Second Half Betting
Second half betting is a widespread practice among bettors who play at online betting sites for two reasons: First, it is quite easy to apply, you don’t need to be a veteran to understand how second half bets work.
Second, when done right, it offers higher winning chances than a standard outcome bet or a halftime fulltime bet, for example.
If you are new to this bet type and wonder how does 2nd half betting work, keep reading.
Best Bookmakers for Second Half Betting in 11 September 2024 – Updated List
Second half betting - What is it and how it works
So, what does the second half betting mean? The second half betting meaning is that you are placing a bet for an outcome that will happen in the second half of a football (known as the easiest sport to bet on) or basketball game. In theory, it can be used in any sports event with at least two half-rounds, but in practice, mobile bookmakers offer 2nd half betting mostly for these two sports.
2nd half in betting is a variant of live betting, which means you get to watch the first half before placing a bet for the second. In other words, you get an idea about the flow of the sports match and can make better predictions about what will happen during the second half.
The most common second half soccer betting strategy is to bet on the number of goals – which means betting on which team will score the most goals in the second half. Note that second half betting football is not the only option you have, you can place a bet on basketball matches in big leagues such as the NBA too.
And the goal/point numbers are not the only thing you can bet on: In theory, you can place a bet for any outcome that can happen during the second half, such as betting on the number of corner kicks (check our corner betting guide on “each team over 1 corner in each half” betting, as well as the corner betting tips), betting on penalties, betting on the free kicks, and more.
The most important things to know about 2nd half betting are:
- The match starts at a 0-0 score, no matter what the outcome of the first half is. Any goals scored during the first half are not considered in the second half. This is the same for other types of bets like to win both halves or BTTS both halves.
- You are betting on the outcome of the second half only, not the outcome of the match itself. If the team you favor scores more goals in the second half but loses the match, you still win. The same is true for a to win either half bet.
This is the simplest example to explain how does the second half betting work – for detailed examples, keep reading, and learn more about this type of bet and also from some similar situation like first half baseball betting.
Second half betting - An example
Second half betting strategies
The first step to using second half betting strategies is to learn the different types of bets you have available. You can always read our gambling guide on how to win big on football betting, learn about up and down bets, action reverse bets, if bets, and handicap betting later.
You will have three types of main bets open to you; they include:
You can engage in betting on second half parlays with some bonuses, but this is a lot trickier to predict, so we would recommend sticking to the three options above.
Second half sports betting tips and basic tactics
There are lots of 2nd half betting strategies, and we have covered some of them above, but we believe these second-half betting tips are also useful, and they include:
- Once a favorite, always a favorite: If a team is considered favorite at a sports betting exchanges before the beginning of a match but loses the first half, it can make a strong comeback during the second half. The NCAA statistics, for example, show that favorite teams almost always score more points during the second half. Since you are not interested in who wins the match (only the second half is important) betting on the favorite team even after it loses the first half is still a good idea.
- Wait for fair odds: You should wait for the pre-match odds to become fairer before the second half starts. The general second-half betting strategy is to wait at least for a 0.80 points increase but it is up to you to decide which odds are fair. For example, if the pre-match odds are 1.50 but increase to 2.20 before the second half, they become more tempting. However, it is also possible the odds to be dropping if the team plays very well.
- Do your research and analyze the game: You should do your research about the team before the match starts and keep tracking the game during the first half. Being observant is the key here: If a star player is not performing well, this means he may get switched out for the second half. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each team will allow you to make more accurate predictions.
FAQs: Your questions about second half betting answered
That depends. In conventional matches, injury time, added time or overtime is normally included in 2nd half football betting options. This is, after all, a part of the final score. However, extra time (found in knockout games) is not normally a part of soccer betting, nor any sports betting options with 2nd half stakes.
Straight betting is arguably the simplest way to go, but you can make good money with half spread, or half total bets, too. Some bookmakers allow you to request a bet, so that you can customise some aspects of your stake. Check our guide on how to place a bet online to learn more.
As detailed above, second half betting is a stake where sports bettors are wagering on who will score the most goals or points in the second half of a fixture, not the overall result of both halves.
The plus sign (+) is used in both spread betting and totals (over/under). It typically indicates which of the two teams is the underdog. Similarly, the plus sign can also mean that a team must score MORE than so many points.
Find the best bookmaker to start placing those second half bets
Use multiple bookmakers to compare second-half betting odds and pick the best one available, or even bet using an arbitrage strategy. Like any other bet type, bookies offer different 2nd half betting odds, and choosing the fairest one will give you a certain advantage. When done right, second-half betting can give you a great results, especially if you are observant enough. Now, pick a bookmaker from among our suggested sites to start placing those second-half bets.
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