In order to get to grips with sports betting, it’s important to have a strong understanding of how odds work. Betting odds are determined by the sports betting sites, also commonly referred to as bookmakers. They set the odds and offer a range of options for different football matches, including the Premier-Liha in Ukraine. For each sports bet, the amount you invest determines your winnings, provided that your sports bet is a winner. As this article is focused on the Premier-Liha, we'll naturally be referring to Premier-Liha odds.

How are Premier-Liha odds calculated?

All bookmakers operate in the same way as their counterparts around the world. They use their own algorithms to combine several hundred statistics from their databases for each Premier-Liha match, all in order to ultimately display several odds on the same game. For sports bettors, it's quite simple to understand: odds reflect the probability of an outcome happening or not. So, when it comes to Premier-Liha matches, the mechanism remains exactly the same as for any other football match on the planet. In short, the higher the odds on a match, the less likely it is to happen. Conversely, the lower the odds, the higher the probability of the result occurring, according to the statistics calculated by the bookmakers.

To illustrate this, let's take the example of a match in the Ukrainian top flight between Dynamo Kiev (3rd) and Minaj (13th). The Kiev team plays a leading role every season in the Ukrainian championship and is the title holder. Opposing them is Minaj, a team struggling in the Premier-Liha, who are also 16 points behind their hosts in the overall standings. Given this information, it is only logical that the home side should be favoured with a win at the end of the game. The bet "Dynamo Kiev to win" will be available at low odds (around 1.15), as the chances of one of the Ukrainian league's most successful clubs winning are very high. Conversely, the odds for "Minaj to win" will be fairly high (at least 8.00), as the chances of this team winning are very low based on the standings and the history of head-to-head meetings between the two clubs. You should also be aware that the odds on Premier-Liha matches vary from bookmaker to bookmaker. In fact, there are various aspects that will come into play when calculating the probability of victory for one team or another. These can include: the balance of power between the two sides, the venue of the match, the team line-ups (injuries and/or suspensions), the rivalry of the match (if it's a derby) and the style of play of the teams in the Ukrainian league..

Finally, you should also be aware that odds for Premier-Liha fixtures will fluctuate for the same match when live betting. This will be the case if any major incidents occur during the match that are likely to alter the final score. To make things clearer, let's take the example of the match between Dynamo Kiev and Minaj and imagine that in the first half it was the visitors who opened the scoring. This would be a very surprising scenario, as it was not what the various bookmakers would have predicted before kick-off. As a result, the various betting operators will now be adjusting the odds offered in order to deal with this new development in the game. All punters following this match live will therefore notice a sudden, drastic change in the odds concerning the final outcome of the match. For example, the odds for Minaj's success would likely fall from 8.00 (at the start of the game) to 2.50 with the score in their favour. On the other side, the odds for the favourites Dynamo Kiev will increase significantly, potentially reaching as high as 2.00 after the break instead of 1.15 at the start of the game. Logically, it is the odds for a draw that will plummet, as a stalemate between the two teams becomes even more likely. The same thing will happen in every Ukrainian Premier-Liha match, and the sports betting sites will act instantly according to the facts of the game.

How to use Premier-Liha odds

The odds on Premier-Liha matches will differ from one betting site to another which can ultimately prove to be very productive for punters. The most important thing for sports bettors is to know how much they can expect to win after placing a bet. In order to quickly calculate this, you need to carry out this very simple mathematical calculation: multiply the odds by the amount you wish to invest (odds X stake = bet winnings). It's essential to have this calculation in mind as you'll be using it for all your future sports bets (all sports and leagues included). You also need to understand the parallel between your prediction and the odds offered by the bookmakers. In fact, only in this way can you really know whether your Premier-Liha prediction is in line with the logic of the market.

Let's take another example with a match between Shakhtar Donetsk (league leaders) and Lviv (bottom of the league). Before starting, you have studied and analysed the match with as much information as possible and you have opted for Shakhtar Donetsk's success. This is down to them playing at home against a team lacking confidence this season and fighting for survival. You then look at the various odds for the match, and you realise that the odds for the home team to win the game are posted at 1.20 by the bookmakers. This seems fairly logical between your analysis and the proposed odds, as you and the sports betting sites believe that there is a good chance that Shakhtar Donetsk will win. So, in this scenario, you are comforted in your prediction because everything lines up. On the other hand, if you notice that there is a fairly significant difference between the posted odds (for Shakhtar Donetsk to win) which are higher than expected (say 1.80), then you are in a situation where there is some sort of anomaly and you need to dig deeper to try and understand where this difference comes from. It's quite possible that you don't have enough information about the match and have therefore miscalculated your analysis and your final prediction. Indeed, for some matches, you only have a few parameters at your disposal, which could be the explanation. Nevertheless, it is still important to have the official line-ups of the two teams in order to determine the real intentions of the two coaches for the match. Coming back to our example, Shakhtar Donetsk's line-up remains as competitive as possible and you still don't understand why the odds are displayed at 1.80. A word of advice: take the time to check that the match is not being played behind closed doors or on a neutral ground! This could have a major impact on the final result of the match. If, after a bit of additional research, you've realised that there's a piece of information you weren't aware of, then it's time to incorporate it into your analysis and see if it changes your prediction.

Finally, it is also possible that your idea of a team's strengths or weaknesses is different from that of the bookmakers. The bookmakers may feel that a team is playing above its true level which could result in the betting sites listing fairly high odds on it. Or, on the contrary, they may underestimate it completely. This often happens at the start of the season as sports betting sites base their odds on last season's results. So, if a team is not performing well, you may see higher than usual odds, regardless of any other factors (promising recruitment, new coach, etc.). There are often a good number of surprising results at the start of the season because the big teams may be lacking in cohesion or match fitness. This can lead to some good opportunities to take a punt on certain longshots (for example with the promoted teams). Whatever the case, if your analysis is thought-out and complete, you should have confidence in following your initial conclusion. Of course, you'll have to repeat this process for all the Premier-Liha matches!

Bet on the winner of the Ukrainian championship with futures markets

You can now make your Premier-Liha predictions on the competition itself. These are often referred to as ‘futures’ betting markets and can be very profitable for players, as they allow you to obtain opportunities by betting on the various teams in the Ukrainian top flight. In this way, you can bet on the winner of the competition as well as which teams finish on the podium, and even which teams will be relegated at the end of the season. The other advantage of being able to make these types of bets is that you can do so at different times of the season. The most obvious time to make these types of bets is before the Ukrainian top flight championship starts. However, you can also place a futures bet right in the middle of the season, and even a few days before the end of the championship. Inevitably, the odds will fluctuate according to the overall standings at the time the bet is placed. Unlike classic bets, which last for 90 minutes, long-term bets allow you to follow the results of the various teams you bet on throughout the season. This is sure to keep you on your toes day after day until the end of the championship!

Sign up everywhere!

The aim of sports betting is to rake in as much profit as possible and logically the same applies to your Premier-Liha bets. With this in mind, it’s crucial to get the best possible odds on the market. For an identical sports bet, the odds can vary by up to 10% per match. Do the math over the whole season - it's monstrous! Let's take one last example: a Premier-Liha match between Inhulets (14th) and Zorya (4th), where you want to bet €100 on the visiting team winning. After studying the various odds for the match, you realise that a Zorya win is priced at an average of 1.75, except at Betclic, where it's priced at 1.85. It is therefore much more beneficial for you to invest your £100 at Betclic in order to obtain a net profit of £85, compared with an average of £75 at its competitors.

In order to benefit from ever greater winnings, you'll need to apply the same strategy for all the Premier-Liha matches. This means signing up with as many bookmakers as possible in order to have a very wide choice of odds! Thanks to this tip from experienced punters, you'll systematically increase your winnings over the long term while making the same sports bets. On our site, we present the best bookmakers of the moment with our various opinions and other advice on them. We strongly advise you to read them before placing your next Premier-Liha bets. Finally, you can also take advantage of our free odds comparator to quickly see the best market odds on matches which should help to maximise your sports betting winnings.