We get asked about this market a lot from people who have seen it on their sportsbook and were not sure how it works.
It looks more complicated than it actually is so here is the quick version.
What is the bet?
A half-time/full-time bet is where you predict who will be winning at half time and who will be winning at full time.
Both parts of the prediction need to be correct for the bet to pay out. It is one bet with two components, not two separate bets.
So say the Giants are playing the Cowboys. If you bet Giants/Giants you are saying the Giants will be ahead at the half and still ahead at the final whistle.
If you bet Cowboys/Giants you are saying the Cowboys will be leading at half time but the Giants will come back and win the game.
If either half of your prediction is wrong the whole bet loses.
Why the odds are better
The reason people like this market is that the odds are significantly higher than just betting on the match result.
Picking the winner of a game might pay minus 150 but picking that same team to be winning at both half time and full time might pay plus 120 or better because you are now predicting two things instead of one.
And if you go for one of the more unlikely combinations like the away team leading at half time and the home team winning the game you can get some really big prices.
The draw complicates things
In sports like soccer where draws are common at half time this market gets interesting.
A lot of games are level at the break even when one team ends up winning comfortably.
So Draw/Home Team is actually one of the most common results in soccer betting but a lot of casual bettors overlook it because they just assume the favorite will be ahead the whole way.
We have had some good results over the years backing draw at half time with the stronger team to win at full time because the odds on that combination tend to be generous.
Which sports is it available for
You will find half-time/full-time markets on pretty much any sport that has a clear half time break.
Soccer is where it is most popular but you can also find it on NFL, NBA, college football, college basketball, and rugby.
The number of possible combinations changes depending on whether the sport allows draws but the concept is always the same.
Pick who is ahead at the half, pick who wins at the end, get both right.
