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Betting on the Davis Cup for Beginners

The Davis Cup has been dominating the tennis scene since 1900. Over 120 years! While it may have started as a simple head-to-head between Great Britain and the United States, it now plays host to over 130 teams from 130 different nations. A huge accomplishment for tennis, and international sports in general.

The Davis Cup is a men's tournament for teams only, with singles matches mixed in, played solely in a high-stakes knockout format. Each elimination round features a best of three matches, two singles, and one double. After various qualifying tournaments and invitationals, an elite group of 18 teams competes in an intense few days of head-to-head matches to slowly whittle down the competition until only the best of the best are left to compete. The tournament is structured into four rounds (providing plenty of potential betting options!) starting from 16 teams and eliminating half until only one is standing.

While the competition may have started as an intense point of pride between the United States and Great Britain, it has been taken over by a plethora of countries such as Australia, which has managed to win 28 titles since its inclusion into the tournament, clarifying that this is a tournament for all, not just the two original powerhouses. With the USA winning 32 titles in total, with 6 of those coming in the last 20 years, does that make them a solid betting choice? Maybe. Or, maybe not!

Betting Options

There are plenty of betting options in tennis that don't require a huge understanding of the game or the tournament format. You are not restricted to simply betting on one particular country or one particular match, there are a huge number of options available to you covering how a game plays out or even a single set. Betting on the Davis Cup using one of these different betting options is a great way to increase the enjoyment of the tournament as a neutral fan.

Moneyline

A money line bet is the easiest bet to make in the Davis cup. Since it is a head-to-head elimination there are only two outcomes. Team A wins or Team B wins. Your money line bet is simply choosing which team YOU think will win. In the earlier rounds, the odds for these games are often more skewed. Betting on a solid team like Australia or the USA will not net you a very big return!

Bet on Sets (Handicap)

Just as golf players will play with a handicap to level the playing field, betting on sets with a handicap will give one player or team a clear advantage and by definition the opposing player or team a disadvantage. Betting on sets with a handicap essentially means you are betting whether or not one team or player will overcome the handicap and win the set.

Overall Games (Handicap)

Overall game betting in the Davis Cup refers to how many games will be needed to decide the match. You are more often than not betting on an over or under of a specific number. Just as with betting on sets with a handicap, one team or player will be given a distinct odds advantage.

Winner of Each Set

Betting on who will win each set is pretty straightforward. Do you think team or player A will win or do you think it will be team or player B? Since there are a guaranteed two (sometimes three) sets per match and there is a minimum of 45 matches in the tournament, you have a lot of opportunities to make some pretty solid bets on specific set winners.

Over/Under Bets (Games, Sets)

Over or under betting on games, or sets, is simply betting on whether or not you believe a set will take a certain amount of games or whether a match require a certain amount of sets. For example, do you think team A will win the match outright or do you think team B may manage to win a set or two?

Outrights

Outright betting is the simplest to understand. Who do you think is going to win the tournament overall? Which team do you think can win 4 in a row? The Davis Cup is a straight knockout tournament. Do you think a particular team has the ability to make it all the way without dropping a single set?

Live Betting

Live betting is a super fun betting option that rewards attentive fans. Live betting allows you to make bets during play. You may have thought that a particular match was a sure thing for team A but team B is looking pretty solid so far, live betting allows you to bet on team B even after the game has started.