Anyway, get your swimsuit on and put a towel on a sunbed before they’re all gone William Hill are about to give you a splash course on water polo betting.

Uncharted water polo betting

First, a history lesson. Water polo, aka ‘the wet handball’, dived onto the scene in England and Scotland in the mid 19th century. There might have been water polo betting at the time, but you’d have to wait a bit before something official cropped up.

Water polo actually started out as a form of water rugby where players were allowed to barge, wrestle, and even hold each other underwater. We can only imagine what water polo betting would look like if those rules stuck around.

Eventually, in 1900, water polo matured a bit and became one of the first team sports to be inducted in the Olympic Games. It skipped 1904 but has been a mainstay of the Games ever since.

Hungary have emerged as the water polo overlords with nine gold medals (more than twice as many as second-placed Great Britain) with a further three silvers and three bronzes on top.

In the women’s game, which made its debut exactly a century after the men’s in 2000, the United States have claimed 5 of the total 15 medals given out so far.

As far as first steps into water polo betting go, you’re already getting an idea of who to keep an eye out for.

Treading water in water polo betting

Now for the rules. If you’re not familiar with water polo then you probably won’t know your way around water polo betting. Don’t worry, William Hill are here to guide you through these treacherous waters.

Two teams of seven - six outfield players and a goalie - compete over four quarters of eight minutes each. Except that the clock is stopped when the ball isn’t in play, so each quarter really lasts closer to about twelve minutes.

The aim of the game is to throw a ball - about the same size as a football, but made of a material that’s easier to grip with one hand when soaking wet - into the other team’s net more often than they throw it in yours.

Of course, the big twist to water polo is that it’s played - wait for it - completely in water.

Shocking, we know. That ‘water’ being an all-deep pool - meaning that players can’t touch the floor and have to keep themselves afloat for the best part of an hour while they play.

Sound difficult? Because it is - water polo is considered one of the toughest sports to play, which makes water polo betting particularly exciting.

And that’s it. Water polo is the kind of sport that’s easy to understand but hard to master - and water polo betting is in the same bracket.

The water runs deep when it comes to water polo betting - it doesn’t steal the headlines, but there’s a deep well to dive into.

Never fear - news.williamhill.com is here with some arm floaties in the form of water polo betting tips.

Dip your toe into water polo betting

Let’s start with the basics. When two teams go head-to-head there’s three main water polo bets to choose from - back either side to win or bet on a draw.

Draws are a very rare occurrence in water polo so they’re best avoided or, if you’re looking to swim against the current in pursuit of good odds, they can pay out big when draws eventually happen.

The total score bet is another option for water polo betting. It does what it says on the tin - you can either bet on an exact number of goals scored in the match or, more easily, over or under a certain number.

William Hill will offer a range of different over/under water polo odds to choose from, so just go with whatever you fancy.

Another mainstay of betting that makes its way to water polo odds is the handicap markets. Simply put, you’ll bet on either team winning with either a plus or minus added or subtracted from their score total.

There are a number of different handicap betting thresholds and all in all it makes for another exciting dimension of water polo betting.

During the major tournaments, you can also expect to bet on the outright winners. Again, this is as straightforward as it comes. Pick a team or country who you think will win the whole shebang and bet on them. Easy.

The common ground with other sports betting doesn’t stop there. Water polo odds like first goalscorer, last goalscorer, first team to score, and more make their way easily from the sports you’re probably more familiar with.

Dive into water polo betting

Where we really start making waves is in the water polo-specific betting and odds. Here you have the opportunity to bet on quarter betting. While this kind of market isn’t really specific to water polo betting, it’s a mouth-watering prospect in this sport particularly.

Like all of the water polo odds so far, it’s pretty self-explanatory. Each match is split into four quarters - bet on who you think will win each quarter.

The strategy comes in reading each match as it happens. Will the favourites continue to dominate for every quarter?

Or will they get complacent with their lead and lose the fourth? Are the underdogs winning? Then maybe the favourites will rally and take the final two quarters.

You don’t have to wait for the Olympics to roll around to get involved in water polo betting, European club competitions, including the ultra-competitive Men’s Italian Serie A, are your more frequent dose of water polo odds.

The World Aquatics Championship is another calendar entry for the water polo betting expert, whetting their appetite every two years.

Keeping your head above water in water polo betting

If you’re not already a fan of water polo, then water polo betting might seem like muddy water to you. But never fear, like with most things, practice makes perfect.

Water under the bridge, water off a duck’s back. We’re not going to stop with the aquatic puns - that will leave you in hot water.

Anyway, the best way to get better at water polo betting is simply to watch some water polo. As we said before, it’s genuinely one of the most intense sports out there.

While they don’t let each other attempt to drown other players anymore, it’s one of the most physically straining sports to partake in.

As such, it’s very entertaining. Sit back and enjoy some water polo, maybe have a flutter on some water polo betting, and you’ll get to grips with it pretty quickly.

Take the same considerations with water polo betting as you would if you were to bet on any other sport. Look at the team’s pedigree, research the team’s form, take a gander at any high-profile injuries affecting a side. Consider the basics of water polo betting and you’ll be riding the waves of success in no time.

There, that’s your intro to water polo betting. Off you go - you’re drawing water from your own mill now.