Football Betting Strategy: Half Time/Full Time Betting

Matthew Glazier

October 3rd, 2018

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A popular football betting market for those seeking value is the Half Time / Full Time option, where customers can place a bet on what the outcome of a match will be at the interval, and then at the final whistle.

What are Half Time / Full Time markets?

There are always nine possible outcomes in the Half Time / Full Time betting market for a football match:

When you are betting on the Half Time / Full Time markets, it’s important to remember that punting on a selection means you are going up against eight possible alternatives, no matter how remote they might seem.

Why bet Half Time / Full Time?

Because there are nine possible outcomes with this football betting market, you will get bigger odds than you might generally find with the 1X2 market (where there are only three outcomes).

For example: Premier League side Manchester United might be trading at 8/11 to win a match against Manchester City, but you might be able to back the Red Devils at 7/4 to lead at half-time and full-time, should you think they will be ahead by the interval as well as win the match.

Similarly, you might find there are odds of 15/4 that we get the outcome of Draw HT Manchester United FT, should you think that the Red Devils will win the game after being level at the break.

Some punters might look at a match between Arsenal and Tottenham and expect a cagey affair. However, rather than back the draw at odds of 11/4, there is the chance to back Draw – Draw on the Half Time / Full Time market at 11/2 - which is twice the odds. It also covers eventualities such as 1-1 and 2-2 at half-time as well as 0-0.

What are the most popular Half Time / Full Time bets?

Bettors generally like to back favourites when it comes to football matches, and a good way of backing strong favourites is to back them to be leading at half time and full-time.

You might regard Liverpool as likely to win a Premier League match against Chelsea, although the price of 13/10 might be too short for your average stake size. If you placed £10 on Liverpool at 13/10, you would get a return of £23 if they beat Chelsea.

However, if you place your £10 at 11/4 that Liverpool will lead at half time and at full time, you could land a potential return of £37.50. Naturally, in order to win the latter bet, the Reds need to be in front by the interval, and also come the final whistle.

When is the best time to bet Half Time / Full Time?

If you really fancy a favourite to win the game and also make a fast enough start to be leading by the break, then you should go for this particular bet if the odds are right. The danger is often whether they can force a breakthrough against a defensive side before the second half.

If you want to back a team like West Ham to make harder work of winning a match, then you might go for the Draw HT West Ham FT option and you will generally get bigger odds going for this bet rather than West Ham HT West Ham FT.

It is good to always keep in mind that is is very rare for these outcomes to happen:

• Home Team Leads Half Time – Away Team Leads Full Time
• Away Team Leads Half Time – Home Team Leads Full Time

These are the bets that offer the biggest prices on the Half Time / Full Time markets, as you are relying on a team to overcome at least a one goal deficit to come through and win the match.

Can I bet on more than one option?

Yes, punters often go for two or more potential outcomes to give themselves a stronger chance of winning. A team might have a reputation for enjoying a fast start before tiring and you might consider something like Team A – Draw and Team A – Team B permed together which gives you a great chance if Team A are a single goal ahead at the interval.