The second-half winner betting market is another betting market that can be used tactically to your advantage. If you think about how often you see a team trail a game by a comfortable margin at the break, very rarely do they come out and roll over in the same way after a half-time kick up the backside.
Some continuations of a hammering are inevitable (think Barcelona away!), but if you know that you have two fairly matched teams and one who has been caught cold in the first half, there's a good chance they'll close the gap and hit back in the second half. And if you have a home team leading 4-0, there's every chance they may not care about losing the second half 1-0.
The second-half winner is betting on which team will score the most goals or points in the second half of the game.
Pros And Cons of the second half winner market
- Pro - The second-half winner market is a commonly available in-play betting market, so you do not need to place a bet pre-match and hope for the right circumstances. You can assess a game in-play and then bet accordingly.
- Pro - You can bet situations that were available pre-match and at better betting odds. Suppose team a were available to win at 2.00 before the game, but you feel that's risky. In a situation where that team trails at half-time, you can bet them to win the second half, receive the same betting odds, but there's still lower risk because you only need them to draw overall now.
- Con - If you do opt to use this betting market pre-match based on past form and statistics, you're taking the risk of betting on a game where first half circumstances can drastically alter the way the second half may play out.
- Con - Although the second pro is a good example of using the betting market and matching circumstances to your advantage, nothing changes the fact 45 minutes is much shorter than 90 minutes, and there's always a much higher risk associated with betting on one half specifically.
What is the second half winner market?
You may want to start by reading about the first-half winner betting market here, and also an understanding of half-time and full-time betting before or after reading this article will be beneficial.
The second-half winner betting market is available in several sports including US Sports, however it's most commonly used in football bets. Unless a side are trailing by a considerable amount in sports like American football or basketball, the market rarely offers a worthwhile price.
When you bet on the second-half winner market, you are not betting on the full-time score. The second-half winner market involves selecting one of three outcomes to occur between the start of play in the second half, the 46th minute, up to and including the 90th minute plus any additional time added on. Most bookmakers will have a specific section within each game for you to bet on second-half markets.
A team may or may not already be leading from the first half, but the overall score of the game or the outcome of the first half does not necessarily matter. To win the second half of a match, a team must score more goals than their opponent in that half alone. Again, it doesn't matter if you bet on this market pre-match because any first-half scores are not involved in your bet.
Just like the first-half winner market or the match result, there are three outcomes available to you. 1, X and 2. This is how the outcomes will be displayed by the bookmakers. 1 refers to the team on the left which is usually the home team. Betting on 1 means backing the home side to win the second half, whilst X represents a draw. Betting on X means you need the teams involved to score the exact same amount of goals in the second half. Betting on outcome 2 means you are betting on the away team to win.
An example bet
At half-time, Manchester United are leading Manchester City 1-0. You've placed a pre-match bet on Manchester City to win the second half because they have a habit of starting slow and making up for it with a strong finish.
Half-Time: United 1-0 City
Full-Time: United 2-2 City
City bounce back and score two goals in the second half, although United pinch one also. The full time result between the two sides is a 2-2 draw, but your bet is a winner. Remember, the only requirement for a winning second half winner bet is that they outscore their opponent during that half alone. Although City have failed to win the match, they have scored two goals in the second half as opposed to United's one goal. They've won the second half.
Advantages of the market
Two of the major advantages of the second-half winner market is being able to use it in-play. Most bookmakers offer in-play sports betting on all major games now. In-play sports betting is a live betting platform that gives you the opportunity to bet on best odds based on the game as it stands at that moment.
When you use the second-half winner betting market in-play, you have the advantage of being able to take the first 45 minutes into consideration. If a team has played particularly well but is still level, you may expect them to make a breakthrough in the second half. Equally, if a team has performed below par and has fallen behind, you may judge that they're unlikely to play as badly in the second half.
The other advantage is that you may be able to replicate outcomes that interested you pre-match but with much better best odds. For example, if you're of the opinion a certain team would win before the match but that team trails at the break, backing them to win the second half acts like betting on double chance (a team to win or draw in 90 minutes). You're taking a less risky market in some ways and at better betting odds.
Who uses the second half winner market?
The second-half winner betting market is most commonly associated with and used for football bets, and it's probably a more common in-play option than it is a pre-match option. Many things can be judged by statistics though, and some teams just happen to perform consistently better in the second half and have a good record of doing so. Other times you may opt to use in-play sports betting, where someone who feels they have a good reading of the game after the first 45 minutes uses it.
Overall, it's a market more likely to be used by a professional bettor. There are several good betting strategies that can be employed when using the second-half winner betting market, but they involve either a level of statistical analysis or a watching brief, making it more likely to be overlooked by the casual punter and favored by a professional bettor.
There's no reason why this market cannot be used before a game. Some teams start slowly and finish strongly, whilst others just happen to have a very good record in the second half. You can also apply your expectations of a game and how it will play out, which could include factors such as teams tiring in the second half, or different quality of players on the bench. As well as that, the second-half winner betting market is a prime contender for in-play use.
No matter what level of research and analysis you do, there are always games that go against the grain. Some people prefer to bet largely in-play and make money from sports betting by being re-active and pro-active as opposed to making predictions pre-match.
If you've watched the first 45 minutes unfold, you may have a good idea of how the second half could play out. The second half winner betting market could be the perfect market to use in such cases.
Got the hang of the different bet types? See how successful tipsters make their mark by exploring our betting strategy guides.