If you're wondering what the meaning of half-time / full-time in betting is, you're not alone. Dig deep enough into most bookmakers and you’ll find the Half-Time/ Full-Time betting market.
Although the option isn’t too common among Nigerian bettors despite its popularity on licensed Nigerian betting sites, it remains crucial to understand that being familiar with a wide variety of betting options can boost our chances of winning.
Now a good number of betting markets are self-explanatory, but options like the meaning of half-time / full-time in betting are a bit unclear. So we created this comprehensive guide to explain the Half-Time / Full-Time betting market in Nigeria, the different types, how it's applied, and betting strategies for this market.
How does Half Time Full Time betting work?
Going by the classic Half-Time/Full-Time meaning, a better predicts the outcome of the first half and the full-time match result respectively. The outcomes include a home win, a draw, and an away win. With the first-half and full-time results combined in the bet, there are 9 possible outcomes when playing the Half-Time/ Full-Time bets
9 possible outcomes in half time/full time betting markets
Whenever you want to place a bet on the half-time / full-time betting market, there are 9 possible outcomes including:
- Home/Home: This means that the home team will win in both the first-half of the match and the second-half too.
- Home/Draw: For this combo, the home team will be leading in the first half, but the match will end in a draw. This is also similar to a “Yes BTTS” bet as the home team has to score in the first half to lead and the away team will score and equalise in the second half. This means both teams will score in the match.
- Home/Away: Here, the home team will win the first half while the away team will end up winning the match.
- Draw/Home: The score is tied at halftime, but the home team will win the match in the second half.
- Draw/Draw: Both teams will play a draw in the first and second half.
- Draw/Away: Both teams will be tied at half-time, but at the second half, the away team will win the match.
- Away/Home: The away team wins the first half, but the home team will turn things around in the second half and win the match.
- Away/Draw: The away team will be leading at half-time, but the match will end in a draw.
- Away/Away: The away team will lead at half-time and still end up winning the match.
Tips to win Half-Time/Full-Time bets
There are several strategies that can improve your chances of winning Half-Time/Full-Time bets. Some of my favourites strategies that have helped me over the years including:
- Understand the market very well: Before you place HT/FT bets, it would be very helpful to completely understand the market. Conduct your research and learn more about the market.
- Research teams and matches: It is very important to study the teams in the match you want to bet on. Check their recent forms and their style of play, whether they play an attacking football or if they are defensive.
- Utilise in-play betting: I recommend placing live bets, they can increase your chances of winning HT/FT bets. When a match is ongoing, you can predict which team will win the first half. The Bet9ja app allows you to place bets as the match unfolds, giving you more control and flexibility.
Pros and cons of Half-Time/Full-Time betting
Before you think of placing half-time/full-time bets, it is important to know the pros and cons of this type of bet. One of the reasons I love placing HT/FT bets is because they offer very high odds compared to 1×2 bets since you need to predict two different events together.
I remember when I wanted to place a bet on Chelsea F.C. a while back, the odds for them to win the match on BetKing was 2.37, but when I checked the odds for Chelsea winning both HT and FT, the odds were bumped to 3.69. Thankfully, I won the bet, and the boosted odds significantly increased my potential winnings. This means that apart from enjoying high odds, you also get higher payouts with this type of bet.
Another benefit of HT/FT bets is that it is very exciting. Whenever I place this type of bet, I am always more excited than other types of bets like BTTS and Double Chance because it keeps me on the edge of my seat until the final whistle.
However, despite the benefits of half time full time bets, the main disadvantage is that it is very risky. Your team might win the first half and tie the second half, or they might even lose the first half and win the second half. I tend to avoid HT/FT bets when I don't feel so confident about winning due to the high level of risk.
| Pros | Cons |
| Higher odds | Very difficult to win |
| Increased potential payouts | Requires a high level of research |
| Offers more excitement compared to other bets |
When to consider half-time/full-time bets
When I do play Half-Time/Full-Time bets, I mostly limit them to games where the favorites have a very high chance of winning the first half and scoring multiple goals, or to tournaments where 3 or more goal margins are common.
For example, the lion's share of my Half-Time/ Full-Time bets come during international games and local cup games where countries and clubs have a significant and consistent difference in team quality.
Half time/full time bet example
Let's take a closer look at an example of half time/full time bet. If there's a Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool at the Old Trafford, you can bet on:
- Home/Home: This means Man Utd will win both the first half of the match and the second half.
- Draw/Away: This means that both teams will play a draw in the first half, and Liverpool will win the second half.
- Away/Away: For this prediction to win, Liverpool has to win both the first and second halves of the match.
Best Half-time/Full-time betting markets
When bettors discuss the halftime/fulltime meaning, they usually refer to the classic 3-way variation that involves a home win, draw, or away win. However, here are several other variations of the Half Time betting market:
Double Chance
This variation of the Half Time/ Full Time betting market replaces the 3-way straight win with a 3-way double chance. Here the outcomes include home to win or draw (1X), away to win or draw (2X), or any team to win (12).
Once more, you’ll predict the double chance outcome of the first half and full-time result. For example, in a match-up between Man City and Bournemouth, you can play the 1X/1X betting market, which means Man City will win or draw the first half and end the game with a win or draw. So if they play 1-0 by halftime and end the game 1-1, the ticket is won. But if the game ends 1-2, the ticket is lost because Man City didn’t win the match, despite winning the first half.
Half-Time/Full-Time Correct Score
As the name implies, you’ll predict the correct score at halftime and the correct score at the end of the game. The Half Time/Full Time Correct Score betting market might be the trickiest variation because correct scores are difficult to predict on their own.
First Half/ Second Half GG (Yes/No)
With the First Half/ Second Half GG (Yes/No) betting market, a punter predicts if both teams will score in the first half and second half. This is slightly different from the GG In Both Halves (Yes/No) betting market.
Halftime/Fulltime FAQs
Is the Half-time/Full-time meaning the same as Win Both Halves?
No, the meaning of half time full time in betting is different from the Win Both Halves option. The Half Time/Full Time betting market requires a punter to predict the 3-way outcome of both the first half and the full-time result.
For example, the 1/X Half Time/Full Time bet requires the home team to win the first half and end the match with a draw. In contrast, the Win Both Halves Betting market requires a team to win the first and second half respectively.
So in a scenario where I pick Manchester City to win both halves and they play 1-0 by halftime and end the match 2-1, the bet is lost because Manchester City drew the second half 1-1. See our “half-time/full-time explained” section for deeper insights into the betting market.
Do Half Time/Full Time bets include Extra Time and Overtime?
Half-Time/Full-Time bets end at the full-time whistle. While extra added time within the 90 minutes is counted in this betting market, overtime isn’t counted.
What is an example of a Half Time/Full Time Draw bet?
A Half Time/Full Time Draw bet (X/X) involves both teams drawing in the first half and at full-time. In essence, the half-time/full-time draw betting market can be seen as a draw both halves betting market.
For example, let's say you receive a 5-fold acca full-time draw (X) bet slip from a trusted tipster. The average draw (X) odds in a matchup between teams of similar strength is around 3 odds. But the odds usually double to around 6 odds when converted to the X/X Half Time/ Full Time betting market. In this scenario, if you play every single bet with the same amount (eg. 1,000 NGN) you’ll only need to win 1 of 5 of the singles to make a profit.
Is half time/full time also win both halves?
No, HT/FT betting is different from win both halves bets. For example, with HF/FT, you can bet on a first-half draw and full-time win for your selected team. However, for win both halves bets, your selected team must win the two halves.
Where can I find half time full time prediction?
You can find predictions for HT/FT bets on our daily football betting predictions page.
