What Bettors Need to Know about Curling

What Bettors Need to Know about Curling

If you’ve never heard of Curling before, it’s high time you did! For a sport that is so rich in history and so challenging to play, a surprisingly small number of people know about it. In spite of this most reputable online bookmakers offer Curling markets.

Since they’re not as saturated as the more mainstream sports like Soccer and Tennis, they provide some lucrative betting opportunities. To start taking advantage of them and landing big wins, learn the basics of Curling here.

Scottish Origins

The likeliest birthplace of Curling is Scotland, where curling stones inscribed with the dates 1511 and 1551 have been found. The first known written reference to the sport is from 1541, when the records of Paisley Abby in Renfrewshire describe a contest that uses stones on ice.

The Scots’ fondness for Curling continued, and they brought the sport with them when they first settled in Canada. Today it remains firmly entrenched in the culture of these two countries, and has also spread to Switzerland, Sweden, the United States, China, Korea, Japan and several other nations.

The Basic Rules of Curling

The objective in any game of Curling is to slide a stone down a narrow, alley-like strip of ice towards a circular shooting target. The target has a very typical design, with four concentric circles that are contained within each other.

There are four members on a team and one of them drives the stone towards the target using a stick. The other three teammates sweep the ice in front of them, to alter the stone’s direction and speed. The ultimate goal is to have the stones come to rest as close to the target’s central bullseye as possible.

Traditionally there are ten ends in a game of Curling, and these can be thought of as the equivalent to innings in Cricket or Baseball. The teams throw eight stones per end, from opposite sides of their icy ally. The winning squad is, of course, the one who has scored the most points after the last end.

Betting on Curling

Betting on Curling

As with most sports, Curling’s markets cover moneyline, point spread, totals and proposition bets. Spread bets are the most popular, since they even the playing field and can make games more exciting. Totals, or over/under wagers, are always a good option since all you need to do is say whether a score will be over or under a pre-set amount.

As in the UFC betting or other punting activity, before you place any wagers on Curling games, no matter how local or international they are, make sure you do your homework. Spend some time watching the sport, get familiar with star teams and athletes, read expert opinions and check ladder standings.

When you’re ready to begin, start with smaller bets until you feel more confident. Be patient with yourself, and enjoy watching the games in action. Remember, Curling’s rules are simple but playing well takes a lot of time and skill! Give yourself the same leeway to really perfect your betting skills.