If you’re not sure what the best sites for table tennis betting are, no problem, because we’re here to help. We’ll tell you which are best, why, and what offers you can look forward to. We’ll also discuss some popular table tennis betting markets and some big competitions you can wager on.
How We Rate the Best Table Tennis Betting Sites
Most sportsbooks these days offer table tennis online betting as part of their portfolio of sports for customers to wager on. But how do we at Ask Gamblers decide which are the best sports betting sites for ping pong betting, and which are just run-of-the-mill sportsbooks that are nothing special? These are the factors we look at.
- Quality of the odds: This is by no means unique to table tennis sports betting as it applies to all sports, but it doesn’t make it any less valid. The higher the odds - or the lower the house edge, if you prefer - the bigger the payout every time you have a winning bet. This all adds up over time and makes a huge difference to your overall Profit and Loss. But what’s crucial to look at here are the odds specifically for betting on table tennis, rather than all sports.
- Payment Methods: Not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about a table tennis betting site but an important one. Having lots of methods to choose from to deposit and withdraw your money is important, as is the speed at which deposits and transfers (in particular) take. Meaning: the quicker the better. Table tennis betting sites also get brownie points for not charging any fees on transactions.
- Live Betting/Live Streaming: Most sportsbooks with betting on table tennis will offer most of their markets in live betting as well, so the more live betting markets and the more generous the in-play odds, the better. A huge bonus is if you can livestream the matches. It’s a sport that’s very rarely shown on TV, so being able to stream the matches makes a huge difference to the score we give the bookie in our sportsbook reviews.
- Variety of betting markets: All matches will have the match winner, but some may only have that one. Offering a good mix of side markets, including handicaps, gives fans of table tennis betting far more choice.
How to Place a Bet on Table Tennis
If you’re keen to bet on table tennis and aren’t sure how you’re about to find out. Here’s how to bet on table tennis, remembering that even though no two sportsbooks are exactly the same, the process is generally pretty similar.
- Check out our reviews and the scores we’ve awarded to the different sportsbooks when comparing the best table tennis betting sites.
- Choose a sportsbook from the list based on the overall scores and your own personal preferences. Open an account at it and make a deposit.
- Log in to your account, go to the list of sports on the left-hand column on the homepage, and choose ‘table tennis’.
- You’ll then be presented with a list of the table tennis competitions. Pick the one you wish to bet on.
- If you wish to bet on a particular match, click on the match.
- Choose the table tennis betting market you wish to wager on relating to that match.
- Alternatively, if you wish to place a table tennis bet on who will win the competition, navigate to Outrights/Outright Betting and choose the outright market you want to bet on.
- Choose the stake you wish to place on the bet.
- Process the bet.
Popular Table Tennis Betting Markets
The main and most popular market for table tennis betting is the match winner, but it’s not the only one you can play.
Match Winner
This is very similar to any other two-runner market in sports, such as the winner of a tennis or snooker match. There are no draws in table tennis, so it’s either one player or the other.
Game Winner
‘Games’ in table tennis are tennis’ equivalent of ‘sets’ because a table tennis match is made up of best-of-5/7 games, not sets. This means they’re actually called ‘games’ in table tennis. So here you’re betting on who will win the next game or, if it’s already started, the game in progress.
Match Total Points
Matches are generally played as best-of-five, or best-of-seven games, with each game being a race-to-11- points, the exception being if the game is tied at 10-10. If that happens, a player needs to win by two clear points. Match total points betting involves predicting how many points will be scored in the match, taking both players’ scores into account.
Game Total Points
Rather than predicting how many points there will be in the match as a whole, you’re betting on how many there will be just in the ongoing game. This is a kind of equivalent market of the number of games in a set in tennis.
Exact Games
In this table tennis betting market, you’re predicting the number of games that will make up the match. So, if it was best-of-five games, the match would either have 3, 4 or 5 games in it, and it’s up to you to predict what the exact number will be.
In-Play Bets
If any of the markets just mentioned are available after the match has got underway, they’re in-play markets and bets placed on them are in-play bets. Not all sportsbooks offer in-play betting, and if they do, it’s often only on the match-winner market. But, the best betting sites for table tennis tend to offer in-play betting on all the same markets that are available pre-match.
Table Tennis Betting Offers
All the best online table tennis betting sites offer their customers sports betting bonuses as a way of rewarding them for their loyalty and keeping them engaged and motivated to carry on playing. Here are some of the ones you can look forward to, specifically revolving around table tennis.
- Free Bets: Free bets are bets that have already been paid for in advance by the betting site.In some cases, especially when part of a welcome offer, free bets can be used on any sport. And where that’s the case, you can use your free bet to place a table tennis bet. In other cases, the terms of the free bet specify that you can only use it on a certain sport or event. So, in these circumstances, you won’t be able to use it for table tennis betting.
- Risk-free bet: The difference between this one and free bets is that with risk-free bets, you need to fund the initial wager yourself. If it wins, you get paid out as usual, and if it loses, the value of your bet will be refunded. That will either be in cash or in the form of a free bet.
- Odds Boosts: Here the odds on a particular selection are increased to attract more interest and business. Though Odds Boosts are normally reserved for the most popular sports like football, tennis and horseracing, you can occasionally get some for other sports, including table tennis.
Most Popular Table Tennis Events
Table tennis events are nowhere near as well-known to the general public as those in football or golf, but there are still some important events for the sport. Here are the biggest ones.
Olympic Games
Table tennis has only been an Olympic sport since 1988. Originally it only had men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s singles and women’s doubles as events. But now it also has men’s team, women’s team and mixed doubles events in it. Unsurprisingly, China has dominated proceedings with 37 gold medals out of a possible 42.
Table Tennis Singles World Cup
The rules of eligibility are quite complex for this one, including the fact that both the current World Champion and current U19 World Champion automatically qualify. The 48 players in the men's and women’s draw are divided into three (round-robin) groups, and after that, there are several knockout stages till the eventual winner is crowned. The 2024 edition was held in Macao, with China once again sweeping up all the gold medals.
Europe Top-16
Though it’s been around since 1971, it was originally only for the top 12 players in the men's and women’s European rankings, with the increase to 16 coming in 2015, at which point the competition’s name was changed. It’s a straight knockout tournament with draws based on rankings, and it’s played over just two days. The top 3 from each draw get to play at the World Cup.
European Table Tennis Championships
First contested in 1958, it was originally held every two years, in even years. Since 2007, it’s been held every year. In odd years, it’s made up of two events and, in even years, of five events. Over the years, Sweden has been the most successful team in the men’s event and Germany in the women’s draw.
Asian Games
The Asian Games have been going since 1951, and table tennis has been one of the events since 1958, with the exception of 1970. Only open to Asian athletes, as the name suggests, it’s made up of seven events: men’s singles/doubles/team and women’s singles/doubles/team, plus mixed doubles.
China has won 72 gold medals out of a possible 110, with Japan being the next most successful country with 12.
Table Tennis Betting Tips and Strategies
And let’s round things off with some tips and strategies that you can put to use when betting on table tennis.
Head-To-Head Matters
Table tennis is an extremely technical sport where the strokes and the different spins imparted on the ball can make a huge difference, as can the tactics employed by different players. All of this means some players will find it easier to beat others due to these tactics and execution of different strokes.
Therefore, the head-to-head record between the two players in question is key. Who has won the most times in the past should be your first consideration.
Who’s the Weakest Link?
In doubles and mixed doubles, players take turns to play their shot, doing so alternately. This is not the case in table tennis, where, theoretically, the same player could play a stroke five or six times in a row.
So rather than considering who is the best player of the four in the table tennis match, consider who is the weakest. They’ll have to play every other shot for their team, so if they’re a few notches below the others, they’re going to struggle. So, bet accordingly.
Use Cash Out, but Wisely
Cash Out can be a great tool, and the best betting sites for table tennis will have it available for in-play table tennis matches. If your player or pairing is in a dominant position and you don’t want to take any chances, especially if your stake is big or your potential winnings are very big, there’s nothing wrong with using it. This is also the case if you want to release funds so you can place another bet on something else.
But you’re not forced to take the Cash Out offer, irrespective of what it is, nor should you take low offers. Work out what the offer ‘should be’ based on your potential winnings and current odds. Then, decide if it’s a fair offer. If it’s not, you’re better off letting the bet ride in the long-term.