A 1X2 bet is one of the simplest and most popular types of wagers in sports betting, allowing you to predict whether the home team will win (1), the match will end in a draw (X), or the away team will win (2).

The world of sports betting is full of jargon and terminology, which can confuse newcomers and sometimes trip up seasoned bettors. 

Like many other bet types, 1X2 bets are often named differently from one bookmaker to the next. This means that even if you’ve placed several bets on this market, you might not have heard this terminology if the bookmakers you bet with don’t use it. 

If you’ve ever placed a bet on a football team to win, lose, or draw, you’ve already made a 1X2 bet - whether you realised it or not.

1X2 bets are very popular in sports that can end in a draw, especially typically low-scoring sports like football and ice hockey. With a 1X2 bet, you’re betting on one of three possible outcomes - a home win, an away win, or the draw. Let’s look at these types of bets in more detail.

What Is a 1X2 Bet?

Also known as Three-Way Betting, 1X2 markets allow you to bet on of the following outcomes:

• 1 refers to the Home Team
• X refers to the Draw
• 2 refers to the Away Team 

Not all bookmakers use the term 1X2, and you’ll often see one of these alternative names for the market:

• Full-Time Result
• Match Result
• Match Betting (not to be confused with Matched Betting)
• Match Odds
• Match Outright

The above names are sometimes used by bookmakers for two-way markets that don’t include the draw (also called two-way moneyline markets). 

You’ll always be able to tell if it’s a 1X2 market because it will be a three-way market with the draw or tie option. 

Single bets are the most common bet type for 1X2 bets, but they’re also often used in accumulators.  

1X2 Bets For Matched Betting 

Matched Betting is a great side hustle where you take advantage of bookmaker offers by backing and laying bets to cover all outcomes. 1X2 bets are one of the most common bet types used by Matched Bettors. 

They’re especially good for qualifying bets since you can often place bets with a small qualifying loss at slightly over the minimum odds for the offer. This reduces your liability, meaning you’ll have more money left in your betting exchange to fund more offers. 

If you bet on an outsider at high odds, 1X2 bets are also great for free bets, which are best placed at higher odds. 

There are several advantages of the 1X2 market for matched betting:

• Good Odds - The odds tend to be quite competitive, giving low qualifying losses and decent free bet profits. Draw odds can be a good choice for qualifying bets, as they’re often close to the betting exchange lay odds.
• Readily Available - They’re available for all football games, as well as for several other sports.
• High Profile - 1X2 bets are by far the most common type of bet placed on football, allowing you to blend in with actual gamblers. This is good for your account health and potentially offers protection against being gubbed.
• Easy to Understand - 1X2 bets are straightforward, so it’s easier to place bets without making a mistake.
• Often Specified In Offers - Bookmakers often run offers that require 1X2 bets.
• Ideal For In-Play Offers - Bookmakers often run offers where you need to place in-play bets, which are bets placed between kick-off and the final whistle. Betting at half-time is by far the easiest way to do this, as the odds are pretty stable and it’s not possible for goals or other events to affect your bet. 1X2 bets are ideal for in-play qualifying bets and free bets on games with a high-odds underdog, or where one of the teams is ahead. 
  

2UP (Early Payout Offers)

One of the most popular Matched Betting offers is the 2UP (Early Payout) offer. In this offer, the bookmaker pays out if the team you bet on goes two goals clear at any point, even if they go on to draw or lose the game. 

Betting on one of the teams in the 1X2 market is used for this offer, and if you can find decent odds, it offers great value. 

By far the easiest way to find your 2UP bets is to use Outplayed’s 2UP Master, which finds all the best bets for you and lists them in order of how much value they have.  

Which Sports Use 1X2 Bets?

Football is by far the most popular sport that uses 1X2 bets, but they’re also found across a range of other sports. Some bookmakers offer both 1X2 and two-way markets for the match result of certain sports, whilst others only offer one or the other. 

Below, you’ll find a list of sports that use 1X2 bets.

Football

Football is the world’s favourite sport and betting on a team win or draw is the most popular bet, so it’s not surprising that all bookmakers and betting exchanges offer the 1X2 market for all games.

Here’s the 1X2 market on Betfred, which they call Match Result: 

Ice Hockey

Like football, ice hockey games tend to be relatively low-scoring (at least when compared to rugby and basketball). Because of this, they lend themselves well to 3-way 1X2 markets. 

Here’s a 1X2 market for an NHL game on Coral, which they refer to as Match Betting (3-Way):

Basketball

Basketball games are very high-scoring, meaning draws are relatively rare. As such, betting on a draw is likely to be much less common than in football or ice hockey.

Even so, some bookmakers offer 3-way 1X2 markets for basketball, as you can see in this screenshot of an NBA game on Sky Bet. Match Result is used to describe both the 3-way 1X2 market (No OT) and the 2-way market (Inc OT):

Boxing

Boxing is another sport where draws are possible, but relatively rare. This is reflected in the high draw odds for the Match Odds market in this bout listed by Paddy Power:

eSports 

The 1X2 market will be found in eSports betting on sports like football, as you can see in Paddy Power’s Match Winner - 3 Way market here:

Handball

Handball games are higher scoring than football and ice hockey, but lower scoring than basketball, so draws at the end of regular time are fairly infrequent. This leads to quite high draw odds in the 1X2 market, but not as high as those found in basketball. 

Here’s a game listed on Betfred, listed as Match Result (No OT):

Cricket

If a cricket match ends with both teams having completed their batting and with the scores level, this is classed as a ‘tie’. 

This is not the same as a ‘draw’, which occurs if one or both teams haven’t completed all their innings by the close of play. 

Here’s a 1X2 market for a test cricket match on Bet365, which they list as Match Winner 3-Way:

Gaelic Football

Gaelic football is one of the most popular sports in Ireland and you’ll find the 1X2 market used for betting on the match result. Odds for the draw tend to be high. The 9.0 draw odds in the Match Betting market of this game on William Hill are relatively low compared to those found in many games:

Golf

A handful of 1X2 markets can be found in golf, for example this 54 Hole Match-Up market on Bet365:

Rugby

Rugby is another high-scoring game, so draws/ties are fairly rare. However, they happen from time to time, so some bookmakers offer 1X2 betting for rugby games. Here’s the Match Betting market for a Rugby Union game on Coral:

Other Popular Bet Types

Although 1X2 bets are the most commonly placed type of bet, there are plenty of alternative bet types. Here’s a list of some of the most popular bet types:

• Two-Way Moneyline
• Bet Builder
• Over/Under betting
• Draw No Bet
• Win Both Halves 
• Asian Handicap
• European Handicap
• Goal Line Betting

Summary

Betting on a team to win or draw a match in the three-way 1X2 market is by far the most popular type of bet. Several other names are used for this market, incuding Match Betting, Full-Time Result, and Match Result.

1X2 bets are most commonly placed on single bets but they’re also often used in accumulators. These often have high combined odds, giving impressive payouts if you’re lucky enough for all your legs to win. 

Matched Bettors often use 1X2 bets for qualifying bets, free bets, and other offers like the lucrative 2UP offer. 

To discover more about Matched Betting, don’t miss out on Outplayed’s fantastic free trial. This includes everything you need to know to get started and gives you access to all of the sportsbook sign-up offers, plus full tutorials and tools to help you find and place your bets.