What is Head to Head Betting?

Head-to-head betting, also known as two-way betting, refers to the option of placing a bet in a situation of two possibilities. Much like a standard three-way betting (1x2 betting), the H2H betting is just betting on the outcome of a match (whereas the match itself is not necessarily just a two team competition) - win or lose.

Head to head betting can used for comparing two Formula 1 pilots or two tennis players. You can bet on one of two football teams advancing further in a championship or two football players - which one will score more goals than the other. In summary, H2H is a simple type of bet that is accessible to even the most inexperienced bettors.

What sports is H2H betting used?

Particularly interesting for H2H betting are the individual sports, especially the ones that involve a race. An instance are motor sports, such as Formula 1, Moto GP, or Nascar. Options would be to predict which of 2 drivers would finish first, but also bet on a team vs. another team. In the example below, the bookie has set 1.27 for Sebastian Vettel finishing before Kimi Raikkonen (3.40) in GP Belgium.

Horse racing is another sport where H2H betting is highly popular, with attractive odds. You just select which of two horses will cross the finish line first. It is very straightforward and can offer very good value. Bet365 has many attractive offers for this market every day, listed as Match Bets.

Head-to-head bets are also available for rugby, alpine skiing, tennis and increasingly popular in football.

Is Head to Head betting profitable?

The answer to that is of course “it depends”. H2H is straightforward - unlike HT/FT betting, for instance, it only has two possible outcomes. This makes it accessible to anyone, but also reduces the risk to a manageable level. On the other hand, head-to-head bets can have very low odds at times, making them less lucrative than other markets.

Betting Markets Overview