Soccer betting lines explained
Soccer games can end in a draw, so the main market has three outcomes, home, draw and away. Other common lines are draw no bet, Asian handicap, goal totals and both teams to score. Odds are often shown as decimals.
Last reviewed:
Worked example
To start, the box below is filled in with 2.10 / 3.40 / 3.60. This starting line is a three-way (1X2) market in decimal odds, home win / draw / away win, so its card also shows the bookmaker's margin. The box is editable: type any line, or tap one under the card, and the explanation updates.
2.10 / 3.40 / 3.60: a 3-way result (1X2). Home win 2.10, draw 3.40, away win 3.60.
What it means
There are three possible results and only one bet wins. A draw loses a bet on either team. If you want the stake back on a draw, that's a different market called draw no bet.
Scenarios
| If… | Home | Draw | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home team wins | Win | Loss | Loss |
| Draw | Loss | Win | Loss |
| Away team wins | Loss | Loss | Win |
The numbers
Home 2.10
- Implied probability
- 47.62%
- Decimal
- 2.10
- American
- +110
- Per 100 staked
- returns 210 (profit 110)
Draw 3.40
- Implied probability
- 29.41%
- Decimal
- 3.40
- American
- +240
- Per 100 staked
- returns 340 (profit 240)
Away 3.60
- Implied probability
- 27.78%
- Decimal
- 3.60
- American
- +260
- Per 100 staked
- returns 360 (profit 260)
Both sides together
- Implied probabilities add up to
- 104.81%
- Bookmaker margin
- 4.81%
- Fair probability: Home
- 45.43%
- Fair probability: Draw
- 28.06%
- Fair probability: Away
- 26.50%
Margin (overround) = the implied probabilities added together, minus 100%. Fair probabilities remove the margin by dividing each one by that total.
Watch out for
In a 3-way market a draw isn't a push. It loses a bet on either team.
Learn more: 1X2 (three-way) in the soccer guide
Common lines to try
Soccer has more market types than most sports. These are the ones you’ll see most.
1X2 (three-way)
1 = home win, X = draw, 2 = away win. Only one of the three wins, and a draw loses a bet
on either team. With 2.10 / 3.40 / 3.60:
| Outcome | Decimal odds | Implied probability | Fair probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home (1) | 2.10 | 47.62% | 45.43% |
| Draw (X) | 3.40 | 29.41% | 28.06% |
| Away (2) | 3.60 | 27.78% | 26.50% |
The implied probabilities add up to 104.81%. The extra 4.81% is the bookmaker’s margin. Dividing each one by 104.81% gives the fair probabilities, which add up to 100%.
Draw no bet and double chance
- Draw no bet: a bet on one team to win, where a draw returns the stake. It settles the same
way as an Asian handicap of 0 (
AH 0). - Double chance: one bet that covers two of the three outcomes: home or draw (1X), away or draw (X2), or either team to win (12).
Asian handicap
An Asian handicap gives one team a head start in goals, written in steps of 0.25. Whole and half lines work like a point spread. Quarter lines (ending in .25 or .75) split the stake in half across the two nearest lines, which is where half wins and half losses come from.
| Result | AH −0.25 | AH −0.75 | AH −1 | AH +0.25 | AH +0.75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win by 2 | Win | Win | Win | Win | Win |
| Win by 1 | Win | Half win | Push | Win | Win |
| Draw | Half loss | Loss | Loss | Half win | Win |
| Lose by 1 | Loss | Loss | Loss | Loss | Half loss |
| Lose by 2 | Loss | Loss | Loss | Loss | Loss |
- −0.25 = half on 0, half on −0.5.
- −0.75 = half on −0.5, half on −1.
- +0.25 and +0.75 are the other side of those lines.
- Split notation like
+0.5,+1is another way to write +0.75.
Asian handicap payouts
A stake of 100 on AH −0.75 at 1.90:
| Result | Returned | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| Win by 2 | 190 | 90 |
| Win by 1 | 145 | 45 |
| Draw | 0 | −100 |
| Lose by 1 | 0 | −100 |
On a 1-goal win, the 50 on −0.5 wins and returns 95, and the 50 on −1 pushes and returns 50. That’s 145 in total.
Goal totals and both teams to score
- Goal totals:
O/U 2.5means 3 or more goals is an over and 2 or fewer is an under. Both teams’ goals count. More in the over/under guide. - Both teams to score (BTTS): Yes wins if each team scores at least once. No wins if at least one team doesn’t score. Own goals usually count, but some markets exclude them, so check the house rules. The translator doesn’t read BTTS lines.
What’s unusual about soccer
- Draws are a normal result, so the main market has three outcomes instead of two.
- Most markets are settled on 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Extra time and penalty shootouts usually don’t count, except in markets that say so, such as “to qualify”. Check the house rules.
- Odds are often decimal (
2.10) or fractional (11/10) rather than American. The odds converter shows the same price in all three formats.
Mini glossary
- 1X2: home / draw / away.
- Draw no bet (DNB): a draw returns the stake.
- Double chance: covers two of the three outcomes.
- Asian handicap (AH): a head start in goals, in steps of 0.25.
- Half win / half loss: half the stake wins or loses, and the other half is returned.
- BTTS: both teams to score.
- Stoppage time: minutes added at the end of each half.
Common misreadings
- A bet on the home team pushes if the game is a draw.
- Not in a 1X2 market. A draw is its own outcome, so it loses a bet on either team. Draw no bet is the market that returns the stake on a draw.
- A half loss means you lose half your winnings.
- On an Asian handicap quarter line, a half loss means half the stake is lost and the other half is returned.
- Extra time and penalties count for the match result.
- Most soccer markets are settled on 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Markets such as 'to qualify' are different. Check the house rules.