Half-Time/Full-Time Betting Explained

Half-time/full-time betting is a sports wager on the winner after each half of a match. It’s a common wager available at the best sports betting sites and perfect for parlay fans who want to increase their odds. The half-time/full-time bet also rewards gamblers who’ve done prior research into the game.  

What is Half-Time/Full-Time Betting?

So, what does half-time/full-time mean in betting? It’s a bet of two halves: you are predicting the “result” of the first half of the game, and the “result” of the second half. Essentially, HT/FT is a 2-leg parlay where you must get both results right to win. 

In a soccer game, you might bet DRAW/HOME, which means you predict the game will be a draw after the first half, but won by the home team in the second. You can also bet half-time/full-time in other games with halves, including football, hockey, and basketball. 

• DRAW-DRAW: The game is a draw at half-time and at full-time
• HOME-HOME: The home team is winning both at half-time and full-time
• AWAY-AWAY: The away team is winning both at half-time and full-time
• DRAW-HOME: The game is a draw at half-time but the match is won by the home side
• DRAW-AWAY: The game is a draw at HT, but the away team wins it in the second half
• HOME-AWAY: The longest odds are for a HOME-AWAY result. The home team leads at half-time but the match is won by the away team. 

Half-Time/Full-Time Bet Example:  

• England v Spain (EURO 2024 men’s soccer final) 
• Your HT/FT Bet: DRAW-SPAIN @ 9/2

You are confident of Spain winning the game in normal time. However, you know that EURO finals tend to be cagey affairs. Plus, England have drawn three-quarters of their games going into half-time. 

So, you place a bet on the game being a draw at half-time, and a Spain win in the second-half. You need to get both predictions correct to win the half-time/full-time bet. 

Now, let’s look at the odds for different markets on this game:

Full-Time Result (1X2)

• England win (1): 2/1
• Draw (X): 11/5
• Spain win (2): 11/10

Half-Time/Full-Time Bet Market

• England-England: 4/1
• Spain-Spain: 13/5
• Draw-Draw: 4/1
• Draw-Spain: 9/2
• England-Spain: 22/1
• Spain-England: 28/1

You can see the difference in prices when comparing the traditional 1X2 market with HT/FT. This is where you can grab some value if you’ve done your research. 

Up to now, England’s games have been drab, cagey affairs, with few goals scored. England have managed to keep things tight until half-time before falling behind in the second half. Therefore, the 9/2 price on DRAW-SPAIN looks good, certainly better than the 11/10 offered for an outright Spain win in normal time. 

In the end, the game was full of attacking intent from Spain. The Spanish team dominated but came up against a resolute England team to leave the game 0-0 at half-time. 

Spain took the lead early in the second half before England equalized in the 73rd minute. However, a late Spain goal meant the Spanish won both the second half and the match.  

Other Half-Time Result Bets

Most top online bookmakers offer different options for betting on half-time full-time markets. You can opt to just bet on the result at half-time. The odds are lower but you only have to predict one outcome. 

Half-Time Result

• England 11/4
• Draw 6/5
• Spain 15/8

Alternatively, you can bet the Half-Time Double Chance. This covers more options, with all prices lowering to odds-on:

• England or Draw 2/5
• Draw or Spain 1/4 
• England or Spain 8/13

Top 3 Tips for HT/FT Betting

Here are a few simple tips for making a half-time/full-time bet and making the most from bookmakers’ offers.