What Is Ante-Post Betting? 2024

What Is Ante-Post Betting?

Before we begin, it is important to understand what ante-post betting is. Having a clear idea of this will save you a lot of unnecessary hassle in the long run.

Ante-post betting is a type of wager made before the game has started and any of the markets have opened. This is when the odds are highest, because it is the trickiest to predict. After all, there are no guarantees that the players or teams you wager on will even make it to the competition, and there is a much higher likelihood of your bet collapsing. On the other hand, if you do make a successful bet, you will earn a lot more cash than a normal wager.

Although it may seem difficult to use ante-post betting, it is relatively simple once you undertake the necessary research, depending on which market you want to bet on.

How Do I Place An Ante-Post Bet?

Placing an ante-post bet is simple, and is very similar to a normal wager.

• Create an account with your favourite bookmaker, but ensure that they offer ante-post ‘futures’ betting in their description before you register
• Click the ante-post tab on the betting site and browse through the possible selections
• The most common sports are greyhound racing and horse racing (derby’s)
•  Choose the market you wish to bet on, whether this be the outright winner, top placings, or winning margin
• Decide on the amount your want to stake. It is worth noting that this should be disposable income, as ante-post betting can be risky and there is no guarantee you will make a profit
• Finally, create your bet!

Which Sports Use Ante-Post Betting?

Ante-post betting is different to a regular bet, because there are a few sports that dominate this type of bet. They are the following:

Horse Racing

Arguably the most popular sport in ante-post betting is horse racing. When you find a betting site with good ante-post betting odds, the majority will be promoting this sport. Competitions include The Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, and Grand National.

 Popular markets for this include:

Outright Winner	The outright winner is the horse which comes first out of the entire cohort. Otherwise known as a money line bet, this is the occasion that everyone is waiting for. However, it is trickier in ante-post betting because the horse you back may not even enter the competition. Hence, it is vital to do your research thoroughly.
Each Way Betting	Each way betting is an interesting market because it has more flexibility than the outright winner. If you pick a horse and they come first, you will win the bet. Likewise, if they place in the top rankings (1st, 2nd, or 3rd ) you will also be successful. You can think of an each way bet as two individual bets combined in one wager.
Length Betting	Length betting is a lesser-known market in horse racing that is just as profitable. This is where you predict the margin by which the horse placing 1st has beat the horse placing 2nd.

Greyhound Racing

Greyhound racing is especially popular in the UK. The Irish Greyhound Derby and the English Greyhound Derby are one of the biggest dog races worldwide.

The sport is popular in ante-post betting because races can feature upto 200 dogs in the preliminary rounds, meaning that there is a huge selection. Punters can make their predictions months in advance, and some find the anticipation leading upto the finals exhilarating.

Football

Whilst greyhound and horse racing are the most common in ante-post betting, it is important not to overlook football. Competitions that are popular include:

• FIFA World Cup (every four years)
• EUFA European Championships (every four years)
• Premier League
• Champions League

For competitions that don’t happen annually, tension builds up. Punters can get in one the action by ante-post betting which helps to make the event appear closer, and develops excitement.

What Are The Advantages Of Ante-Post Betting?

There are several advantages of ante-post betting, which is evident by the thousands of punters that opt to make these types of wagers. Below are the biggest pluses:

• Better Odds Than Usual

The biggest upside to ante-post betting, and the most enticing reason to use it, is better odds. Many punters spend copious amounts of time comparing betting sites to ensure they have the highest odds, which is a great strategy. However, this can be time consuming. As ante-post betting is riskier according to bookmakers, they display higher odds.

• Higher Profits

In turn, you will make a bigger profit if the odds are higher. For example if you bet that Horse A will win the Irish Derby with ante-post bets 150/1, they will slowly fall and by the time the race comes around, the odds will look more like 15/1.

• More Time To Inquire

In contrast to in-play betting, where you place bets as the game is live, ante-post betting gifts you the luxury of time. You have an abundance of time to research, meaning that you can collect trends, check out previous tournaments, and so on.

• Non-Runner No Bet Policy

Some of the best bookmakers are those that offer a ‘Non-Runner No Bet’ condition. This applies when you place an ante-post bet on an animal that does not end up qualifying. In this event, your stake will simply be returned, and you will not incur a loss.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Ante-Post Betting?

Like any bet, there are some disadvantages to ante-post betting. These are worthwhile noting, although they can be avoided in some situations.

• The Competitors May Not Place

Of course, the biggest disadvantage of ante-post betting is that there are no published competitors or teams at the time of the wager. There is no way to guarantee that they will place, nor that they will even partake in the competition.

As we mentioned, the Non-Runner No Bet policy is the perfect strategy to counteract this. However, you should make sure that the betting sites you are using offers this rule.

• No Recent Statistics  

When we discuss sport bet strategies, our biggest tip is to do meticulous research and check recent performances. With ante-post betting, this is harder to do. Because ante-post bets are often made months in advance, it is difficult to anticipate last minute changes that will affect how they place in the competition.

A great way to avoid this hurdle is by leaving ante-post bets until later. Although the odds may decrease slightly, this is not the end of the world. Similarly, you could check past statistics. Although they may not be the most up-to-date, trends are important and winning teams often show consistency.