1X2 betting: the classic three-way match result market
1X2 is the basic football market: 1 is a home win, X a draw and 2 an away win, settled on the score after regular time. UK bookmakers usually list it as match result or full-time result. A draw came up in 26.1% of 301,000 league matches, roughly one in four, so the middle option is never a formality. This guide covers how the market settles, how to read it, the mistakes bettors make most often and how 1X2 works in other sports.
Key takeaways
- The 1X2 market settles on the result after regular time, and exactly one of its three options always wins, with no refunds and no half wins.
- A draw is a full result in its own right, seen in 26.1% of 301,000 league matches, so judge all three options, not just the home and away sides.
- In ice hockey 1X2 settles after 60 minutes, in basketball the main market is the winner including overtime, and tennis has no draw at all.
What this market means
It is the core football market, settled on the result after regular time:
1: the home side wins,X: the match ends in a draw,2: the away side wins.
It is a 3-way market, which means you have to account for three possible outcomes.
How it settles
There are no:
- refunds,
- half wins,
- half losses.
Exactly one of the three options always wins:
- either
1, - or
X, - or
2.
That makes 1X2 the easiest market to understand.
The same 1, X and 2 appear in half bets. The first-half result (half-time result) market settles after the first 45 minutes plus stoppage time, and half-time/full-time combines the half-time result with the full-time one, for example X/1. How often its results come up, including the 2/1 and 1/2 HT/FT reversals, we count in a separate piece on half-time/full-time betting.
How to read this market as a bettor
Unlike two-way markets, here the draw is a separate result in its own right. That is the single most important thing to remember.
If you bet on 1X2:
- it is not enough to "sense" who the better side is,
- you also have to allow for a draw,
- each of the three options rules out the other two.
The most common mistakes
1. Ignoring the draw
This is the most common mistake. Someone sees big prices on both the home and the away side but ignores X. Yet a draw came up in 26.1% of 301,000 league matches, about one in four (leagues and odds in our piece on football draw statistics).
In the 1X2 market the draw always has to be part of the picture.
2. Confusing 1X2 with a two-way market
This is not a "who will win" market, it is a three-way one. If you want the draw out of the equation, that is a different bet: draw no bet refunds the stake on a draw, and double chance covers two of the three results at once.
3. Carrying over the logic of other markets
There is no push, no split and no partial settlement here, unlike the Asian handicap. It is a clean market with three separate results.
4. Comparing only two sides too quickly
Many bettors look only at 1 and 2, as if the market were closed without the draw. That leads to a wrong reading of the match.
Practical tips
- Always count all three options:
1,X,2. - When you compare this market with another one, first check that both settle by the same logic.
- It is the best starting point for understanding three-way markets.
In other sports
The 1X2 market exists wherever a match can end level after regular time:
- Ice hockey: 1X2 settles after three periods, that is 60 minutes. Next to it there is a separate match winner market that includes overtime and the shootout.
- Handball, futsal, rugby: 1X2 after regular time, just as in football.
- Basketball: the main market is the winner including overtime, because the match cannot end in a draw. A three-way market with the draw settles on regular time.
- Tennis and volleyball: there is no draw, so a bet on the winner has only two results. How often the favourite wins in tennis we show in our piece on tennis favourites.
We collect the settlement rules of different sports in our guide to bet settlement rules, and how often football's home sides win, draws come up and favourites win in football betting statistics.
FAQ
What does 1X2 mean in betting?
1X2 is the three-way match result market: 1 is a home win, X a draw and 2 an away win. UK bookmakers usually call it match result or full-time result.
Does extra time count in a 1X2 bet?
No. 1X2 settles on the result after regular time, which in football means 90 minutes plus stoppage time. In ice hockey it is the result after 60 minutes, without overtime or the shootout.
Can a 1X2 bet be refunded like an Asian handicap?
No. 1X2 has no push, no refund and no half wins or half losses: exactly one of the three options wins. A refund on a draw is what draw no bet offers.
How often does a football match end in a draw?
In our data a draw came up in 26.1% of 301,000 league matches, roughly one in four. How the rate changes from league to league and in which matches a draw is most likely is in our piece on football draw statistics.