Halftime/fulltime, usually shortened to HT/FT, asks you to pick two results at once: who leads at the break and who wins the match. You write the pick as two symbols, the half-time result first. 1/1 means the home team leads at halftime and wins. X/2 means the match is level at the break and the away team wins. There are nine possible combinations, and the bet wins only if you get both halves right.
The table below lists today’s HT/FT tips from an outside prediction provider, shown as published. Under it we show how often each of the nine combinations happens, based on 33,323 league matches, and which leagues turn matches around the most.
Other tips for today
De4
FC St. Pauli II
Bremer SV
101
Tomorrow’s tips
How an HT/FT bet is settled
The first part is the score at half-time. The second is the score at full time, after 90 minutes plus added time. Both must match your pick. A 2-2 draw that was 0-2 at the break is 2/X. A 3-1 home win after a 1-1 half is X/1. Extra time doesn’t count, and a match that’s postponed or abandoned before full time is usually void.
HT/FT pays much more than a plain result bet because winning needs two things to go right.
How often each combination happens
| HT/FT | What it means | Share of matches |
|---|---|---|
| 1/1 | Home leads, home wins | 26.0% |
| 2/2 | Away leads, away wins | 17.1% |
| X/X | Level, then drawn | 15.6% |
| X/1 | Level, home wins | 14.7% |
| X/2 | Level, away wins | 10.9% |
| 1/X | Home leads, drawn | 5.3% |
| 2/X | Away leads, drawn | 5.3% |
| 2/1 | Away leads, home wins | 2.8% |
| 1/2 | Home leads, away wins | 2.3% |
The three most common results, 1/1, 2/2 and X/X, covered 58.7% of matches. The two turnarounds, 2/1 and 1/2, covered 5.1%, about one match in twenty. More than four matches in ten were level at the break, but only 15.6% finished level too.
Reading the table the other way round
You can turn the nine numbers into questions. Of the matches where the home team led at halftime (33.7%), 26.0% became 1/1, so about 77% of home halftime leaders went on to win.
For away leaders it’s 17.1 out of 25.2, about 68%. Level at the break is the least settled position: 14.7% became a home win, 10.9% an away win and 15.6% stayed drawn.
League by league
The spread between leagues is wide.
| League | 1/1 | X/X | 2/2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scottish Premiership | 29.4% | 13.9% | 17.9% |
| Bundesliga | 28.8% | 14.1% | 18.9% |
| La Liga | 26.7% | 15.6% | 13.8% |
| Serie B | 23.8% | 19.3% | 15.7% |
| Segunda División | 25.9% | 19.5% | 13.3% |
| Ligue 2 | 23.7% | 18.1% | 16.8% |
Segunda División and Serie B have the most X/X, which fits their high rates of level first halves. The Scottish Premiership and the Bundesliga have the most 1/1, where the home team leads and keeps the lead. Away teams rarely lead and win in La Liga (13.8%) and the Segunda División (13.3%), against 19.0% in Belgium and in Greece.
Turnarounds
2/1 and 1/2 are the long shots. Across all leagues they happened in 5.10% of matches, one in 19.6. The Premier League had the most, at 6.0%, with the Scottish Premiership at 5.96% and the Super Lig at 5.88%. Serie B had the fewest, at 4.05%.
A one-goal halftime lead was turned into defeat in 11.07% of 14,268 matches. A two-goal lead was turned in 2.70% of 4,218.
Five rules for HT/FT tips
- Remember you need two things. Even when the full-time result looks likely, the half-time part can still go wrong.
- Start with 1/1 and X/1. Together they account for 40.7% of matches, the largest block.
- Don’t back turnarounds without a reason. 2/1 and 1/2 are rare, at about 2% to 3% each.
- Use the league. X/X is far likelier in Segunda División (19.5%) than in the Bundesliga (14.1%).
- Keep stakes small. Even the likeliest result, 1/1, fails in three matches out of four.
Common mistakes
The first is picking the favourite’s HT/FT and forgetting the first half. A strong favourite leads at the break only about 64% of the time at the very shortest prices.
The second is chasing 1/2 and 2/1 for their odds. They’re worth it only if you can say why one side will collapse, and the data says that’s rare.
The third is forgetting the draw. X/X looks boring and it happens in nearly one match in six.
Questions people ask
What does 1/X mean in HT/FT? The home team leads at half-time and the match finishes drawn.
What does X/2 mean? Level at the break, then an away win.
How many outcomes are there? Nine.
Which HT/FT is likeliest? 1/1, at 26.0% of matches.
Which is rarest? 1/2, at 2.3%.
Does the first half include added time? Yes, stoppage time at the end of the first half counts.
Where are tomorrow’s and the weekend’s tips? On the tomorrow page and the weekend page.
Tips are estimates and not promises. You have to be 18 or over to bet, and a stake should be money you can lose without trouble.