HT-FT meaning and predictions: Full guide

With football and the gambling markets constantly evolving the traditional match result market remains ever-popular with punters. Sometimes though bookies just offer prices that don't represent value for money in a straight win-draw-win scenario.

Thankfully, more complex markets exist and present us punters with opportunities to maximise our potential returns. Familiarising yourself with the HT-FT market and understanding the true HT-FT meaning is one of the best ways to do this; we have you covered with everything you need to know about HT-FT betting.

Latest HT-FT predictions

Bayern Munich vs Dinamo Zagreb: Bayern Munich/Bayern Munich

• Bayern Munich have won each of their last eight games and, impressively, they've led at half-time in each of those games
• Despite playing at a level considerably below the standard of Germany's Bundesliga, Dinamo Zagreb have notably failed to win each of their last three
• When Bayern Munich last hosted Dinamo Zagreb they ran out 5-0 winners and were four goals to the good at half-time

Man City vs Inter Milan: Man City/Man City

• Man City have won each of their last four matches whilst also leading at the interval in each of those games
• Inter Milan haven't had perfect preparation for this match against such a well-oiled Man City with three of their last five seeing them fail to win
• Man City have won each of the last two head to head games – including in 2023's Champions League final – between these sides leading at half-time in one of those two

Leganes vs Athletic Club: Athletic Club/Athletic Club

• Athletic Club have been leading at half-time in both the matches they've won so far this season
• Leganes have played five matches this in 2024/25 with a different HT/FT outcome in each of them; a L/L has already featured
• Bilbao have won three of their last five head to head meetings with Leganes and were in front at the break in two of those three wins

HT-FT Meaning: What is it?

Without prior knowledge the HT-FT meaning isn't that obvious. Thankfully, it's really easy to explain.

Most commonly, you are predicting what the result of a match will be at half-time (HT) and at full-time (FT) with the term ‘result' meaning what the outcome will be i.e. home team winning, draw, or away team winning, rather than backing a specific scoreline.

In order for your bet to be successful you have to get both parts of the bet correct.

Potential HT-FT selections

• Home-Home = Home team winning at half-time and full-time
• Draw-Home = Drawing at half-time and home team winning at full-time
• Home-Draw = Home team winning at half-time and drawing at full-time
• Home-Away = Home team winning at half-time and away team winning at full-time
• Draw-Draw = Drawing at half-time and full-time
• Away-Away = Away team winning at half-time and full-time
• Draw-Away = Drawing at half-time and away team winning at full-time
• Away-Draw = Away team winning at half-time and drawing at full-time
• Away-Home = Away team winning at half-time and home team winning at full-time

How to win a HT-FT betting pick

We've covered the bulk of the HT-FT meaning but just have a couple of points to clarify.

Firstly, we cannot stress enough that HT-FT bets are different from the ‘both halves' markets you see. For example, in a ‘home-home' bet in the HT-FT market a home team that takes a 3-0 lead into the interval but then loses the second half 2-0 would still be a winning bet because the home team won the game at full time. In a ‘both halves' bet the same home-home selection would lose because the away team won the second period.

It is also worth noting that the HT-FT market can also be extended to focus on correct score, total goals and both teams to score bets but these are not commonly used.

Important: 90-Minute rules apply

The final piece to specify on the HT-FT meaning is that bets are settled at the full-time whistle; this means all injury time counts towards your picks in both the first and second half and there will be no rollover of your bet into extra time.

How to place a HT-FT bet

So, you've now got an understanding of the HT-FT meaning but you might still need a bit of guidance on actually placing the bet.

The first thing you need to understand is that any bookmaker worth their salt will offer a HT-FT market particularly the bigger players in the world of online sports betting such as:

Bet365

William Hill

Ladbrokes

Your process for placing a HT-FT bet is as follows:

• Sign up with your preferred bookmaker (we'd recommend using one of our links above for the option of a new customer bonus)
• Navigate to the football/soccer market using the quick pick options or menu tiles
• Click into a fixture of your choosing
• Find the HT-FT option (this might display as “half-time/full-time”)
• Pick the combination you wish to bet on
• Set your stake & place your bet

Advantages of the HT-FT market

The HT-FT market is more complex to understand and bet on than other markets but there are significant upsides to it.

You'll get bigger odds vs traditional markets

A HT-FT bet will always carry stronger odds than that of the traditional match result market. In effect, you've got to get two predictions correct to win a HT-FT bet as opposed to one in the win draw win market and, as such, you get rewarded with a longer price.

You can back heavy favourites

If you've ever found yourself looking through a match result market you've probably been frustrated by the better teams having pathetic odds offered against them. Well, the HT-FT bet allows you to bet on favourites whilst getting reasonable odds. This is because you can incorporate differing views of how you think the game will unfold rather than just the result itself.

Cash out when you want

Yes, despite the HT-FT market being more advanced than that of simple match result bets you are still able to cash out of your bets with most bookies. This means you can look to secure an element of your potential returns before the final whistle goes, which might be particularly useful if you've already nailed your first half pick, for example.

Disadvantages of the HT-FT market

Unfortunately, gambling is called gambling for a reason and HT-FT bets carry a risk with them – as do all markets.

Research is paramount

If you want to exploit proper value out of the HT-FT predictions you make then conducting research is critical. With the added complexity of knowing how teams perform at different points in the match imperative to these bets you will need to spend more time digging into the stats. You could, of course, also come back to this page for your well researched picks!

You'll only receive a full pay out at the final whistle

Any match result bet you place will need the game to finish before you can claim your winnings; the same is true in HT-FT betting. This isn't the end of the world but is a downside to consider when comparing to markets that settle more quickly – such as both teams to score and “over” goals picks.

HT-FT meaning: FAQ

What is the meaning of HT-FT in football betting?

HT-FT betting is where you predict what the result of a game will be at half-time and full-time.

Is HT-FT betting only for the match result?

No, the HT-FT market can be utilised for other types of bets but the most common, by some distance, is result betting.

Can HT-FT bets be placed ‘in-play'?

Yes, HT-FT bets can be wagered after a game has begun – providing the action is still in the first half.