Half-Time/Full-Time Betting Explained: How to Place HT/FT Bets

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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 CombinationExample DisplayWhat It Means
Home/HomeLiverpool/Liverpool 1/1Backing Liverpool to be ahead at half-time and wins
Home/DrawLiverpool/Draw 13/1Liverpool to be winning at half-time and the game to end as a draw
Home/AwayLiverpool/Leicester 40/1Liverpool to be winning at half-time and Leicester wins
Draw/HomeDraw/Liverpool 3/1Scores are tied at half-time, and Liverpool wins the match
Draw/DrawDraw/Draw 11/2Scores are tied at half-time, and the game ends as a draw at full-time
Draw/AwayDraw/Leicester 13/1Scores are tied at half-time, and Leicester wins the match
Away/HomeLeicester/Liverpool 18/1Leicester to be winning at half-time and Liverpool wins
Away/DrawLeicester/Draw 16/1Leicester to be winning at half-time and the game to end as a draw
Away/AwayLeicester/Leicester 14/1Leicester 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

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Bank on Comebacks

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Look Out For Possible Draws

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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.

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