Readers of our betting agencies section will know that no single bookmaker dominates the rest, but certain services shine in different areas. When it comes to tournament winner betting, Betfair is by far and away the best place to be, and our survey of the latest tournament winner odds for the 2012 Australian Open confirms this.
Betfair’s superiority comes down to two things:
- Ability to bet both for and against athletes
So often you aren’t able to pick a winner of a tournament, but you certainly know who won’t win. Unlike standard bookmakers, Betfair enables you to bet for and against competitors. If you don’t rate Zonvareva’s chances, you can make a bet that she won’t win the Australian Open. Another benefit of being able to bet against someone is that you can hedge your bets and lock in a guaranteed profit if odds move in your favour. For example you may back Kanepi at 23.00 odds, then later bet against her at 19.00 odds, thus locking in a profit regardless of the outcome. Conversely, if you get cold feet on someone you’ve backed, you can later bet against them to minimise losses. - Superior odds
Betfair typically dominates standard bookmakers when it comes to tournament winner odds. Below is a survey of the available odds on the men’s and women’s winners market, as of January 12th.
Women’s Tournament Winner Odds
| Player | Betfair | bet365 | Luxbet | Sportsbet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kvitova | 3.65 | 3.25 | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| S Williams | 5.6 | 4.5 | 4.75 | 5 |
| Clijsters | 11.5 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 8 |
| Azarenka | 9.4 | 7 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| Stosur | 19.5 | 13 | 15 | 13 |
| Wozniacki | 18.5 | 17 | 14 | 19 |
| Li | 19.5 | 17 | 13 | 19 |
| Kanepi | 23 | 15 | 19 | 15 |
| Radwanska | 28 | 17 | 19 | 19 |
| Zvonareva | 70 | 29 | 41 | 26 |
| Sharapova | 36 | 23 | 26 | 26 |
| Lisicki | 100 | 34 | 67 | 41 |
| Ivanovic | 110 | 41 | 81 | 41 |
| Jankovic | 130 | 67 | 81 | 41 |
| Kuznetsova | 80 | 41 | 67 | 41 |
| Schiavone | 120 | 67 | 81 | 81 |
| Bartoli | 46 | 41 | 29 | 31 |
| Pavlyuchenkova | 130 | 67 | 101 | 67 |
| Cibulkova | 180 | 126 | 151 | 151 |
Men’s Tournament Winner Odds
| Player | Betfair | bet365 | Luxbet | Sportsbet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Djokovic | 2.48 | 2.25 | 2.35 | 2.3 |
| Federer | 6 | 4 | 5.5 | 6 |
| Murray | 6.6 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 |
| Nadal | 8.4 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Del Potro | 22 | 13 | 17 | 15 |
| Tsonga | 21 | 19 | 15 | 21 |
| Berdych | 60 | 51 | 41 | 34 |
| Tomic | 110 | 41 | 51 | 51 |
| Ferrer | 120 | 41 | 67 | 36 |
| Tipsarevic | 250 | 151 | 101 | N/A |
| Isner | 410 | 126 | 151 | 126 |
| Raonic | 110 | 67 | 51 | 81 |
| Monfils | 150 | 81 | 67 | 61 |
| Fish | 260 | 67 | 201 | 76 |
| Roddick | 330 | 101 | 151 | 81 |
| Hewitt | 870 | N/A | 201 | 176 |
| Dolgopolov | 250 | 101 | 81 | 101 |
| Nalbandian | 1000 | 151 | 301 | 126 |
| Wawrinka | 620 | 201 | 301 | N/A |
Even after you take into account Betfair winner fees, the odds easily dominate those offered by standard bookmakers. Be sure to check out our full review of Betfair if you aren’t familiar with betting exchanges.