As the third golf major gets under way in California this week, Torrey Pines hosts the 121st US Open, but who will be the latest name on the trophy come Sunday?
Currently the favourite by some considerable distance, World number three Jon Rahm is 10/1 with UniBet, but having only just been cleared to compete after a positive COVID-19 test last week, whether the Spaniard is feeling any ill-effects, remains unclear.
Could Bryson DeChambeau be the better option?
Romping home at Winged Foot last September, Bet365 and William Hill are offering 18/1 for DeChambeau to be only the seventh man to defend his US Open crown, but is The Scientist still too much of a loose cannon?
SkyBet are again the best for a major punt, paying out on 11 places at 1/5, and as a former two-time winner of the tournament, Brooks Koepka at 14/1 looks at the very least a good bet for a top 10 finish or likely, better.
Winner in 2017 and 2018, Koepka looks to have shrugged off his injury woes and should be a force this week.
Phil Mickelson rolled back the years at Kiawah Island last month to win the PGA Championship, and Lefty can complete the career Grand Slam in his native San Diego this weekend.
For the golfing romantics out there, SkyBet’s 11 places at 55/1 looks an excellent candidate again, with Bet365 and BetVictor offering a best of 70s.
Patrick Cantlay is also worth attention.
Having won the Memorial earlier this month, and as a name who has been tipped to break into the major enclosure, the Californian is priced at 28/1 with MansionBet to win on home soil.
Former Masters champion Patrick Reed won the Farmers Insurance in San Diego back in January, and fetching 30/1 with both Bet365 and BetVictor, Captain America knows how to win one of the big four.
If you’re again pinning your hopes on Rory McIlroy to finally end his seven-year major drought at Torrey Pines, his price of 22/1 with SportNation, is decidedly more appealing than his 11/1 price from before Kiawah Island last month.
From a British perspective though, Paul Casey’s 50/1 offering with BetVictor is the better choice, with the Cheltenham man having finished T4 at the PGA also.
Best Of Bets Sports-Specific Betting Guides
Welcome to our in-depth, sport-by-sport betting guides designed to help you bet smarter and enjoy the action responsibly. This content builds on our latest tournament previews and tips, adding clear strategies and practical checklists you can use every week.
Use these insights to refine your selections, compare prices, and leverage the exclusive bonuses and offers from the bookmakers we review and recommend. Always bet for entertainment, stick to your limits, and remember gambling is strictly for 18+ only.
How to build winning habits across sports
Successful bettors think in probabilities, not certainties, and they shop around for the best price on every selection. Focus on closing line value, record your bets, and aim to beat the market often, not every time.
Stake sensibly with a staking plan that protects your bankroll during downswings. Keep your analysis consistent, avoid chasing, and rely on data, context, and price rather than hunches or hype.
Golf betting strategy for majors and tours
Golf is a value hunter’s dream because each-way place terms and extra places can transform your long-term returns. Course fit, recent strokes-gained data, and weather patterns should guide your card more than reputation alone.
Build cards selectively and avoid over-staking on short prices in huge fields. Balance outright picks with top-10 or top-20 markets when volatility is high or weather risk is elevated.
Each-way terms and extra places in golf explained
Each-way bets in golf pay a fraction of the win odds if your player finishes within the stated number of places. Extra places are powerful in deep fields, but always compare the place terms and the fraction to make sure the maths still stacks up.
Check bookmaker rules on ties, dead-heats, and reductions before you stake. A marginally shorter price with a superior place structure can be a smarter choice than a headline win price.
Strokes gained, course fit and tee-time waves
Strokes-gained off-the-tee and approach often predict sustained form better than putting. Look for golfers whose skill profile matches course demands such as narrow fairways, long rough, coastal winds, or Poa annua greens.
On coastal or windy setups, tee-time waves can be decisive. If the forecast shows a bias across waves, consider splitting exposure or leaning into players with the favourable window.
Football betting guide for leagues and cups
Football markets are liquid and efficient, so your edge comes from timing and information quality. Weigh team news, schedule congestion, travel, and tactical mismatches more than narratives.
Focus on market selection as much as team selection. Asian handicaps, goal lines, and shots markets often price team strength more precisely than a simple match odds bet.
Match odds, Asian lines and goal markets
Match odds reflect the three-way 1X2 outcome, which can be noisy in low-scoring sports. Asian handicaps compress that volatility and can offer good value when you identify mispriced goal differences.
Goal lines and both-teams-to-score markets reward accurate expectation of chance volume and shot quality. Model expected goals and likely game states to shape your entries.
Using team news, xG and schedule congestion
Late team news moves prices, so timing is critical. Track xG for attack and defence over recent matches and adjust for opponent strength to separate signal from noise.
Fixture congestion and travel can reduce intensity and rotation can blunt pressing systems. Beware thin squads after European midweeks and long away trips.
Bet builder discipline and price sensitivity
Bet builders stack correlation, so unpriced correlation can punish you if you are careless. Cap legs, avoid redundant picks, and compare the combined price to singles to check value.
Record your bet builders separately and demand a higher expected edge. If you can’t justify the price, walk away and look for a sharper single-market angle.
Tennis betting tips for Slams and tours worldwide
Tennis offers constant markets and rich data by surface, with player-level hold and break rates guiding value. Surface suitability, fatigue, and head-to-head styles matter more than ranking alone.
Look for scheduling edges, medical timeouts in prior rounds, and travel swings between continents. In women’s matches, break volatility is higher, so price movement can be sharper set-to-set.
Surface splits, hold-break stats and edges
Surface splits are fundamental because clay, grass, and hard courts change serve effectiveness dramatically. Use hold and break percentages to estimate game totals, tie-break likelihood, and underdog live potential.
Lefty-righty matchups and return depth also influence dynamics. Players with elite second-serve return numbers can outperform on slower courts even when the market doubts them.
Tournament context and travel considerations
Altitude and humidity reshape the ball’s behaviour and reward specific skill sets. Always check if players are acclimatised or arriving late from a previous event.
Qualifier momentum is real when players gather match reps on the same courts. Conversely, deep runs the week before can create fatigue and minor injuries that the market underprices.
Horse racing betting across flat and jumps
Racing rewards form study and context, with ground, course biases, and pace profiles the core pillars. Always price in the jockey booking, trainer habit, and race conditions rather than relying on a single angle.
Markets move fast around withdrawals, so expect reductions and revised place terms. Use our partner bookmakers’ best-odds guarantees and promotions where available to protect value.
Reading the form, speed ratings and going
Combine traditional form lines with speed ratings, sectional times, and pace maps. The going can turn a mid-grade performer into a contender, especially when action is on holding or heavy ground.
Track biases repeat, particularly at courses with pronounced draws or short runs to the first bend. Keep notes on rail movements and how they shift the optimal run pattern.
Each-way value, place terms and field size
Each-way value depends on field size, competitiveness, and the place fraction. Extra places can be excellent in big handicaps, but confirm the over-round and each-way edge before committing.
Know the rules around non-runners and Rule 4 deductions. If the market collapses late, a slightly worse early price can still be the smarter long-term play.
Cricket betting strategies for all formats
Format dictates both volatility and market selection in cricket. T20 rewards boundary hitters and death bowling analysis, while Tests emphasise pitch deterioration and session-by-session momentum.
Use toss impact intelligently, but avoid over-weighting it. Price in dew, weather interruptions, and reserve days where relevant.
Pitch reports, dew factor and boundary size
Pitch hardness, grass cover, and cracks influence run rates and dismissal types. Dew can tilt night matches toward the chasing side by easing batting and blunting spin.
Boundary dimensions change the equation for six hitters and wide yorkers. Adjust player performance markets and par totals to reflect ground geometry.
Player roles in T20, ODI and Test strategies
In T20, prefer top-order batters with more balls faced and death bowlers with strong yorker accuracy. In ODIs, anchoring roles and middle-over spinners can define par scores.
For Tests, value batters with patience on wearing surfaces and bowlers who generate movement late. Build positions incrementally across sessions rather than chasing big swings.
Rugby union and league betting made clearer
Rugby handicaps reward accurate assessments of set-piece strength, kicking reliability, and discipline. Weather can compress scores, making unders and alternative lines more attractive.
International windows, player release rules, and travel all matter. Look for mismatches at the breakdown and in the backfield under the high ball.
Handicap betting, set-piece and card trends
Scrum and lineout dominance lead to territory and penalties that translate into scoreboard pressure. Teams with reliable goal-kickers cover more often in tight handicap ranges.
Refereeing style shifts card frequency and breakdown tolerance. Track officials’ historical penalty rates and card tendencies before selecting a side or total.
NFL, NBA and MLB betting approaches that work
American sports provide rich, quant-friendly markets where injury reports and rotations drive price. Use tempo metrics, efficiency ratings, and schedule spots to uncover mispricing.
Shop across spreads, totals, and player props rather than defaulting to moneylines. News breaks fast, so timing and notifications are a real edge.
Markets that suit NFL, NBA and MLB bettors
In the NFL, market moves around quarterback health, offensive line injuries, and weather can be decisive. In the NBA, totals and player props respond to pace and usage shifts.
MLB rewards pitcher-driven bets such as moneylines, run lines, and first-five markets. Bullpen fatigue and travel can swing late-game edges more than casual bettors expect.
Using pace, possessions and lineup news effectively
Track possessions per game to forecast NBA totals and correlate props. Adjust for rest disadvantage and altitude effects in back-to-backs.
For the NFL, monitor practice participation and scheme tweaks that alter pass rate over expectation. For MLB, confirm starting lineups and late scratches before finalising props.
In-play betting tactics tailored to each sport
In-play markets move on momentum and live data quality, creating opportunity and risk. Prepare triggers in advance so emotion does not dictate your decisions.
Define your hedge, cash-out, and add-on rules before kick-off or tee-off. If the price no longer reflects your pre-match view, it is fine to pass.
When to cash out, hedge or let bets ride
Hedging is a tool, not a reflex. Hedge when the live price has moved far beyond your pre-match edge or your bankroll plan demands risk reduction.
Partial hedges can smooth volatility without erasing value. If you still have a strong edge and a stable read on the game state, letting it ride can be correct.
Live data latency and bookmaker suspensions
Broadcast delays, stadium feeds, and data vendors create latency. If you are not confident in your data speed, reduce stakes or avoid volatile live markets.
Expect suspensions around key events and be wary of chasing the first live price after a stoppage. Patience and price discipline beat impulse clicks over time.
Bankroll control during volatile live markets
Cap your total live exposure per event and stick to unit sizes. If you hit a stop-loss or a stop-win, log off and review rather than re-entering on tilt.
Use preset alerts for price thresholds instead of watching every tick. Your long-term edge comes from repeatable decisions, not from constant activity.
How to use our odds, reviews and offers today
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Read our expert reviews before you register so you know the strengths and limits of each platform. Always check qualifying criteria and T&Cs, and only claim promotions that suit your style and bankroll.
Safer gambling guidance and strict 18+ only
Set a budget you can afford to lose and never view betting as a way to solve financial problems. Take breaks, track your activity, and use deposit limits and time-outs whenever needed.
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What are Best Of Bets’ sports-specific betting guides?
They are in-depth, sport-by-sport strategies and checklists that help you make smarter selections, compare odds and bet responsibly (18+).
Which sports do these guides cover?
We cover golf, football, tennis, horse racing, cricket, rugby, and major US sports like the NFL, NBA and MLB, plus in-play tactics that apply across them.
How do I build better betting habits across sports?
Think in probabilities, chase closing line value by shopping prices, keep detailed records, and use a disciplined staking plan instead of hunches.
What do each-way terms and extra places mean in golf?
An each-way pays a fraction of the win odds for placed finishes and extra places increase paid positions, but always weigh the place fraction and tie rules against the headline price.
How should I use xG, team news and schedule congestion in football?
Monitor late line-ups, adjust recent xG for opponent quality, and factor travel and fixture pile-ups before choosing your market and price.
What tennis metrics matter most for picks?
Surface splits and player hold/break rates, plus travel and fatigue context, guide totals, tie-break probability and live underdog potential.
What are the key factors in horse racing bets?
Combine form, speed ratings and sectionals with going, pace and draw, and check place terms, non-runner rules and potential Rule 4 deductions.
How do I approach cricket betting across formats?
Weight boundary power and death bowling in T20s, anchoring and middle-over roles in ODIs, and pitch wear and session momentum in Tests, while accounting for toss, dew and weather.
When should I hedge or cash out in-play?
Set rules before kick-off and only hedge when the live price has moved beyond your pre-match edge or bankroll limits, otherwise stay price-disciplined.
How do I use your odds comparisons, reviews and sign-up offers responsibly?
Compare prices across featured bookmakers, read T&Cs and qualifying criteria carefully, and only bet what you can afford to lose—gambling is for 18+ and support is available at BeGambleAware.org.
