Scroll through any match board on ID Cricket Online and you’ll notice three small tabs sitting above the fixtures: LIVE, VIRTUAL, and PREMIUM. It’s easy to skip past them and just bet on whatever’s on screen — but these tabs represent three genuinely different products, not three views of the same thing. Understanding what separates them, especially VIP odds on cricket, football, and every other sport listed, matters before you place a bet on any of them.
LIVE: Real Matches, Real Time
This is the one most people are already familiar with. LIVE markets track an actual match happening in the real world — a real cricket game, a real football fixture, a real tennis set. Odds update as the match unfolds: a wicket falls, a goal goes in, and the price shifts to reflect what just happened. There’s no fixed schedule beyond the real fixture list; if there’s no real match on, there’s no LIVE market for that sport.
VIRTUAL: Simulated Matches, Not Real Ones
This is the tab most worth understanding clearly, because it’s easy to misread. VIRTUAL matches — things like “Virtual India vs AUS, Every 5 Minutes” — are not real games. They’re computer-generated simulations that produce a result on a fixed, rapid schedule, regardless of whether any actual match involving those teams is happening anywhere in the world.
The appeal is speed: instead of waiting hours for a real match to finish, a virtual round resolves in minutes, running continuously. But it’s worth being direct about what this actually is — a simulated, software-generated outcome, not a reflection of real players or real sporting events. Reading virtual results as any kind of signal about real teams’ current form would be a mistake, since the two have no connection to each other.
PREMIUM: Higher Odds, Not a Different Sport
PREMIUM markets sit on the same real fixtures as LIVE betting, but typically cover higher-profile matchups — a Clasico, a Grand Slam final, a marquee international clash — with wider odds ranges and higher-value markets attached. It’s not a separate category of match, just a different pricing tier applied to the biggest fixtures on the calendar.
Why the Distinction Actually Matters
LIVE odds reflect real-world uncertainty — injuries, weather, momentum, all the things that make a real match unpredictable.
VIRTUAL odds reflect a fixed algorithm, not team form, tactics, or any real-world factor. Treating a virtual result as informative about a real team is a misread of what the product actually is.
PREMIUM odds are still tied to real matches — they’re not riskier or less “real” than standard LIVE markets, just priced for higher-profile fixtures.
Checking Which Tab You’re On
Before placing any bet, it’s worth a quick glance at which tab a match sits under. A “Virtual India vs AUS” fixture running every five minutes looks similar to a real LIVE India vs Australia match at a glance, but they’re fundamentally different products with different logic behind the numbers. Knowing which one you’re betting on isn’t a minor detail — it changes what the odds actually represent.
The Bottom Line
LIVE, VIRTUAL, and PREMIUM aren’t just three tabs with different colours — they’re three distinct products. LIVE and PREMIUM both track real matches, just at different stakes levels. VIRTUAL is a simulated, algorithm-driven product with no connection to real teams or real form. Knowing the difference before you bet is worth the ten seconds it takes to check the tab.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are VIRTUAL matches based on real teams?
The team names are used for familiarity, but the outcomes are generated by a computer algorithm on a fixed schedule — they have no connection to how the real teams are actually performing.
Is PREMIUM riskier than LIVE betting?
Not inherently. PREMIUM markets are still tied to real matches; they typically apply to higher-profile fixtures with wider odds ranges, not a fundamentally different type of risk.
Why do VIRTUAL matches run every few minutes?
Because they’re simulated rather than real, they don’t depend on an actual match schedule — the outcome is generated by software on a fixed, repeating interval.
Can I tell which market type I’m betting on?
Yes. Each match board is organised under clearly labelled LIVE, VIRTUAL, and PREMIUM tabs, so it’s always visible which type of market a given fixture belongs to.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute betting advice. Online betting involves financial risk. 18+ only. Please gamble responsibly.