Advanced Topics

Ready to go deeper? Learn about sports betting, technical concepts, deposits, APIs, and more.

Sports Betting Markets

Bet on NFL, NBA, MLB, soccer, and more. Trade on game outcomes, player performances, and championship winners.

Key Points:

  • •Live in-game betting with real-time odds
  • •Season-long futures (championship winners, MVP races)
  • •Player prop bets (points, assists, home runs)
  • •Parlay markets combining multiple bets

Understanding Spread

The spread (or bid-ask spread) is the difference between the highest buy price and lowest sell price.

Key Points:

  • •Example: YES bids at 64¢, YES asks at 66¢ = 2¢ spread
  • •Tighter spreads = more liquid markets = better prices
  • •You pay the "ask" when buying, receive the "bid" when selling
  • •High-volume markets typically have 1-2¢ spreads

EVM Wallets Explained

EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) wallets work across all Ethereum-compatible chains like Polygon.

Key Points:

  • •Popular wallets: MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, Rainbow
  • •One wallet works on Ethereum, Polygon, BSC, and more
  • •Your wallet = your bank account (you control the keys)
  • •Polymarket runs on Polygon for low fees (<$0.01)

Deposit Methods

Multiple ways to add funds to Polymarket, from beginner-friendly to advanced.

Key Points:

  • •💳 Credit Card: Instant, ~3-5% fee (Moonpay/Ramp)
  • •🏦 Bank Transfer: 1-3 days, lower fees (~1%)
  • •🔄 Crypto Transfer: Send USDC from exchange (Coinbase/Binance)
  • •⚡ Cross-chain bridge: Convert ETH/other crypto to USDC on Polygon

Polymarket API

Developers can build trading bots, analytics tools, and custom interfaces using the Polymarket API.

Key Points:

  • •REST API: Access market data, prices, volumes
  • •WebSocket: Real-time price updates and trades
  • •CLOB API: Place and manage orders programmatically
  • •No API key required for public market data

Market Categories

Polymarket covers diverse topics beyond politics - trade on what you know best.

Key Points:

  • •🏛️ Politics: Elections, policy decisions, approval ratings
  • •💰 Crypto: Price predictions, protocol launches, regulatory news
  • •🎬 Pop Culture: Box office results, award shows, celebrity news
  • •🌍 Geopolitics: International conflicts, treaties, diplomatic events
  • •📈 Economy: Fed decisions, inflation data, market movements
  • •🔬 Tech: Product launches, AI breakthroughs, company announcements

Real Example: Order Book & Spread

Here's how the order book looks on a typical market. The spread is the gap between buyers and sellers.

📈 Buy Orders (Bids)

Traders willing to buy YES shares at these prices:

64¢100 shares
63¢250 shares
62¢500 shares

📉 Sell Orders (Asks)

Traders willing to sell YES shares at these prices:

66¢150 shares
67¢300 shares
68¢400 shares

The Spread: 66¢ (lowest ask) - 64¢ (highest bid) = 2¢
This means if you buy at 66¢ and immediately sell at 64¢, you'd lose 2¢ per share. Wait for prices to move in your favor instead!

Want to Build with Polymarket?

Check out the official API documentation to build trading bots, analytics dashboards, or custom apps.

View API DocsGitHub Examples