Origin
The term ‘ante-post is derived from an amalgamation of two words.
“Ante” is Latin for “before”. “Post” refers to the nineteenth-century betting post, a stake in the ground that was used to demarcate the beginning of fixed betting terminals.
As horse racing started to become more popular, the term was used exclusively to describe bets that were placed days, weeks, or even months ahead of a race.
Whilst ante post remains a term used more often in horses and greyhounds, it’s often used interchangeably across different sports.
Ante-post betting examples
Horse racing
As noted, ante-post bets have their roots in horse racing and the industry refers to the sport most often when discussing ante-post bets.
Ante-post betting remains very popular in horse racing with major events such as the Cheltenham Racing Festival and the Grand National being popular events for advance betting.
Back here in Ireland, the Irish Derby, Punchestown Festival, Galway Races and Irish Guineas attract significant inflows of betting money in the ante-post market.
Ante-post betting in football usually involves betting on the outcome of leagues or tournaments before they conclude but it can also extend to other outright markets such as top goalscorers, relegation candidates, or most assists over a season.
Popular markets include winners of the Premier League, Champions League, World Cups, Euros Championships and the FA Cup.
Tennis
Tennis has become an ever-popular ante-post-market in recent years and the winners of a grand slam tournament are the most frequent vehicle for such bets.
Notable examples include Wimbledon, the US Open, and the French Open.
Punters may have an eye for value in this market and look to predict when players will be in peak condition if they’re recovering from an injury.
Placing ante post bets
Depending on the bookmaker, ante-post bets can be found in various ways.
For example, to find ante-post bets in Boylesports, the user needs to navigate to horse racing > future horses> Antepost.
Conversely, the ante-post market selection in Paddypower can be found by clicking horse racing and then the ‘future’ tab.
Odds comparison services such as Oddschecker also have an ante-post section where one can compare the different markets and odds on offer for future races.
Betting is then done the same way as a standard same-day bet and each way selections are still available.
For other sports such as football or tennis meanwhile, ante-post is not often a term the bookmakers explicitly use, but finding them is simple enough by navigating to the sport in question to tournament/league and outrights.
Advantages of ante-post bets
Better odds
One of the main advantages of ante-post betting is the prospect of picking up better odds than on the day of racing. When markets are immature, they’re generally not very accurate which means that it’s possible to find great value where odds are seemingly higher than the true probability of a horse winning.
If you have strong knowledge and insights of particular selections then it’s possible to do very well with such an approach.
Lay options
By securing long odds in advance of race day, savvy bettors can later lay that same selection on a betting exchange and lock in a guaranteed profit.
Likewise, if a team has an easy group or side of the draw in a tournament then wait until the team progresses further, then lock in a profit as their odds diminish as they get closer to the final.
Disadvantages of ante-post bets
Risk of non-runners/forfeits
If the prospect of grabbing inflated odds is the biggest advantage of ante-post betting, by far the biggest disadvantage of the risk of your selection dropping out of the event beforehand.
For example, If a bet is staked on a horse on the day of racing and the horse is unable to shake off an injury and gets withdrawn before the race, punters will get their stake returned. Conversely, this is not the case with ante-post bets.
Traditionally, if your ante post bet withdraws and does not participate in the event, punters will still usually lose their stake just like a losing bet.
This is very common in horse racing and therefore the risk-reward ratio is extremely delicate.
Form and fitness uncertainty
Sport can be very unpredictable.
It might be possible that the odds were of great value when taken as an ante-post bet but the longer the period is between taking the bet and the event, then the higher the possibility that form and fitness become an issue resulting in now poor value or entire withdrawal.
This could happen if a football team loses their star player to injury, or a horse just hits a patch of bad form. You never know what’s going to happen and the past is not always a reliable indicator of the future.
Ante-post betting considerations
Research
Research, research, research.
As noted, ante post betting involves finely balancing risk and reward so it’s imperative that bettors research and develop a deep understanding of the sport and their selections.
Bettors will need to keep up to date with news from a variety of sources from newspapers, to social media and thoroughly evaluate form guides, statistics and every nugget of information that they can get their hands on.
Look for value
This one should be obvious but not enough punters look for value in their selections.
Since there is a risk of non-runners/withdrawals, a strong focus must be put on assessing the odds and evaluating which selections have a greater chance of victory than what the odds imply.
Staking plan
Because of the high risk-reward ratio, it is sensible to follow a staking plan. Bankroll management such as never risking more than 5% of your funds is a good rule of thumb.
If purely betting recreationally, then the adage of never bet more than you can afford to lose applies.
Diversification
For events with many participants such as big horse races or golf tournaments, bettors may wish to consider spreading their exposure so that it’s not a huge hit should the prospect of withdrawals materialise.
By placing bets across multiple markets and competitors, it’s possible to mitigate the risk of a withdrawal nefariously affecting an overall betting strategy.
Conclusion
Ante post-betting presents a potentially lucrative strategy for sports betting.
By leveraging high odds during uncertain markets, players can maximise their chances of uncovering value and making astute betting choices.
As referenced though, such opportunities can come with risk due to the prospect of withdrawals and the loss of initial stakes.
To be successful in ante-post betting, it’s fundamental to develop an obsession with researching chosen markets and selection to stay one step ahead of the competition.
Those with the inside scoop and scouring social media for any informational edge will do very well here.
Bookmakers across Ireland are well placed to take advantage of ante-post opportunities with a plethora of markets and choices available well ahead of the event.
