Betfair Help

Odds betting is the most common form of betting in the world. When you place a bet in this type of market, you are betting at a fixed price. Once the bet is struck, you know exactly how much you stand to win or lose. (Note, exceptions may apply in horse racing when there are non-runners declared after you place your bet – see Reduction Factors for more details).

When you back an outcome, you want that outcome to happen. For example, if you back Henman at Odds of 3.1 for £10, you are betting that Henman will win. Your total return if he wins, is £31 (including your stake), and your maximum loss is £10 (your stake).

Laying an outcome is the opposite of Backing it: it is betting that an outcome will NOT happen. For example, if you lay Derby County at Odds of 4.0 for £10, you are offering (Traditional) Odds of 3/1 that Derby will win the match. Your total return, if Derby lose or draw, is £10 (i.e. the backer’s stake), and your maximum loss is £30

A common misconception with Laying is that your losses are open-ended. Whenever you place a bet in a Betfair Odds market, you know exactly how much you could win, and exactly how much you could lose, which is dependent on the final result. Laying is quite literally backing something not to happen and is effectively the same as backing all the other runners.

Odds markets can have one winner or multiple winners depending on the detail of the market. Betfair offers 'place' markets on most horse races for example. The number of possible 'winners' on a market is always detailed on the 'Market Info' tab.

Coupons (C)

The coupons allow you to see a range of odds markets at-a-glance. This allows you to review the markets of interest and place bets without leaving the coupon display. You can place more than one bet at a time, but only within one market. Coupons do not differ from Odds bets in any way other than how they are displayed.

Each market is shown with odds available to Back and Lay each possible outcome. For Soccer, please note that, in line with convention, each outcome is denoted Home, Away or Draw. In the event of a match played at a neutral venue, the first-named team is designated the “Home” team.

Odds available at the stake amount you wish to bet

If you have selected 'Show stake selector' in the options tab, you may pre-select the stake amount you wish to bet by clicking one of the buttons at the top of the coupon. The values of these buttons may be customised by selecting the "Change" link.

If you choose the 'Best' odds view in the options settings, the odds displayed in the coupon for each outcome are the best odds available regardless of stake money on offer. If you choose the 'Average' odds view, the odds displayed in bold are those currently available for the stake amount you have selected.
(N.B. If it is not possible to match your entire stake from the money on offer at the best three prices available, then the best odds (irrespective of stake) are displayed in grey.)

Placing Bets

Clicking on the odds button will display the bet you are proposing to place in the Bet Manager tabs to the right of the coupon. You can then submit your bet in the normal way.

If you're using the 'Average' odds view, the Place Bets tab will show the minimum odds required to attain the odds shown in the coupon. If the market has not changed once your bet is processed you will receive the same average odds that you saw in the coupon. For example, if there was £50 available at 3.2, £25 available at 3.1 and £25 available at 3.0, then the average odds shown on the coupon for a stake of £100 would be 3.15. Clicking the odds button would prepare a bet of £100 at 3.0 on the Place Bets tab, which, if placed, would match at average odds of 3.15 provided the market has not moved.

If a bet is only partially matched, the remainder of the bet will be left as an offer, which may or may not be matched at a later time. Note that the odds shown in the coupon are the odds available at that time. It is possible for the amounts available to change between selecting the odds and placing the bet. For this reason, you may be matched at slightly different odds than those shown on the coupon.

Single Click Betting

For added convenience, the coupon can be put into a 'single-click bet' mode. This allows the immediate placement of a default stake by clicking on the odds. Note that this mode does not give any further confirmation once the odds are clicked. Once the odds are clicked the bet is placed and the Bet Manager screen displays the details of the bet which has been placed. You can select 'single-click' mode by editing your settings at the top of the coupon. Once enabled, a tick-box will appear at the top left of the coupon. This will allow you enable/disable single-click betting.

When in single-click mode, the odds boxes are shown outlined in red.

N.B.: If the market is moving quickly and the 'Average' odds view is selected, it is possible for bets placed using single click betting to be matched at a different price to that shown on the screen. Clicking refresh immediately prior to placing your bet reduces the risk of this happening.

Editing/Cancelling Bets

You can view existing Matched and Unmatched bets on markets listed in the coupon by clicking the arrow to the right of each coupon. This will open the relevant My Bets tab for each market. Where you have existing bets on coupon markets, the arrow will contain a star symbol so you can see these quickly without having to open each one individually.

Asian Handicap Betting (H)

Asian Handicap is a form of soccer betting which is very popular in Asia (hence the name). "Handicap" means that one team receives a “virtual head start”, effectively leading the game by a differing amount or amounts before the game starts.

Simply put, Asian Handicaps are designed to eliminate the possibility of a draw in a Soccer match, reducing the match to two possible outcomes.

There are two types of handicap – half goal (0.5, 1.5 etc) and whole goal (0,1 etc). In the case of a half-goal handicap, naturally there is always a clear winner as it’s not possible to score half a goal. In the case of a whole goal handicap, if the result is level after the handicap is taken into consideration, then all bets are refunded.

Example:

In a standard Odds market there are three options available on this Soccer match:

• Arsenal
• Everton
• Draw

When you bet on an Asian Handicap market, the draw is taken out of the equation, so you have two options from which to choose. In this example, Arsenal are strong favourites, so the handicap is one and a half goals:

• Arsenal -1.5
• Everton +1.5

The above example is the simplest case of Asian Handicap betting on Betfair, i.e. a team is given a start of a half number of goals (+0.5, +1.5, +2.5 etc). The team who scores the most with the handicap applied is deemed the winner. For example, if you back Arsenal to beat Everton with a handicap of -1.5, then to win your bet Arsenal must win the match by 2 or more goals.
You lose the bet if Everton win, it’s a draw or Arsenal win by only 1 goal.

At Betfair, we always offer three markets to cater for any significant changes in the handicap line. The most accurate handicap is usually the middle one listed.

As mentioned, some Asian Handicap markets give teams two virtual head starts (or handicaps in the case of the favourite!). Here, we have a combination of a half goal and a whole goal handicap (+0 & +0.5, -0 & -0.5). These bets are sometimes referred to as “Quarter-Goal Handicaps”:

• Liverpool +0 & +0.5
• Chelsea -0 & -0.5

In this case, the stake is divided between a bet on the zero (level) handicap and a bet on the half-goal handicap. For example, if you back Chelsea for £20 to beat Liverpool with a handicap of -0 & -0.5, then you have two separate £10 bets (at the same Odds, 2.03 in the example) - Chelsea -0 and Chelsea -0.5

• If Chelsea wins by 1 goal or more, both bets win.
• If the game is drawn, then the -0.5 handicap bet loses and the other half (+0) is void/refunded.
• If Chelsea loses, then both parts of the bet lose.

A zero goal start in Asian handicap betting effectively means ‘Draw – No Bet’ – i.e. there must be a winner in the match, or all bets are voided.

The market is similar to an Odds market in that you Back or Lay in the same way. However, because of the more complex rules surrounding Asian Handicap betting, it is not possible to display the Profit and Loss on this market. When placing bets in the Bet Manager, you may tick the 'Detail View' box on the 'Place Bets' tab to view your Profit and Loss for each outcome. Under the 'My Bets' tab, there is a summary of you current matched position and your worst possible outcome for each possible result. Each unmatched bet on the 'My Bets' tab has profit and loss information underneath it.

As on all markets, when you place a bet, money will be reserved from your account to cover your worst possible position on the market. In an Asian Handicap market, the amount reserved will reflect bets on all lines. If, for example, you Back a team to win with a 1.5 goal start, but Lay them to win with a 1.5 & 2 goal start, then your maximum loss may (depending on odds and stake) be if they lose by two goals and may result you losing half your stake, not the stake on both bets. This will be reflected in my Available to Bet balance. In addition, commission on these markets is taken from total winnings on the market across all lines.

What is a Void bet?

If the handicap given is a whole goal, +1, -1, 0, -2 etc, and the result means the settlement is a draw, the bet is voided. Neither Backer nor the Layer can be said to have won the bet, so the money staked is returned to both.

If you lay Arsenal -1 and Arsenal win 1-0, the settlement score is 0-0 and the bet is voided (you get your money back).

If you back Arsenal -1.0

Result	(lose by 1)	0 (Draw)	Win by 1	Win by 2	Win by 3+
£10 @ 1.95	Lose £10	Lose £10	Void £10	Win £9.50	Win £9.50

What is the settlement score?

The settlement score is the result with a given handicap applied. This score is used to settle the bets. If you have backed Arsenal -0.5 and Arsenal win 1-0, the settlement score is (0.5)-0 and you win your bet. If Arsenal draw 0-0, the settlement score is (-0.5)-0, you lose your bet.

What are Quarter Goal Handicaps?

When a handicap is made up of two parts, like 0 & -0.5 , or +1.5 & +2.0 , it means that the bet is split 50/50 between the two handicaps. These are often referred to as -1/4 (-0.25) or +1 ¾ (+1.75) goals handicaps (examples above). So if you back Chelsea +1.0 & +1.5 (also +1 ¼ or +1.25) with £100, you are effectively betting £50 on Chelsea +1.0 and £50 on Chelsea + 1.5.

Example:

If you bet Arsenal -0.5 & -1.0 (also -3/4 goal handicap, or 0.75 goals) odds of 2.0, £10.

Result	(lose by 1)	0 (Draw)	Win by 1	Win by 2	Win by 3+
Bet 1	Lose £5	Lose £5	Win £5	Win £5	Win £5
Bet 2	Lose £5	Lose £5	Void £5	Win £5	Win £5
Total	Lose £10	Lose £10	Win £5	Win £10	Win £10

Variable Handicap Odds Betting (or Multiple Handicap Markets)

Betfair operate a different type of Odds betting market, based around the handicap market. Similar to “regular” or Asian Handicap markets, they allow you to bet on a score (or index) to be at different levels, with exposure and commission linked across bets on every level.

You place bets on whether the index or score will be above a certain level. If you think it will be below, then you can lay the score being above that level.

For example, Betfair often run a Variable Handicap market on the number of runs a cricket team will amass. The selections for the market might be 150 runs or more, 200 runs or more, 250 runs or more etc. If the team attains the specified level, then back bets on that selection are winners, otherwise they are losers. So you might Back Australia to score 250 runs or more and Lay them to score 300 runs or more. If they score less than 250 your back bet loses, but your lay bet wins. If they score more than 300 then the back bet wins, but the lay bet loses. If they score between 250 and 300 runs then both bets win. By betting in this way you can set a winning range that you think your team will score.

Line Betting (L)

Line Betting is an even-money (Odds: 2.0) bet on the total number of runs, goals, points or shots scored or played in any sporting event. The 'Line' refers to a line of numbers representing all possible results. In order to bet, you either 'Buy' or 'Sell' the Line at one particular 'Price', depending on whether you believe the final result will be above, or below, this Price. The final result will always be an integer.

The example below lists the line betting market for Premiership Points. The current market for Chelsea is 90.5 (Sell) and 94 (Buy).

If you think Chelsea will score 86 points for the season, you would Sell the line at 90.5, and win if Chelsea accumulates 90 or less points. Remember, this is not spread betting – your bet will always be settled at even money (2.0).

Conversely, if you think Chelsea will amass 97 points for the season, you would Buy the line at 94. Your bet would win if Chelsea score any more than 95 points.

If the settlement total is equal to the number you bought or sold at, the bet is refunded.

N.B. In the specific instance when the difference between the price at which you buy and the final result is less than 0.5, the return from your bet will be less than even-money, i.e. your net profit or loss will be less than your stake. For example, if you buy Arsenal points at 75.7 for £100 and they score 76, then your net profit is £60. If they had scored 77 or above your net profit would have been £100 ('double your money'), or if they had scored 75 or below your net loss would have been £100 ('lose your stake') as normal.

What is a Fractional price?

When the price on a line is a whole number, there is a risk of the bet being voided (if the final score equals the price). By using prices with half points (0.5, 1.5, 2.5, etc) there will always be a winner of the bet, as the final score will always be a whole number.
If the price is fractional, it has a value between the half point and the whole number. This bet is split into two parts, one betting on the closest whole number price, and the other betting on the closest half point price. The best example of this is when the price is x.25 or x.75, when half the bet is placed on the half or whole point below and half on the whole or half point above.

If you sell £10 at a price of 2.75 , £5 is put on 2.5 and £5 is put on 3.0 (Buying means you bet the final score will be HIGHER than 2.75). Depending on the final score, the outcome of the two bets would be:

Score	1	2	3	4	5
Bet 1	Lose £5	Lose £5	Win £5	Win £5	Win £5
Bet 2	Lose £5	Lose £5	Void £5	Win £5	Win £5
Total	Lose £10	Lose £10	Win £5	Win £10	Win £10

For each 0.1 points the price strays away from the half or whole numbered price, the split between the two bets changes by 20%. All the splits are represented in this table:

Price	x.0	x.1	x.2	x.25	x.3	x.4	x.5
% split x.0/x.5	100/0	80/20	60/40	50/50	40/60	20/80	0/100

Price	x.5	x.6	x.7	x.75	x.8	x.9	y.0
% split x.5/y.0	100/0	80/20	60/40	50/50	40/60	20/80	0/100

Another example:

If you sell £100 at a price of 6.6, you are betting £80 on 6.5 and £20 on 7.0 (Selling means you bet the final score will be LOWER than 6.6). Depending on the final score, the outcome of the two bets would be:

Score	4	5	6	7	8
Bet 1	Win £80	Win £80	Win £80	Lose £80	Lose £80
Bet 2	Win £20	Win £20	Win £20	Void £20	Lose £20
Total	Win £100	Win £100	Win £100	Lose £80	Lose £100

Range Betting (R)

Range betting (whilst it amounts to a series of fixed odds bets) has the overall effect of being a bet on either the total number of runs, goals, points or shots scored or played in an event, or the performance within an event constructed around a pre-determined 'points index'.

The effect of fixed odds Range betting is to provide a profit (or loss!) equal to the difference between the level you strike your bet at and the final result (the 'make up'), multiplied by your stake. Your 'stake' is defined as an amount per unit (run, point or goal etc) that you designate when placing the bet.

You should 'buy' at a price when you think the make up will be greater than the level you buy, and conversely, you should 'sell' when you believe the make up will be lower that the level you sell at. As normal on Betfair, you can either buy or sell at the prices indicated on the betting screen or leave an order for something better.

All Betfair Range betting markets always have a maximum and minimum make up. If the actual make up falls outside these limits, then the maximum or minimum number is used, as appropriate, to calculate the profit or loss. This ensures that your total profit or loss is always capped.