Bobsleigh as a winter professional sport is represented mainly in developed countries. This is due to the high cost of building high-quality bobsleigh tracks. Also, equipment for practicing this sport is not cheap. Therefore, the trendsetters in bobsleigh are Switzerland, Canada, the USA and Germany. During the Soviet era, Soviet athletes competed in international bobsleigh competitions. Currently, bobsleigh is poorly developed in Russia, although there is a certain positive trend after the Sochi Olympics in 2014. But this article is not so much about the sport itself, but about betting on it.
Bobsleigh history and basic rules
The history of bobsleigh as a sport began at the end of the 19th century, when the first bobsleigh club was organized in Switzerland, which tried to develop initial rules. The first competitions were attended by a sledge with a crew of 5 people, in which there were three men and two girls. Later, the combination of sexes in bobsleigh was abandoned due to a significant difference in speed and strength. Now, however, the first competitions in bobsleigh mixed are already being held, but so far they are not included in the Olympic Games program and are not recognized all over the world.
There are two standard bobsleigh events at the Olympics: downhill in twos and downhill in fours. At the same time, both men and women descend in twos. But fours are an exclusively male sport. In addition, solo bobsledders will be introduced from the 2022 Olympic Games.
The rules of bobsleigh are simple: a team (or a single pilot) must complete the track as quickly as possible in comparison with other competitors. To give more speed to the bob (this is what special sleds are called in bobsleigh), there is a special person who accelerates during acceleration. There is also a coxswain in the crew of two bobsledders, and a second booster and a breakman (the person who gets into the bob last) are added to the four.
In competitions of the Olympic Games, European and World Championships, as a rule, 4 scoring races are held. The time of races is summed up, and the winner is the one who has the best time.
Main types of bobsleigh bets
Bookmakers do not offer so many types of bets on bobsleigh, often you can only find options for the final outcome of races. In addition, it should be understood that this is a cyclical sport, all major competitions are held in winter. Accordingly, it is almost pointless to look for bets on bobsleigh in the lines of bookmakers in the summer. Most often, bets on this sport are available during the Olympic Games, World Cup stages, during the European or World Championships.
Bets on the outcome
The bookmaker offers its own odds for the final winner of the competition, the player chooses their own option.
Outcome bets by race
Bobsleigh has two scoring races, and some bookmakers are willing to offer bets on the outcome of each individual race.
Bets on getting into the top-3, top-5, top-10
One of the most popular types of bets is a bet on getting an athlete in the first 3/5/10 places at the end of the competition.
Time-based breakaway bets
In bobsleigh, everything is decided by fractions of a second, and bookmakers can also offer to bet on what time gap the winner will have before the second place.
Bets on who is higher at the end of the competition (comparison of teams)
Here you can compare the results of athletes ‘ performances and predict whose performance will be more or less successful. Usually, it is in such bets that you can find the most acceptable outcomes with good odds.
How to place bets on bobsleigh correctly: the main analysis criteria
Due to the lack of global popularity of bobsleigh, betting on this sport is quite difficult to analyze. There is not much information about tracks, athletes, injuries, changes in team lineups, etc. However, like any other sport, bobsleigh has its own key features. Having studied each individual competition from all sides, you can find interesting options for betting.
- The famous route. This is a very common criterion. Bobsledders often train on the same track — which saves time and money. Accordingly, the bobsledder will feel more confident on his” own ” track, because he knows every bend of the ice chute. On a foreign track, bobsledders rely on preparatory passes and their skills. Here it is important to take into account that not always an athlete has the opportunity to train in their own country. So, for example, a Russian bobsledder may be closer to the Swiss track just because he trains on it.
- Weather. This is a very difficult factor to take into account during bobsleigh races. Changing the air temperature by 1-2 degrees can be a critical factor. It gets colder, the track gets more cold — this is an additional danger for the bobsledder, which means that you need to brake harder on turns. It gets warmer, the track melts — this reduces the potential speed of Bob, you need to choose the right acceleration, the right sharpening of skates.
- Convenient route. All athletes are different in temperament and professional skills. Some people drive better on fast tracks, others are more comfortable on longer and longer distances, others prefer fewer turns, as they are weak in braking. Track conditions for a particular bobsleigh team can be viewed based on the results of previous performances at tournaments.
- Personal factor. Bobsleigh athletes are ordinary people, and they have life difficulties and troubles. If you know some important information about the condition of a particular participant, it may be easier to choose the right bet on the outcome of the competition. However, this is a universal factor, and it has exactly the same meaning in betting on bobsleigh as in betting on any other sport.
Which bookmakers are better off betting on bobsleds
You can only find a bobsleigh in the lines before the start or during major competitions. Therefore, the bookmaker’s list of the best should be reviewed regularly. Every year the World Cup is held, and before each stage BC offers bets on this sport.
1xStavka
1xStavka bookmaker follows the chosen strategy and tries to provide maximum coverage even for little-known markets, including bobsleigh. Before each stage of the World Cup, you can find betting options in the line of this bookmaker for the winner, for comparing the final performances, for the winner in individual races, for whether the team will get into the top 3 / top 5 or top 10.
BetCity
BetCity’s betting lines also have plenty of bets on a variety of sports, and bobsleigh bets also appear before major competitions. The list of bobsleigh tickets in BetCity is decent, but most often there are no certain types of bets, such as comparing the final results of teams.
Olymp
The list of bobsleigh tickets in BC Olymp is not as rich as in 1xStavka, but the main options in the bookmaker’s line are present: bets on the outcome, on the outcome of races, on the time of the winner’s breakaway.