Total games and games handicap: how many games a tennis match has
A game is the part of a set in which one player serves, and a set goes to whoever first wins six games with a two-game lead. A total games bet is on the number of all games in the match, a games handicap on the difference in games between the players. A best-of-three men's match averages 22.7 games, but few matches end close to that average: a two-set match averages 19.1 games and a three-set match 29.6. That is why a 22.5 games line is in practice a bet on whether there will be a third set. We went through 51,179 ATP, WTA and Challenger matches from 2024–2026. A tie-break counts as one game, and a favourite with a 70–80% chance covers a −4.5 games handicap in roughly every other match.
Key takeaways
- The 23.5 and 24.5 lines are almost the same bet, because exactly 24 games came up in only 1.7% of men's matches.
- With a favourite at 90% or more, over 22.5 landed in 10.2% of men's matches, and with a favourite at 50–60% in 47.6%.
- WTA favourites cover big handicaps more often, because women hold serve in 63% of their service games and men in 76%.
- On grass men play 24.5 games on average, and a single tie-break almost always takes a match over 22.5.
How games betting works
First, the scoring basics. A game goes to the player who first wins four points (15, 30, 40, game) with a two-point lead. A set goes to whoever first wins six games with a two-game lead (6-4, 7-5), and at 6-6 a tie-break decides the set. A match ends once a player has won two sets, and for men at the Grand Slams three. All the terms are in our tennis glossary.
- Total games (over/under): you bet on whether the match will have more or fewer games than the line, e.g. over 22.5. Both players' games from all sets count.
- Games handicap: the line is added to or taken off a player's games. The favourite at −4.5 games wins the bet if they win at least 5 games more than the opponent. The outsider at +4.5 wins with any other margin, even if they lose the match.
- Player games: over/under on one player's games only.
A few rules worth knowing:
- A tie-break is one game. A set won on a tie-break ends 7-6 and that is how many games the bookmaker counts, whatever the number of points in the tie-break. The same goes for the 10-point tie-break in a Grand Slam deciding set.
- Whole-number lines can push. Some bookmakers also offer whole-number lines, such as 23.0. With exactly 23 games you get your full stake back. Half lines, such as 22.5, cannot push. The same mechanism is described for over/under on goals.
- Retirement: a total games bet is usually void, unless the line had already been passed. More in our article on retirements in tennis.
How many games are played
| Men, best of three | Women, best of three | Men, Grand Slams (best of five) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | 34,917 | 14,854 | 1,408 |
| Average games | 22.7 | 21.7 | 37.3 |
| Median | 21 | 20 | 36 |
| Match without a deciding set | 19.1 | 18.2 | 28.9 (3-0) |
| Match with a deciding set | 29.6 | 28.6 | 50.5 (five sets) |
| Deciding set | 34.5% of matches | 33.6% of matches | 22.6% of matches |
Men means the ATP and Challengers, women the WTA and WTA 125. The average is above the median because three-set matches pull it up.
Why a 22.5 line is a bet on a third set
The distribution of total games has two humps. Two-set matches most often end in the 17–20 range, three-set matches in the 25–32 range. Between them is a dip: exactly 24 games came up in only 1.7% of men's matches. In two sets only 7-5, 7-5 gives 24 games, and three sets rarely finish that quickly.
This is how often matches went over the typical lines:
| Line | Men: over | Women: over |
|---|---|---|
| 17.5 | – | 70.9% |
| 18.5 | 71.0% | 62.0% |
| 19.5 | 62.4% | 54.2% |
| 20.5 | 54.6% | 47.4% |
| 21.5 | 49.5% | 42.8% |
| 22.5 | 42.4% | 37.5% |
| 23.5 | 37.3% | 33.7% |
| 24.5 | 35.7% | 31.5% |
| 25.5 | 32.1% | – |
| 26.5 | 27.8% | – |
What it means:
- The 23.5 and 24.5 lines are almost the same bet. For men they differ by only 1.6 percentage points, because 24 games are rare. The odds on over 24.5 should therefore be only slightly higher than on over 23.5.
- Over 22.5 lands in 42% of men's matches, not much more often than a third set (34.5%). A two-set match goes over 22.5 games only with very close sets, such as 7-6, 6-4 or 7-5, 7-5.
- Whole-number lines: exactly 22 games came up in 7.1% of men's matches, exactly 23 in 5.0%. That is how often a 22.0 or 23.0 line ends in a push.
The favourite's strength changes everything
The average across the whole tour says little about a given match. What matters most is the gap in strength, which you can see in the match-winner odds:
| Favourite's chance (from odds without the margin) | Men: average games | Men: over 22.5 | Men: third set | Women: average games | Women: over 21.5 | Women: third set |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50–60% | 23.5 | 47.6% | 39.1% | 22.6 | 49.5% | 38.9% |
| 60–70% | 23.3 | 46.1% | 37.2% | 22.3 | 47.0% | 36.9% |
| 70–80% | 22.6 | 40.9% | 32.9% | 21.5 | 41.2% | 32.5% |
| 80–90% | 20.7 | 28.0% | 23.0% | 19.9 | 29.0% | 22.6% |
| 90% or more | 17.2 | 10.2% | 8.0% | 16.9 | 12.2% | 8.6% |
In a close match a 22.5 line is almost a coin flip. With a favourite at 90% or more, over 22.5 landed in only one match in ten. Bookmakers set the games line from the match-winner odds, so a low line with a clear favourite is not a bargain, just arithmetic.
Games handicap: how many games ahead the favourite finishes
| Favourite's chance | Men: average game margin | −2.5 | −4.5 | −6.5 | Women: average game margin | −2.5 | −4.5 | −6.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50–60% | 0.6 | 45.5% | 27.9% | 11.8% | 0.6 | 46.0% | 32.5% | 16.1% |
| 60–70% | 1.8 | 56.7% | 36.4% | 15.9% | 1.8 | 56.3% | 40.9% | 21.4% |
| 70–80% | 3.2 | 68.6% | 48.6% | 22.7% | 3.7 | 70.4% | 56.2% | 32.9% |
| 80–90% | 4.9 | 82.7% | 65.3% | 37.2% | 5.4 | 82.9% | 71.2% | 46.3% |
| 90% or more | 7.6 | 97.0% | 88.4% | 67.7% | 7.8 | 94.9% | 89.5% | 71.3% |
The line columns show how often the favourite covered each handicap. With a favourite at 50–60% the average game margin is 0.6, so a −2.5 handicap here is a bet on a clear win, not just on the result.
WTA favourites cover big handicaps more often than ATP favourites. Women hold serve less often (63% of service games, against 76% for men), so sets more often end lopsided: 5.6% of sets in women's tennis finish 6-0, against 3.2% for men. One women's match in eight has at least one set won to love. The serve numbers are in our article on serve, aces and double faults.
Surface and tie-breaks
- Grass produces the most games: men average 24.5, against 22.9 on hard courts and 22.4 on clay. Breaking serve is harder on grass, so more sets end in a tie-break.
- A match with a tie-break averages 27.2 games for men, one without a tie-break 20.6. A single tie-break almost always takes a match over 22.5.
How often tie-breaks happen and who wins them is shown in our article on tie-breaks. The differences between surfaces are collected in our article on tennis surfaces.
Games on SharkBetz
On our tennis tips the "Games" column shows the expected total games in the match and the chance of the line against the tour on the same surface, and the "Games handicap" column the favourite's line. The match page has the full distribution of total games, a ladder of lines and the line bookmakers offer for the match, with our chance and the market's side by side. We take the match-winner chance from odds without the margin, and the games distribution from the history of matches with a similar balance of strength. Some tips also come with the players' serve profiles.
FAQ
How many games are there on average in a tennis match?
Best-of-three men's matches average 22.7 games (median 21), women's matches 21.7 (median 20) and best-of-five men's matches 37.3. Data from 51,179 matches from 2024–2026.
Does a tie-break count as one game?
Yes. A set won on a tie-break ends 7-6, so it adds one game to the total, whatever the number of points in the tie-break. The 10-point tie-break in a Grand Slam deciding set counts the same way.
How often does over 22.5 games come in?
In best-of-three men's matches 42.4% of the time, but it depends on the gap in strength: in a close match 47.6%, with a favourite at over 90% only 10.2%. In women's matches over 21.5 came in 42.8% of the time.
What is a games handicap in tennis?
A bet with a virtual head start in games. The favourite at −4.5 games wins if they win at least 5 games more than the opponent. The outsider at +4.5 wins with any smaller margin, even if they lose the match.
What happens to a total games bet if a player retires?
It is usually void, unless the line had already been passed before the retirement. Then the over wins and the under loses. A games handicap usually ends void when a player retires.