World’s Strongest Man Betting Guide: Odds, Markets and Tips
Strength competitions are as old as the human race itself. But who will be crowned as 2024‘s strongest man alive? Our World’s Strongest Man betting guide helps you get in on the action with the top WSM bookies, best odds and popular markets.
| World’s Strongest Man Betting Site | Bonus | Highlights | Rating | Bonus Link | T&C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇YetiBet | Top Odds | 10+, 90.00%, | Visit Site! | Full T&Cs Apply! New customer offer. Please gamble responsibly. 18+ | |
| 🥈Ladbrokes | Up to £20 In Free Bets | 8+, 93.12%, | Visit Site! | Full T&Cs Apply! 18+ New UK+IRE customers. Paypal and certain deposit types and bet types excluded. Min £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4 x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 4 days on sports, stake not returned, restrictions apply. T&Cs apply. | |
| 🥉Grosvenor | x2 Odds On First Bet | 6+, 93.21%, | Visit Site! | Full T&Cs Apply! Exclusive to new members. Offer applies to Sport bets only. Maximum total stake is £10. Each way bets are a maximum of £5 each way (£10 total stake). Valid for 60 days after registration. 18+ | |
| ⭐William Hill | Up to £30 In Free Bets | 8+, 92.48%, | Visit Site! | 18+. PlaySafe. From 00:01 on 18.10.2022. £30 bonus. New customers only. Minimum of £10 stake on odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater on sportsbook (excluding virtual markets). Full T&Cs Apply. https://www.begambleaware.org/. #ad | |
| ⭐10bet | Up to £50 Welcome Offer | 12+, 93.56%, | Visit Site! | Full T&Cs Apply! New bettors; Code SPORT; Wager deposit & bonus 8x; Max qualifying bet stake=initial bonus; Valid 60 days; Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply; T&C apply; 18+ |
Top 5 World’s Strongest Man Betting Sites
- 🥇 YetiBet ✪ Best World’s Strongest Man Bookmaker
- 🥈 Ladbrokes ✪ Top Bookie for Ongoing Promotions
- 🥉 Grosvenor ✪ Great World’s Strongest Man Odds
- ✪ William Hill ✪ Secure World’s Strongest Man Sportsbook
- ✪ 10bet ✪ Best World’s Strongest Man Betting Exchange
The first step before you bet on World’s Strongest Man competitors is choosing the bookie you’re going to wager at. This is a complicated process, so we did the hard work for you. We evaluated each bookmaker on various criteria.
As any experienced gambler can tell you, each site has areas in which it stands out above the competition. Using this knowledge, we outlined the number one attraction for each operator in our list. You can see them in the table above.
Another common way to decide on a new sportsbook to bet at is by choosing one according to your preferences. Some professional bettors like bookies with the highest payouts, while others enjoy big bonuses. Here are the best World’s Strongest Man bookmakers per category:
| 🏆 Best World’s Strongest Man Betting Bonus 2024 | YetiBet |
| ✅ Best for Types of Bets | 10bet |
| 💶 Most World’s Strongest Man Markets | Grosvenor |
| ⭐Dedicated Promotions | Ladbrokes |
| 💰 Top Offer for New Players | William Hill |
| 📈 Top World’s Strongest Man Odds | Grosvenor |
| 📺 Excellent Live Coverage | YetiBet |
| 🎁 Biggest Sportsbook Welcome Bonus | 10bet |
| ✨ Top Extra Features | bet365 |
| ⏳ Ante-Post World’s Strongest Man Markets | William Hill |
Finally, the one you decide on comes down to your individual personality. Understanding where each site excels and where it’s subpar is crucial to becoming a serious bettor. In fact, we recommend opening accounts at multiple bookmakers so you have the best one for every situation in your betting arsenal.
One of the great things about World’s Strongest Man betting is how much information is available to help you decide who to wager on. The following paragraphs cover important information like the world’s top strongmen, popular events and what to look for when you bet on World’s Strongest Man competitions.
World’s Strongest Man Odds & Payouts
It may come as a surprise, but many bookies only offer a few proposition bets on World’s Strongest Man competitions. World’s Strongest Man betting markets, which we cover in the next section, are frequently presented as “Will xyz competitor win the competition?” rather than providing odds for the entire field.
This means it’s worth shopping around to find UK’s betting sites with the best odds for the World’s Strongest Man competition. If you’re lucky, you can find a sure bet. This is done by betting on “yes” at one book and “no” for the same athlete at another, ensuring the implied probabilities add up to over 100%.
Bet on World’s Strongest Man: The Markets
As we alluded to in the World’s Strongest Man odds section above, many of the markets are presented as yes or no questions. Here are the most common World’s Strongest Man betting markets you’ll find at the bookies.
Will XYZ Competitor Win the Competition?
This is a straightforward market where you bet for or against an athlete winning the crown of World’s Strongest Man. This means you are essentially betting the field if you select no, and the odds are much shorter than if you bet yes.
Will ABC Event Record Be Broken?
This market is most popular with the deadlift event. Eddie Hall held the record until 2020 at 500kg (1,102.31 lbs), when Hafthor “The Mountain” Björnsson broke it with a 501kg (1,104.52 lbs) deadlift in his native Iceland.
However, there are numerous other events, and occasionally bookmakers offer odds on these records being broken as well. Like the winner bets, it’s frequently presented with odds for both yes and no.
Nationality of the Winner
While rare, some bookmakers offer bets on the nationality of the World’s Strongest Man. Historically, Nordic countries dominated until the 2000s, when more British and American athletes started making names for themselves.
World’s Strongest Man Betting Bonuses
Unfortunately, it’s going to be very difficult to find a dedicated World’s Strongest Man betting bonus. However, many bookmakers offer welcome packages you can use to bet on World’s Strongest Man competitions with. Here’s our recommended welcome bonus:
Since World’s Strongest Man betting remains on most bookmakers’ agendas as a novelty bet, we don’t see dedicated offers becoming popular anytime soon. However, as the competition grows, it could become something to watch for in the future.
WSM Betting Tips & Strategy
Like all forms of gambling, success at World’s Strongest Man betting comes down to your ability to identify value. To get you started, here are some tips we recommend for when you bet on World’s Strongest Man contests:
- Familiarise yourself with the competitors
- Learn which events they’re good at
- Check out their recent form
- Choose one of our World’s Strongest Man bookmakers
- Make your wagers
Learning about the competitors should always be your first step so you know who stands a chance of winning each event. We suggest checking out the World’s Strongest Man athletes page before you stake any of your hard earned money.
The Competition’s Format & Rules
Gaining the title of World’s Strongest Man is no easy feat. Competitors must first qualify through various smaller events to become one of the 25 athletes entered into the world finals. Once you make the cut, competition begins with a three day qualification period to see who makes the championship round.
When qualification starts, competitors are split into five groups of five. At the end of the three qualifying days, the competitor with the most points in each group moves on to the two-day final. The second and third place finisher moves on to the Last Man Standing event.
The Last Man Standing is an elimination round during which athletes must lift an atlas stone (a heavy, smooth, rounded boulder) over a bar in a head-to-head competition. Each competitor is given 20 seconds. The first one to fail is eliminated and the winner progresses to the final.
Once qualifications are over, ten men proceed to the two-day finals where they compete in six events, accruing points based on their finishing positions. The winner is the competitor with the most points. If there is a tie for first, a stone off is used to declare the winner.
Famous Strongmen and Previous Winners
The World’s Strongest Man finals sees its fair share of famous names and community legends. Here are some of the world’s most recognisable strongmen from throughout the event’s history:
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Hafthor BjörnssonNicknamed “The Mountain”, you might recognise his face from the immensely popular show, Game of Thrones, in which he played Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane for five seasons. In addition to his acting and strongman activities, he played professional basketball in his native Iceland. Unfortunately, Björnsson retired from competition in 2019 for health reasons, choosing to focus on boxing instead.
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Tom Stoltman
Tom Stoltman is a strongman competitor from Invergordon, Scotland. He finished fifth in 2019 and second in 2020 after winning half the events. He finally won the competition in 2021, beating four-time champion Brian Shaw. His win is exceptional considering he’s the first Scotsman to win the crown, in addition to being diagnosed with autism at age five.
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Brian Shaw
After starting his athletics career playing basketball in university, Shaw started his strongman career in 2006, winning the World’s Strongest Man title four times, the Arnold Strongman Classic three times, and various other competitions. He even staged the eponymous Shaw Classic, which he won, and donated the proceeds to his fellow competitors.
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Svend Karlsen
Viking Power! is this popular strongman’s catchphrase. A former bodybuilder, Karlsen became a strongman after a severe muscle tear forced him to retire from his original discipline. He’s notable for being a fan favourite and repopularising the sport amongst the general public in the late 90s and early 2000s. He retired in 2006, becoming a commentator for Norwegian TV.
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Jón Páll Sigmarsson
Arguably the greatest strongman of all time, Jón Páll Sigmarsson helped put the sport on the map in the 1970s and 1980s. He is also credited with developing Iceland’s national identity as he’s the first person to win the title of World’s Strongest Man four times. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1993 from a congenital heart defect.
WSM Facts & Figures
With such a long history as a prestigious competition, it’s no wonder the World’s Strongest Man finals has its fair share of fun and interesting anecdotes. Here are the top three fun facts about the World’s Strongest Men:
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Babe the Pig is Nominated
Iceland is home to three winners of the World’s Strongest Man title, meaning it has the strongest men in the world per capita. We knew Viking strength was legendary, but this leads us to believe there might be some truth behind the story of Thor and his hammer.
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Food Equals Energy
One of the perks of being a strongman is the diet. Competitors need to eat immense amounts of food to maintain their mass and strength. Most competitors eat between 8,000 to 10,000 calories per day during training season. That’s the equivalent of 212 chicken nuggets from McDonalds, or one every five minutes for 18 hours.
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The Atlas Stone
Regarded as one of the most challenging strongman events, The Atlas Stones are the signature event at each World’s Strongest Man competition. Each stone is smooth and spherical, making it hard to grip. Each competitor attempts to lift five stones, each one heavier than the last, from 100kg to 160kg onto waist high platforms as quickly as possible.
World’s Strongest Man Betting: A True Challenge
Even though World’s Strongest Man betting is only available once a year, it provides a unique and special challenge each time bookies begin posting World’s Strongest Man odds. It’s not every day you see a human lift a car or walk 100m with a refrigerator on his back.
Though strength sports aren’t as popular as many others with the bookies, there are still a few others you can check out. Have a read through our guide on Mr Olympia betting or Olympics betting if you’re into pumping iron and gambling on the limits of human physical achievement.
If you’re not sure you want to bet on World’s Strongest Man events, but are interested in learning more about betting, check out our UK betting sites list. We provide reviews for all the top legal and licensed bookmakers, so you can choose the right one for you.
FAQ
While we try to make all our guides as comprehensive as possible, our readers occasionally have more specific questions, which we answer below. If you have any additional questions or concerns, feel free to contact us at info@bestbettingsites.com.
🥇 What are the best World's Strongest Man betting sites?
The best World's Strongest Man betting sites are ones licensed by a recognised gambling authority. In the UK, for instance, this would be the Gambling Commission. A licence from a recognised authority is the number one indicator you can trust a bookmaker.
🔍 Can you bet on World's Strongest Man?
Yes, you can bet on the World's Strongest Man if betting is legal in your jurisdiction. We suggest you familiarise yourself with all the local laws pertaining to gambling before you place any wagers. Check out our World's Strongest Man betting tips for suggestions on how to get started.
🤔 What are the odds on the winner of World's Strongest Man?
World's Strongest Man odds are presented in a slightly unusual and unique way. Check out our WSM odds section for a more thorough breakdown and explanation.
🏆 Are there any bonuses for betting on World's Strongest Man?
Unfortunately, it's difficult to find specific bonuses for World's Strongest Man betting. What we recommend doing is taking advantage of a site's welcome bonus and using that to wager with. You can see our suggested bonus site and sign up there to get started.