While it may sound complicated, all there is to 1 x 2 betting is betting on the outcome of a fixture. It’s also known as a bet on match result. The bettor predicts whether the home team will win, the away team will win, or it will be a draw.
Then what does 1, x, and 2 mean? Basically, the betting odds will be in three columns – ‘home’, ‘draw’ and ‘away’. The x is a draw. The 1 is a home win and the 2 is an away win.
You win if you back the home team (1) and the hosts win. If you bet on the visiting team and they lose or it is a draw, you lose too. If you bet x and it is not a draw, you lose.
So, here’s a look at the odds. Each end result of a match comes with a price. What do you stand to win? The potential returns are calculated by multiplying the odds by the stake.
An example 1X2 bet
The home team (i.e. 1) is priced at 4.75. The away team is 1.67. The draw is priced at 4.20. If you bet 20 pounds on the away team, your returns are £20 x 1.67 = £33.40. You lose the 20 if the home team wins or the match ends in a draw.
1X2 is the most popular market
As you might be guessing, 1X2 betting is the most popular football wagering market. But why? First, it’s quite simple to grasp. It’s also one of the older, more traditional approaches to placing a bet. It is also an appealing market for professional bettors because it’s easy to analyze the ‘value’ in the odds being offered and whether such exists at all.
Let’s look at another example to get some details. Let’s say one team has played seven home games and won five, drawn one and lost one. The other team has played seven away games with only one win, three ties, and three losses.
Another quick reference is how these two teams have fared playing each other. For this, you need to go at least a few years back. If one has lost a recent match, you can expect them to be keen on victory in order to bounce back in the rankings. Changes in team membership are important to look at as well.
Combining multiple 1X2 bets
You don’t have to place 1X2 as a single bet. It’s possible to combine multiple 1X2 bets to form accumulators, trebles, or doubles. This way, your potential returns increase.
This market is popular with football, but not only. A lot of sportsbooks will offer this market on any team sport which can result in a draw, a home win, or an away win. Bettors who use 1X2 play sports such as hockey, cricket, and rugby.
