The opportunities offered by online betting allow us to make predictions not only for the final outcome but also for the intermediate result. Among the most popular options in this regard are first half bets. These types of predictions allow us to look for what the sign or even the exact result will be after the first half of the event has passed, without being interested in how it will end thereafter.

Is football the only game these bets are offered for?

Mainly yes, but not entirely. Indeed, when it comes to first half bets, football matches are most often the focus. There are other sports where we encounter the same or similar betting opportunities:

Rugby - the game is made up of two parts, as in football
Handball - one match is again split into two halves
Basketball - divided into quarters, an outcome/result can be predicted after each one, including after the second one, meaning technically this is the half time when the teams get a longer break.

After-half bets are also made on ice hockey, where the total duration of the game is divided into three thirds. We will still focus on the most popular option - football bets.

What markets ar offered for a first-half bet?

The main options are pretty much the same as in predicting the final result:

Sign (1-home advantage, X-draw, 2 away/guest advantage)
Handicap, Asian Handicap
Exact result
Number of Goals Under/Over - the limit is usually 2.5
Both teams to score/ not to score.

The charm of first-half bets is that they do not depend on the final outcome, as well as on the higher odds for certain selections. An example is a match in which there is a clear host favorite and the win stake for position 1 is 1.35. If we predict that the same team will take the lead on the break, the odd would be in the range of 1.70-1.90.

Look for cautious teams for an even result

As in many other cases, statistics can give us the right direction to think. If we decided to play markets for the first half, then one of the good strategies is to target teams that are proven not to risk much at the start of the match. All major live score websites provide statistics on the performance of the football teams during the first 45 minutes. We can easily tell that after the first half of the Bundesliga, the most cautious host is Bayer Leverkusen with 6 X positions on the half-time out of 9 games at home. The same goes for the visits of Schalke 04, who has recorded 5 draws until the break in 8 meetings on foreign ground. So looking for a draw after 45 minutes is a good option, although here the X doesn't pay as high as after 90 minutes. The odd for a draw at the half-time often falls below 2.50, even below 2.00.

Aim for a hesitant favorite

There are quite a few teams that hold high positions in the rankings, mainly due to their strong performance in the second half. Often, such clubs fail to show their potential until the break or save themselves for later, as mentioned in the previous paragraph. For example, after 17 rounds in the 2019/20 Series, Juventus had the lead only five times in the middle of the game, although it never once lost in the break. And in the ranking, formed by the end results, "The Old Lady" has an equal asset with the leader Inter i.e. seeking an X for such a favorite can yield a good return. The odd for a draw is certainly worth it, varying between 2.20 and 3.00. This is a successful strategy, especially when the favorite is a guest.

A strong start for the outsider

And why not focus on the lower ranked team in a single clash? Often we witness duels in which the weaker team starts strongly in front of their audience and even leads in the result, but subsequently allows a reversal. For first half bets we do not care about such a reversal if it takes place after the break. A striking example from the recent months is the Leganes - Barcelona game. The hosts were at the bottom of La Liga the moment they hosted the leader in Spain. Nevertheless, the Madrid team led the start of the match and kept their advance until the break. The odds for 1 at the half-time in such an unequal match are close to those for the end result. It is very realistic to look for a return of 5 to 1, given that the outsider still leading after 45 minutes is more like an exception.

Just support the favorite

As mentioned earlier, position 1 for the host favorite of the halftime is rated with a higher stake (i.e. there is more risk) than the same position for the host favorite after 90 minutes. Take a look at the statistics again and see which teams like to go to the changing room at half-time with an advance. Half-time home odds in most cases exceed 1.50 even with strong teams such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG, Manchester City and Inter Milan.

Fewer goals are scored in the first half

Overall, you can play it safe by betting under 2.5 goals on the break - in most cases you will guess. Of course, the odds are also much lower, often below 1.30. You can touch the borderline and play under 1.5 goals, which increases the risk, but also raises your potential profit to about 1.50, multiplied by the amount of the bet.

Alternatively, you can look for a counter-strategy - to play for high performance. Two or more goals are considered as such a strategy in the first half, i.e. over 1.5 hits. If you think both teams will be attacking from the first minute and the characteristics of the teams are aggressive, you can safely look for two or three goals before the break, which promises odds of 2.50 to over 7.00.

See more End result betting strategy

Conclusion

First Half bets give players an additional option as well as the ability to look for predictions from a different perspective. A number of suitable betting options can be found to give an extra chance of winning that we didn't suspect. But at the same time, we must be aware that first-half predictions often have a different logic than those for End result, requiring a slightly more in-depth analysis of the situation in order to be successful.