Difference in rules

The most common difference in rules is on tennis matches and refers to the settlement of the event in case one of the players retires before the full number of sets has been completed.

Bookmakers are divided into 4 categories according to their tennis rules. (Please, check the table below to see the distribution of bookmakers by group).

Group A – these bookies settle bets ONLY if the FULL number of sets has been completed and no player has retired due to injury or other problems after the match has started. We refer to this group as the “FULL MATCH” group.

EXAMPLE : Bet365

Group B - the newest one on the market.  They settle bets in case 2 sets of a match have been completed.  Matches in most tournaments (except for the 4 grand slams) are played in best of 3 sets and many of these matches are actually completed within 2 sets.  We call them the TWO SETS group.

EXAMPLE : PinnacleSports

Group C – they settle bets in case at least one set of the match has been completed before a player retires. We call it the “ONE SET” group.

EXAMPLE : Betfair

Group D – these bookies settle bets if the match has started, i.e. at least one point has been scored. The player progressing to the next round of the tournament is declared a winner and bets are settled. We refer to this as the “ONE POINT” group.

EXAMPLE : Interwetten

In general, it is quite uncommon for one of the players retires after the match has started. However, should this happen and you have a surebet placed between bookies with different rules, you will have one of the stakes refunded, while the other one may be either a win or a loss, depending on which of players is declared a winner.

Place bets among bookies sharing the same rule

We recommend that you do not speculate mixing rules and rather place bets among bookies sharing the same rule. However, historical data shows that most of the time when a player retires at least one set of the match has been completed, therefore mixing Group C and Group D in your surebets carries almost zero risk, while mixing Group A with Group C or Group D carries a greater risk.

Another rule you need to know when mixing tennis rules is that your “exposure” (in case one of the players retires) is actually the stake you placed with the bookie which has a “shorter” rule. That is Group A have the longest rules (full match), Group B come after that with their 2-sets rule, then Group C (1-set rule) and Group D come at the end with the one point rule.

Example: Placing EUR 100 at odds of 3 with a bookie from Group B and EUR 187.50 at odds of 1.6 with a Group A bookie leads to a profit of EUR 12.5 if the whole match is completed. However, in case the player with Group B retires after 2 sets of the match have been completed, you lose your stake there (EUR 100) and have the other stake of EUR 187.5 refunded. On the other hand, if the player you wagered on with the Group A bookies retires after 2 sets, you get your stake of EUR 187.5 refunded and realize a net profit of EUR 200 with the Group B bookies (3*100). Hence, your losing risk is always only the stake with the shorter rule bookie – in this case the Group B bookie.