When looking to place a bet on any sport it can sometimes feel overwhelming. It’s not uncommon to find at certain sporting events there can be hundreds of different markets and bet types that you can place. It can be difficult to know where to start!

Despite the evolution of betting markets, one bet that is the most established and simplest to understand is the 1 x 2 bet.

This article will explain everything you need to know.

How 1X2 betting works

A 1X2 bet is one of the easiest bet types to understand. 1X2 betting is used for sports with 3 possible outcomes such as football (soccer), futsal and ice hockey.

In 1X2 betting the 1 refers to the home team selection, the 2 the away team selection and the X a draw.

So basically:

1 = Bet on 1 if you think the home team will win the match.

X = Bet on X if you think there will be a draw.

2 = Bet 0n 2 if you think the away team will win the match.

Betting sites that offer 1X2 betting

Online Bookmakers	Bookmaker's Promotion	Amount	Bet Now
	Open Account Offer Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required.	£30	Bet now
	Bet £10 and get £30 in free bets New online customers only, min £10/ €10 stake, win only, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 3 X £10/€10, 30 day expiry, free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply.	£30	Bet now
	Welcome Offer - Bet £10 Get £30 New 18+ UK customers. Deposit & place bet on sports at a minimum of £10 in one bet transaction at evens (2.0)+ within 7 days of registering. £30 paid in Free Bets within 10 hours of bet settlement, expires 7-days after issue. E-Wallet & Prepaid Card restrictions apply. Your first bet must be settled within 7 days of registration. Proof of I.D and address may be required. Full T&C's apply.	£30	Bet now

An example of 1 x 2 betting

One of the most popular sports to use 1 x 2 betting is football. There are three possible outcomes in a football match home team win, draw and away team win.

1X2 betting market example from  williamhill.com

Let’s say that Arsenal are playing Tottenham and Arsenal are the home team, Arsenal would be the 1 option. As the away side Tottenham would be 2 and the X would be the draw. If you bet on the 1 you are predicting Arsenal to win, option 2 you are predicting Tottenham and X the draw.

Advantages of 1 x 2 betting

The advantages of 1 x 2 betting is that the outcome is simple to understand. If you bet on the home side to win and they do, the bet will be a winner. If you bet on the away team to win and they do then that would also count as a winner. If you bet on the draw and that happens it will also count as a winner. If any other outcome other than what you predicted takes place then your bet won’t be a winning one.

Another great advantage of a 1 x 2 bet is that it works well with cash out incentives that most online bookmakers now run. Going back to our earlier example if you predict that Chelsea will beat Tottenham and they score first you will get nice cash out option you could take advantage of if you wanted to cash in your bet early.

It is also the most friendly in-play bet. In-play betting is becoming bigger and bigger and more often than not once the game kicks off the most common bet that can be placed is the 1 x 2 option.

The final advantage of implementing a 1 x 2 bet is that it can be used commonly in multiple bets. For example on a Premier League match week, you could run through the list of games and select whether home teams, away teams or the draw will take place. Depending on the number of teams you pick, this can lead to some very nicely priced bets.

What’s the difference between a 1 x 2 bet and a 1 2 bet?

The only difference between the two bet types is the X. In many different sports such as rugby, basketball and the NFL despite just two teams playing off against each other, the draw in these sports can be rare. Because of this, the X can often be omitted from these sports and bettors can pick between the 1 and 2 options only.

These sports can sometimes run the X option but if they do it’s often rare the draw comes in and the betting odds can often be large.

Conclusion

Where betting at times can be tricky to follow, 1 x 2 betting is straightforward and the easiest bet type to place. With the ability to bet on three outcomes as well as in-play betting and multiples it’s a bet that has so many different possibilities.

This is a bet that can be applied to many sporting events across the world and you don’t need a great deal of knowledge or need to rely on statistics to place. You will often find this bet type right at the top of the market and is usually the first bet you can place. Simple, easy to understand and fun. Make sure you explore betting with 1 x 2 markets next time you place a bet!