Ante Post Betting | Explaining Ante Post Markets in 2025

Learn How Ante Post Betting Works in 2025: Ante Post Tips & Guide

When you hear the term ‘Ante Post Betting’, you automatically think of horse racing. That would be correct as ante post betting is predominantly used in the world of horse racing, although a lot more other professional sports are going down that route when it comes to sports betting.

In this guide we are going to explain all about the ante post betting rules and what it actually means, as well as the best UK bookmakers to use when it comes to ante post betting.

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What Is Ante Post Betting?

When it comes to sports betting, the term ante post betting relates to placing a bet on a sporting event before it takes place. It can also be referred to as futures betting or outright betting.

The term ante post comes from Latin and actually means ‘before the post’. That is where it ties in with horse racing as in the post time.

Ante post betting rules means punters can place their bets well in advance of the event or tournament starting. This could be months in advance, but it does have its advantages.

If you are placing an ante post bet well in advance, then the chances are those odds will be higher than when it comes to the day of the event. It is also important to remember that the odds can go in the opposite direction as well.

There are risks as well. Say you are backing someone to win the PDC Darts World Championship or backing a horse in the Grand National. If you back them months before and that player or horse does not end up competing, your bet would be a loser. Some bookmakers may run a No Runner No Bet promotion., but if they don’t it is up to the specific bookmaker on whether your stake is refunded

Best Betting Sites For Ante Post Betting

Using an ante post betting strategy is very popular with some of the UK’s best bookmakers.

Below are a selected few bookmaker sites that provide you with the best ante post markets and which are worth using.

Bet365 Pros And Cons

• Extensive ante post markets
• Competitive odds
• User-friendly app and site

• Limited number of offers

Bet365 prides itself on having a wide range of betting markets from plenty of sports with competitive odds to suit everyone’s needs.

As well as having match odds and in-play betting, Bet365 covers the ante post market. Whether you are backing the winner of the Champions League or backing individual stars in tennis, darts or horse racing, you can get odds before the tournament or event starts.

Looking at the list of sports on the Bet365 app and site, you will be able to place pre-event betting on all the major sports, not just the mainstream media popular ones.

Bet365 offer impressive welcome offers for new customers, and although they might not have as many existing customer offers as other sites, they hit home with the quality of them.

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William Hill Pros And Cons

• Ante Post markets available
• On-going offers
• Live streaming options

• In-play betting not as extensive as other sites

William Hill is another sports betting site that ensures every base is covered when it comes to betting on sports, whether they be popular or obscure.

With being one of the best UK bookmakers, William Hill covers all the main markets when it comes to match betting. They also take pride in giving the ante post market a bit of love as well.

You can place bets on who will win the Super Bowl months in advance of the season starting, while other ante post markets include tournament winners in football, rugby league and rugby union.

You can also bet on individuals winning golf and snooker tournaments before the draws are even made.

William Hill knows the importance of getting new customers, so their welcome bonus is an attractive one. They also look after existing customers with a number of promotions that run throughout the football, basketball and horse racing seasons.

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Ladbrokes Pros And Cons

• Extensive range of Ante Post markets
• Favourable odds
• Top quality customer support

• Not all e-wallets available

Ladbrokes is another one of the frontrunners when it comes to being one of the best online bookmakers in the UK.

They ensure plenty of sport is covered when you are watching the matches and tournament, but there is plenty of care and attention when it comes to ante post betting as well.

Horse racing and football obviously feature heavily in terms of ante post markets, but other sports like American Football, NBA Basketball, cricket, darts, golf and table tennis are covered well.

Ladbrokes always have attractive offers to get more customers to the site, while existing customers are not overlooked. They have a special Odds Boost promotion with boosted odds on different events every day.

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How Ante Post Betting Works - Ante Post Betting Meaning Explained

You now have an understanding of how ante post betting works. Below are a few explanations on other aspects regarding ante post rules that you might need on your sports betting journey.

Ante Post Each Way Betting

For this form of ante post betting, I will use the cricket Indian Premier League as an example. I mentioned above about using top goalscorer markets for ante post betting, well the same can be done in cricket.

By researching the IPL, you will see there are markets available for the top bowler and batsmen for the entire season. You can back your selected player to win it outright, but you can include each way into the bet.

Usually bookmakers of the top IPL betting sites will pay out on the top four, but that is something you will need to check with the betting sites as not all bookmakers are the same.. The odds will be slashed, but you could still end up making a small profit.

Cash Out On Ante Post Betting

Not all UK bookmakers offer cash out on ante post bets, but it is an option with some of them.

The ones that do have cash out available will offer the punters the opportunity to cut and run with their bet. By cashing out, you will collect a small percentage of your potential winnings but the bet will end there and then. You will not receive any extra funds if the bet goes on to win.

If you are fortunate to find a bookmaker that offers partial cash out, then that is different. You can take out a small percentage of your potential winning with another part of stake continuing with the remainder of the bet.

How To Place An Ante Post Bet

The following steps will allow you to place an ante post bet:

1. Choose from any of the UK’s best bookmakers
2. Check whether the site has any betting offers and promotions
3. Pick which sport you want to bet on
4. Select the relevant tournament you want to wager on
5. Work out how much you want to stake
6. Add your bet to the betting slip, tick the each way box if you ant to use that method
7. Wait for the tournament to start

Does Every Betting Site Offer Ante Post Betting?

If you search hard enough you would probably find one or two bookmakers that do not offer ante post betting.

You will find that the vast majority of UK bookmakers will have the option of ante post betting. Definitely the top ranked ones. They pride themselves on having the best markets available and the main ones will have markets open on all the top sporting tournaments.

Aside from using desktop betting sites, some of the best sports betting apps offer ante post betting.

Best Ante Post Betting Site in 2025 - The Pools Explored

The Pools might not be the first online bookmaker you think of when it comes to sports betting, but they offer a very simple betting experience and they have a number of ante post sports markets including football, horse racing, cricket, tennis and darts.

Whether you want to bet on the winner of the Premier League, the Big Bash League, the PDC World Championships or even Royal Ascot, then The Pools will have you covered.

The site is mainly designed for football fans, hence The Pools name, but they offer much more than that. Every top professional sport is covered in one way or another and that’s why it is ranked up there as one of the best online bookmakers to use.

The Pools offer punters impressive welcome offers to entice new customers, while they have their own rewards and loyalty scheme. Their system works similar to a stamp card, where you receive a free bet for every 10 £5 bets are placed.

There is no live streaming option at The Pools, but that doesn’t lessen the product. There is enough to be doing on the site to make your sports betting journey an enjoyable one.

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Pros And Cons Of Ante Post Betting

Conclusion On Ante Post Betting

There will always be an element of risk in any betting market that you choose, but probably more so in ante post betting.

You are betting ahead of time when it comes to ante post betting. There are so many aspects that could go wrong before your bet actually starts. That is what makes it exciting.

The excitement you have when backing your selected teams or players ahead of the tournament is indescribable. You have high hopes that all those teams or players are going to be successful.

That is the magic of ante post betting, you have a clean slate and are very optimistic about the future.

Ante Post Betting FAQ