2020 Table Tennis Odds: Table Tennis Preview

It’s time to give table tennis its due respect. Of all the forms of tennis that have evolved over the centuries, the one commonly known as “ping pong” may be the most popular in the world – as measured by the number of players. Now, thanks in part to the coronavirus, the table tennis lines at Bovada Sportsbook have caught the attention of bettors as well.

If you have posters of Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng on your wall, you probably know what table tennis is all about. But do you know how the table tennis betting lines work? This comprehensive guide will show you the ropes; we’ll introduce you to the basic “straight” or “single” bets that you can make at Bovada, along with a special look at live betting, where you can place your wagers in real time while the matches are in progress.

You don’t need to be a table tennis expert to make a smart bet, either. It’s pretty much the same sport as tennis, only there’s a small table instead of a large court, and both the rackets (aka “paddles”) and ball are sized appropriately. Table tennis has been an Olympic sport since 1988, so the competition level has been going up and up – especially in China, where Fan and Chen are from. They’re the world’s top-ranked male and female players at press time, according to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

How to Bet on Table Tennis

Speaking of the ITTF, it’s important to note that the leagues operating in the early months of the coronavirus lockdown didn’t fall under their umbrella. For example, the Russian-based Liga Pro, which has generated a lot of interest in table tennis Vegas odds, isn’t part of the Table Tennis Federation of Russia; Liga Pro is a separate entity that also hosts basketball and eSports matches. Betting limits are usually smaller for Liga Pro and other minor competitions like the TT Cup and Setka Cup, which are operating on a regional basis. Matches sanctioned by the ITTF and their 200-plus member associations will return in full force when the lockdown is over.

For now, it’s no surprise that most of the matches on the table tennis odds board are coming out of Russia, as well as the Ukraine and the Czech Republic. While the top-ranked players are usually from China and other East Asian countries, Europe is the world’s second-largest market for table tennis, and Russia was one of the few nations to stay relatively open for business when the pandemic broke. Live streaming coverage of these matches is available to help you keep on top of things.

Moneyline

Now let’s get to the meat and potatoes of table tennis betting. The moneyline is the standard way to bet on all forms of tennis – simply pick which player (or doubles team) will win the match straight-up. Here’s an example from a recent match in the Russian Pro League:

Igor Matveev +165
Evgeny Kruchkov –230

Bovada Sportsbook uses the American odds format by default, but you can switch to fractional odds or decimal odds if you prefer – just use the drop-down menu at the top-right of the table tennis odds page, next to your bet slip. With American odds, the negative sign shows you who the favorite is, and the positive sign the underdog; in this case, a $230 bet on Kruchkov would pay out $100, while a $100 bet on Matveev would pay out $165. Smaller and larger bets are allowed, as long as they fall within Bovada’s minimum and maximum limits.

Total

Table tennis also gives you the opportunity to bet on the total – in this case, the total number of points scored by both players during the match. For this example, we travel to the Czech Republic TT Star Series:

David Reitspies O 75.5 (–120)
Tomas Tregler U 75.5 (–120)

It’s common practice to put the Over odds on top and the Under odds at the bottom; Bovada also uses the capital O and U to help you navigate the table tennis lines. For this match, if Reitspies and Tregler combine to score at least 76 points, the Over will pay out according to the odds in parentheses, which are also expressed in American odds. $100 for every $120 wagered will pay out for both the over and under in this example.

Table tennis matches are usually best-of-five affairs, and the first player to 11 points wins each set – except they have to win by two points, so if the score is 11-10, they keep playing. The closer the match is on the moneyline, the higher the total is likely to be. Some competitions use a best-of-seven format, so make sure you know what’s what ahead of time before betting on these matches.

Live Betting

Table tennis is a fast-moving sport, and the action gets really intense when you’re betting live. Any available matches in progress can be seen at the top of Bovada’s table tennis odds page; you can also hit the LIVE button at the top-left of our home page to see all the live sports you can bet on at any one moment.

Live table tennis betting includes both the moneyline and total for the match in progress, with odds updated in real time. Depending on the match, you might also find a list of table tennis props (short for “proposition” bets), like Correct Score – where you bet on the exact number of sets each player will win. Spread betting is also available for some live matches; this is like betting on the point spread in football, but you’re betting on the outcome of a single set, and the favorite has to win by a certain number of points to cover the spread. Here’s an example of spread betting from the Ukraine Setka Cup:

Pavel Kovalchuk –2.5 (+160)
Yuriy Kokunin +2.5 (–230)

Again, you can tell that Kovalchuk is the favorite to win the set, because he has the negative number next to his spread odds. If Kovalchuk wins by at least three points, bettors will be paid out $160 for every $100 wagered. If Kokunin wins, or loses by just two points, his supporters will get $100 for every $230 wagered. Don’t forget: You can’t lose a set by a single point in table tennis.

To see all the different live betting options you have for a match in progress, tap or click on the number just to the left of the boxes that say SPREAD, WIN and TOTAL for the match in question. That number will also tell you how many different lines are available – including any props that are on the board.

Now that you’ve been introduced to the table tennis odds, it’s time to place your bets at Bovada Sportsbook. If you have any other questions, check out our FAQ and Help guides, and look for other helpful articles in our valuable archive. Stay healthy in the meantime, and enjoy the matches.