Football Betting Strategy: Half Time/Full Time Betting

A popular soccer 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. Most of the top online betting sites offer the half time/full time market for every game, so if you’re yet to sign up with one of our top-notch free bet bonuses, then do so now.

What Are Half Time/Full Time Markets?

With the Half Time/Full Time market, you predict what the result of a fixture will be at half time, and what it will be at 90 minutes. Bets can be made in any combination – from the home team to be winning at both half time and full time, through to a draw at the interval and then the away team to secure a win at the final whistle.

Also Check Out: The best World Cup betting sites and test your betting skills with the Half Time/Full Time market.

Why Bet Half Time/Full Time?

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

For example: In Premier League betting odds, 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.

The Most Popular Half Time/Full Time Bets

Bettors generally like to back favourites when it comes to soccer 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 it 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.

In-Play Focus

Of course, you don't just have to bet on this market pre-match, and using it in-play is a good way to see how a match is unfolding before staking your money. However, the 'in-play half time/full time' market closes by default the nearer you get to 45 minutes, so it's best to try to spot a potential 'half time/full time' scoreline swing early on. Here’s our favourite sites for in-play betting:

Although this soccer betting market may seem difficult to predict, it's an interesting option to take a punt on, and can be profitable if you can predict a potential turnaround. Check out our list of top betting sites now, find yourself an offer you like, and use it for your next half-time/full-time bet!