ranges from 3-0 for a straight win to 3-2 for tougher games. These scores can go for either the home or away team. For beach volleyball, the score will range from 2-0 to 2-1, again in favour of the home or away team.

Set Betting

Here, you bet on the team that will win a particular bet. For example, you could bet on team A to win any of the three to five sets and the same for the away team. You can also bet over and under points for a single set. Sportsbooks usually set 41.5 as the threshold for these over and under-bets.

Bet On Volleyball

Now that you know about volleyball and the types of bets you can place on different games, you can choose an online casino or sportsbook to place bets on different games. Sportsbooks like Mr Play have numerous volleyball games to pick from. To see if the sportsbook is reputable, find other games they let you bet on, and read everything else you need to know about them, you can check out their review on Online Casinos. Online Casinos provides in-depth reviews of the best UK online casinos, including many that are also sportsbooks like Mr Play. There are lots of domestic leagues to bet on, and big indoor volleyball games are being played all year round.

Betting on volleyball is not much different from betting on other sports. You have to understand the rules and do your research to end up with winning bets.