Half Time Betting

Half time betting is considered one of the “softest” bets you can make when wagering on NFL football. There are many reasons for this, which will be discussed below. And while many beginning sports bettors are unsuccessful in their attempts to either break even or get ahead by making half time wagers, we can offer a few tips that will help you improve your odds of having success in half time sports betting.

Why Half Time Lines Are “Soft” and Largely Unsuccessful

These are considered soft lines – ones that aren’t likely to garner much in the way of big time high rollers due to flaws in the lines – as there isn’t nearly as much time to research and create half time lines as there are when you have a week to prepare for a football game, or at least a day in the case of basketball.

The reason so many are unsuccessful is that they “sell out” while ahead, or make a rash change in wager to try to recoup their losses while they are down. When it comes to half time betting, odds are highly in favor of the house, so the best way to be a successful half time bettor is to know how the sports book is going to side and bet with the book.

Some Helpful Tips for Half Time Betting

There are some statistical rules of thumb and tips that will make your half time bets far more successful and just some of the many are provided below.

Half Time Hint #1

Historically, teams that cover the spread the first half will not do so the second half, and vice versa is to be said for teams that cover the second, as opposed to the first half.

Half Time Hint #2

During half time, if the game is close, betting lines for the second half are often set at half of what they were during the first half. And sports books will also include a slight penalty to the favorite team. This means different point spreads and approaches to second half betting.

Half Time Hint #3

Watch how the lines “move”. It is important, before placing your half time bets, to open up all your sports books and be prepared to hit that refresh button like it’s going out of style. What you want to look for are the changes in the +/- EV lines related to your game. This will help you determine what lines to bite on.

If, for example, the game in question has, at the beginning of the half time betting period, a -EV at multiple sites, and while this negative EV does range, it is negative on all sports sites, it is best to place your bets against that team during the second half.

Half Time Hint #4

Study the NBA. Half time betting is very profitable once you come familiar with disparities between first and second half point differentials and common spreads, and you are likely to find this an area where you can have highly profitable success.

As a U.S. based sports bettor there are some “must have” sports book sites that you will want to have an account with such as Bodog and BetOnline. These are two great sites with good rates and good lines. Some other sites to consider are also SBGGlobal, Intertops and SportsBetting.com.