The basic W-D-W single or accumulator are by far the most popular bet type for football and other low scoring sports.
Both teams to score lines however can provide much better odds and generally better value overall especially when betting on teams that are odds-on for the win.
BTTS wagers have increased in popularity and this means the market now attracts top prices from bookmakers competing for punters.
BTTS offers and promotions are also now very common with acca insurance, money back specials and enhanced odds deals associated with this bet. In this guide we discuss the statistics of how likely it is for both teams to score and common betting strategies that are employed to get the most out of this wager.
Best Both Teams To Score Bookmakers
Some online betting sites are better than others when it comes to both teams to score odds, availability, depth and offers. We think these are some of the best ones for BTTS markets, and football betting in general:
These guys invented BTTS acca insurance and still offer money back if one lets you down on 5+ BTTS multiples (4/1 (5.0) or higher odds in total).
This isn’t however the only reason to place a BTTS bet with BetVictor. The odds from this betting site on football lines are simply the best you can find so you can always be sure your getting the best prices.
They also have one of the best bet builder features for football if you like to combine your both teams to score bets with other markets.
Betfred take football coupons very seriously and offered fixed odds returns on both teams to score in their goals galore feature. Further details can be found further down this page.
The goals galore coupons feature tons of games where the results are difficult to predict. In return for predicting which games will see goals from both teams the bookie rewards you with enhanced guaranteed odds.
A big thing to point out with Betfred is their both teams to score odds tend to be more competitive, especially for more minor matches.
The Coral BTTS coupon is expansive both pre-event but particularly in play. You can usually bet on both teams to score during the match right up until, well, both teams score.
There are also some great enhanced odds promotions from this bookmaker with very attractive both teams to score lines either on their own or linked to the win.
Another bookie too that has a great bet builder, with a bigger range of market choice compared to others. Therefore, if you want you combine a both teams to score bet with a player to be booked, hit the woodwork, make so many tackles, etc., then this is the place to go.
The best for the sheer number of BTTS options available. If 10bet don’t offer the market it is probably not available anywhere else.
If you create a BTTS accumulator you can also take advantage of the 10bet acca bonus and you can combine both teams to score markets with match result and other lines from other games in the accas and still qualify.
10bet famously list more worldwide leagues than any other betting site, over 150, so if you want to add in a few obscure selections then there is no better option.
What is Both Teams To Score
Both teams to score, or BTTS as it is often abbreviated, is a bet that requires each team to score during a match in order to win. This bet type can be termed differently depending on the bookmaker, some prefer ‘goals galore’ or other more flashy terms.
This wager has been around for many years but only in recent times has it grown in popularity and this is mainly due to the market being more easily accessed online. Many also thing these markets can be more valuable compared to win singles, especially in multiple bets.
Both teams to score is a line that can be wagered on its own or combined with other lines. Common examples are listed here:
- BTTS and a team to win / draw / lose
- BTTS with a certain player to score
- BTTS in the first / second half or both
- BTTS from a set piece
- BTTS from a penalty
Odds Available For Both Teams to Score
Prices vary by match and generally reflect the likelihood of both teams scoring during a game. Expect to find anywhere from around 1/2 (1.50) to 5/1 (6.0) usually.
As we know, football and other low scoring sports are so popular because of the number of surprise results. This bet type provides a great way to still win even if there is an upset in the final result.
An example may be that you want to bet on Manchester United to beat West Ham but the odds are low, say 2/5 (1.40) on United to win outright. You think Man Utd will win but you also think that West Ham will score a goal in the game. In this case you may be able to get say evens (2.0) on a BTTS bet giving a far better price than the win single.
The best aspect however is even if West Ham cause an upset and go on to win say 3-1 you still win so long as both teams score during the match.
How Often do Both Teams Score in Football
The chances of both teams scoring in football varies by team and league but on average both teams will score in the Premier League around 50%, or half the time. If you split this into the first and second half you find the likelihood of both teams scoring in the first half is just under 20%, about 1/5th the time and just under 25% in the second half, around a quarter of the time.
If both teams score in the first half the chances of both teams scoring in the second half is about 3-4% higher than the overall average. If neither team score in the first half the chances are now about 2-3% lower than the average of both teams scoring in the second half. If one team scores in the first half the chances of scoring in the next period is about average at just under 25%.
Whatever way you look at it this is a very common occurrence and is far more likely than the chances of a draw, for example, which happens around 30% of the time. Even if you do bet on a draw you may be better off betting on draw and both teams to score (if the market is available) as less than 10% of draws are goalless.
Bookies compete heavily of BTTS odds prices, especially for bigger games, therefore sensible betting on this market can often yield good returns.
To get another perspective on this see our page on how often teams keep a clean sheet or how often teams win to nil.
BTTS Accumulators
Placing a BTTS multiple bet can really add a lot of value to your bets if you think both teams will find the back of the net. Conventional accumulators on W-D-W lines can often be frustrating as you either need to throw in an outsider or you need to have a lot of lines to get a good return.
As we all know the more selections you have in an acca the more chances of an upset, also the higher the margin for the bookie. A both teams to score accumulator will often give a similar price with a lower number of selections meaning there are less games in which an upset can occur.
Many bookies that provide acca insurance, including William Hill and BetVictor (the inventor of multiple insurance) will give you your stake back if one lets you down in either 4+ or 5+ multiples adding further value to these wagers.
BTTS Coupons & Betfred’s Goals Galore
BTTS coupons are also very popular and one of the best version’s is Betfred’s Goals Galore bonus. The coupon covers most major English, European and world football and allows a punter to pick as many selections as they want for both teams to score.
The goals galore coupon will guarantee odds based on the number of selections correct. This ranges from around 3/1 for 3 correct to around 5000/1 or more for 15 correct (can vary depending on the matches in the coupon), see the screen shot below for an example.
Other bookies offer guaranteed odds BTTS coupons but Betfred’s is by far our favourite. Betfred also have added variations on the goals galore coupon inducing BTTS and match result, goals galore 1st half, goals galore 2nd half, goals galore no draw and a bonus game:
Both Teams to Score Offers and Promotions
It is very common for bookmakers to price boost and enhanced odds on BTTS wagers. This is common with Ladbrokes, Coral, Betfair and others.
Odds enhancement deals are quite often offered in combination with a certain team(s) to win. The most common offer however is applied to BTTS multiple bets and these include both teams to score accumulator money back if one leg lets you down all of which can be found on our acca insurance page.
Both Teams To Score Betting Strategy
Like most things to do with betting there are no sure ways to win. What you get with the both teams to score line is a bet type that in general offers good value compared to some other lines and this over time can often add value to your bets and any subsequent winnings.
There are some things to look out for when placing these bets. For example, top teams win a lot but some top teams, especially those with emphasis on attack will very often concede. Think of Real Madrid or Barcelona they very often win but they do concede a lot of the time with results like 3-1, 4-1, 5-1, etc very common.
The BTTS wager here can add huge value especially of combined with ‘to win’ as well. A working example would be Barcelona are playing Villarreal, Barca are strong favourites at 1/5 but if you combine this with BTTS the odds may be something like evens or higher.
Consider the opposite of this too, lower teams that quite often score. If you have a bottom of the table club that rarely win but very often get beat and still score, 1-2, 1-3, 2-4, whatever, when the BTTS wager can add huge value here too.
Other things to look out for before you place both teams to score bets include:
- Head to head results between the teams
- Recent form for both clubs including previous fixtures
- Team News including injuries and any suspensions
- Look at teams that score early in a game
- League position and goal difference, including goals scored and conceded
- Locality, is this a derby game for example, lots of draws in derbies but higher btts rate
- Equally matched teams are in general more likely to score against each other
- The odds, always a good reflection of likelihood
Both Teams To Score Accumulator Strategy
If you mainly back bankers then an odds guaranteed coupon such as Betfred’s goals galore is a great option. Also consider acca insurance, bonuses and free bet clubs to add longer term value to these wagers if you place them on a regualr basis.
If you place accumulators a good piece of advice is to mix up your multiple based on the best markets for individual games. For example, you might be confident Liverpool will beat Everton but are not so sure of the score, in the Man United v Arsenal game you think both teams will score but you can’t predict the final result and in the Chelsea v Tottenham game you think Chelsea will win and Spurs will score.
In this scenario why not place a treble containing one win, one btts and one btts+win market. This bet will more accurately reflect your predictions and will also optimise the odds.
Consider full cover betting with this market. BTTS and especially BTTS+Result markets can have relatively high odds, but as a consequence are harder to predict and more likely to go wrong. Something like a Lucky 15 with four selections each with a price of say 2/1 would still pay out a profit if only two of the bets came in.
Rules Of Both Teams To Score
90 Minutes – Generally BTTS bets must be settled in normal time. If extra time is added any additional goals will not be counted however you may be able to bet on both teams to score in extra time as a separate line.- Abandoned Games – If a game is abandoned without both teams scoring the bet should be void. If both teams have already scored by the time the game is abandoned, then the bet should be paid out as a win. If the BTTS bet is combined with the win or other outcome then the bet will be voided in this instance.
- Own Goals – These should always count towards the BTTS wager, but it is worth checking this in adance.
- Acca Offers – Many offers that include BTTS do not always include result + BTTS, again check if you mix and match like this.