Half-time/Full-Time betting is sometimes abbreviated to HT/FT. It is a bet placed on the standing in the match when the referee blows the whistle for half-time, followed by the result of the match when the referee whistles for full-time.
It is a two-part bet in which the punter must accurately predict the match’s current state at half-time and then again at full-time.
The bet is one of the most popular bets you can place on football (soccer) betting in particular, although it can also be available in other sports where teams contest two halves and the outcomes could be similar to that of a soccer match (such as American Football, Basketball, Rugby etc).
As it is such a popular bet with customers, almost every sports betting site offers an extensive range of HT/FT betting markets across a wide range of fixtures every week.
Let’s explore a little more about this particular bet.
What are the potential options for the Half-Time/Full-Time Bet?
Although it seems that there could be a lot of options to consider for the HT/FT bet, there are only nine possible outcomes for the bet in any match.
The outcomes are listed below with the half-time result shown first, and the full-time result shown second.
HT/FT Bet – The Nine Possible Outcomes
- Home Team Wins / Home Team Wins
- Home Team Wins/ Draw
- Home Team Wins / Away Team Wins
- Draw / Home Team Wins
- Draw / Draw
- Draw / Away Team Wins
- Away Team Wins / Home Team Wins
- Away Team Wins / Draw
- Away Team Wins / Away Team Wins
Here is an example of how the bet would work out in practice.
In a game between Manchester City and Arsenal, Arsenal (the away team) led 2-1 at half-time, but Manchester City equalised in the second half, and the game finished as a 2-2 draw.
In the example above, the Away Team Wins / Draw option would be the winning bet.
Can I research the different options for HT/FT betting?
Yes. In fact, the HT/FT market is one where conducting research into the habits of both teams can pay dividends when it comes to making the right selection for your bet.
Your research should focus not just in the current results of the two teams competing in the game you are betting on. You should look for identifiable trends within their data to highlight when they are most likely to score in the game.
For example, some of the data you could research would include:
- Current form for both teams.
- Home form for the home team.
- Away form for the away team.
- When the home team scores the majority of their goals (first or second half)
- When the away team scores the majority of their goals (first or second half)
- Whether a team tends to lead matches and go on to win, draw or lose.
- Whether a team tends to fall behind in games and then goes on to lose, draw or win.
- Whether key defensive or attacking players are likely to play or not in the fixture.
- The recent history between the two teams. What have the final results been? How has that result come about? Does one team tend to go in front and be pegged back? Or does one team dominate the game and win after taking an early lead in the game?
- Does the game come after an international break or a busy week of midweek action? Will fatigue be an issue as a result?
By considering data such as that outlined above, you can get a far greater understanding of how matches involving the two teams have tended to go. This can then allow you to narrow down from the nine possible selections in the half-time/full-time market, to the most likely one or two to consider betting on.
What does “1”, “X” and “2” mean when considering a HT/FT bet?
Many betting sites, and sites that offer tips on markets such as the half-time/full-time bet, may use simple abbreviations in place of typing home win, away win or draw.
The abbreviations used are those that were popularised on the football pools many years ago. They have stood the test of time and are still in widespread use across many betting sites.
Each abbreviation is listed below:
- “1” refers to a Home team victory.
- “X’ refers to a draw.
- “2” refers to an Away team victory.
Rarely, some sites may use a lowercase “x” to signify a goalless draw from a scoring draw which is a capitalised “X” but this is rarely used on sites nowadays.
So, for example, if you see a HT/FT bet noted down as X/1, then that would mean the half-time result is a draw, and the full-time result is a home team win.
The complete list of 9 possible HT/FT outcomes with the notations is below.
- 1/1 – Home / Home
- 1/X – Home / Draw
- 1/2 – Home / Away
- X/1 – Draw / Home
- X/X – Draw / Draw
- X/2 – Draw / Away
- 2/1 – Away / Home
- 2/X – Away / Draw
- 2/2 – Away / Away
What happens to a HT/FT bet if a match goes into extra time or penalties?
The HT/FT bet is always decided upon the half-time and full-time scores. Any extra time played after full-time or a penalty shootout does not affect the outcome of the bet.
Injury time, or added time, is included as it is played before the half-time or final whistle is blown.
What happens to a HT/FT bet if the match is postponed or abandoned in the first-half, or the second-half?
This depends on what the terms and conditions for the bet are with your chosen bookmaker.
If your HT/FT bet is abandoned in the first half, or the game is postponed, your stake should be returned to you.
However, if the game is abandoned in the second half, some bookmakers may void the bet and return your stake. However, some may deem the bet a loss if your half-time prediction was incorrect (for example, you had backed the home team to lead at half-time and the match was a draw at half time).
It is a good idea to clarify your bookmaker’s rules for games abandoned in the second half on HT/FT bets.
Hopefully, you now have a clear idea of what HT/FT bets are, how they work and how you can make the most of the opportunities they offer!
