The 1X2 bet is the most common form of wagering option that there is in football betting. It can be referred to as Match Outrights or 90 Minutes markets as well. It is simply one prediction made on the outcome of a fixture which has three potential outcomes in it. It’s not exclusive to football though, any sport which has three outcomes in a game, will have the option of a 1X2 bet.
As an example, with odds of 4/1, for every £1 you bet, you will win £4. There is a 20% chance of this happening, calculated by 1 / (4 + 1) = 0.20. Hopefully, that is betting odds explained. You should now have the knowledge to read betting odds, understand how likely it is to happen, and how much you stand to win. Betting Odds Explained. Probability = 1/1.76 x 100 = 56.818%. Probability = 1/2.64 x 100 = 37.879%. As you can see in these two examples, calculating probability from the odds is simple. Now that you know how to convert odds into probabilities, it’s time to understand how the bookmakers protect.
What is a 1X2 bet?
For a soccer match, there are three potential outcomes that could happen. There is either going to be a home win, an away win or the draw. That’s it, so a 1X2 bet refers to that. The numbers just represent an outcome:
1 represents a Home win
X represents a Draw
2 represents an Away win
How does a 1X2 bet work?
You will see a fixed-odds price attached to each of the three options in a 1X2 market for a game. These are representative of the probabilities that the bookmaker has assigned to each of the likely outcomes. For example, if the away side is at 2/1 then 2/1 odds means that the bookmaker has an implied probability of 33% on the Away win happening.
You take which one of the three outcomes in a 1X2 bet that you like and place a single stake against it. If that outcome occurs, your bet wins. Remember though that you always have two opposing potential outcomes to your selected one. That’s the risk.
A winning example of a 1X2 bet in Football
As an example of a 1X2 bet in football, it is the World Cup Final between Brazil and England. The bookmaker has presented odds of:
1 – Brazil 3/4
X – Draw 14/5
2 – England 10/3
You think that England, who are the underdogs might be able to have their day. So you place a £5 stake on the Three Lions at 10/3 odds to win outright. Fortunately, it is England who wins the final and that means that your bet has returned a total of £21.67. The scoreline by which England wins doesn’t matter. It’s just the outright match result.
Losing example of a 1X2 bet in Football
Looking at the example match again and still backing England at 10/3, the game ends in a 2-0 win for Brazil instead. That means the Selecao walk off with the World Cup and the bookmaker walks off with your entire stake.
Similarly, if the game had ended in a draw, that would have been a lost bet. In matches where extra time is applicable, the outright bet won’t apply. All 1X2 bets on matches conclude at 90 minutes. So for example in the World Cup Final you had backed England to win, but the game was 1-1 at 90 minutes. However, even though England went on to win the game in extra time, your bet at 90 minutes was still lost.
1X2 Strategy
If you browse around you will find many different strategies for 1X2 betting. It can be a very personalised thing, coming down to the preference of what type of betting a punter likes. Some of course like gung-ho options in trying to get underdog wins.
Some punters like the steadier and pragmatic approach of picking odds-on home teams and build multiple bets with them, like Trixies, Yankees and Accumulators.
Others will focus on matches which are more likely to be a draw, because more often than not, that is where the prime value in 1X2 market odds is. It is a straight forward market and spotting the value on outcomes that bookmakers have potentially undervalued can be something to work towards with experience.
Understanding basic bet types is vital for any punter to maximise their opportunity of making a profit. This article explains three basic bet types offered by Pinnacle; 1X2, Handicap and Totals. Continue reading to learn more about the different basic bet types.
Basic Bet Types: 1X2
1X2 betting is one of the most common forms of betting and is the simplest way for a bettor to understand the cost of a bet. We can use a hypothetical Champions League game between Borussia Dortmund and Napoli to explain how 1X2 betting works.
If you staked £10 on Borussia Dortmund to win at odds of 4.250, you would win £42.50 - although that would include your initial £10 stake. Therefore your profit would be £32.50. You would win nothing if the result ended in a defeat or draw for Borussia Dortmund.
A £10 bet on a draw would have returned £37.90 (£27.90 profit and your £10 stake); while the same bet on Napoli to win would see you pocket £19.17 (£9.17 profit).
1x2 Odds Explained Odds
Once you are familiar with 1X2 betting, the next step is to understand how the value in 1X2 odds varies across bookmakers, thus impacting your potential winnings.
Basic Bet Types: Handicap
Betting on the handicap is valuable when one team is heavily favoured over their opponents. To counter the perceived bias in ability, bookmakers offer a handicap to level the playing field.
The handicap is factored into the final score to determine the game's outcome for the purpose of the bet (which might be different from the actual result).
1x2 Odds Explained Meaning
The handicap is factored into the final score to determine the game's outcome for the purpose of the bet (which might be different from the actual result).
For example, the handicap for the hypothetical example above might be (+0.5, 2.020) for Borussia Dortmund and (-0.5, 1.917) for Napoli.
If the result was 1-0 to Napoli, bets on Napoli would win as the 0.5 handicap is not enough to change the outcome. This is often called covering the handicap.
If the result was a 1-1 draw, however, bets on Borussia Dortmund would win, as the 0.5 handicap added to their score is enough to tip the match in their favour.
The handicap can also differ by appearing as a split, such as +0.5 & +1 or -0.5 & -1. This takes your stake and effectively places two handicap bets - one at each option. Therefore you can win both bets, just one, or lose both.
Advanced bettors will understand the relationship between 1X2 and handicap betting and how to decide which option offers better value.
Basic Bet Types: Totals
Totals bets are another basic bet type, and a popular alternative to 1X2 and handicap betting. The focus is not on finding the winner of a particular event, but predicting the outcome of game variables (e.g. total goals/runs/points or any other easily quantifiable variable).
Bookmakers offer bettors the option of whether the total goals/points will be either OVER or UNDER their assessment of the game.
For the hypothetical Borussia Dortmund and Napoli example, the total goal mark is set at Over 2.5 (2.080) and Under 2.5 (1.909).
If you bet £10 on the game to have over 2.5 goals and the result was 2-1 (a total of three goals) you would make a return of £20.80 (£10.80 profit), while you would have won nothing had you bet on the goals total to be under 2.5.
A video on 1X2 betting
1x2 Odds Meaning
If you found this article useful, you might enjoy our short video that explains how 1X2 betting works.
1x2 Odds Tips
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