Half-Time/Full-Time Betting Explained: How to Place HT/FT Bets
Half-Time/Full-Time bets (also referred to as HT/FT markets) require the bettor to combine the result at the halfway point of a match with the full-time outcome, as part of a combined wager. With this market, you predict what the result of a fixture will be at half-time, and what it will be at 90 minutes.
This market is available for various sports, but is most popular in football betting.
Notes:
- Odds are presented in fractional format (e.g., 10/1). Your sportsbook may display odds in decimal (e.g., 11.00) or American (e.g., +100) format, depending on the region. Most betting sites let you toggle formats.
- This article refers to “football” as a global sport (it is also known as soccer in the U.S. and Canada).
What is a Half-Time/Full-Time Bet?
In practice, these bets predict a match's half-time and full-time results.
Let’s use a Chelsea vs. Aston Villa match as an example. A bettor predicted that the half-time result would be a draw and the full-time result would be an Aston Villa win (Draw/Aston Villa).
They placed the bet at odds of 10/1 (e.g., “10/1 = 9.1% implied chance”). The score at half-time was 0-0, before Aston Villa took the lead in the second half and won 1-0. At 10/1, the odds were significantly better than the price of 3/1 offered for Villa to win on the 1x2 betting market (where "1" represents a home win, "X" is a draw, and "2" is an away win).
Conversely, in a losing example from an Arsenal vs. Tottenham match, the bettor predicted Arsenal would lead the game at half-time and hold on to that lead to win the game (Arsenal/Arsenal). Son Heung-min’s 42nd-minute equaliser meant the break lost the bet.
At 2/1, the HT/FT market had a much greater potential profit than the outright market, where Arsenal were 4/6 to win the game.
How 'To Win Both Halves' Differs From HT/FT
You might come across another market when betting on football called “to win both halves.” For this bet to cash, a team must win each half, instead of just holding on to an early lead in the second half. When backing a team to win both halves, you need them to outscore their opponents.
For example, if a team leads 1-0 at half-time and the game finishes 1-0, you won't win a “win both halves” bet. However, if the team you've backed leads 1-0 at half-time and the game finishes 2-0 (meaning they scored another goal in the second half while keeping a clean sheet in that half), you win.
Half-Time/Full-Time Bet Rules
- Half-Time/Full-Time bets always apply to standard time in a match. Therefore, if the match goes into extra time, the additional period of play has no bearing on your original bet.
- A half-time/full-time bet is sometimes available in-play, and you can factor this market into your strategy. However, the in-play half-time/full-time market typically closes as you reach 45 minutes, so it's best to try to spot a potential half-time/full-time scoreline swing early on.
- You can also place an accumulator or parlay with half-time/full-time bets. If your predictions are correct, combining a few HT/FT selections can mean a big return from a small stake.
- Half-time/Full-Time bets are not just confined to football. They are a popular option for many sports, including American football and basketball, where the HT/FT market is instead referred to as the Double Result.
Half-Time/Full-Time Bet Types
In total, there are nine different combinations you can place on the HT/FT market. The draw is a key consideration when examining the Half-Time/Full-Time betting market, leading to these nine possible outcomes at varying odds.
Here's how bookmakers usually display the Half-Time/Full-Time betting market, using Liverpool vs. Leicester City as an example:
| Generic Combination | Example Display | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Home/Home | Liverpool/Liverpool 1/1 | Backing Liverpool to be ahead at half-time and wins |
| Home/Draw | Liverpool/Draw 13/1 | Liverpool to be winning at half-time and the game to end as a draw |
| Home/Away | Liverpool/Leicester 40/1 | Liverpool to be winning at half-time and Leicester wins |
| Draw/Home | Draw/Liverpool 3/1 | Scores are tied at half-time, and Liverpool wins the match |
| Draw/Draw | Draw/Draw 11/2 | Scores are tied at half-time, and the game ends as a draw at full-time |
| Draw/Away | Draw/Leicester 13/1 | Scores are tied at half-time, and Leicester wins the match |
| Away/Home | Leicester/Liverpool 18/1 | Leicester to be winning at half-time and Liverpool wins |
| Away/Draw | Leicester/Draw 16/1 | Leicester to be winning at half-time and the game to end as a draw |
| Away/Away | Leicester/Leicester 14/1 | Leicester to be ahead at half-time and wins the match |
Football Markets to Combine With HT/FT
Half-Time/Full-Time bets can be combined with other markets in accumulators (also known as parlays and multis) and bet builders (same-game parlays). Here are some options:
- Both Teams To Score (BTTS): Adding both teams to score to your HT/FT bet will boost the odds significantly. If you expect a team to dominate a match from the outset and keep a clean sheet, you could back “no” on the both teams to score market and select City/City on the Half-Time/Full-Time market.
- Total Goals: Adding over or under 2.5 goals can be a savvy move. For example, you could combine over 2.5 goals with a draw/draw in an evenly-matched game between two attack-minded sides. You could even go for over 3.5 goals if you are confident of a high-scoring affair.
- Correct Score: This combination will require real skill and some luck to predict correctly, but the odds will reflect this difficulty. If you think a match will be tight or cagey, you can combine a HT/FT market with 0-1 as the correct score.
Half-Time/Full-Time Betting Strategy
Juice Boosters
HT/FT bets enhance the odds when backing heavy favorites. If you fancy a favorite to win the game and make a fast enough start to lead by the break, consider this bet if the odds are correct.
The potential danger is whether they can force a breakthrough against a defensive side before the second half.
Bank on Comebacks
If you correctly predict one team to lead at half-time and the other to lead full-time, you'll always get long odds, typically 20/1 or longer. It is rare for outcomes like "Home Team Leads Half Time – Away Team Leads Full Time" or "Away Team Leads Half Time – Home Team Leads Full Time" to happen. These bets offer the longest prices on the Half Time/Full Time markets, as you rely on a team to overcome at least a one-goal deficit to come through and win the match.
To employ this strategy, research historic results and look out for fixtures where a weak team that tends to start strongly is up against a heavy favorite with a history of late comebacks.
Look Out For Possible Draws
A low-scoring game is likely when two cautious sides clash. The odds for a straight draw are usually around 2/1 or 9/4, whereas you'll get 20/1 on the draw/draw HT/FT bet. Keep an eye on goal statistics and look for games between low-scoring draw specialists.
Why Bet Half-Time/Full-Time?
Because two scenarios must be realized, you will get longer odds than you might generally find with the 1X2 market. A bettor might believe a team will win a match, expecting them to lead the game at the interval. By backing them on the Half-Time/Full-Time market, you can get a bigger price than you would find from simply 1x2 betting, although you need them to lead at the break and the final whistle.
The shortest-priced selection is generally the favorite to lead at half-time and full-time, although this will always have longer odds than backing the favorite to win. Therefore, if you expect a favorite to dominate a game from start to finish, the HT/FT betting market can boost your odds.
If you like to back the draw, HT/FT betting is also worth considering. For instance, if a draw between two evenly-matched teams is trading at odds of 7/2, but the scoreline often isn’t level at the break, you might get a price like 10/1 for one team to be leading at half-time before the game ends all-square, which you originally predicted. This is another way to boost your odds.
