• Best American Idol Contestants
• Best American Idol 2020
• Bet On American Idol Winner
• Bet American Idol
• Best American Idol Duets
• Best American Idol Audition Songs

American Idol is a special case at most online books that allow Idol bets - the season begins with general odds on who is most likely to win, as well as a lineup of prop bets. As the show progresses specific odds for high-performing contestants are offered. Legal Betting on American Idol Season 18 It’s no surprise that legally betting on American Idol Season 18 is one of the most popular types of reality television wagering options featured at online sportsbooks. There are other ways to bet on American Idol, depending on which entertainment betting sites you call home. Some sites will offer props dealing with then judges, TV ratings, sex of the winner, singer vs. Singer face-offs, singer eliminations, and so much more.

Dozens of reality TV shows have come and gone over the years. This isn’t unique to reality television, of course. Some series just don’t have what it takes to stick around for the long haul.

American Idol is one of the few exceptions. The show exploded in popularity around the turn of the century, right as reality TV was coming into its own as a genre. American Idol, The Bachelor, and Survivor are three reality TV hallmarks that have become staples of mainstream pop culture in the United States.

It hasn’t been a smooth ride for American Idol, of course. The series enjoyed a decorated 15-season run on Fox from 2002 until 2016, but the network pulled the plug after ratings started to decline prior to season 15. In 2017, though, NBC tried to buy the rights from Fox with an eye on reviving the series. Those talks stalled, but ABC successfully brought American Idol back to life later that year.

Best American Idol Contestants

The show may not be the TV ratings king it was during its heyday, but there is still no shortage of interest. As is the case with plenty of other reality television series, betting on American Idol has also become more and more popular over the years. The top entertainment betting sites in the industry all offer a variety of props and futures bets on the show.

How can you become a successful American Idol bettor? Taking note of the following tips can help you get started.

Shop For Lines

Line shopping is a necessary skill for online sports bettors. Bettors should approach entertainment betting no differently. While you may find slight discrepancies in betting lines and odds between sites for traditional sports like football or basketball, odds for reality TV shows are far less reliable.

Obviously, that’s something that can play right into your hands as a bettor. This is especially true early in a season of American Idol when there are countless contestants vying for the judges’ approval.

Before a season begins, oddsmakers don’t know any more about these contestants than the general public does. As a result, you’re going to be able to get incredible value on singers that may emerge as minus-money favorites as the group of contestants gets whittled down over the course of the season.

The discrepancies in odds from site-to-site won’t just exist at the beginning of the season, though. You’ll likely encounter vastly different odds at most sites you visit, especially considering most sites dedicate more resources to setting odds for sports. Some sites may be slower to adjust to happenings over the course of an American Idol season.

Watch The Show

With sports betting, it’s almost not necessary to actually watch the games. Having money on the line makes games more interesting, but pro bettors these days use mathematical models to help them make decisions. Math models won’t help you when it comes to betting on American Idol online, however, which is part of why watching the show is a necessity.

Unless you watch the show, the contestants are just names on your computer screen. Differentiating between them is impossible unless you take the time to familiarize yourself with the show. Seeing how each performer sounds and how well the crowd receives their performance can give you a glimpse into whether that person is capable of being crowned champion at season’s end.

Watching the show will also give you a chance to see which performer goes last. The show typically saves the best performance for last, so that’s something you can take advantage of if you’re doing a little live American Idol betting.

Men Have Done Well Historically

18 seasons of American Idol have come and gone as of June 2020. The final round of competitors typically includes between 10 and 13 contestants. While the most famous winners in the show’s history (Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood) are women, men have claimed more titles overall thus far.

Carrie Underwood Celebrates 15th Anniversary of Her American Idol Win: 'It's Been an Incredible Ride' https://t.co/mF6W2vSBxR

— People (@people) May 26, 2020

Women claimed three of the first four seasons, and four of the first six. However, men have reeled off nine wins in the last 12 seasons. That means men have won American Idol 11 times in the 18 seasons overall, with female contestants having accounted for seven titles.

Men have won 61 percent of American Idol seasons thus far. This isn’t necessarily predictive and indicative of what will happen in the future, but it’s still worth noting.

Odds Are Still Attackable Midseason

I understand the notion of wanting to get your bets in as early as possible. The odds will likely never be more potentially profitable than they will be at the beginning of a new season. The contestants are no-names in the public eye when a season starts, and everyone faces long odds to win as a result.

However, most betting sites will usually still take a cautious approach when it comes to handicapping the field for American Idol. The sites obviously don’t want to get burned by foolishly establishing one singer as a minus-money favorite too early, for example. As a result, some performers that may be obvious favorites may still be given advantageous plus-money odds, even as the field of challengers continues to shrink as the season progresses.

You don’t win anything for placing your bets early. If anything, you’re just taking on unnecessary risk that way. You can still get excellent bang for your buck if you wait until the middle of the season to place your futures bet on the eventual winner. In the meantime, you can keep yourself occupied by taking advantage of various props offered at American Idol betting sites, including weekly elimination odds.

Don’t Bet Too Much Too Soon

Patience is a virtue when it comes to being a successful bettor. Winning money is exciting, so it’s understandable that you may feel the urge to go all-in based on a hunch. On the flip side, losing money is excruciating, and some bettors foolishly decide to chase their losses by betting more than they can afford.

As is the case with line shopping, bankroll management is hugely important. The best bettors in the world know how to properly go about setting aside a certain amount of money with which to bet. One rule of thumb to follow is to never bet more than you’re willing to potentially lose. Pick the bets you want to make and make them.

There is no single tried-and-true method to being a winning American Idol bettor. That said, there are smart steps you can take to make sure you get the most out of your reality TV gambling experience.

American Idol debuted in 2002 and it didn’t take long to capture the attention of the American public. It quickly rose up the rankings to become one of the number one reality TV shows in history. The hit series is about to start filming for the 14^th season of the show.

Stars like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood started their careers by winning American Idol. The music business is tough, but each year the American public has the opportunity to audition for American Idol for a chance to win a golden ticket to Hollywood Week.

During “Hall Week” the contestants go through rigorous tryouts and only the top 25 make it through to the next round. The top 25 in the competition sing each week with the hopes of advancing and making it to the final 13 where a winner will be crowned.

How to Bet on American Idol

If you’re a fan of American Idol and watch the show each week you’ll love the ability to bet on the show. You can start making a bit of extra money with your predictions as long as you have a good grasp of who will be going home each week or who will win it all.

American Idol Winner – Who Will Win

Example: Caleb Johnson 125 to Win American Idol

Odds on who will win American Idol come out after the first day of a new season, but most of the betting action doesn’t take place until the Final 12, which is when each contestant gets to perform live each week in hopes of advancing to the season finale.

Caleb Johnson who just won the last season (#13) was 900 (9/1) to win once the Final 12 started. Even heading into the finale he was a 125 underdog, yet he still came out on top. In fact, he was never the favorite to win during any week of the Final 12.

Often you’ll get better odds when you bet on a contestant as early as possible. Obviously it’s hard to pick the winner with so many talented singers in the competition, but it’s beneficial to decide on 1-2 singers close to when the Final 12 starts.

Elimination – Who Will be Eliminated This Week

Example: CJ Harris to be Eliminated 140

Once the Final 12 starts America decides the fate of the remaining singers. Based on their weekly performance the judges will decide which three contestants are in the bottom three. America than votes on which singer they want to eliminate from the show.

The forums are always full of polls and user comments, which can assist you in determining who’s likely to be eliminated. This will allow you to take a position in the market each week you feel that you have an edge based on the betting odds available.

Head-to-Head – Pick One Contestant to Outlast Another

Example: Jena Irene to Outlast Sam Woolf 200

When the Final 12 is about to begin a few sportsbooks post head-to-head markets. You’ll be able to bet on a singer outlasting one of the other singers in the competition. If you feel one singer will make a deep run or eliminated quickly this market is great.

Often the early favorites when the Final 12 begins don’t end up winning or even making it to the finals. You can find value in the H2H markets every season of the show. This market has low betting limits, but allows you to bet for or against singer you like or dislike.

American Idol Props

Best American Idol 2020

From time to time there are American Idol prop markets available to bet on. One of the most popular prop markets in recent years is betting on who will be the next judge on the show. Lately the show has seen a lot of turnover with the stars judging each season.
American Idol Season 1 Winner Kelly Clarkson

American Idol Betting Tips

Bet On American Idol Winner

Betting on American Idol has been popular for years now and the betting limits on the winner market are relatively large. When you bet on a reality TV show you have to keep in mind that your personal opinion may not be the same as the majority of the public.

You may love a certain singer for any number of reasons, but if you want to win your bet on the outright winner you have to bet on the singer that will receive the most fan support. Singing plays a major role in who ends up winning, but that’s not the only factor.

Despite this being a singing competition you also have to pick someone that has a ton of charisma and someone that appeals to the young female demographic that often dominates in vote share. Most winners also come from southern states, so keep that in mind.

When picking someone to be eliminated you should strongly consider contestants who have already been in the bottom three. It’s likely that they’ll be in the bottom three again and if that’s the case the public will often vote them out rather than save them again.

Bet American Idol

Try your best to gauge the size of the fan base of each singer as well using social media and other methods. There are websites that are dedicated to providing American Idol analytics, which you can use to identify historical trends to help you find future winners.

With the H2H market you have to consider whether the two singers are close to being eliminated or expected to stay on the show for a while. If it’s the latter you’re often best to bet on the underdog as historically the dog has presented value.

Anything can happen on American Idol, as the American public is very fickle. One bad performance or one wrong move by any of the contestants could cost them a contract. Start small, set a budget for each season and see what type of ROI you can achieve.

Betting on American Idol can be a lot of fun, but make sure you’re also getting the best odds possible by betting through one of our recommended online sportsbooks below.

Best American Idol Duets

Sportbooks For Betting On American Idol

Best American Idol Audition Songs

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