Betting on a team to win either half of a game is a straightforward bet that is often used to bet on an underdog who is likely provide a stern test for their opponent. When you place a bet on a team to win either half, the full time result is irrelevant.
The requirement for a winning bet is that the team you have bet on score more goals than their opponent in one of the two 45 minute periods in a football match. It could be a scenario where a team leads 5-0 at the break, switches off at half-time, and eases up during the second half with the game won. As long as your team outscores the opposition in one half, the bet is a winner.
This market could also be a useful market when two evenly matched teams (on a level playing field) meet, and the away side is made an underdog by the bookmakers.
Pros of win either half
- This market may give you an advantage when top teams clash. Whilst the match market may be hard to predict, very often we see one team start quicker than the other, or “a game of two halves”.
- Odds can often appear to be generous. Some win either half market appear to be priced on expectancy of the end result, whilst some teams have very good records in either the first or second half.
Cons of betting win either half
- The win either half market can carry risk, not helped by the fact bookmaker margins are relatively high on this market.
- Do well on this market and you could be flagged by the bookmakers, expect to see red flags to be placed on any sports bettor making regular profit on this market.
What is the Win Either Half bet type?
You'll struggle to get a more simple to understand betting market, the name says it all. You bet on either the home or away team to win either half. This bet type gives you the chance to split a 90 minute football match in to two. Giving you two chances (separate from one another) for your bet to win. If your team wins leads at half time, your bet has won, and you can ignore the second half altogether. If they're drawing or losing at half time, then you can effectively 'reset' the score to 0-0 and start again. If they manage to win the second half (ignoring any first half goals) then your bet wins. Your bet will lose should your team fail to win either half
Who uses the Win Either Half betting market?
Win either half is a market that seems to remain exclusive to football and is one that a professional bettor might consider using, but only in the right circumstances. It's not really a market that would be linked to a set way of betting or a betting strategy, but instead something that might be used once in a while. A casual bettor isn't likely to see appeal in the odds and wouldn't go out of their way to realise the probability of the market in certain games anyway.
There are circumstances in which the win either half market can be a very useful one. Some examples of this could be a team who keeps it tight facing off against a struggling but usually highly rated side. Odds are slow to adjust, and the lesser team are rarely given any credit for form because it isn't expected to last.
A team that compete in low scoring games are perhaps never a moment away from pinching a half 1-0 even when unexpected. The market might also offer some nice prices when poor defensive sides who score a lot of goals and inevitably turn games around play (think Madrid, Barcelona away to top half teams).
If you do opt to use this market, it's worthwhile in the right circumstances. There is no solid betting strategy to apply that's common knowledge and each game should be judged on a game by game basis, rather than taking a liking to this market and trying to make it fit to a game.
Got the hang of the different bet types? See how successful tipsters make their mark by exploring our betting strategy guides.