Best Sportsbooks For Live Betting & How To Bet

Betting in-game requires a different betting mindset and strategy - all of which we'll go over here. 

Before we do that, however, let's take a look at the best live betting sites in the US.

Best betting sites for live sports betting 

Live betting vs. pre-game betting

Pre-game betting is the kind of sports betting you may be used to. You go on your favorite sportsbook app, look up the games or matches you'd like to bet on, and put some money down. You're then free to put down your device and enjoy the game, waiting to see if you win. You don't even need to watch the game when you're betting on pre-game odds.

Sportsbooks will put these odds up prior to a game and then close or lock them shortly before the match starts, and you can't go in and change your wager or adjust your slip.

Live betting starts when the game starts. Sportsbooks will open in-game odds when the game begins, and these odds change as the game goes on depending on the result. Live bettors can place small bets throughout the game, often with great risk and reward.

When big moments happen in the game (such as when a touchdown, or a goal is scored, or a team goes up by 10 points), the sportsbooks will temporarily lock to adjust the odds and then reopen them. You can still bet on most of the same things you'd bet on pregame, like point spreads, moneylines, props, futures etc. in live-game betting, but the odds change a lot throughout the game to reflect how the game is turning out.

Here is an example from 1/28/2025 from FanDuel's live games which you'll see in the "Live now" tab

Is live betting better?

It's mostly about preference, but sometimes you can get higher odds and therefore higher payouts when you bet live in-game as opposed to before the game. 

As the game progresses the oddsmakers will be changing the odds, but if you have a gut feeling that a team will make a comeback, you can bet on them and maybe get a bigger payout if that does happen! That's just one example of how things can change during the game.

Tips for better live betting

A lot of the general concepts of live betting are the same as pre-game betting. So, while you don't have to necessarily learn a whole new system, there are some tips that will help you to be successful and safe while betting live in-game odds!

Watch the game (seems obvious)

Your safest route when live betting is to watch the game you're betting on. You can make decisions based on the performances you are seeing in real-time, knowing the flow of the game. If you're not watching, you may not know about factors like how the referees are officiating the game that day, what plays or schemes the teams are implementing, and which players are performing well or badly.

Sure, some people have bettor's intuition, but especially if you're new to betting, try to only place money on live odds when you have the time to watch the game.

Bet on a team you're familiar with

The bettors who have a lot success betting in live odds are those who can predict how a game may turn out, even when it may not seem predictable early on. For example, if you're watching a team that you know, and you know that it's a pattern for them for take a slump in the third quarter, use that to your advantage. When they take that slump, the odds makers will likely bring out new odds to support the opposing team, but you know they have the potential to come back. So take those odds and then reap the rewards when the team comes back.

The same goes for players. If a player has had a recent pattern of playing okay in the first half but really turning it up in the second half, wait until halftime to put a wager on them. Your odds will be better and you have the chance to bring home more money.

Bet on the favorites early

Odds makers have a tendency to overreact. If a team goes into a game the heavy favorite to win, but then has a rough start, they are gonna change the odds to reflect that. Yet, you can probably guess that slow start won't last - especially when a team is a heavy favorite or a team with more talent and a higher season record than their opponent.

Take those overreaction odds, and you'll be laughing when the favorite turns it around soon after.

Hedge your wagers

Hedging your wagers is a fancy term for trying to make up for other bets with live, in-game betting. If you placed a pre-game bet, the odds lock, and then you can tell you're going to lose that bet, betting the OTHER way during the live game to make up for it.

You're basically trying to break even by putting money the other way in the game or match. Usually, you can't make back ALL the money you put down, but you can try and buffer the loss.

Avoid chasing a win

You can quickly go from trying to hedge a wager to chasing a loss, and that's dangerous in live betting. Sometimes you have to accept a loss and not risk losing more money. A lot of online sportsbooks these days let you set weekly or daily spending limits, which can help because they absolutely will not let you spend more money once you're out.

Especially when starting out, placing small in-game bets so you can learn how the odds change throughout the game can be helpful. You'll learn how reactive the oddsmakers are, when the best time to place a bet is, and when to avoid putting down more money. This is also where it helps to go back to knowing the team you're betting on.