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A football match has one final score, but it can produce dozens of different betting results. That is because each of the football betting markets on a match asks a different question. One asks who wins. Another asks how many goals are scored. Another asks whether a team wins by a certain margin.
The rules of each market decide which part of the result counts. A 2-1 win can be a winning bet, a losing bet or a refund, depending on the market you look at.
This guide explains football betting markets for beginners: result markets, goals markets, handicaps, player and specials markets, and live markets. It uses one example match throughout so you can see how the same score settles across each type. For broader definitions, see our football betting guide.
What Are Football Betting Markets?
A football betting market is a specific question about a match that you can place a bet on, such as “Who will win?” or “Will there be more than 2.5 goals?” Each market has its own set of possible answers and its own settlement rules.
Three terms come up constantly:
- Market: the question being asked, for example Match Result or Total Goals.
- Selection: the answer you pick within that market, for example Liverpool to win or Over 2.5 goals.
- Odds: the price attached to each selection. Odds tell you how much a winning bet returns and roughly how likely the bookmaker thinks the outcome is.
Take Liverpool vs Arsenal. The Match Result market has three selections: Liverpool, Draw and Arsenal. The Total Goals market might offer Over 2.5 and Under 2.5. Both markets cover the same 90 minutes of football, but they reward different outcomes. A bet on Liverpool can lose while a bet on Over 2.5 goals wins, and vice versa.
Main Types of Football Betting Markets
| Category | What it asks | Common markets | Example selection |
| Result markets | Who wins, or which outcomes you cover | 1X2, Double Chance, Draw No Bet | Liverpool to win |
| Goals markets | How many goals, and who scores them | Over/Under, Both Teams to Score, Correct Score | Over 2.5 goals |
| Handicap markets | Who wins after a goal adjustment | Asian Handicap, European Handicap (Handicap 1X2) | Liverpool -1.0 |
| Player and specials | Individual events inside the match | First goalscorer, corners, cards | A named striker to score first |
| Live markets | Any of the above, priced while the match is played | Live 1X2, live Over/Under, next goal | Over 1.5 goals at 0-0 in the 60th minute |
Match Result Markets: 1X2, Double Chance and Draw No Bet
Match result markets ask who wins the match in normal time. They are the simplest place to start, and they differ mainly in how they treat a draw.
1X2 is the standard three-way market. “1” is a home win, “X” is a draw and “2” is an away win. In Liverpool (home) vs Arsenal (away), you pick one of three outcomes and only that outcome wins.
Double Chance lets you cover two of the three outcomes with one bet: 1X (home or draw), X2 (draw or away) or 12 (either team wins). Covering more outcomes means lower odds.
Draw No Bet removes the draw. You back one team, and if the match ends level your stake is returned.
Here is what happens to each selection if Liverpool vs Arsenal finishes 1-1:
| Market | Selection | Result at 1-1 |
| 1X2 | Liverpool (1) | Lose |
| 1X2 | Draw (X) | Win |
| Double Chance | Liverpool or Draw (1X) | Win |
| Double Chance | Either team wins (12) | Lose |
| Draw No Bet | Liverpool | Refund |
| Draw No Bet | Arsenal | Refund |
The trade-off is simple. The more outcomes a bet protects you against, the smaller the return when it wins.
Learn more about 1X2 betting and how draws affect the result.
Does 1X2 Betting Include Extra Time and Penalties?
No. A standard 1X2 bet covers regulation time only: the two 45-minute halves plus any stoppage time the referee adds to each half.
| Period of play | Counts for standard 1X2? |
| First and second half (90 minutes) | Yes |
| Stoppage time added to either half | Yes |
| Extra time (two 15-minute periods) | No |
| Penalty shootout | No |
This matters most in knockout football. Suppose Arsenal host Liverpool in a UEFA Champions League knockout tie. It is 1-1 after regulation time, extra time is goalless, and Arsenal win the shootout.
The 1X2 market settles as X. Bets on Arsenal (1) lose, even though Arsenal go through.
Bookmakers offer separate markets for what happens after regulation time, each with its own rules. Singapore Pools, for example, defines the full-time score as the score at the end of regulation time and lists a separate “How Will Match Be Decided?” bet type for wins in extra time or on penalties (Football Betting Game Rules).
Goals Markets: Over/Under, BTTS and Correct Score
Goals markets ignore who wins and focus on goals. Three are worth knowing first.
Over/Under (also called Total Goals) asks whether the combined number of goals finishes above or below a line. Lines usually end in .5 so there is no tie. Over 2.5 wins with three or more goals; Under 2.5 wins with two or fewer. Whole-number lines such as 3.0 can end level, which normally means a refund.
Both Teams to Score (BTTS) asks a yes-or-no question: will each team score at least once? The total does not matter, only that both sides get on the scoresheet.
Correct Score asks you to predict the exact final score. It is much harder to get right, so the odds are much higher.
These markets can split sharply on the same result. Suppose Liverpool beat Arsenal 3-0:
| Market | Selection | Result at 3-0 | Why |
| Over/Under | Over 2.5 | Win | Three goals is more than 2.5 |
| Over/Under | Under 2.5 | Lose | Three goals is not fewer than 2.5 |
| BTTS | Yes | Lose | Arsenal did not score |
| BTTS | No | Win | Only one team scored |
| Correct Score | 3-0 | Win | Exact score matched |
| Correct Score | 2-0 | Lose | Any other score loses |
A high-scoring match is not automatically good for BTTS. One team doing all the scoring wins Over bets but loses BTTS Yes.
Handicap Markets: Asian and European Handicap
A handicap market gives one team a goal head start or deficit before the match begins, then settles on the adjusted score. It is used to make uneven matches more balanced.
A negative handicap (for example Liverpool -1.0) means the team must overcome that deficit. A positive handicap (Arsenal +1.0) means the team starts ahead.
Asian Handicap
Asian Handicap removes the draw, so there are only two selections. It uses three kinds of line:
- Half-goal lines (-0.5, -1.5): there is always a winner or loser.
- Whole-goal lines (-1.0, -2.0): if the adjusted score is level, the stake is refunded. This is called a push.
- Quarter lines (-0.25, -0.75): your stake is split equally across the two nearest lines. This is how half-wins and half-losses happen.
Take Liverpool -0.75 with a S10stake.Half(S5) goes on -0.5 and half (S$5) goes on -1.0. If Liverpool win by exactly one goal, the -0.5 half wins and the -1.0 half is refunded. That is a half-win.
| Liverpool line | Win by 2+ | Win by 1 | Draw | Lose |
| -0.25 | Win | Win | Half-loss | Lose |
| -0.5 | Win | Win | Lose | Lose |
| -0.75 | Win | Half-win | Lose | Lose |
| -1.0 | Win | Refund | Lose | Lose |
European Handicap (Handicap 1X2)
European Handicap keeps the draw. It is a three-way market on the adjusted score, so there are no refunds or split stakes. If Liverpool -1 win by exactly one goal, the adjusted result is a draw, and only the “handicap draw” selection wins.
In short: Asian Handicap protects you on certain margins with refunds or half-results; European Handicap does not. Our Asian Handicap betting guide walks through every common line.
Other Football Betting Markets
Beyond results, goals and handicaps, most match pages list a range of smaller markets. These are the ones beginners see most often:
- Half-Time/Full-Time: predict the leader at half time and the result at full time, for example Draw/Liverpool. There are nine possible combinations.
- First goalscorer: pick the player who scores the match’s first goal. Own goals usually do not count for any player, and rules differ on substitutes who never come on.
- Corners: bet on the total number of corners, or which team wins more of them.
- Cards: bet on yellow and red cards, sometimes using a points system where a red card is worth more than a yellow.
- Team goals: an Over/Under line for one team only, such as Arsenal Over 1.5 goals.
Availability and settlement definitions vary more here than anywhere else. One operator may count a card shown to a substitute on the bench; another may not. Always read the market rules before placing a bet.
How Different Markets Settle on the Same Match
One final score can win, lose and refund bets at the same time. The table below shows six $10 bets on a hypothetical Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal result. The odds are illustrative only.
| Market | Selection | Odds | Result | Total return |
| 1X2 | Liverpool | 2.10 | Win | $21.00 |
| Double Chance | Draw or Arsenal (X2) | 1.70 | Lose | $0.00 |
| Over/Under | Over 2.5 goals | 1.90 | Win | $19.00 |
| Both Teams to Score | Yes | 1.80 | Win | $18.00 |
| Asian Handicap | Liverpool -1.0 | 2.40 | Refund | $10.00 |
| Asian Handicap | Liverpool -0.75 | 2.00 | Half-win | $15.00 |
Why each one settled the way it did:
- 1X2: Liverpool won, so the selection wins.
- Double Chance X2: neither a draw nor an Arsenal win happened.
- Over 2.5: three goals were scored in total.
- BTTS: both teams scored at least once.
- Liverpool -1.0: a one-goal win becomes 1-1 after the handicap, so the stake is returned.
- Liverpool -0.75: $5 on-0.5 wins($10 back) and $5 on-1.0isrefunded($5 back), for a total of $15.
The lesson: “Did my team win?” is never the full question. The market’s rules decide what a winning bet looks like.
How Odds, Returns and Settlement Rules Work
Decimal odds show the total amount a winning bet returns for every S$1 staked, including the stake itself. They are the standard format in Singapore.
- Total return = stake × odds. A $10 bet at 2.10 returns $21.
- Net profit = total return minus stake. Here, $11.
- Implied probability = 1 ÷ odds. Odds of 2.10 imply roughly a 47.6% chance. Bookmakers build in a margin, so the implied probabilities across all selections in a market add up to more than 100%.
Refunds and split results change these numbers:
| Outcome | What happens to a $10 stake | Total return at odds of 1.95 |
| Full win | Whole stake wins | $19.50 |
| Half-win | $5 wins,$5 refunded | $14.75 |
| Refund (push) | Whole stake returned | $10.00 |
| Half-loss | $5 lost, $5 refunded | $5.00 |
| Full loss | Whole stake lost | $0.00 |
What counts as the final result?
Most football markets settle on regular time: 90 minutes plus any stoppage time added by the referee. Extra time and penalty shoot-outs normally do not count. Under the IFAB Laws of the Game, goals in a penalty shoot-out are not part of the match score.
So if a cup tie is 1-1 after 90 minutes and one side wins on penalties, a 1X2 bet on the draw wins. Markets such as “To Qualify” or “To Lift the Trophy” are the exception, as they include extra time and penalties by design. Check the operator’s game rules for exact definitions.
Live Football Betting Markets
Live football betting markets are offered while the match is in play, with odds that update as the game unfolds. A goal, a red card or simply the clock running down can shift prices within seconds, and markets are often suspended briefly after major events.
The key thing to understand is that some live markets do not use the full-match score. Live Asian Handicap, for example, is often settled only on goals scored after your bet is placed. If you back Liverpool -0.5 live when it is already 1-0, Liverpool may need to score again for the bet to win, because the existing goal is ignored.
Other live markets, such as live 1X2, usually still settle on the final 90-minute result. Because the two approaches lead to very different outcomes, check how each live market is scored before betting. Our page on live football betting explained goes through more examples.
Football Betting Markets in Singapore
Singapore Pools offers many of the markets covered above, sometimes under its own names, so it is worth reading its best type definitions rather than assuming they match overseas terms. Two details stand out:
- Asian Handicap is available online to Singapore Pools account customers.
- Handicap 1X2 (the European-style, three-way handicap) is offered for selected Singapore Premier League matches.
Examples in this guide, such as Premier League fixtures, explain how markets work in general. They do not mean every market listed here is offered locally for every match. The Singapore Pools Football Betting Game Rules are the official reference for local definitions and settlement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common football betting market?
The 1X2 match result market. It is offered on almost every match and is the easiest to understand: home win, draw or away win.
What is the difference between Asian Handicap and European Handicap?
Asian Handicap has two selections and can produce refunds or half-results on whole and quarter lines. European Handicap (Handicap 1X2) has three selections, including a handicap draw, and never refunds.
Does extra time count in football betting markets?
Usually not. Most markets settle in 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Only markets such as “To Qualify” include extra time and penalties.
Can a football bet be refunded?
Yes. Draw No Bet refunds on a draw, and whole-goal Asian Handicap or Over/Under lines refund when the adjusted result is level. Bets are also typically void if a match is abandoned or postponed, subject to the operator’s rules.
