Betting markets explained

A market is one question about an event, with a fixed set of answers. A surebet always lives inside one market: every outcome of that question, covered at different books.

Winner (match winner, moneyline)

Who wins. In sports without a draw (tennis, basketball with overtime) there are two outcomes. In football the full-time result has three: home, draw, away (often written 1X2).

Draw no bet

The football result with the draw taken out: if the match is drawn, your stake comes back. Two outcomes, home or away, which makes it easier to cover than 1X2.

Handicap

One side starts with a head start or a deficit, written as a line: -1.5, +3.5, -0.25. The bet is settled on the score after the handicap.

• Half lines (-1.5) can't push: one side always wins.
• Whole lines (-1) can push: on an exact one-goal win, stakes come back.
• Quarter lines (-0.25, Asian handicap) split your stake over the two nearest lines, so half can win or push while the other half loses.

Totals (over / under)

Will the total score go over or under a line, for example over 2.5 goals or under 160.5 points. The same push rules apply to whole lines.

Both teams to score

Yes or no: do both teams score at least once? Two outcomes, football only.

Periods

Many markets come per period: full time, first half, a quarter, a set, a map. A full-time line and a first-half line are different markets: never mix them in one surebet.

What we cover

Prematch only (no live betting): winner, draw no bet, handicap, totals and both teams to score, per period, across the sports on our board. Live prices move too fast to re-check every leg, so we leave them out on purpose.