If you have this selected in the settings editor (it is by default so you probably will have) Bet Angel will automatically display full market depth and volume to the first ladder in the interface. The term 'market depth' refers to the amounts of money waiting to be matched at all the prices in the market.
Full market depth allows you to get an extended view of the entire market, not just the ‘front’ three prices. A normal Betfair screen will show you the three best prices to back or lay at. With full market depth view you get to see all the positions in the market wherever they are. Whether odds are at 1.01 or 1000 or any intervening level or amount, full market depth gives you unparalleled visibility of what is going on in the betting market. This in turn will give you a significant advantage over others who can’t see full market depth.
When you look at a market before it turns in-play, money held in open orders outside of the current price can be there for a number of reasons. Seeing the range and scale of this money will allow you to get better understand what is happening in the market. Money ‘lurking’ outside of the current price creates pressure or resistance to price movement by default, it also leaves a footprint of positions that people have left open perhaps because they have been only been partially filled or they are waiting for the market to return to its mean. People still leave large open positions out of the money; monitoring this is a definite advantage.
Full market depth is also useful for understanding volatility. If the range of matched prices is wide this suggests the market is more volatile. While you may get larger price swings you also need to be cautious of any moves that start to go against you. If you see even amounts of money matched across the market then the weight of money will likely move prices quickly in either direction. In contrast, large amounts of matched bet volume at narrower price ranges will create a less volatile market. Large amounts at certain prices are likely to mean that the price has hit resistance and may struggle to break through that price. It is likely that the market thinks that value is held above or below these points and people are acting on that by backing or laying when value is exceed in either direction. Full market depth is excellent tool to give you a much deeper understanding of the market.
NB; If you have full market depth enabled yet your ladder still looks like it is below then it is likely Betfair have restricted the data on your account. They can do this for several reasons the most common is if your account has no funds, often funding your account will automatically lift this restriction. If not you will have to contact Betfair directly for them to resolve.
