Guide · 6 min read
Both teams to score (BTTS) explained
Both teams to score, or BTTS, asks one simple question: will each team score at least one goal? It is one of the most popular football markets after 1X2 and over/under. This guide covers how it is settled, how to work out fair odds, how it relates to goal lines and how yes/no sure bets work.
Updated 22 October 2026
Contents
How BTTS is settled
A BTTS bet has two sides:
- Yes: wins if both teams score at least once. 1-1, 2-1 and 3-2 are all "yes".
- No: wins if at least one team does not score. 0-0, 1-0 and 4-0 are all "no".
The usual settlement rules are:
- Regular time only. In football the market covers 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Goals in extra time and penalty shoot-outs do not count unless the market says so.
- Own goals count. Under the Laws of the Game an own goal is a goal for the other team, so a 1-1 with an own goal is "yes" like any other 1-1.
- Abandoned matches. If both teams had already scored before the abandonment, many bookmakers settle "yes" because the result can no longer change. Otherwise bets are usually void. Deadlines and details differ, see abandoned and postponed matches.
Odds and implied probability
Odds are just probabilities in disguise. Divide 1 by the decimal odds to get the implied probability.
1/1.80 = 55.6% and 1/2.00 = 50.0%. Together that is 105.6%, so the bookmaker's margin is about 5.6 percentage points.
Remove the margin by dividing each figure by 1.056: yes = 52.6%, no = 47.4%. Fair odds are therefore about 1.90 for yes and 2.11 for no.
If another bookmaker offers yes at 1.95, it is above the fair price from this example. That is the idea behind value betting, which is coming soon in ArbVantage. The full method is in implied probability and fair odds without the margin.
Estimating BTTS yourself
A common starting point is to assume that each team's goals follow a Poisson distribution, a statistical model used in football research since the 1980s. If a team is expected to score λ goals, the chance that it scores at least once is 1 − e−λ.
Home team scores at least once: 1 − e−1.5 = 1 − 0.223 = 77.7%.
Away team scores at least once: 1 − e−1.1 = 1 − 0.333 = 66.7%.
If the two are independent, BTTS yes = 0.777 × 0.667 = 51.8%, fair odds about 1.93. BTTS no = 48.2%, fair odds about 2.08.
This is a simplification. Real matches are not fully independent: a team that falls behind attacks more, and low scores such as 0-0 and 1-1 occur slightly more often than the basic model predicts. Professional models correct for this, so treat the result as a rough check, not a forecast.
BTTS and over/under
BTTS yes means at least two goals, but it is not the same as over 2.5 goals. The table shows how common scores fall into each market.
| Score | BTTS | Over/under 1.5 | Over/under 2.5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-0 | No | Under | Under |
| 1-0 | No | Under | Under |
| 1-1 | Yes | Over | Under |
| 2-0 | No | Over | Under |
| 2-1 | Yes | Over | Over |
| 3-0 | No | Over | Over |
Two things follow. First, BTTS yes always means over 1.5, so "under 1.5" and "BTTS yes" can never both win. Second, the markets overlap only partly, so you cannot build a combination that always pays from BTTS yes and under 2.5: a 1-1 wins both, but a 2-0 loses both. Combinations like this are gambles, not sure bets. The correct score guide shows how each score maps to these markets in more detail.
BTTS yes/no sure bets
Because BTTS has only two outcomes, a sure bet is simple in principle: back yes at one bookmaker and no at another, when 1/odds yes + 1/odds no is below 1.
1/2.08 + 1/1.98 = 0.4808 + 0.5051 = 0.9858, about 1.4% below 100%.
With €200 in total: €97.54 on yes and €102.46 on no. Both teams score: 97.54 × 2.08 = €202.88. At least one does not: 102.46 × 1.98 = €202.87. About +€2.87 either way, if both bets are accepted at these odds and settled the same way.
BTTS arbs are usually small, between 0.5% and 2%, because it is a popular market and prices are compared a lot. They often appear when one bookmaker reacts late to team news, such as a striker ruled out. How stakes are split, and why you should place the less stable leg first, is covered in sure betting explained.
Rule differences to check
BTTS sounds universal, but small rule differences can settle the two legs of a sure bet differently. Before you combine two bookmakers, check:
- Period: full time, first half, second half or "both halves". "BTTS in both halves" is a different market with very different odds.
- Extra time: cup matches with extra time are the classic trap. Most books settle on 90 minutes; a few markets explicitly include extra time.
- Abandonment: one bookmaker may settle "yes" after both teams have scored, while the other voids everything. In that case one leg wins and the other is refunded, which is fine, but the reverse can cost you.
- Postponement: some books void if the match is not played within 24 hours, others wait longer.
- Combined markets: "BTTS and over 2.5" or "BTTS and win" are not the same as plain BTTS, even if they sit next to it on the screen.
A broader checklist is in bookmaker terms to check.
Frequently asked questions
Do own goals count for both teams to score?
Yes. Under the Laws of the Game an own goal counts as a goal for the opposing team, so it counts towards BTTS like any other goal. Bookmakers settle on the official score at the end of regular time.
Does extra time count in a BTTS bet?
Usually not. Football markets are normally settled on 90 minutes plus stoppage time, so goals in extra time and penalty shoot-outs do not count. Some markets include extra time explicitly, so read the market name and the rules.
Is BTTS yes the same as over 2.5 goals?
No. A 1-1 is BTTS yes but under 2.5, and a 3-0 is BTTS no but over 2.5. BTTS yes always means over 1.5 goals, but the two markets only overlap partly.
Can you make a sure bet on BTTS?
Yes, when yes at one bookmaker and no at another together have implied probabilities below 100%. The margins are usually small, and both bookmakers must settle the market by the same rules, especially for extra time and abandoned matches.
Sources
- IFAB: Laws of the Game, Law 10 (determining the outcome of a match)
- Maher, M. J. (1982): Modelling association football scores. Statistica Neerlandica 36(3)
- Dixon, M. J. and Coles, S. G. (1997): Modelling association football scores and inefficiencies in the football betting market. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society C 46(2)
- Wikipedia: Poisson distribution
- Wikipedia: Mathematics of bookmaking
As of October 2026. Settlement rules differ between bookmakers and can change; your bookmaker's betting rules are what counts. All figures are worked examples with the stated odds.
Not betting, legal or tax advice. 18+. Betting involves risk and no profit is guaranteed: odds change, bets get voided and accounts get limited. Only bet money you can afford to lose. Our responsible gambling page lists free help, and the disclaimer applies.