Football is the most played and most watched sport around the world and is also the most eminent market within the sports betting industry. Football half-time bets have gradually grown in popularity among bettors in recent years. They provide a fresh viewpoint to sports betting and an endless number of alternatives.
Varieties of Bet MarketsThis thrilling category introduces a greater abundance of choices to fans of football betting. The essential idea of half-time result betting is the same as the one applied to full-time result betting. The difference between the two stems from the fact that the first type takes into account the half-time match result, whereas the second refers to the full-time result.
First-half bets are not influenced by the final score of the football match and take into consideration the results valid at the end of the first 45 minutes. Aside from the decent number of available half-time result bet markets, punters should also be aware that these types of wagers have the potential to bring extra value and are especially suitable for football.
Varieties of Half-Time Result Bet Markets
What differentiates half-time result betting from match result betting is the fact that bets are settled at the half-time of the match. There are many varieties of half-time result bets and the basic types, which we are going to review in further detail include 1×2 1st Half, 1×2 2nd Half, Half-time/Full-time bets, Handicap half-time bets, and Asian Handicap half-time bets.
Win-Draw-Win Half-time Betting
The most popular option for placing a half-time result bet is the Win-Draw-Win market. It is most commonly referred to as 1st Half – 1×2 and 2nd Half – 1×2. With this market, bettors place wagers on the outcome of the first half.
A half-time result wager has the same three options as its standard counterpart:
- Home win
- Draw
- Away win
To provide a better illustration of this half-time bet market, let’s have a look at Burnley’s Premier League clash against Leicester. We will also provide the respective odds for the full-time result bet market, thus allowing bettors to differentiate between the two varieties.
| Half-Time Result Bet | Full-Time Result Bet | |
|---|---|---|
| Home win /Burnley/ | 3.40 | 2.85 |
| Draw | 2.05 | 3.20 |
| Away win /Leicester/ | 2.95 | 2.45 |
By looking at the odds, punters can see they have been adjusted accordingly to match the specifics of both markets. The most tangible difference is between the odds provided for the half-time ending in a Draw and the match ending in a Draw, i.e. odds of 2.05 versus odds of 3.20. According to different statistics, more goals are scored during the second half of football matches, thus leaving a greater chance for an even result at the end of the first half.
As punters are usually looking for value, the example above shows that if they are interested in wagering on the forthcoming fixture between Burnley and Leicester, they will find more competitive prices by exploring the half-time result markets. Placing a €10 wager on a Home win would bring a potential profit of €28.50 including the initial stake from the full-time result bet market, as opposed to €34.00 including the initial stake from the half-time result bet market.
Ultimately, placing a half-time result bet on a Home win would be a successful one, if the Home team takes the upper hand by the end of the first half, as the final score is not taken into consideration.
Half-time/Full-Time Bet Market
With the half-time/full-time bet market, punters are wagering simultaneously on the outcome at the end of the first half and at the end of full time. It is a type of double wager on the same football match. Let us now examine the half-time/full-time bet market by looking at the same match from the example above.
| Burnley vs Leicester Half-time/full-time bet market | Odds |
|---|---|
| Burnley/Burnley | 4.53 |
| Burnley/Draw | 13.64 |
| Burnley/Leicester | 30.14 |
| Draw/Burnley | 6.43 |
| Draw/Draw | 4.63 |
| Draw/Leicester | 5.59 |
| Leicester/Burnley | 33.91 |
| Leicester/Draw | 13.48 |
| Leicester/Leicester City | 3.72 |
All of the options included in the table show the possible selections for the half-time result and the full-time result. To make a winning wager punters should predict precisely both outcomes of a certain selection. For instance, if bettors have decided to make a €10 stake on the first possible selection, Burnley/Burnley, the Home team needs to win both at the end of half-time and full-time for the wager to be successful. The potential profit here, based on the offered odds, would be €45.30.
The most profitable selection offered for the half-time/full-time bet market is the one featuring a half-time win for Leicester and a full-time win for Burnley. Odds are as high as 33.91, delivering a potential payout of €339.10.
Handicap Half-time Bets
Bettors who are interested in exploring the more challenging handicap half-time result bets are most probably already familiar with full-time handicap football betting. However, for the purposes of clarity, we will cover again the main characteristics of handicap betting.
It is essentially a type of chance that gives the underdog a virtual advantage over the favorite before the start of the football match. It is not particularly appealing to place a bet on obvious favorites because the potential returns are very low. The aim of handicap betting is to even out the performance gap between the opponents.
Handicap betting is also referred to as 3-way Handicap betting, or European Handicap, and can be applied to the half-time result. With half-time Handicap bets, punters can place a bet on the three possible outcomes of the half-time – a win, draw, and loss.
European Handicap betting or 3-way Handicap betting is older than Asian Handicap betting, but the latter has become more popular and we will see why. European handicap bets are indicated by integer numbers, such as -1, -2, -3, +1, +2, +3, etc. Let us provide an example of how a half-time European Handicap bet would look.
- Team A (-2)
- Draw (-2)
- Team B (+2)
If punters choose to back Team A, their wager would be a successful one if the said team wins by three goals or more. Bettors who have opted for the underdog, Team B, will enjoy a winning wager in the following cases – if they win the match, get a draw, or lose by one goal.
It is important to note that the “draw” is a possible option with European Half-time Handicap betting. However, if punters choose to back a -1 European handicap half-time bet and the team wins the half-time by a single goal, then the bet would not be a successful one.
Half-time Handicap betting involves a greater degree of risk in comparison to 1×2 bet markets, but ultimately can boost your bankroll, as the odds difference between the two markets is substantial.
Asian Handicap Half-time Bets
Another popular form of Handicap betting is Asian Handicap betting. Similar to full-time betting markets, in half-time betting markets, one of the possible outcomes of the half-time, the draw, is eliminated. Bettors have two options – betting on a home win or away win. In case the half-time ends with both of the teams scoring an equal number of goals, bookmakers are supposed to refund punters’ stakes. As the outcome of a draw is eliminated, punters stand a 50% chance of winning, thus making Asian Handicap half-time bets less risky in comparison to European Handicap Half-time bets.
To level out the chances of both teams, favorites are deducted goals, while underdogs are awarded goals. Some sportsbooks though offer Handicap markets where the favorites are awarded goals and underdogs are deducted goals.
| 1st Half – Asian Handicap Leicester vs Leeds | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 |
| Leicester (-1.5) 5 | Leeds (+1.5) 1.15 |
| Leicester (-1) 4.38 | Leeds (+1) 1.19 |
| Leicester (-0.75) 2.86 | Leeds (+0.75) 1.39 |
| Leicester (-0.5) 2.28 | Leeds (+0.5) 1.59 |
| Leicester (-0.25) 1.87 | Leeds (+0.25) 1.86 |
| Leicester (0) 1.46 | Leeds (+0) 2.61 |
| Leicester (+0.25) 1.3 | Leeds (-0.25) 3.31 |
| Leicester (+0.5) 1.22 | Leeds (-0.5) 3.96 |
| Leicester (+0.75) 1.13 | Leeds (-0.75) 5.47 |
In the first possible option, indicated in the table above, we see that Leicester are deducted a goal and a half, which makes them the favorite. Leeds are awarded a goal and a half and respectively, they are the underdog. In case punters choose to back Leicester, they need to win by at least 2 goals. Once the -1.5 handicap has been applied, they would be in a losing position if they scored only one goal.
However, if punters choose to back the underdog, even if they lose the half-time by one goal, the wager would still be a winning one. That is because of the applied advantage of a goal and a half. When the handicap is -1.5, the virtual result cannot be a draw, as teams cannot score half a goal.
A half-time Asian Handicap bet of 0 is applied when the chances of both teams are fairly even and bettors’ stakes are returned in case of a draw.
Bettors should note, however, that when the virtual result is a whole number (-1 and +1, as in the second example from our table), the half-time result might be a draw. If Leicester were to win the half-time by a single goal, the virtual result would be a draw. In this case, bettors would have their stake refunded. Just for the sake of comparison, such a result would mean a losing wager with the half-time European Handicap bet market.
Asian Handicap betting delivers bettors with excellent opportunities to explore the half-time result markets. Inexperienced bettors should initially opt for wagers for smaller stakes since this would naturally decrease the amount of lost money. They should stick to reputable sportsbooks only and make use of odds comparison websites to find the best prices available on the market. And last but not least, punters should not underestimate the importance of several essential factors, impacting football games. They include checking the teams’ style of play during both halves, their current form, motivation, and scoring records, among others.
Conclusion
As illustrated by the examples above, half-time result bet markets have an excellent application to football betting. Half-time result bets are an intriguing type of wagers, which are worthy of bettors’ attention. Apart from providing the football bet market with a greater abundance of options, half-time result bets also deliver added value. To master this category of bets, punters need to rely also on statistics, as they present valuable information regarding the teams’ traditional style of play during both halves of matches.
Aside from the above-mentioned types of half-time result bets, bettors can also explore other options including Double Chance – 1st Half, Correct Score – 1st Half, and more.