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Ian Bruce

1X2 betting is making a wager on the home win (1), the draw (X), or the away win (2) in a suitable sporting event. It is most common in football, but 1X2 betting is also available in a few other sports. In this guide, we’ll explain how 1X2 betting works, where to find 1X2 predictions and how to improve your chances of success.

How 1X2 Betting Works

The 1X2 bet is one of the simplest you’ll find anywhere. It’s available at all online betting sites on any event between two teams or players that can also result in a draw. All you have to do is predict the result of the event. If your chosen prediction turns out to be correct, your bet will win, and it will be settled at the 1X2 odds given for that outcome.

1X2 Betting Example

Let’s illustrate what we’ve just said with a real-life example of 1X2 betting online. Below you’ll see the main 1X2 football betting market for a match between the USA and Uruguay. The odds being offered for the USA winning are 29/20 (2.45), the Draw is priced at 11/5 (3.20), and the odds for a Uruguay win are 2/1 (3.00).

What is 1X2 Betting

In this example, you might decide to bet £10 on the USA winning the match. If they succeed, your return would be your stake multiplied by the decimal odds of 2.45, which is £24.50. You staked £10, and so your profit would be £14.50 (see Betting Odds Explained if all of this is new to you.) Of course, if Uruguay were to win or the match resulted in a draw, your bet would lose.

Where to Find 1X2 Betting Predictions

Many fans of this kind of wager like to follow 1X2 predictions. These are widely available from a number of different sources. Here are some of the main ones:

Newspapers

While newspapers aren’t as popular in this ‘breaking-news before it happens’ internet age as they used to be, the sports pages can still be very useful. They will often give useful event previews and often an expected result according to the expert writing the piece.

Websites

There are plenty of sports news websites that provide stats, analysis and previews of events completely free of charge. You can keep an eye on the predictions offered by these sites for a while before deciding whether or not they are worth following.

Professional Tipsters

There are quite a few professional tipsters who share their 1X2 football prediction knowledge in return for a subscription fee. Not all such tipsters are equal, and there is never any guarantee their 1X2 betting predictions will be successful. Another downside is that you will need to land a few winning bets just to cover the subscription costs, which isn’t ideal.

Be Your Own Tipster

Perhaps the best source of 1X2 tips is much closer to home, by which we mean you. By studying the teams involved, reading up on football betting strategy and getting a feel for the game, you’ll find that your ability to make winning 1X2 betting predictions improves over time. You won’t get the results right every time, of course, but then, neither do the bookies.

football betting stratgies

Why Football Fans Love 1X2 Betting

The 1X2 bet is one of the most popular, especially in football, and there are a couple of good reasons for that. Consider the following:

Easy to Understand

As you’ve seen, 1X2 in sports betting is very easy to understand. There’s nothing at all difficult about it. This makes it a bet that can be made by anyone, from the least experienced casual football fan to the most expert stats-mad enthusiast.

Widely Available

All bookmakers offer 1X2 betting markets as standard. In fact, when non-bettors talk about betting on team sports that can result in a draw, they’re usually referring this this type of wager. That wide availability means that betting 1X2 is something you can do virtually anywhere.

1X2 Betting Tips and Strategies

Just because 1X2 betting is easy doesn’t mean that winning comes automatically. You still need to be able to make correct predictions for your bets to give you a return. Here, then, are a few 1X2 betting tips and strategies that you can use to improve your chances of success over the long term.

  1. Know the Stats

    Before you start betting, it can be useful to be aware of some basic stats and facts. For example, in football, it’s common knowledge that home wins are more common than away wins or draws. But did you know that, according to Sky Sports, home advantage is more pronounced in the Premier League than it is in lower leagues? Spend some time looking into the stats of the game, and you’ll be able to proceed with a more informed view of the arena you’re betting in.
  2. Choose Matches Carefully

    When you bet 1X2 on football matches, it can be tempting to bet in a particular way just because you’re a fan of a certain team and you can’t imagine betting on any other outcome. But if you want to improve your chances of winning, you need to base your betting decisions on recent form, not your personal feelings. If the form suggests that you should oppose your favourite team then either bet with the form or avoid betting on that match altogether.
  3. Practice With Free Bets

    Beting on 1X2 – like any other form of betting – is a skill that you will get better at over time. We therefore recommend betting to minimal stakes in the early days. Even better, if you join one or more of the 1X2 betting sites that offer free bets, you can use those bets to gain some experience at the expense of the bookmaker.

Alternatives to Betting 1X2

We love 1X2 betting, but it isn’t the only way to bet, by any means. Here are some alternative bet types that you might also like to consider making:

Draw No Bet

This is a bet that you can place on either one of the two teams or competitors. The difference here is that you can’t bet on the draw. That’s because, if a draw occurs, your bet will be cancelled and you’ll get your stake money back. See our Draw No Bet page for more details.

Double Chance

In this type of market (see Double Chance) you select any two of the three possible outcomes (home win, draw, or away win) and if either of those outcomes takes place, your bet wins. This makes it much easier to land a winning bet, but the odds you’ll get for success will be smaller than 1X2 betting odds.

BTTS

Instead of betting on the result of a match with football 1X2 betting, you can bet on both teams scoring during the game. If both teams score, the bet wins, regardless of the match result. This is explained in detail in our BTTS Meaning guide.

Conclusion

1X2 is the most popular football market in the world, and it can also be found in some other sports. Now that you’ve seen what 1X2 in betting means, how it works and how to improve your chances of winning with it, all that remains is for you to give it a shot. Who knows – you might just score on your first attempt!

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Ian Bruce

Ian Bruce joined Safest Betting Sites in 2024 as Senior Sports Editor to oversee the quality and usefulness of its gambling content. He originally developed an interest in betting after landing a winning Yankee on his first attempt. He then spent years figuring out how to replicate that success. Along the way, he became one of the UK’s leading writers on the topic of betting and gaming. Ian’s career has now spanned more than three decades, and his enthusiasm for systematic and responsible betting hasn’t waned one bit. However, his preferred approach to winning these days is Dutching, for the simple reason that “It’s a lot easier than landing Yankees.”