Updated on: October 3rd, 2024
Half time betting has become increasingly popular at online sports betting sites in recent years with the growth of live betting. Many expert handicappers believe that your chance of winning on half time odds is much better than with regular moneyline, point spreads and total lines.
Essentially, their reasoning behind this line of thinking is that you get to watch the game and get a better feel for what is happening. For example, two soccer teams may be at 0-0 half time, but the weaker team has shown that they are capable of winning the game. And, so there’s an opportunity to make some money.
However, you need to be careful with making too many half time predictions. Unfortunately, far too many people get sucked into the allure of halftime lines (especially in football betting), and then make too many bets. All this ever really leads to is a bust bankroll quicker than you would like.
If you would like to find out how halftime bets work, make sure to stick around. Below we have a look at all you need to know about these bets, including:
- What halftime wagers are,
- The types of halftime bets available,
- The best half time betting strategy.
We also list online sportsbooks that will allow you to make NFL halftime bets and a whole lot more from anywhere you please. So, what are you waiting for?
Best Online Sportsbooks
What is a Half Time Bet?
As the name pretty much implies, half time bets are bets placed at the rest interval of a game in a sport like football, basketball or soccer. In fact, when you place a half time, everything prior to the second half is immaterial.
A lot of beginner bettors get confused with this concept. So, we’ll try to explain it with an example. Let’s say you place a half time bet on a football game featuring the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.
Going into half time, the Giants are trailing 28-14. But before the break whistle blew, the Giants played very well and scored two touchdowns on two consecutive drives. At half time, you could place a bet on the Giants to win the rest of the game.
Following the break, the Giants score two touchdowns, but the Cowboys scored one too. So, the final score of the game is 35-28 in favor of the Cowboys. However, your half time bet still pays out. The reason is that when you make a half time or quarter bet, the stats are reset to zero.
So, in our example, the result for the second half of play was 14-7 to the Giants, which is why the bet paid out. Who was leading at halftime and who won the overall NFL game is irrelevant in relation to half time bets football.
Types of Half Time Bets
Theoretically, a half time or quarter bet is actually a prop bet. Technically, you are actually betting on an event within the game and not the full game overall. However, with regards to half time bets, you can practically place any sort of bet you can place on a regular fulltime game.
Here is a list of all the types of bets you can place at half time:
- Moneylines
- Spreads
- Totals
- Props
Half Time Betting Tips
So, half time betting can be profitable. But you need to be smart about placing these bets or you might just go bust. To help refrain that from happening, here is a list of our top half time betting tips:
- Look for games where one team may have a significant lead going into halftime against another competitive team. Chances are that in the second half, they are going to play more defensively, allowing for better odds on the underdog.
- In sports like baseball and hockey, where a player such as the pitcher or goaltender has a significant impact on the outcome, it is important to pay attention to the team’s full list of players. Some teams may have a great list of starting pitchers but a terrible bullpen. This means their opponents are more likely to get the win in the second half.
- Research the teams and/or players involved in the game. Some players or teams are better under pressure so they make for better halftime bets.
Questions to Ask Yourself at Half Time
Outside of these general tips, here are some questions you need to ask yourself when placing half time bets on a game:
- Did any injuries occur in the first half?
- Were there any penalties and/or turnovers which altered the score and/or total?
- Does one team seem to have more momentum?
- Was the first half extraordinarily bad or great for one team?
- Did the teams stick to their original gameplay plans?
- If not, have one or both teams started modifying to match the opponent’s (new) game play plan?
- Is the weather affecting the game?
These questions should also help you make better half time bets. Overall, when you ask and answer them, you should get a better understanding of whether you should be placing that bet.
Half Time Betting – FAQs
Half time bets wipe out all the happenings of the first half and let you bet on the game as if it has not yet started. So, for example, in a half time moneyline bet, the actual outcome of the game is irrelevant. Only the happenings in the second half are looked at.
At most sportsbooks, you will have to access half time betting lines in the live betting section of the site. Although, theoretically, half time bets aren’t live bets themselves.
The second half moneyline is a bet placed on the outcome of the second half. It does not include the happenings of the first half. So, for example, if you place a half time bet on a football game, the score starts at 0-0 when the second half starts at a sportsbook. Thus, a team could win the second half but still lose the game.
At a lot of sportsbooks, overtime does form part of second half bets. However, it is important to have a look at the terms and conditions governing the bet you are making. A bet based on the regulation period only offers halftime betting odds that are more lucrative. But they are harder to win.
Contrary to what it may appear, a half point spread actually has nothing to do with half time betting. The term refers to the fact that sportsbooks set all point spreads at half a point (such as -1.5) to avoid potential draws.
A lot of people believe that it is better to bet late. You are more likely to benefit from line changes at these times. In the case of half time bets, you also get a feel for the game.This is especially true with NFL betting and college football betting.
