The common perception regarding betting is that there is a serious risk of losing money, but if you know back and lay meaning in cricket betting you will be able to overcome the same to a great extent. For those who want to manage their returns, reduce losses, or even get better odds, the idea of going with back and lay betting makes a lot of sense.
Contents
What is back and lay meaning in cricket betting explained
Despite betting being prevalent in many parts of the world, several people are still not sure about what is back and lay in betting speak. It is essentially two concepts where punters can go in favour of an outcome or they can decide to back against an outcome from taking place. The two different formats available in the back and lay betting can make it quite a difficult proposition for newcomers to wrap their heads around. However, this is as simple as any other betting concept and it may not take more than a few minutes to understand the same.
Asia Cup Betting Sites in India 2023: Best odds and offers
Lay betting
Many people wonder what is lay in betting? This is a term used to denote the bet placed against the occurrence of an event. While this may find its biggest use in the world of horse racing, it can also be effectively used to back troubled teams in a major series. In the lay bet, punters will be going up against other punters on the platform instead of betting against the sports book. This would be almost similar to the bet placed between two friends but on a digital platform.
Let us consider the example of Australia once again. If India can be backed at 4.00 to win the World Cup, the struggling Australian team cannot be backed not to win the World Cup. Irrespective of where Australia ended up in the tournament, the punter will make good returns as long as the Socceroos do not end up lifting the trophy.
Back betting
The back bet is very similar to the traditional betting structure that everyone is familiar with in modern times. Essentially, the punter will use the back bet to go with a team to come out successful or an event to take place. Depending on the probability of an event happening, punters get appropriate prices. In this form, the punter has no significant difference compared to how they are placing a bet using a sports book.
An example of a back bet would be to back India to win the World Cup at odds of 4.00. If a user place is a bet of Rs 100 on this market, they can expect to get back Rs 400 if India wants the World Cup. If India does not win the competition even after coming to the final, the punter stands to lose the entire Rs 100. Due to the risky nature of these bets, the rewards can be quite high but the probability of success is rather low.
How does back and lay meaning in cricket betting work?
The concept of backing and laying bets is most commonly associated with horse racing, but it can also be applied effectively in cricket betting. For those unfamiliar with these terms, let's illustrate them with an example.
Imagine an Australian cricket team that's facing numerous injuries as they prepare for the ICC World Cup. With the inclusion of relatively unknown players, Australia isn't considered a strong contender to win the tournament. Instead of attempting to predict the winner among the various participating teams, cricket enthusiasts can utilize a betting exchange to place a “lay” bet on Australia not winning the World Cup instead.
In simpler terms, a “lay” bet is essentially betting against a specific outcome, in this case, Australia winning the World Cup. This strategy allows cricket punters to explore different angles of wagering beyond traditional outright winner bets, making it a valuable tool in the world of cricket betting.
If India comes into a tournament as strong favourites to win, the simple back bet can be used to go with India to win the tournament.
What does liability in lay betting mean?
Let's break down the concept of liability in betting using a simple example. Suppose a bookmaker offers odds of 2.0 for India to win a match against Pakistan, and you decide to place a bet of INR 100 on India's victory. Here's how you can calculate your potential winnings based on these odds.
- If India wins, the bookmaker will return your INR 100 stake and provide an additional INR 100 as winnings, resulting in a total of INR 200 for you. In this scenario, you gain INR 100, while the bookmaker incurs a loss of INR 100.
- If India doesn't win, the bookmaker retains your INR 100 stake, and you incur a loss of INR 100. Meanwhile, the bookmaker profits by INR 100.
According to the terms of this betting agreement, the bookmaker is obligated to pay you INR 100 when your bet wins. This payment by the bookmaker is what we refer to as “liability” in lay bets. It represents the amount of winnings or profit that the bookmaker must provide to the bettor when their bet is successful because the bookmaker is essentially taking the opposite side of the bet.
To put it simply, if the bookmaker offered odds of 3.0 instead of 2.0, your potential profit would be INR 200, as the bookmaker's liability would then be INR 200. If the bookmaker offered odds of 5.0, their liability for your INR 100 bet would be INR 400, and you would receive the same amount as winnings.
In essence, calculating liability in betting is a straightforward process that depends on the odds offered by the bookmaker and the amount you've wagered.
Reasons for betting exchange explained
The betting exchange is the place where one goes to the next step beyond learning what is back and lay meaning in cricket betting. These sites are different compared to the regular bookmaker where it is only possible to back on an event taking place. It is not possible to go down the opposite route unlike at a betting exchange. There are a handful of sports books that are starting to provide exchanges as well. This enhances liquidity for the customer while also being able to improve opportunities for arbitrage betting as well. Similarly, some sports books also provide the option of laying a bet in cricket matches. Once people have figured out back and lay meaning in cricket betting, they will be able to appreciate the feature to a great extent.
Taking advantage of draws
The regular betting style can be very one-sided and provide returns to the punter only when things go in favour and they are matched. However, one can take advantage of multiple betting opportunities when using the lay and back betting options. One of the most interesting would be the strategy of laying the draw. It is not recommended for beginners due to the severe complexities behind the same. This can be used especially in Test matches where the outcome can go in favour of both teams. If two very strong teams are going up against each other and the punter is not sure about who the winner will turn out to be, they can choose to lay a draw.
If there is a high likelihood of rain playing spoilsport in a Test match, one can also decide to make good returns using the lay and back betting options. For example, if punters expect rain on the second day of a Test game, which has an even chance of both teams coming out successful. In this instance, one can go back to draw towards the end of day one. If the rain comes as expected on day two, there will be a significant drop in the odds for the draw. Now, the punter can go ahead and lay the draw so that the possibility of a loss is completely eliminated.
What does laying off a bet mean?
This situation often arises when Sports books face an overwhelming amount of bets favoring one team, causing concerns about potential significant financial losses. To illustrate this, let's consider an example:
Suppose there's a widespread belief that India are the favorites to win the World Cup. As a result, a vast majority of bettors place their wagers on the India winning. This scenario is not ideal for a particular sportsbook, as they might fear substantial financial losses if India indeed emerge victorious.
To mitigate this risk, the sportsbook takes proactive measures. They might decide to visit another sportsbook and place a huge bet on India winning so they don't end up losing a lot of money. This strategy aims to balance the financial exposure in case the public's prediction about India winning turns out to be correct.
In essence, this practice of sportsbooks placing counter bets at other sportsbooks is a risk management strategy to safeguard against potential heavy losses when the betting public overwhelmingly supports one team.
Is lay betting legal?
Lay betting is legal and in most jurisdictions, there are no specific gambling regulations that prohibit lay betting. This means you have the liberty to employ various lay betting strategies to seek profitability.
