Both teams to score (BTTS): how the bet works
BTTS (both teams to score) is a bet on whether each team scores at least one goal. We explain how BTTS yes and BTTS no settle, why 4-0 loses a BTTS yes bet while 1-1 wins it, where odds of 1.90 break even (a 52.6% chance) and how the market ties in with over/under, team goals and the combinations in the calculators.
Key takeaways
- What counts is who scored, not how many: 4-0 is a losing BTTS yes bet and 1-1 a winning one.
- At odds of 1.90, BTTS yes breaks even at a 52.6% chance of landing (1 / 1.90), and with BTTS no also at 1.90 the two prices add up to 105.3%.
- Every BTTS yes score is also a win for over 1.5, but 2-0 is over 1.5 and BTTS no at the same time.
- BTTS yes and BTTS no at two bookmakers cover every score, but the pair only makes a profit when the sum of 1/odds falls below 1, as with 2.10 and 2.00 (2.44%).
What is BTTS?
BTTS is a bet in which you do not pick the winner or the number of goals, only whether both teams find the net. Bookmakers list the market as both teams to score (or "BTTS", sometimes "goal/no goal"). It has two selections:
BTTS yes: wins when the home and away teams score at least one goal each,BTTS no: wins when at least one team fails to score.
There are no refunds and no half results: the bet always wins or loses. What counts is the score after regular time, and an own goal is credited to the team it was awarded to. Extra time usually does not count towards settlement, but always check the details in the bookmaker's terms.
You will find the BTTS chance for every match in the Goals column of our football tips: from the bookmakers' odds and from our attack and defence model. We show how to read it in how to read football tips.
How BTTS settles
| Score | BTTS yes | BTTS no |
|---|---|---|
| 0-0 | Loss | Win |
| 1-0 | Loss | Win |
| 0-3 | Loss | Win |
| 1-1 | Win | Loss |
| 2-1 | Win | Loss |
| 4-0 | Loss | Win |
| 3-3 | Win | Loss |
Note that 4-0 is a losing BTTS yes bet even though plenty of goals were scored, while 1-1 is a winning one with only two goals. BTTS depends on who scored, not how many.
A worked example: £100 on BTTS yes
You put £100 on BTTS yes at 1.90.
- The match ends 2-1: the payout is 100 × 1.90 = £190, a profit of £90.
- The match ends 2-0: the payout is £0, a loss of £100.
Odds of 1.90 mean an implied probability of about 52.6% (1 / 1.90), and that is also where the bet breaks even: in the long run it pays only if BTTS lands more often than 52.6% of the time. The price carries the bookmaker's margin: if BTTS no is also at 1.90, the two prices add up to 105.3% (1 / 1.90 + 1 / 1.90), and with the margin taken out each side is a 50% chance.
BTTS and other markets
BTTS and over/under
BTTS yes needs at least two goals, so every score on which it lands is also a winning Over 1.5. It does not work the other way round: 2-0 is Over 1.5 but BTTS no. We cover goal lines in more depth in over/under betting.
BTTS and team goals
BTTS can be written as two bets on team total goals:
BTTS yes= home over 0.5 and away over 0.5,BTTS no= home under 0.5 or away under 0.5.
That is why in the calculators BTTS combines easily with the home and away team goals markets.
BTTS and correct score
BTTS no is the sum of all correct scores with a nil on either side: 0-0, 1-0, 2-0, 0-1, 0-2 and so on. BTTS yes is every other score.
BTTS in the surebet calculator
In the surebet calculator the market sits in the "Both teams to score" group as BTTS yes and BTTS no. The simplest combination is the mirror pair BTTS yes + BTTS no at two different bookmakers, which covers every score.
Mixed combinations are more interesting, e.g. Over 1.5 + BTTS no:
| Score | Over 1.5 | BTTS no |
|---|---|---|
| 0-0, 1-0, 0-1 | Loss | Win |
| 1-1, 2-1, 2-2… | Win | Loss |
| 2-0, 3-0, 0-2… | Win | Win |
The pair covers every score, and with a win to nil both bets land. Over 0.5 (home) + BTTS no works in a similar way. With three bets, BTTS appears in combinations such as 1 + Under 1.5 (home) + BTTS yes.
A surebet is possible only when the odds are clearly higher than at a typical bookmaker: for a pair without refunds the sum of 1/odds has to fall below 1. At a single bookmaker it never does, because the margin keeps it above 1 (105.3% for 1.90 on both sides). BTTS yes at 2.10 at one bookmaker and BTTS no at 2.00 at another add up to 0.976, a 2.44% profit on any score: £48.78 and £51.22 out of £100 both pay £102.44. How such pairs come about, and what wipes them out in practice, is explained in what is arbitrage betting. The calculator checks this for you and shows the result in every scenario.
BTTS in the dutching calculator
In the dutching calculator you can combine BTTS with other bets on one match, e.g. Under 2.5 and BTTS yes. Those bets overlap (both land at 1-1), so the "Settlement by score" table shows separately the scores where one bet wins, both win or neither does. That helps you judge whether the combination really covers what you want it to cover. We work this pair through, stake by stake, in our guide to dutching.
What to watch out for
- Regular time. A goal in extra time usually does not change how BTTS settles.
- Combined markets. Offers such as "BTTS and over 2.5" or "BTTS and home win" are separate markets with their own odds, not plain BTTS.
- No guarantees. Stats like "both teams scored in 7 of the last 10 matches" do not turn a bet into a banker. After 6 or more BTTS matches in a row, the next one ended with both teams scoring only one percentage point more often than the league average (football streaks). Bet responsibly and only with money you can afford to lose.
In other sports
You will also find a "both teams to score" market in ice hockey; check in the market description whether overtime counts. In sports where both sides score in every match (basketball, handball), the market makes no sense. In tennis the closest equivalent is a bet on the underdog winning at least a set, covered in tennis first set and set betting.
FAQ
What does BTTS mean in betting?
BTTS (both teams to score) is a bet on both teams scoring. BTTS yes wins when both teams score at least one goal, and BTTS no when at least one of them fails to score.
Does BTTS no win if the match ends 0-0?
Yes. At 0-0 neither team scored, so BTTS no wins and BTTS yes loses.
Do own goals count for BTTS?
Yes, an own goal is credited to the team that benefits from it. If the away team's only goal is an own goal by a home defender, the away team has scored.
Can a BTTS bet be refunded?
On the standard BTTS market there are no refunds: the bet always wins or loses. A refund can only come from the bookmaker's rules, e.g. when the match is called off, as we describe in postponed and abandoned match bets.
What surebets can you build on BTTS?
The simplest is BTTS yes + BTTS no at two bookmakers, and a mixed one is e.g. Over 1.5 + BTTS no. The margin in each bookmaker's prices means such a pair rarely makes a profit, so check it in the surebet calculator before you bet.