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One of the coolest new ways to bet on sports is live betting. Sometimes referred to as in-play betting, in-game betting, and holy moly you’re crazy betting, the format of wagering has come about with the growth of online sportsbooks. You see, outside of the obvious convenience perks online betting has to offer, it also has the ability to utilize technology to offer some different ways for bettors to make money and get in the action. We introduce you to live game betting!
So, before we get into the strategies you need to dominate live betting, we need to make sure everyone understands exactly what it is. Live or in-game betting is when you are able to place wagers on a game after it has started. Traditionally, all action was closed as soon as the game began. We did see brick and mortar sportsbooks start introducing halftime bets (lines put out at halftime that reflects action in the first half) which was the first move towards in-game betting.
Now, it’s gone full-on wild! Some sports betting sites will let you bet at random points during the game, while some will go as far as letting you place wagers after every single play! As you can imagine, this creates a lot of opportunities to win big. It also creates a lot of opportunities to lose big if you don’t know the right strategies to come out on top.
Bet Money On Games Canada is a wonderful place to go for your vacations, for business and for fun and for betting find out why and read the article. There are so many great things that Canada offers its visitors and the country itself is an attraction in itself. When betting against the spread, you will be doing so on a money line of -110, meaning you must wager $110 for every $100 you want to win. You can also find a -105 line, where you only have to wager $105 for every $100 you want to win. Major League Baseball: Standard MLB betting occurs on the money line. The two teams in a game are simply given. Week 11 of the very unique 2020 NFL season is here. With COVID-19 concerns in several games, be sure to check injury reports as we get closer to kickoff. Our experts Drew Dinsick, Dave Tuley and Matt Youmans combine to give their opinions on every game. All odds as of Friday morning, from VSiN's NFL.
Where on Earth are you going to find those strategies? Oh, look! Here they are. Come on, we think we’re funny at least a little? Anyways, our team of betting experts has compiled a huge list of the most important in-game betting strategies that you need to come out on top. While it’s still always going to come down to your ability to pick winners and find value, these strategies will help point you in the right direction and give you the framework you need to win big.
If you’re ready to learn how to dominate in-play betting, let’s get started.
Why There Is So Much Value in Live/In-Game Betting
One of the first things that you need to understand in order to beat in-game betting is why there is so much value in it. By understanding why the value exists, it can give you some insight into exactly what you’re looking for and what is important to pay attention to. Let’s take a look.
When sportsbooks put out their opening lines on games, they have a big advantage on their side – time. They have several days where they can do their homework, run their algorithms, consult the experts, see what every other book is doing, and ultimately put out a pretty accurate line. This means that the opportunities to find bad lines that are way off are going to be limited. They are not impossible (in fact, they happen a lot), but they’re able to heavily minimize these bad lines.
What happens when you take that time away? Well, it decreases the accuracy of the sportsbook’s lines. When they’re forced to set a line in the blink of an eye, they have to rely on their computer algorithms which are certainly not perfect. They don’t have time to have a team of experts pour over the data to see if they’re making a mistake or not.
This is exactly what in-game betting does. It takes away the time that the book has to make sure they aren’t making any mistakes. But, that’s not all. When they’re forced to rely on computer simulations and algorithms, they’re unable to analyze the intangibles of the game. If you see something like an injury that hasn’t been reported yet, or the flow of the game shifting, or the crowd playing a bigger role than expected, or anything like that, you’re going to have the edge over the computer.
Not only does in-game betting take away time and make for potential bad lines, but it has a huge impact on the people that are betting. One of the reasons sports betting is so profitable is because the betting public is not very smart. They tend to bet more with their heart than their head and shift lines incorrectly creating value opportunities for you.
When do you think bettors are more emotional, before the game or in the heat of the action? If you guessed the latter, you’re correct. In-game betting tends to attract these impulsive bettors due to the nature of the format. These bettors have a tendency to fire with their heart or chase their losses which creates a lot of bad line opportunities. Let us rephrase that; it creates A LOT of bad line opportunities. We felt the need to put that in caps because of how often you’re going to see it.
Put all of this together, and you have a pretty awesome opportunity to make some killer money betting on sports.
An Interface Can Make or Break You
The absolute biggest difference you will see between online sportsbooks these days is the quality and efficiency of their live betting platform. We’d seen some on one end of the spectrum that looks like they spent 10 years masterfully designing it with the user in mind. On the other hand, though, we’ve seen some live betting sites that look like they were made with duct tape, a 12 pack of beer, and a plan to make people angry.
Why is this included in our strategy section? It’s because a bad user interface cannot only frustrate you, it can cost you money. Here’s the thing. Bets come at you lightning fast when you’re betting in game. Lines are always changing, and new opportunities are coming and going at the drop of a hat. Because of this, you’re going to need all the help you can get to see these changes so you can quickly evaluate them and decide if there is value that you want to jump on.
Additionally, we want to see some sort of indicator that pops up letting you know that a line has changed or become available. The best that we’ve seen are sites where they will highlight the bet in red or green to indicate a better paying line or a worse paying line. This ensures that you don’t miss anything, and you’re aware of changes as they happen.
We also are looking for speed within the interface. The lines are going to be changed in real-time, and they are not going to wait for the site if it is slow. Yes, even though the site is making their own lines, they still aren’t going to wait for themselves if the server is running slowly. They would rather you have a bad experience than give away a bunch of money with a line that is too slow. This is why a betting site that has proper technological resources backing the product is important.
The last things we like to see are the little things that make the experience smoother and much more efficient. First, we want the buttons and betting to be well laid out. If the buttons are too close together, hard to understand, or anything like that, it puts you at risk of making an incorrect bet in the heat of a game. That can get really expensive quickly.
Here’s the takeaway. Do a little homework before you get into live betting and find a site with a great interface. Don’t settle for second rate because it’s going to cost you money when you’re in the middle of betting. To help you out, we wanted to include a few recommendations of sites that we know have amazing in-game platforms. You certainly don’t have to use these, but they’re pretty awesome.
Look for Hedging Opportunities
One of the coolest things that you can look to do with in-game betting is lock up profits from your pre-game bets. Now, whether you want to do this or not will be completely up to you as some people might say you’re giving up value by doing it. But, for a lot of us, we would prefer to lock up a guaranteed win even if it lowers the potential we can make. Let’s explain a little more what hedging is and look at a real-world example. This will make what we’re trying to say a lot clearer.
Hedging is when you bet on the other side of the game to lock up a potential profit. Here’s a real-world example from a recent baseball game from one of our staff members. The Milwaukee Brewers were playing against the Colorado Rockies. Our staff member chose to bet $50 on the Brewers to win at (-145). This means that if the Brewers were to win (as they were the favorites), they would receive $34.48 in profit.
Around the 5th inning of the game, the Brewers were up 2-0. Our staff member checked the in-game betting lines, and you could bet the Rockies to win the game at +616. This was an opportunity to hedge our staff member chose to jump on because they thought this line was way too high.
They chose to bet $8.50 on the Rockies in game. The profit on this bet would have been $52.36. Why did they do this? Well, let’s look at the two possible outcomes of the game now and what it would do to their profit or loss.
If the Brewers won, our staff member would get $34.48 in profit from their initial bet. But, they would lose their $8.50 Rockies. This would give them a total profit of $25.98.
If the Rockies won, our staff member would lose their initial $50 bet on the Brewers. But, they would win their Rockies bet for $52.36. This would break them just about even with a slight profit of $2.36.
So, no matter who wins the game now our staff member is a winner! Sure, they’re still rooting for the Brewers to win so they can turn a profit, but if they happen to lose, oh well. Yes, they were giving up $8.50 of potential profit on the Brewers bet, but for them, it was worth it to lock up a complete freeroll.
Hedging is going to be a personal preference choice for you. If you like the opportunity to lock up guaranteed wins, go for it! You can also use hedging to lower your risk. You don’t have to always bet the amount that breaks you even on the other side of the bet.
If our staff member just wanted to limit their risk a little bit, they could have bet something like $4 on the Rockies at +616 which would pay out $24.64. Now, if the Brewers win, they are still getting over $30, but if they lose, they’re only losing about half of their bet ($25).
It’s up to you, but if you’re someone who likes a sure thing and is willing to sacrifice a few dollars of profit for it, you should keep your eyes open during in-game betting. The more likely your bet looks to win, the higher the payout on the opposing squad will be. You probably don’t want to do this every single game, but if you happen to find a line that is way too high, it could be a good opportunity to jump on it. Had it only been the Rockies +250, it might not have been such a great deal. You’d have to bet $20 to get a payout of $50, which means you’d only be playing for $15. But, you’d still be locking up a win, so that’s up to you.
We can run what-ifs all day. The bottom line is that it’s up to you what you want to do. Just be aware that live betting affords you these opportunities.
Scout Out the Bets You’re Going to Watch Prior
If there is one word that we can use to accurately describe in-game betting, it is fast. The bets and the numbers come at you fast and if you aren’t prepared, you’re going to find yourself behind the ball and missing out on a lot of value or the bet you want completely. The best way to get ahead of this is by scouting the bets you’re interested in beforehand and having a plan of attack.
Obviously, you aren’t going to be able to see what the lines are before the game starts. You’re only going to get those number when it’s crunch time. But, you know what types of bets are going to be offered, and you can have a plan of attack. The best way to do this is to operate in if/then statements.
This allows you to be ready for certain instances where you think you’re going to be able to find value. Let’s take a look at a few potential examples of how you might scout out a bet and prepare yourself for a game. You might even find potential opportunities where you choose not to bet before the game but wait for the chance of something more lucrative in-game.
Let’s say you’re going to be betting on the Cleveland Browns vs. the New York Jets. Let’s say that the opening line is the Browns (-3). Let’s also say that you want to bet $50 on the game and you decide to take the Browns. But, here’s something you might try doing that a lot of sports bettors like. You run the risk of missing out on value, but you also have the risk of getting a really awesome opportunity. You can bet $25 on the Browns before the game and save $25 to bet on them in game if a certain opportunity arises.
What you might be waiting for is the Jets to score first. If the Jets get the ball first and put points on the board, you’re going to be able to get an awesome adjusted spread on the Browns (something like even/pick em) or a much better payout on the (-3). You might get it at something like +150 instead of (-110). This means your $25 bet will now yield $37.50 instead of $22.73 like your before the game bet.
Now, this obviously only works if the Jets score first and the public starts to fire hard on them. But, it can be a good opportunity to take a little chance. The worst thing that happens is that the Browns score first and you don’t get to make your second bet, but your first one is off to a really good start.
You can also make contingency plans based on how certain things appear to be working or not working in the game.
Let’s say that you think a particular football team is going to win if they come out and just hammer the ball on the ground, but you think they’re going to lose if they try to stick with the passing attack. Well, you can elect not to make a bet before the game and wait to see what approach they are taking in game.
You’ll have to be quick to get a bet in if they are going with the run (because you don’t want to wait until after they score), but you can get a pretty similar to opening line and have the information you were looking for.
The possibilities are really endless as to what you can prep for when it comes to in-game betting. The point is that you need to be doing some preparation and looking for opportunities that you think might present themselves. Don’t forget to calculate out what types of lines you’ll take given the particular opportunity. In-game lines can be all over the place, so just because what you want to happen happens, doesn’t necessarily mean that there is going to be a great value opportunity.
Always Select the Better Odds Button
This is a very short tip that should be common sense, but we’re going to point it out anyway just to be sure. Something that is going to happen a lot to you is that the odds are going to change while you’re in the process of making your bets. This does not mean you’re doing anything wrong, it’s just the nature of how it all works.
Most in-game betting platforms are going to give you the option to take a bet no matter what the odds are or take if the odds got better. One of these is awesome, and one of them is terrible. Taking any odds is just bankroll suicide. The lines don’t just move a tiny bit in the world of in-game betting. They can shit by several hundred points in a matter of seconds. NEVER under any circumstances select to take any bet regardless of the odds.
What you do want to select, though, is to take any odds that are better than the ones you initially selected. Why would you ever not want to take better odds? If anyone can think of a logical answer to that question, we would love to hear it and will gladly amend this guide.
Don’t Lose Sight of Where You Are
This is the first of our laundry list of “Don’ts.” These are the things are probably going to be the most important because they explain some of the big differences between traditional betting where people can get tripped up and give away a lot of value and potentially lose a lot of money. Let’s get started.
In-game betting happens quickly (yes, we’ve said that a million times). But, this creates opportunities for you to fire off a lot of different bets very quickly without even realizing how deep you’re into a game for. For example, let’s say that you usually bet $20 a bet. Let’s say that you put $20 on a game before the start of it and decided you’re going to keep an eye on in-game. Well, 30 seconds in the other team scores on a lucky break and you see the line shift heavily in your favor. You can’t pass up that value, so you fire off another $20. 10 more minutes into the game you see one of the opponent’s key players go down, but you don’t see the line change at all. Another great opportunity that you have to jump on, right?
Well, you’re now in this game for $60 which is 3 times what you normally like to bet on a game. We’ve seen a lot of people end up much deeper in, literally hundreds of dollars into a game without even realizing it.
Well, there is no ticker that pops up and tells you how much you have bet on a game already. All you see are the bets you are currently making. $10 or $20 here and $10 or $20 there might not seem like a lot, but it can add up really quickly.
We’re not saying to skip out on value opportunities. What we are saying is that you need to make sure that you’re sticking with your bankroll rules. Keep a running tally somewhere highly visible of how much you’re into the game for and how much you’re comfortable betting. You can be tempted in the moment to bet more than you normally would allow yourself to because you see value that is “too good to be true.” Remember, there are no sure things in sports betting, and that includes in-game betting.
Don’t Bet Against Yourself
One of the biggest no-no’s that you can do in any format of sports betting is betting against yourself (unless you are purposely hedging). While this is pretty easy to avoid when you are betting before the slate of games starts, it can actually be an issue with in-game betting.
The situation and story we always hear from people is the same. You’re betting a lot of games at once. You see this amazing line pop up that seems so wrong it’s not even funny. You quickly fire off a bet only to realize 10 minutes later that you actually just bet against an existing bet that you already had placed going the other direction.
As you can surely imagine, this is not a great move for your bottom line. You’re going to end up “breaking even” on your bet usually and just paying the juice to the house. Every now and then you might find that you lucked into a hedging opportunity, but that’s going to be few and far between.
Pay attention to what you are betting and know what you already have action on. Yes, we know that it’s important for you to jump on great lines quickly. But, you don’t want to do this at the expense of your existing bets. Sports betting is all about fighting for every single dollar that you have in play. If you’re accidentally trashing bets, that can ruin your profit for the day.
Don’t Force “Opportunities”
One of the biggest traits that separate skilled sports bettors and amateurs is their ability not to make a bet. Amateurs who love action have an especially hard time walking away from a chance to get more money in play. If you think it’s hard to stay away from opportunities with traditional sports betting, just wait until you get live betting opportunities placed in your hands. You’re going to have hundreds and thousands of different betting opportunities “throwing themselves” at you.
Is this awesome? Of course! But, you need to make sure that you’re not ever forcing betting opportunities just to get more action in play. Sure, this sounds easy now, but you need to make sure that it stays easy while you’re in the heat of the moment. Sports bettors have a bad habit of explaining away bets as being value opportunities when they are really just lying to themselves. If this is something you think you might be guilty of, be careful when you start in-game betting. We aren’t saying to avoid it, but you do want to make sure you don’t end up taking bad lines just to get more in play.
Don’t Use In-Game to Chase Bad Bets or Losses
Speaking of forcing action, let’s talk about something you should absolutely under no circumstances ever do (even though it’s going to be tempting). Do not use in-game betting as a way to try and chase your losses or make up for a bad bet you made on a game. This is a pretty vicious downward spiral that you want no part of. It’s possible you could get away with it once or maybe even a couple of times, but it will eventually catch up with you, and it’s going to hurt.
In-game betting should be something that you only do if you think you’ve found good value on a fresh new bet. The one exception, of course, is if you are hedging a prior bet to lock up some profit or minimize your risk.
This might not sound like something that you would ever do, but you’ll be shocked how tempting it is especially during your last game of the day. Here’s what the scenario looks like. You’re down a little bit going into your last game. The team you bet in the last game gets off to an abysmal start and there looks to be no shot of you ever winning that bet. Do you really want to end the day down? If you just pick out an in-game bet, you can potentially salvage the bad day and end off up, right?
See how easy it is to get into that line of thinking? It’s so easy to convince yourself that you can find value and save the day. But, this is the definition of chasing your losses. With traditional betting, you don’t have the means to chase once the last game has started. With in-game, though, you have the ability to chase all the way up until the end of the game. You need to be aware of this and make sure that you do whatever is necessary to prevent yourself from falling into the chase trap.
Don’t Bet Games You Aren’t Watching
Remember what we said one of the big advantages that you have over a computer is? The fact that you can see all the intangibles and game flow going on that a computer isn’t able to recognize? Well, all of that goes out the window if you’re not actually watching the game. You essentially would be in-game betting based solely on stats, numbers, and lines like the computer is. Who do you think is going to be better at crunching straight numbers, you or the computer? If you ever forget the answer to that question, just take a look at how beautiful and big the buildings are that house sportsbooks.
If you’re going to in-game bet a game, you have to be committed to it. This doesn’t mean just kind of watching. You need to be paying attention. You don’t have to be completely nerded-out and taking notes, but you do need to be focused on what is going on. Even if you don’t pick up an edge on the computer, you’re going to want to try and pick up an edge on the other bettors that are live betting on the game. If you catch something that they miss, you may be able to jump on an incredible line and make a killing.
If you’re not in a position to watch the game or you don’t really feel like “focusing,” then just stay away from in-game betting for that game. You can always make as many pre-game bets as you want and then never turn the TV on without giving up any value. But, in-game betting without watching is certainly a value killer.
Don’t In-Game Bet Too Many Games at Once
The last tip that we have in the “Don’t” category is a piggyback off of the previous tip. Don’t in-game bet more games than you can keep up with. There’s really no way that you can rightfully focus on a bunch of games well enough to be firing off value-friendly sports bets. You’ll be missing things, and you most likely won’t even realize it.
How many games is the right number? Honestly, we recommend putting in as many pre-game bets as you want, but sticking to only in-game betting one game at a time. The absolute most you could do in our opinion would be two. We’ve heard of people doing three or four at a time, but that just seems like too many. The only instance where that might be okay is if you have done extensive planning before each game and are looking for specific circumstances to happen. If you have a lot of the if/then scenarios we talked about earlier lined up to go, then it’s probably okay since you know what you’re looking for. But, you still run the risk of potentially missing something that would make you want to shy away from one of your pre-planned scenarios.
The Wrap Up
The bottom line of this entire guide is learning how to deal with the speed of in-game betting. Everything is going to come at you lightning fast, and you’re going to have to be sharp to be able to respond properly. Here’s advice that might not make a lot of sense based on the last two statements.
Start slow.
In-game betting can be an incredible way to find extreme value on a lot of popular games. Keep in mind that it’s not going to be available on every game, but when it is, you should be looking to see if there are opportunities for you to take advantage of. Good luck out there!
Many gamblers enjoy going to the casino or poker room.
But you don’t have to go anywhere to create gambling action.
I’ve put together a list of 21 gambling activities you can do with friends.
You won’t have to travel and most of these activities offer a fair bet. In other words, the house doesn’t have an edge because there’s no house.
When it comes down to it, you can bet on almost anything with your friends. This list isn’t meant to be an all-inclusive one. It’s simply a place for you to start when you’re looking for something to bet on.
Great Online Sites to Gamble With Friends
We are going to cover some pretty fun games for you and your friends to gamble on – 21 of them to be exact. Have a quick look through the list below to see what gambling excitement you can have with your friends without going to a casino.
Contents of This Article
But what if you aren’t in a room with all your friends, or they live all over the world? The great news for people looking for gambling activities you can do with your friends is that the majority of them have now been reproduced online. This means that from the comfort of your home, you can invite as many of your friends as you want to one of these awesome online gaming websites and start a fun game together.
US Accepted Sites:
Non-US Sites:
1 – Pitch Quarters
Pitching quarters is a fun way to gamble with friends, and it’s inexpensive too.
Two or more players stand a set distance from a wall. Each pitcher has a quarter, and one at a time they toss their quarter toward the wall. The object is to have your quarter end up closest to the wall.
The player who gets their quarter the closest to the wall wins all of the quarters that were pitched on the round.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking no skill is involved in pitching quarters. If you plan to do it much you should practice. It’s just a quarter a throw, but some people are exceptionally good at pitching so if you’re not good you can loses several dollars quickly.
Be wary of anyone you pitch with that’s losing and all of a sudden wants to bet more than the quarters on each throw. The odds are that you’re getting conned.
2 – Bet on Sports
Betting on sports is one of the best gambling activities you can do with your friends. If you can get enough people willing to make and take bets you can replace the sportsbook and avoid paying vig.
When you bet with friends it can be as simple as a spoken agreement or if you have a group you can use software to track everything.
By betting with each other everyone in the group benefits by not being charged vig. This creates a saving of at least a couple percent on every bet made. The main problem is finding people who want to bet on the other side of games.
Betting among friends is either legal or ignored in most parts of the world. And who’s to know when you bet? But if you grow to the point where a large number of bets are being made you could cross the line over into an illegal, or at least gray, area.
You don’t want to get caught running what appears to be a bookmaking operation. So be careful if your group of bettors grows. If you can prove that no one is making money from the bets, because no vig is being charged, it may keep you out of too much trouble.
3 – Poker
Poker is a fun way to gamble with friends. You can set a poker night where everyone gets together or just schedule a game from time to time.
You only need four or five players or more to start a good game.
Game options include:
- Texas Holdem
- Omaha High
- Omaha High Low
- 7 Card Stud
- Dealer’s Choice
You can play limit, pot limit, or no limit, and play in a cash game or tournament format.
One of the best things about gambling with friends is you can play for any stakes that you agree on. You can play poker for pennies or hundreds.
I sometimes play in a friendly poker game that’s played as a cash game format and the regular buy in is $50. A few people buy in for $100 and if you bust out you can buy more chips or finish for the evening.
This way no one loses too much money and the game doesn’t get too serious.
We usually each bring something to eat and the host grills out so everyone enjoys a meal and night of poker.
On a side note, if you’re a good poker player and can join games like this you’ll find most of the players are terrible. Though you won’t win thousands, if you play a smart game you can consistently profit in these games.
Check out our recommended poker sites for playing online!
4 – Craps
Craps is usually played in a casino, but all you need to have a craps game is a pair of dice and a wall. Players can take turns banking the game and tossing the dice.
I suggest sticking with the simple pass line and don’t pass line bets instead of all of the others on the normal table, but you can set up and run your game any way you like.
A pass line bet wins if the first roll is a seven or 11. It loses if the first roll is a two, three, or 12. A roll of four, five, six, eight, nine, or 10 establishes a point. When a point is established the shooter wins if they roll the point again before rolling a seven. If they roll a seven before the point they lose.
A don’t pass line bet is the opposite. If the first roll is a two, three, or 12 it wins. If the first roll is a seven or 11 it loses. If a point is set the bet wins if a seven is rolled before the point is rolled again. If the point is rolled before a seven, the don’t pass line bet loses.
5 – Acey Deucy
More than one game is called acey deucy and the game I’m getting ready to describe is sometimes called by different names. I’ve heard it called high low and red dog, but the common rules for these two games aren’t quite the same as this.
Acey deucy is a simple game played with two or more players. It’s best with six or more.
To start each player places an ante in the pot. One person deals and play goes to the left around the table. The dealer places two card face up and the player who’s betting can pass or bet any amount up to the amount in the pot that the next card will fall between the two cards.
Here’s an example:
If the dealer places a three and a seven on the table, if the player decided to bet they win the amount of their bet from the pot if the next card is a four, five, or six. If the next card is a three or a seven the better has to put twice the amount of their bet into the pot. When any other card is dealt next the bettor has to place the amount of their bet into the pot.
This is a fast paced game with players stating the amount they bet quickly followed by the next card and then the next two card deal. When a player bets the size of the pot and the next card matches one of the first two dealt it quickly builds the pot. When the third card matches one of the first two it’s called railing.
When I was in college we played this all of the time with a quarter ante. This might seem like small stakes, but when you get seven to 10 players many pots grow quickly. You could win $50 or more on a good day.
If you play acey deucy like this it’s a large advantage to have more money than the other players. If you can stay in the game long enough you’ll have the opportunity to win the money that’s left in the game when other players bust out.
6 – Flip a Coin
It might seem boring, but flipping a coin for money is what many players are shooting for when they play casino games. If you bet on black or red or even or odd in roulette it’s close to a coin flip.
You can bet for any amount when you flip a coin against one of your friends and as long as you’re using a fair coin, in the long run, you should break even.
Instead of giving the casino an edge at roulette or another close to even money game, why not play a true even money game by flipping a coin with a friend?
7 – Liar’s Poker
This is another game that has many variations and is called by different names.
The basic concept is each player gets a dollar bill out of their pocket and looks at the serial number. One player makes a claim of a poker hand based on the serial number and the next player either has to make a claim of having a better hand or accuse the first player of lying.
When a player is accused of lying they lose if they lied and win if they were telling the truth. The winner gets both bills.
You can play for any size bill. To keep the game fair each player should put up the same amount of money and then the players exchange all of the money for different bills at the bank. Then the players split the money and play with the new bills.
You can start with a low claim so you can make a higher claim later or you can start with a high claim in hopes your opponent calls you a lair or makes an untrue higher claim. The game seems simple but you’ll quickly learn that you need to use strategy to have the best chance to win.
8 – Blackjack
Blackjack, or 21, is an easy game to learn and play among friends. You can play with two to eight players or more depending on the size of your table.
The dealer has a small advantage so the deal should pass around the table. When you deal you need to have enough money to cover all of the bets made by the other players.
In the event the dealer can’t cover all of the bets made by the players one of the other players can act as the bank.
9 – Rummy
Many people learned to play rummy as a child. You’ll find many different variations of rummy, but as long as everyone knows the rules and the stakes before starting it’s a fun game to bet on with friends.
The basic idea of rummy is to form melds of cards and go out or lay down all of your cards, before your opponent or opponents. Melds are often three or four of a kind and four in a row of the same suit.
Scoring depends on the game rules and in some games, you lay down melds as you get them and in others, you need to wait until you can lay down all of your cards at once.
10 – Backgammon
Backgammon is such a good gambling game that some players travel the world playing for money.
Some professional poker players got their gambling start playing backgammon. This makes quite a bit of sense because backgammon looks simple at first but the best players win more often than poor players. This is much like poker.
Backgammon uses a pair of dice and a unique board and discs or chips. You roll the dice and move your chips around the board. If you have two or more chips on the same space your opponent can’t occupy it. If you have a single chip and your opponent lands on it you have to make specific rolls to put it back into play.
It’s a fun game and if you like poker you should definitely learn how to play. You’ll quickly learn that luck can help you win a few games but skill wins out in the long run.
11 – War
Like rummy, many of us learned to play war with a deck of cards as children. Casinos offer a game called casino war.
The basic game play is each player gets a card and the higher card wins. If the two cards tie you go to war to see who wins.
War is an easy game to play and easy to bet on. Just like a coin flip, each player has equal chances of winning so when you bet against each other no one has an edge.
12 – Euchre
Most euchre games require four players in two teams of two each. The game is played to 10, with each team scoring one, two, or four points per hand. A euchre deck includes four card each of nines through aces, for a total of 24 cards.
You can bet an amount on the game plus additional amounts per euchre and / or per point.
Here’s an example:
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You can bet $20 per game plus $10 per point. So if you win the game 10 to six you win $20 for the game and another $40 for the difference in points.
Another example would be $20 per game and $20 per euchre. A euchre is when one team calls trump but doesn’t take at least three tricks.
13 – Bridge
Bridge is a popular card game that’s played in a few different variations. It seems like most bridge players are in their 40’s and older, with very few of the younger generations playing.
It is a trick taking game that requires two teams of two players each. Each team bids on the number of tricks they can take. Each player receives 13 cards so a complete deck of standard playing cards is used.
Once bids are placed the game continues with 13 tricks.
It sounds complicated and looks complicated at first. This scares many players off and hurts the growth of the game. But once you learn how to play it’s a fairly simple game and can provide hours of fun.
You can bet in many ways, but the most common wager is on a straight win of the hand.
14 – Yahtzee
Yahtzee is one of the most popular forms of dice games in the world. It uses five dice and a score sheet with each player taking turns rolling the dice and trying to score higher than anyone else
You can roll the dice three times on each turn and keep any that you want by not re-rolling them.
If you want to play Yahtzee and don’t want to buy a game or run out of score sheets you can make your own or find places where you can print them online. Then all you need is a writing utensil and five dice.
You can bet an amount on winning the game and you can bet an amount per point. But don’t bet too much per point because it’s common to win or lose by 100 points or more in any particular game.
Here’s an example:
You bet $10 on the game and 10 cents per point. If you win by a score of 256 to 233 you win $10 on the game and $2.30 on the point differential.
15 – Spades
Spades is yet another game many learn to play as kids. You can play spades with two or four players. When you play with four players the four players are divided into two teams of two players each.
This is a trick-taking game and each person bids on the number of tricks they think they can take. In a team game, the two bids of team members are added together.
Spades is trump but you can only play a spade on a different lead suit if you can’t follow suit. The player to the dealer’s left leads the first hand and the winner of each hand leads the next trick.
Scoring is based on how many tricks you bid and how many you were able to win. Different versions use different scoring systems.
You can bet on individual games or a series of games and can bet a set amount per game, a set amount per point, or a combination.
16 – Three Card Monte
Three Card Monte is usually played as a scam to steal money from unsuspecting people on the street.
A dealer mixes around three cards face down with one, usually a queen, of one color and the other two cards the other color. You place a bet and if you can guess where the queen is you win even money.
The dealer is a card mechanic and can switch cards and mislead you in a number of ways. Usually, the game has shills that look like they win to get you suckered into playing. If you happen to guess correctly a few times it’s ok but eventually, they take all of the money you’re willing to bet.
But you don’t have to play the game as a scam. You can play it fair with your friends and gamble on the results.
The deal should rotate around the table or between players because the dealer has a mathematical advantage if she can mix the cards in a way that the other player can’t follow the action.
17 – Canasta
Canasta is a unique card game closely related to the rummy family of games. Many players consider it a form of rummy. You can buy decks of cards with rules specifically for canasta.
A normal canasta deck has two standard decks of playing cards and four jokers. Jokers are worth 50 points, aces and twos are worth 20 points, eight through kings are worth 10 points, and fours through sevens are worth five points.
The game plays like most rummy games with players making melds and laying them down to score points. A seven card meld is called canasta. Most versions of the game have other special hands that score higher than others.
The scoring at the end of the hand depends on the game rules for the particular version you’re playing.
Most bets on canasta are for the win of the game, but you can also bet on points. Don’t bet too much per point as you learn to play because you can win or lose by a high number of points.
18 – Pinochle
Pinochle uses a special deck of cards, consisting of two euchre decks. Nines through aces each have eight cards in the deck.
The order of cards from highest to lowest is ace, 10, king, queen, jack, and nine.
Pinochle is a trick taking game like spades and euchre, but uses a different set of rules. If you’re used to playing spades or euchre it’s fairly easy to learn how to play pinochle, but it does take a little time to get used to the play.
The best way to play is to learn from someone who already knows how. My grandmother taught me how to play when I was young and we enjoyed playing for many years. She was much better at it than me, but I always enjoyed playing. It was a game that many of my class mates didn’t know how to play so I felt smart because I played. Young minds at work I suppose.
Scoring is based on the rules for the variation you’re playing.
You can bet on a series of games or a single game. You can also bet on the points. Many people play to a score of 1,500 but any agreed upon number works.
19 – Thirty One or Scat
Thirty one, also called scat, is an easy game to play and bet on.
Each player gets three cards and one card is placed face up and the rest of the deck goes in the draw pile. The object of the game is to score higher than your opponent. Only cards of the same suit can be counted with aces counting as 11, face cards counting as 10, and all other cards counting their face value.
Play goes to the left and the deal rotates after each hand. You can pick up the top card of the deck or the discard pile and then discard one card. When you think you have the best hand at the beginning of your turn you can knock.
Then each player has one last chance to draw and discard before all players show their hands. If you get 31 you immediately place your cards face up and win the game.
You can bet just on the outcome of the game or on the game and by point, just like betting on euchre.
Here’s an example:
If you bet $10 on the game and $1 per point and you lose by a score of 27 to 24 you lose $10 on the game and $3 on points.
Some players include a penalty for knocking and not winning. A common wager is double the game stakes if you knock and don’t win. So if you’re playing for $10 a game and nock but don’t win you pay $20.
20 – Baccarat
Baccarat is a casino game that uses a standard deck of playing cards. When you play in the casino you bet on the player, the banker, or a tie.
But when you bet with friends you just play to see who gets the best total. It works much like blackjack in this regard.
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The highest possible score is nine. Each hand starts with two cards and you can draw one additional card if you want. You add your card totals up and only use the digit in the one place. So if you have 16 your score is 6 and if you have 22 your score is 2.
Aces count as one, tens and face cards count as 10, which is the same as zero, and all other cards are counted at their face value.
21 – Cut for High Card
One of the simplest and oldest gambling activities between friends is making a bet on who can cut a deck of cards to a high card. Each player cuts the deck and whoever has the highest card wins the money.
This is just like flipping a coin because each player has a 50% chance of cutting to a higher card. So, in the long run, you should break even cutting for high card.
Conclusion
The next time you’re sitting around with a friend or group of friends break out this list to find something to bet on. This list of 21 gambling activities you can do with friends has something for everyone.
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If you want simple games you can flip a coin, cut for high card, or pitch quarters. When you want a casino based game you can play blackjack, baccarat, or craps. For more advanced players you can play euchre, canasta, or pinochle.
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You can set the stakes as low or as high as you want and players of all ages can enjoy most of these games.