Ante-Post betting means placing bets in advance, or betting
many days, weeks, months or years before the actual event starts. In football
betting, Ante-Post bets are usually made before the start of a football league
or a football tournament. For example, you can put an Ante-Post bet on which
team will win the English Premier League for the upcoming season many days
before the season begins or just a few days into the season.
Similarly, you can
bet that real Madrid will win the UEFA Champions League before the competition
starts or that Germany will win the FIFA World Cup before the tournament
starts. Often, the conclusion of one league season can send bettors into
frenzy, predicting the team that will win the next one based on how various
teams have ended the just concluded season. Today, the football Ante-Post
market has explored, with frequent options including the top goalscorer (golden
boot winner), best goalkeeper (golden glove winner), relegation teams, top 4
finishes, highest scoring team, among others.
Value of Ante-Post Bets
There are really good odds for backing certain outcomes in
events that will occur many days, weeks, months or years to come. For example,
bookmakers usually give big odds for the winner of the next World Cup a couple
of years or months before the event. The odds are usually large because the
risk is massive. Remember, you are predicting the outcome with no idea about
which players will actually participate in the event. In fact, it requires a
lot more skill and judgment to predict such a winner correctly; hence
bookmakers will offer good value.
Rules to follow in ante-post betting
(a) Make sure the
team you are backing will actually participate in the upcoming event.
(b) Assess the
team’s recent performances, player availability and management news to ensure
you are backing a really good team.
(c) If you are
predicting the winner of a football tournament, check group (pool) that team is
in and the potential run it will have through to the final.
(d) Choose a
bookmaker that will return your stake if your selected team does not
participate in the tournament. Or one that voids in case of tournament
postponement.
(e) Check bookmaker
terms and conditions before placing your bet.
Remember, when making an ante-post bet, you are less likely
to have a clear picture of the form and variables of the teams involved. This
means that anything that happens just before the event occurs, such as player
withdrawals and injuries will put your bet at a greater risk of failure.
Nevertheless, ante-post betting can allow you to exploit the bigger odds
provided many days before the event. If you successfully predict the winner of
the event, you can make a huge return based on the massive prices on offer for
ante-post bets.