Betting Terms: Meaning of Football Betting Abbreviations
If you’ve ever looked at a football betting slip and been unsure what all the letters and shortened terms mean, you’re not alone. Bookmakers use abbreviations to label different markets and outcomes, and these can look confusing at first if you’re not familiar with them.
Seeing terms like “BTTS”, “FT”, or “AH” can raise questions about what’s actually being offered. Understanding these basics makes it much easier to read the odds and see what each market relates to on match day. From common result shorthand to phrases like “O/U”, a little knowledge goes a long way in clearing things up.
In this blog post, you’ll find each abbreviation explained, along with what it refers to, so you can navigate a betting page with clarity and confidence. Always remember to place bets responsibly and only stake what you’re comfortable losing.
Key Football Betting Terms Explained
Most football markets settle on what happens in normal time, which is 90 minutes plus injury time, unless otherwise stated.
FT (Full Time)
The result of the match after the full 90 minutes. Extra time and penalties are not included unless specified.
HT (Half Time)
The score at the halfway point of the match, after 45 minutes plus injury time. Bets marked “HT” only consider the first half.
BTTS (Both Teams To Score)
Both teams must score at least one goal each within 90 minutes. The match result does not matter for this market.
O/U (Over/Under)
A bet on the total number of goals. For example, “O/U 2.5” means you choose whether there will be 3 or more goals (over) or 2 or fewer (under).
AH (Asian Handicap)
A goals-based head start, shown with plus or minus numbers, used to balance a match with a clear favourite.
DC (Double Chance)
Covers two outcomes with one selection, such as “win or draw”.
1X2
A three-way market: home win (1), draw (X), or away win (2).
Why Do Bookies Use Shortened Betting Terms?
Bookmakers rely on shortened betting terms to keep things quick and clear across hundreds of markets. Abbreviations help fit information onto screens, printed slips, and mobile apps without clutter.
Short forms let you recognise markets at a glance, instead of reading long descriptions for every option. That helps both customers and staff, especially when matches are already underway and prices are moving.
You’ll also see similar abbreviations wherever you choose to bet, which keeps things consistent from one site or shop to the next. Now that the logic behind the shorthand is clearer, let’s look at the match result abbreviations you’ll come across most often.
Understanding Match Result Abbreviations
Full-Time Result (1X2)
This is the basic outcome after 90 minutes. “1” means a home win, “X” is a draw, and “2” stands for an away win. It is a straightforward market if you simply want to back the result at full time.
Double Chance (DC)
Double Chance, shown as “DC”, gives you two possible outcomes in a single bet. You can pick:
- 1X (home win or draw)
- 12 (either team to win, so not a draw)
- X2 (draw or away win)
It is a useful option when you want a broader result covered.
Draw No Bet (DNB)
“DNB” removes the draw as a losing outcome. You back either the home or away team to win in 90 minutes and, if the match ends level, your stake is returned. For example, if you choose the away side and it finishes 1-1, the bet is void, and your money comes back.
If you are now comfortable with the main result markets, it is easier to make sense of player and team-focused abbreviations next.
Player and Team Bet Abbreviations
Anytime Goalscorer (AG)
Back a specific player to score at any time during the 90 minutes, including injury time. The final match result does not affect this market.
Both Teams To Score (BTTS)
As covered earlier, BTTS is simply whether each team scores at least once in normal time. It is settled independently of who wins.
Clean Sheet (CS)
A bet on a team conceding zero goals in the match. For instance, if you back the home side for a clean sheet, any scoreline in which they do not concede a goal would count as a win, such as 0-0 or 2-0.
With those markets in mind, the same abbreviations often appear again during live action.
What Do In-Play Betting Abbreviations Mean?
In-play betting, sometimes called live betting, lets you place bets while the match is in progress. Because prices and events update quickly, short forms keep everything readable.
HT (Half Time)
Applies to markets settled by the first-half score. As before, only the opening 45 minutes plus injury time count.
FT (Full Time)
Covers the result after 90 minutes, as defined in pre-match markets.
Next Goal (NG)
Next Goal is for who you think will score the next goal, or “no next goal” if you think no more goals will be scored.
Live Corners/Both Teams To Score (LC/BTTS)
Shorthand used for ongoing markets, such as corners taken after a certain minute or whether both sides will score before full time.
Cash Out
An option to settle a bet early for a shown amount based on what is happening in the match.
Next, handicap markets adjust scores to balance perceived differences between teams.
Handicap And Spread Abbreviations
Asian Handicap (AH)
A goals-based adjustment that gives one team a head start or a deficit. The handicap is applied to the final score to settle the bet. For example, if Team A is -1 on the handicap, they need to win by 2 or more goals for that selection to succeed, while +1 means the other team starts with a virtual goal advantage.
You will also see quarter-goal lines such as +0.25, -0.25, +0.75, or -0.75. These split your stake across the two nearest half-goal lines. For instance, +0.25 divides your stake between 0 and +0.5, which can result in half the stake winning and half being returned, depending on the score.
Asian Handicap markets remove the draw outcome within the market itself, as the line always tips the balance one way or the other.
European Handicap (EH)
A similar idea, but the draw remains an option. The lines are whole numbers only. If you back a team at -1 EH, they must win by 2 or more for that bet to pay out. If they win by exactly one, the draw selection would be the winning outcome on the handicap. This is often called a three-way handicap because home, draw, and away are all possible results.
Always remember to gamble responsibly by setting limits to your playing time, sticking to a strict budget within your means and making use of any responsible gambling tools available.
**The information provided in this blog is intended for educational purposes and should not be construed as betting advice or a guarantee of success. Always gamble responsibly.
