HT/FT Half Time/Full Time Betting Explained
What is the Half Time/Full Time bet?
Half Time/Full Time betting is where you bet on which team will be leading the match at half time, and which team will be leading the match at full time. For both half time and full time, there are three outcomes each: the Home team can be leading, the Away team can be leading, or the teams can draw. As a result, the Half Time/Full Time market has nine different possibilities:
- The Home team leads at half time and the Home team leads at full time
- The Home team leads at half time and the Away team leads at full time
- The Home team leads at half time and the match is a draw at full time
- The Away team leads at half time and the Home team leads at full time
- The Away team leads at half time and the Away team leads at full time
- The Away team leads at half time and the match is a draw at full time
- The match is a draw at half time and the Home team leads at full time
- The match is a draw at half time and the Away team leads at full time
- The match is a draw at half time and the match is a draw at full time
Because there are nine outcomes in Half Time/Full Time betting, instead of the three outcomes in 1X2 or match odds betting (Home win, Away win, or draw), the odds are much higher. This means that while there’s greater risk, there’s also greater reward.
1/1 – Home HT/Home FT
The home team must lead the game at both half time and full time
X/1 – Draw HT/Home FT
This means the game must be a draw at half time, but see a home win at full time
X/X – Draw HT/Draw FT
Requires a draw at half time and also end in a draw at full time
1/2 – Home HT/Away FT
The home team must lead at half time, and the away team must win at full time
X/2 – Draw HT/Away FT
A draw at half time and away team win the match
2/2 – Away HT/Away FT
The away team must lead the game at half time and go on to win the match
2/1 – Away HT/Home FT
The away team must lead at half time, and home team must go on to win the match
1/X – Home HT/Draw FT
The home team must lead at half time, but see the game end in a draw
2/X – Away HT/Draw FT
The away team must lead at half time, but see the game end in a draw
To bet on HT/FT, all you need to do is pick one of the above. Now, as you may have realized by now, this market is a fairly risky one. You’re trying to predict how the match will progress, which can be very hard. That said, some less likely options can have extremely long odds, resulting in high profits.
Knowing how to bet on Full Time/Half Time is all about picking the right option for the right situation. Most of them have their uses – though some should be wagered on with more care than others. Either way, this betting market is not beginner-friendly and requires extensive knowledge of betting predictions and calculating value. Still, we can give you some pointers.
Half Time/ Full Time Betting Strategy
HT/FT betting in football is fairly versatile, meaning that there are several reasons why you’d want to go for it. For instance, a common use is to simply use it to increase odds on “safe” bets. What does this mean?
Say you’re betting on a very one-sided match. Backing the favourites is likely to win, but the rewards may not be worthwhile. However, if you also throw in a prediction that they’ll be in the lead at half-time, the odds will increase. This is a very common way of making HT/FT bets and maybe a good starting point for beginners.
To reap the full rewards of HT/FT, though, you’ll have to dig deeper. Let’s say that, thanks to statistics and research, you know that the favourites tend to underperform in the first half. Or, conversely, that the underdogs tend to put up a strong fight in the first 45 minutes. You can then predict a draw at half-time, which would substantially increase the odds on an otherwise unrewarding wager.
Another common beginner strategy for Half Time/Full Time betting is to go for a Draw/Draw. Essentially, you’re hoping for a 0:0 result – that’s statistically the most likely way to win this wager. If H2H stats indicate a high likelihood of a null result, you can get excellent returns. Much better than with a straight 1X2 bet, at least.
Of course, these are just some of your options. With 9 bets and an endless supply of football matches, you can play around with different ideas. The above strategies merely illustrate our main piece of advice: don’t bet on HT/FT just because you want to. It’s a risky market, and you’ll want to be sure of its advantages.
Half Time/Full Time Bet Tips
Teams that lead in the first half go on to win the match in more than 80% of cases. Teams that are behind, however, only manage a comeback in around 5% of matches. Consider a team’s strategy before making your selection. For instance, if the favourite of a match is defensively focused, the result at half-time is more likely to be a draw. Similarly, keep up with football news. Details such as player injuries and weather can affect a team’s goal-scoring ability. HT/FT bets are hard to predict because of the large number of variables. While this makes them difficult to predict, it also means that they often contain hidden value.
Final Thoughts
The Half Time/Full Time market opens the door for a number of new betting strategies. If you take into account the strengths of both teams, the most common goal times, and in-play events, you might be able to get the edge over your bookie or other betters on an exchange.