1X2 is the oldest and most bet-on market in football. The 1 is the home win, the X is the draw, the 2 is the away win. Three outcomes, one of which must happen, and every other football market is in some sense derived from it.
Reading the three prices
A typical fixture might be priced like this:
| Outcome | Decimal | Fractional | Implied chance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 — Home win | 1.85 | 17/20 | 54.1% |
| X — Draw | 3.60 | 13/5 | 27.8% |
| 2 — Away win | 4.20 | 16/5 | 23.8% |
Those three percentages add up to 105.7. In a fair market they would add to exactly 100. The extra 5.7 points are the bookmaker's margin, known as the overround, and it is the single most useful number you can calculate about a betting market. Divide 100 by the decimal odds for each outcome, add them up, and subtract 100.
A 5.7 per cent overround is normal for a big European league. A market at 102 per cent is exceptionally good; one at 112 per cent is expensive, and that is common in lower divisions and minor leagues where the bookmaker is less confident.
The draw is the outcome people underestimate
Roughly a quarter of football matches finish level, and in defensive leagues the figure is higher. Yet the draw is consistently the least-backed of the three outcomes, because it is nobody's emotional pick. That is worth knowing in both directions: the price is not necessarily generous just because the outcome is unloved, but a market where the draw is 4.50 in a tight fixture between two evenly matched sides is telling you something about where the money has gone rather than about the football.
Shopping the price
The single largest edge available to a recreational bettor is not picking better, it is taking the best available price. On the same match, one book might offer 1.85 on the home win and another 1.95. Over a season of level-stake betting, that five per cent difference outweighs almost any handicapping skill.
Two or three accounts is enough to capture most of it. Our bookmaker comparison covers how the operators differ on margin.
Double chance, and what it costs
If you want to cover two of the three outcomes, double chance does exactly that at a correspondingly shorter price. Home or draw at 1.28 is the same position as backing 1 and X separately, packaged into one bet — and usually at a slightly worse effective price, because the margin is applied once more.
Draw no bet, and the Asian handicap
Draw no bet removes the draw entirely: back a side, and if the match finishes level your stake is returned. The price is shorter than the straight win, and it is equivalent to an Asian handicap of 0.
The Asian handicap generalises the idea. It gives one side a goal start and eliminates the draw, turning a three-way market into a two-way one:
| Handicap | What it means |
|---|---|
| 0 | Draw no bet: level result refunds the stake |
| -0.5 | Your team must win |
| -1 | Win by two, or win by one and get a refund |
| -1.5 | Win by two or more |
| +0.5 | Win or draw |
Asian handicap markets typically carry a lower margin than 1X2, because they were built by books competing on price rather than on the number of markets offered. If you bet match results regularly, they are worth learning.
Half-time, full-time
A nine-outcome market combining the score at the interval with the final result. Home/Home means leading at half time and winning; Draw/Home means level at the break and a home win at the end. Odds reach 15.00 and beyond for the comeback combinations, and the margin is wide. It is a specials market, not a staple.
Where 1X2 does not apply
Sports without a draw use a two-way version. Tennis, basketball, NFL and ice hockey all settle on a winner, which is why they are priced as moneylines rather than 1X2. Ice hockey is the interesting exception: it offers a three-way market on the score after regulation time alongside the two-way moneyline including overtime, and those are two different bets at two different prices.
Frequently asked questions
Does 1X2 include extra time?
No. The market settles on 90 minutes plus stoppage time. In a cup tie, extra time and penalties count only in the separate "to qualify" market.
What does the X stand for?
The draw. The notation comes from the football pools coupon, where columns 1, X and 2 were marked for home, draw and away.
Is the favourite the one with the lowest odds?
Yes. Shorter odds mean a higher implied probability, and the shortest price on the board is the market's favourite.
How do I calculate the bookmaker's margin?
Divide 100 by each decimal price, add the three results, and subtract 100. Anything under 5 is competitive.
Related guides: double chance · correct score · accumulators · football betting