Table Tennis Odds
One good thing to come of the year 2020 was an interest in table tennis. As one of the few active sports available sports bettors, it was a diversion for sports-starved fans. However, over time, something fascinating developed.
It suddenly became apparent that table tennis wasn’t just something for the hardcore gamblers. Instead, fans and bettors alike began to realize that the sport is incredibly entertaining, not to mention a fun wagering option.
The sports world continues to inch back to normal, but table tennis is still attracting lots of attention. Folks are still wagering on the top players and leagues around the world.
You can, too, and it’s easy to start. Join us as we explore everything you need to know about table tennis betting in Iowa.
Iowa sportsbooks with odds on table tennis
How do you bet on table tennis?
If you’ve recently become aware of table tennis and would like bet on it, all you’ll need is a sportsbook account and some funds. It’s now legal and safe to place sports wagers online in Iowa.
To begin, click on a link above for one of our recommended sportsbooks. These are the best and safest places to play, and they’re offering some great welcome bonuses. Once you click the link, you’ll be directed to a new page to register.
You’ll need to follow the prompts and enter basic info, including your name, address and date of birth. After that’s done, verify your information is correct and click the submit button. This action creates your account.
Next, be sure to take the time to download the app for your mobile device from the sportsbook website. Once you’ve done that and logged in for the first time, you’ll be good to go with access to a legal and safe sportsbook online and on your phone.
Funding your account is just as easy. Leading sportsbooks offer several options, such as debit cards and PayPal, and deposits, which process quickly. Once you have funds in your account, it’s time to bet.
Locate the list of sports available for betting and click on the link for table tennis. All the upcoming options will appear from there. Once you find one you like, click on the odds to add it to your betting slip, plug in your wager amount and click on “Submit.”
Best free table tennis bet offers
Sportsbooks aim to attract as many new users as possible. To that end, they’re not shy about offering some excellent sign-up bonuses for new players. Here’s a quick rundown of the top options:
- bonus bets: Some sportsbooks offer free site credits simply for signing up. You can use these credits to place real bets, and any winnings will be yours to keep.
- bonus Bets: Certain books will allow you to place your first bet in a bonus fashion after making a deposit. If the bet you place loses, the sportsbook will refund the wager amount in the form of site credit.
- Deposit Bonuses: The sportsbook will match your first deposit by a certain percentage or dollar amount. This promo is a great way to start betting with some extra funds.
Table tennis betting explained
If you’re new to the world of table tennis, there’s some good news. It’s pretty easy to understand, and the scoring is straightforward. Players compete in head-to-head matches that are split into games. The typical format is either best-of-five or best-of-seven. The first player to win three or four games wins the match.
For individual points, it’s similar to how scoring in regular tennis works, but not exactly the same numerically, as each point is scored as one. If a player is unable to return a shot or hits it off the table or into the net, the point goes to the opponent. Players get two chances to make a successful serve. When they fail to do so, a point goes to the opponent.
The first player to get to 11 points wins the game, as long as that player holds a two-point advantage. When that’s not the case, a tiebreaker is played until there’s a full two-point advantage for the winner. Here are the ways you can bet:
- Match-Winner: This simple bet works much like a moneyline wager that you see in other sports. You pick the winner of the match. There will be odds for both players — negative for favorites and positive for underdogs.
- Game Winner: This works just like the match-winner, but you’re drilling down into the individual games. You pick the player to win from the favorite or underdog.
- Total Points: This is the over/under bet for table tennis. The sportsbook will set a designated number of points scored in the match, and bettors pick where they think the actual total will fall.
- Game or Match Spread: The spread element comes over into table tennis betting via these wagers. Oddsmakers set the number, and the side you choose has to cover the spread for the bet to be a winner.
- Table Tennis Props: For each match, there will be side bets to consider. An example of a prop in table tennis would be betting on the first player to score a certain number of points during a game or match.
As you can see, while table tennis is its own sport, there is a lot of correlation with other sports when betting. If you have a good handle on how moneyline, spread, total and prop bets work, then you’ll do fine.
Live betting on table tennis
The lack of sports for a good portion of 2020 is a major reason for the explosion of interest in table tennis, but there’s another big catalyst. Scores of users became intrigued when they realized they could bet in real-time as the matches played out.
That was thanks to live betting, also known as in game betting. This fast-growing part of the sports betting landscape affords you the chance to bet right along as the action plays out.
Betting move really fast, with the odds and offerings changing rapidly. Thankfully, the top sportsbooks are up to the task. Following along on an app from one of the big shops is a fantastic way to stay engaged and get some wagers in as the matches play out.
You can bet on simple things like the winner of the next game, or even wager on the winner of the next point. If you like the action slowed down a little, the former is a good place to focus, while points betting can work for those who are intrigued by playing along in a rapid fashion.
Online sportsbook rules for table tennis in IA
All legal sportsbooks in Iowa have rules you must follow. Known as the house rules, they cover all of the ins and outs of betting on a particular sport and how the book will handle various circumstances. Many of the table tennis rules are similar across the industry. Here’s what you need to know:
- All bets are live once the first ball is served. Sportsbooks generally require completion of at least one full game out of the match to grade a bet.
- If a player pulls out before the match, bets are off. When there’s an unexpected change in venue, bets will still go on as they are.
- A match that’s delayed or postponed may still be live for betting purposes, provided that it’s expected to be completed soon. For a complete cancellation, sportsbooks will void and refund all bets.
- Scoring, statistics and bet settlement are all based on official data from the league or organizing body. The book will not entertain disputes on matches that have been officially decided.
That covers the big stuff, but we still encourage you to take the time to review the house rules and terms and conditions at the books where you are wagering. There may be some quirks for individual books, so it’s always a good idea to have a handle on what to expect.
What table tennis leagues can I bet on?
The two major governing bodies for organized table tennis are the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and the European Table Tennis Union. (ETTU). There are also smaller leagues in countries around the globe, including Brazil, Russia and Ukraine.
When you click on the table tennis link at an Iowa online sportsbook, current leagues and competitions available for wagering will appear. As with other sports, not all leagues are active at the same time, so keep that in mind.
In terms of the top events to look forward to for 2021, we can take a quick gander at the ITTF calendar. Here are a few of the top tour stops to look forward to:
- February: Hana Bank World Table Tennis Championships — Busan, Korea
- March: Caribbean Senior Championships — Havana
- April: South American Championships — Cucuta, Colombia
- May: Central American Championships — San Jose, Costa Rica
- July: Summer Olympic Games — Tokyo
- August: Pan American Youth Championships — Rosario, Argentina
- September: European Championships — Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- November: Pan American Veteran Championships — TBD
The ETTU maintains a similar calendar with events going on throughout the year. Between the two big tours and the scores of smaller leagues, there are plenty of opportunities to wager on table tennis all year round.
Best table tennis players in the world
Just like any other sport, there are table tennis players who are elite. Behind them are plenty more jockeying for position, followed by a lower-tier and so on. The ITTF has monthly rankings on how they all stack up.
It’s a fantastic resource to lean on for research purposes. If we look at the current rankings, here are the top three on the men’s and women’s sides:
Top men’s table tennis players
- Fan Zhendong, China
- Xu Xin, China
- Ma Long, China
Top women’s table tennis players
- Chen Meng, China
- Sun Yingsha, China
- Mima Ito, Japan
International players dominate the top of the ranking’s board, but we can find some from the US if we do a little digging. Here are the current top three from the US for both sides:
Top US men’s table tennis players
- Kanak Jha
- Kai Zheng
- Nikhil Kumar
Top US women’s table tennis players
- Lily Zhang
- Yue Wu
- Amy Wang
Betting on table tennis at the 2021 Olympics
One of the biggest sports highlights will be the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which includes table tennis. A total of 172 players will likely compete, with medals for men’s and women’s singles, mixed doubles and team events.
Table tennis players from the US will be competing, as will other top stars of the table tennis circuit worldwide. Due to the upsurge of table tennis betting at legal sportsbooks, there could be lines available during the Olympics as long as the book follows Iowa regulations. The Iowa law states:
“… no wagers on the performance of athletes in an individual international sporting event governed by the international Olympic committee in which any participant in the international sporting event is under eighteen years of age.”
Assuming that’s the case, you can expect to see all the standard table tennis bet types. It’ll be interesting to see if any futures markets develop for the Olympic medal winners.
Top 3 tips for betting table tennis
While the sports world continues working toward getting back to normal, interest hasn’t subsided in table tennis. There’s nothing to suggest that’ll be changing, either. Table tennis is lots of fun to bet on once you get up to speed.
When starting with any new sport, you can lean on some basic handicapping principles. For example, you’ll want to have a complete understanding of what the odds board is telling you and examine each of the matchups you’re interested in betting on to find an edge. Here’s a handful of tips you can lean on:
- Start with the Basics: If you’re completely new to table tennis, keep it simple at the start. Begin by wagering on the outcomes of the head-to-head matches. It will give you time to get a feel for the players and scoring. When you have a good handle on that, you can look to branch out into points, props and live betting. Before diving into those areas, a complete understanding of the basics will go a long way.
- Go Deeper Than the Rankings: As part of your research, you’ll want to see how the players stack up. A natural starting point is with current rankings and seedings for tournaments, but you should go deeper than that. You can’t just assume that the higher-ranked player will always win. Like any other sport, players will go through hot and cold streaks, so know what’s what when it comes to recent performance.
- Shop Around for the Best Odds: When getting ready to bet on the matches, be sure to take the time to explore all that the sports betting marketplace has to offer. You should compare the odds from multiple books in a bid to find the best prices. Table tennis may not receive as much attention from oddsmakers at certain shops, so shopping around may lead you to much better prices on the matches you’re interested in.
As with learning to bet on any other sport, there’s a learning curve when it comes to table tennis. However, as the surge in popularity shows, it’s far from an insurmountable one. If you put in a little bit of time and effort, you may have a new addition to your wagering repertoire.
Table tennis betting FAQs
Yes, sports betting was officially legalized in Iowa in May 2019, with the first legal bets placed in the state months later. Table tennis is available for betting at several legal and regulated sportsbooks. As long as you stick to the legal shops, you’ll be good to go.
Following the surge in interest in the sport, there has been scuttlebutt that matches for some leagues are fixed. Here’s what we can tell you. Sportsbooks in Iowa have to answer to the Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission. If legitimate concerns were raised about the validity of an event, the market would not be available for betting. For table tennis matches that legal sportsbooks offer, things are legitimate as best as the operators and regulators can tell.
Once a sport reaches a certain level of popularity, it’s generally no trouble keeping up with the latest happenings. That has absolutely been the case with table tennis. There are plenty of online and mobile resources out there that track results and post the latest scores. You can also visit the website of the governing body that’s overseeing the event you’re interested in. Additionally, don’t forget that sportsbooks offer live betting so that you can get up-to-the-minute info there, as well.
There have been plenty of talented table tennis players throughout the years. As with any other sport, there’s quite a debate to be had on the best of the best. One metric that can prove useful is considering the players who have completed the sport’s equivalent of a Grand Slam — wins at the Olympics, World Championships and World Cup. To date, 10 players have turned the trick — five each on the men’s and women’s side. Here’s the list.
- Men’s table tennis Grand Slam winners
- Jan-Ove Waldner, Sweden
- Liu Guoliang, China
- Kong Linghui, China
- Zhang Jike, China
- Ma Long, China
- Women’s table tennis Grand Slam winners
- Deng Yaping, China
- Wang Nan, China
- Zhang Yining, China
- Li Xiaoxia, China
- Ding Ning, China
It’s a sport with plenty of distinctive characteristics, but you’ll also find that there are parallels to other sports. For a direct comparison, regular tennis works in similar fashion, but the scoring is different. On the betting side, you’ll find variations of the most popular wager types available for table tennis. Also, handicapping is pretty similar as you can rely on many standard tactics. In short, you’ll find that the learning curve for table tennis betting isn’t all that challenging.