Football Betting Markets Explained: What Changes Beyond 1X2

Football betting markets beyond 1X2 change three things: the event your bet measures, the outcomes it covers and the rules used to settle it. A double chance bet covers two results, an Asian handicap changes the score used for settlement, and a “to qualify” bet can include extra time and penalties that a match-result bet ignores.

This guide goes through the main markets with worked examples in pounds, then covers the settlement rules that catch people out: extra time, players who do not play and abandoned matches. For the basics of reading a price first, see our guide to football match odds.

How do football betting markets differ from 1X2?

1X2 is a three-way bet on the result: 1 is a home win, X is a draw and 2 is an away win. Every other market either covers a different combination of results, measures something other than the result, or changes the score before settling.

The table lists the markets most bettors meet first. Before every bet, ask one question: what exactly has to happen for this to win?

What do double chance and draw no bet change?

Double chance covers two of the three 1X2 results, so you win if either happens. Draw no bet backs one side only but refunds your stake if the match is drawn.

The two bets protect you differently. On 1X, you win if the home side wins or the match is drawn, and lose only on an away win. On home draw no bet, a home win pays, a draw returns the stake and an away win loses.

Take a hypothetical match priced at 2.10 home, 3.40 draw and 3.50 away. Dividing 1 by each price gives implied probabilities of about 47.6%, 29.4% and 28.6%.

• Home win or draw (1X): 47.6% + 29.4% is about 77%, so a price near 1.30 is consistent with the 1X2 odds. If a bookmaker offers 1.20 on the same bet, you are paying extra margin for the cover.
• Home draw no bet: 47.6 / (47.6 + 28.6) is about 62.5%, so a price near 1.60 is consistent. A much shorter price means a bigger margin.

Neither bet is better value by default. The question is whether the real chance of the covered results is higher than the price implies.

What do over/under goals and BTTS measure?

Over/under goals tests the total number of goals against a line, while both teams to score (BTTS) tests whether each side scores at least once. They measure different things, so one can win without the other.

On a 2.5 line, over wins with three or more goals and under wins with two or fewer. A 3-0 win lands over 2.5 but loses BTTS. A 1-1 draw wins BTTS but lands under 2.5.

A whole-number line such as 2.0 refunds your stake if exactly two goals are scored. Quarter lines, called Asian totals, split the stake across two neighbouring lines. £10 on over 2.25 at 1.90 is £5 on over 2.0 and £5 on over 2.5:

• Three or more goals: both halves win, for £9.00 profit.
• Exactly two goals: the 2.0 half is refunded and the 2.5 half loses, so you lose £5.
• One goal or none: both halves lose, so you lose £10.

For a deeper look at the second market, read our guide to assessing BTTS picks.

How do European and Asian handicaps work?

A European handicap gives one team a whole-goal head start and keeps three outcomes. An Asian handicap uses whole, half and quarter lines to remove or soften the draw, which makes it a two-way market.

With a European handicap of Home -1, a 2-1 home win becomes a 1-1 “draw” after the adjustment, so the draw selection wins. Only a home win by two goals or more wins the Home -1 selection.

Asian quarter lines, such as -0.25 and -0.75, split the stake equally across two neighbouring lines. That produces half-wins and half-losses that ordinary bets cannot.

Take £10 on a team at -0.75 and odds of 1.95. That is £5 on -0.5 and £5 on -1.0:

• Win by two or more: both halves win, for £9.50 profit.
• Win by exactly one: the -0.5 half wins (£4.75 profit) and the -1.0 half is refunded.
• Draw or defeat: both halves lose, so you lose £10.

The lines on the other side of zero behave differently. At -0.25 the stake splits across 0.0 and -0.5, so a draw refunds half and loses half. At +0.25 it splits across 0.0 and +0.5, so a draw refunds half and wins half. A 0.0 line is the same as draw no bet.

The most common mistake is misreading the sign or the line. Check that the market is an Asian handicap and not a three-way handicap, and check whether your bookmaker shows -0.75 as a single number or as a pair such as (-0.5, -1.0).

How do correct score, half-time/full-time and player markets work?

These markets ask for something narrower than the result, so prices are longer and the bookmaker’s margin is usually bigger. Narrow does not mean better value.

Correct score needs the exact final score. A 2-1 selection loses on 1-1 even though both teams scored and three goals were scored.

Half-time/full-time needs both parts to be right. Backing “draw/home” needs the match level at half-time and the home side ahead at full time.

Player markets, such as anytime goalscorer, shots or cards, depend on the player taking part, and the rules differ by operator (see the table below). Corners and cards markets can be set on one team or on the match total, and those are different bets.

Do football bets include extra time and penalties?

No, not unless the market says so. Standard football markets settle on 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Betfair’s 90-minute rule page says that if a game goes to extra time, goals, shots, cards and corners in extra time do not count towards a bet placed on 90 minutes.

The exception is markets worded “to qualify”, “to win the tie” or “to lift the trophy”, which cover whatever decides the tie. This matters in cup knockouts and in competitions such as the Champions League and the World Cup.

A simple example: a cup tie finishes 1-1 after 90 minutes, then the away side wins in extra time. The match-result bet on the away side loses, the draw wins, and “to qualify” on the away side wins. If a tie goes to penalties after 0-0, the 90-minute market is still a draw.

Bet builders can mix rules. A builder with a match leg and a qualification leg may have legs settled on different periods, so read each leg.

What happens if a player does not play or a match is abandoned?

It depends on the market and the operator, so read the rules page before you bet. As a general pattern, a bet on a player who takes no part is usually void, an anytime scorer who comes on for a minute usually counts as a runner, and an abandoned match voids any bet not already decided.

The practical lesson: an anytime scorer who is an unused substitute is void, but one who plays the last minute and misses is a loser. If a leg in an accumulator is void, it is normally removed and the bet carries on with fewer selections.

How do you compare football betting markets properly?

Write down the event each selection needs, convert the price to an implied probability, then compare it with your own estimate. If you cannot say what has to happen for the bet to win, do not place it.

Implied probability is 1 divided by the decimal odds, so 2.00 implies 50%. Adding every outcome in a market usually gives more than 100%, and the excess is the bookmaker’s margin, also called the overround. In the hypothetical match above, 47.6% + 29.4% + 28.6% is about 105.6%, a margin of roughly 5.6%.

Our betting tools include a margin calculator, so you can check any market in seconds.

Two habits help. First, shorter odds are not safer value, because they only mean a higher break-even probability. Second, be careful stacking correlated legs in a bet builder: a team to win and that same team to score are linked, so the combined price should not be read as two independent events.

Also compare like with like. A 2.5 line at one bookmaker and a 2.25 line at another are different bets, and so are 1.95 on -0.5 and 1.95 on -0.75.

Which football betting market should you use?

Match the market to the question you can actually answer about the game. If you rate a side but fear a draw, draw no bet or double chance fits. If you have a view on how open the game will be, goals and BTTS fit. If you think one team is mispriced by a goal, a handicap fits.

Whatever you choose, check the settlement period, the line and the odds on the slip before confirming. Our football tips today page shows how we pick markets for fixtures, and the sports betting guide covers odds and multiples. League pages such as Premier League betting apply the same ideas to specific competitions, and our football betting hub collects the rest.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between double chance and draw no bet?

Double chance covers two of the three results and pays if either happens. Draw no bet covers one team only but refunds the stake if the match is drawn.

How does an Asian handicap differ from a European handicap?

A European handicap uses whole-goal adjustments and keeps a draw outcome. An Asian handicap uses whole, half and quarter lines, which removes the draw or splits the stake across two lines.

Do football bets include extra time?

Not normally. Standard markets settle on 90 minutes plus stoppage time, while markets such as 'to qualify' can include extra time and penalties. Always check the market wording.

Can over 2.5 goals win if both teams do not score?

Yes. A 3-0 result has three goals, so over 2.5 wins, but BTTS loses because only one team scored.

How do I work out the bookmaker's margin on a football market?

Divide 1 by each outcome's decimal odds to get an implied probability, then add them up. Anything above 100% is the bookmaker's margin.

What happens to my bet if the player I backed does not play?

Bets on a player who takes no part are usually void and the stake is refunded, but the details vary by bookmaker and market. Check the operator's football rules before you bet.