Masters Betting Advice: How To Punt On The Masters

The Masters, the first golf major of the year, is just days away, and betting sites are continually updating the numerous markets they have available for the tournament. 

Every market is covered, from the overall winner, the winning margin to which player will finish in the top five. 

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You don't have to be a golf fanatic to win when betting on the Masters, as there are many ways of making a profit from the tournament. 

We will lead you up Magnolia Lane to the most famous clubhouse in world golf and help you out with some markets available for the Masters.

Each-Way Betting

Each-way betting works the same way as it does with horse racing. Close to 100 of the world's best golfers will make their way to Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia.

Picking a winner is notoriously difficult as the course tends to pose a number of problems over the four days before the champion is presented with the prestigious Green Jacket. 

This is why an each-way bet is a popular bet for the Masters. You can still make a profit if your chosen golfer doesn't finish top of the leaderboard.

An each-way bet is two separate bets. One is for your selected golfer to win the tournament and one for the same player to finish in one of the places offered by your favourite golf betting site. 

So, a £10 each-way bet will cost £20; £10 for a player to win the Masters and £10 for the same player to be placed. 

If your chosen player wins the tournament, both parts of the each-way bet will pay out, ensuring you receive the maximum potential payout.

The beauty of an each-way bet at the Masters means your interest is still alive even if your golfer's chances of winning have fallen by the wayside. 

New betting sites will use major tournaments like the Masters to attract new customers, which is why many will offer more places than their rivals. 

We suggest you check out as many betting sites as possible to see which is offering the most places. 

Bet365 will give you a quarter of the odds if your chosen golfer finishes in the top five.

By contrast, Coral will give you a fifth of the odds the player you back finishes in the top six.

That means your chances of success are better at Coral, but you have to accept a lower potential payout.

Each-Way Example

Let's use Jordan Spieth as an example. Spieth is a former winner at Augusta and has finished in the top five six times, including a fourth place finish last year. 

If you backed the 2015 Masters champion on a £10 each way bet at 20/1 and he wins, your pay out will be:

• £10 on the win at 20/1, resulting in a profit of £200.
• £10 on the place at 5/1, resulting in a profit of £50.

That means your total profit would be £250. You get your £20 stake back, resulting in a total return of £270.

If Spieth, who was recently disqualified from the Genesis Invitational after signing an incorrect scorecard, finishes third after watching his hopes of victory disappear at Amen Corner during his fourth and final round, then you will still have a winning bet. 

You would win £60 in total; £50 from the bet and your £10 stake. 

Even though your chosen golfer did not win the tournament, you still treble your money, which highlights why each-way betting is so popular on US Masters betting sites.

Top Five, Top 10 Or Top 20 Finish

If you think the Masters favourite wins more often than not, think again. The 2011 champion Charl Schwartzel was 100/1 before he teed off on the first on the Thursday.

Since then, Bubba Watson (50/1), Danny Willett (50/1), Patrick Reed (40/1) and Hideki Matsuyama (60/1) have all defied the odds to win the Green Jacket. 

Therefore, it makes sense to find golfers at a high price and back them to finish in the top five, top 10 or top 20. The pressure to win has been removed, but the odds won't be as great.

However, if you know a player has a great track record at Augusta and is 50/1 or more because they are returning from injury, then you might want to back them to finish in the top five, 10 or 20.

The Masters is the only golf major that takes place at the same course each year - Augusta National in Georgia.

Knowing which players regularly finish inside the top 10 here, such as Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth, can help you make a profit.

Match Ups

Some betting sites will offer match-up bets. This is where you pick two golfers and back one to shoot lower than the other. 

Jon Rahm and Scheffler are the previous two winners of the Masters and both are well placed on the outright winner market this year.

If you think the Spaniard will perform better than Scheffler, then you can back Rahm over each day or the overall tournament.

The bet is not dependent on either golfer winning the tournament, they could both miss the cut, but as long as your chosen golfer finishes above the other on the leaderboard, then you've got a winning bet.

Live In-Play

The first shot of any tournament is crucial. A cracking drive that splits the fairway can set the tone for the rest of the round. 

A poor opening tee shot can have a detrimental effect on the golfer's mindset. This is where live in-play betting comes to the fore. 

You can watch players start their rounds and look at their body language. If they walk off the first tee with their chests pumping, then you'll know that they know they might be in for a good round.

If the player is swearing under his breath, then you can take that as a sign that he is not full of confidence and they might be best left alone.

Handicap Betting

Handicap betting is another popular form of betting at golf tournaments like the Masters. New betting sites will set handicaps at 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 and so on. 

This is where you can back one golfer to beat another in one round or the overall tournament by a number of shots. 

Let's go for Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka. Both players are multiple major winners, but neither has won the Masters. Both have finished second at Augusta.

Koepka is now playing on the LIV tour, where they only play three rounds at each tournament. If you fancy McIlroy to beat Koepka by three shots or more, then back the Northern Irishman at -2.5. 

3-Balls and Groups

At every golf tournament, the field is set out in groups of three, or 3-balls as they are called. 

When it comes to the majors, the TV broadcasters like to have groups of the best golfers in the world playing against each other in order to keep viewers watching. 

That's why you might see the three best golfers in the world rankings play in the same group for the first two days, before the halfway cut sets in.

You can bet on which of the three will find the round with the lowest score. You can also bet on which 3-ball at the start of the tournament the overall champion will come from.

Special Betting Markets

You will also find a wide range of special betting markets, which can add a great deal of excitement to the US Masters.

For example, you can bet on options such as:

• Will there be a first-time winner?
• Will there be a hole in one?
• Will there be an albatross?
• Who will be the top American?
• Who will be the top European?
• Who will be the top player from the rest of the world?
• What will the winning nationality be?
• Who will be the first round, second round or third round leader?
• Will there be a wire-to-wire winner?

The top betting sites also offer markets on whether a specific golfer will make or miss the cut at the Masters.

You can find over/under markets on the number of pars, birdies, eagles or bogeys a player will manage in a particular round too, so there are dozens of different options to choose from.