Halftime/Fulltime Football Bets: How To Make Them and Are They Worth It?
There is a famous phrase in football that says “It’s a game of two halves”. That is indeed true, and it refers to how a team can be well on top during the first half, but then the other team up their game and are the better of the two sides after the break.
An approach to football betting can focus on a football match naturally being split into two. That gives rise to some great betting opportunities at Legalbet bookmakers, such as picking the halftime result, or an over/under goals selection for a particular half of a fixture.
There is also the popular Halftime/Fulltime betting market that punters frequent. Here we have a look at the HT/FT wager.
What is the Halftime/Fulltime Bet?
This bet is a prediction of what the status of a given fixture will be both at halftime and full-time. There are only certain combinations that can happen, so the options within the market are limited to selections like Home/Home and Away/Draw.
It’s combining the outcomes from those two points of the match, into one bet. If you have gone for an Away/Draw HT/FT bet then that requires that the away team be winning at the halftime break, but the final result has to be a draw.
What the HT/FT Is Not
It is important to understand what the HT/FT bet is not. As a punter, you are not betting on the individual results of each half. By that, the Home/Draw bet, for example, needs the home team to be winning at halftime and requires a draw at full-time.
It’s not that the home team wins the first half by outscoring their opponents 3-2, but then a 1-1 draw in the second half happens. The bet would be lost in that circumstance, because the home team would win 4-3, and the second part of the bet required a draw at full-time.
Is There Value In HT/FT Bets?
Under the right circumstances, this is a great market to consider. In the instance where you have a strong pre-match favourite, adding the condition that they need to be winning at halftime as well as full-time will give you some extra value against just backing them in the match outright.
It could also be that you fancy an underdog team at home, to at least make life difficult for their stronger opponents who are visiting, but you don’t see the underdog winning the match. A Draw/Away pick could be a great option under such circumstances.
Research
As with all types of bets, you must do specific research and analysis to put together the right picks. It could be looking for a team that is trending for halftime draws at home against teams from the top half of their league table for example. Use the statistics and head-to-head to piece together the options for your HT/FT bet.
What Are The Advantages Of A HT/FT Bet?
There is a good variety of outcomes in a halftime full-time market. An excellent approach is using statistics to first determine what you think the final result of a match will be, then work backwards through the statistics to look for trends about the halftime result.
Because there are two conditions in the single bet that have to be met, you will get higher odds and potentially bigger payouts from an HT/FT bet than a win single on the match outright.
Of course, the flip side of that is that the wager comes with greater risk, because of the two outcomes combined.
In Conclusion
HT/FT bets come with their own set of challenges and risks. There is a clear risk assessment from the higher complexity and higher improbability involved. Understanding the nuances of the game, analyzing dynamics and making strategic research of various factors involved are crucial when making these bets. Like any form of betting, they should be approached with caution and a responsible mindset. But the HT/FT option is good to consider as part of your betting strategy if you are confident in your analysis.
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