1X2 Betting Explained

24 June 2019

The 1X2 betting market is the most common, and perhaps most popular, market in sports betting.

Also known as Match Result, Full Time Betting, or Three-Way Bet, the 1X2 market is used in all sports with two teams or competitors as long as there is a chance of a draw being the outcome.

Although football is the most common, sports such as hockey and cricket are growing in popularity among sports bettors who use the 1X2 market.

1X2 Betting

The 1X2 bet is a match result bet where a bettor will gamble on one of three possible outcomes.

• Home Win (1)
• Draw (X)
• Away Win (2)

You may also find these three possible outcomes in alternative markets, such as half time result and some handicap betting markets.

Here’s an example to help you better understand this market, if you are completely new to sports betting or have never placed this type of bet before.

Using an international match between Croatia and Wales, we can explain fully which team is which and how the bet works.

Croatia are the home team, and the first in the betting order, so will be represented by the 1. Wales are the away team, so are 2, and the draw is always represented by X. We don’t need to look at the odds to describe the bet.

How to bet on 1X2

Basically, if you bet 1 (Croatia) you will win your bet if they win the match. But, you will end up losing your stake money if the game finishes as a draw or if Wales win. The same way you would lose if you bet X (Draw) and either Croatia or Wales were victorious after the 90 minutes, or if you bet 2 (Wales) and Croatia won or the game was a draw.

Winning a 1X2 Bet

As this is a relatively easy betting market to grasp, it’s also one of the best for making a profit if you know what you’re doing and approach every bet analytically.

Carrying out full research on team form, injuries/suspensions, home advantage etc. will give you more of a chance of predicting the correct outcome.

It’s also one of the best markets for finding value bets, where you believe a team has a higher chance of winning. If you research the last say ten home matches for the hosts, and the last ten away matches for the visitors, you can calculate your own probability. Comparing this to the implied probability set by the bookmakers odds can help you find value.

One thing to always pay attention to when using this market is that you always make analytical and informed betting decisions, made after thorough research has led you to the selection. Betting blind in this market can see you lose a lot of money quickly.