What is Three Way Betting? Three Way Betting Explained in 2 Minutes
Jesse M. Cox Last Verified
30/09/2026
Three-way betting is a market where you choose between exactly three possible outcomes: home team wins, away team wins, or the match ends in a draw. Unlike a standard two-option bet, there is no default winner if the game is tied - the draw is a stand-alone result you can back or lose to.
This page walks you through a real Premier League example, practical strategies, common beginner mistakes, and everything else you need to feel confident before placing your first three-way bet.
What does Three-Way Betting mean?
In three-way betting, a sportsbook offers odds on all three outcomes of a single match: a home win (labeled "1"), a draw (labeled "X"), and an away win (labeled "2"). If you pick the home team to win and the game ends level, your bet loses - the draw is not a "push" or refund, it is simply a losing result. You may also see this market called the 1X2 market, which is the shorthand sportsbooks use most often for soccer and some hockey contests.
This format is the standard way to bet on soccer worldwide because ties are a regular and meaningful part of the sport. It also appears in other sports where regulation draws are possible, such as ice hockey before overtime is taken into account, and some rugby formats. You will find it listed as a pre-game option on almost every match, and it is one of the most beginner-friendly markets because the choice is straightforward: pick one of three results.
Real-life example
Imagine a Premier League match between Liverpool and Chelsea. A sportsbook posts the following lines: Liverpool (home win) -150, Draw +260, Chelsea (away win) +380. You decide to back Liverpool at -150, staking $50.
A moneyline of -150 means you must wager $150 to profit $100. On a $50 stake, your potential profit is $50 divided by 1.50, which equals $33.33. Your total payout if Liverpool win is $83.33 (your $50 stake back plus $33.33 profit). If the game ends in a draw or Chelsea win, your entire $50 stake is lost - the draw does not save you here.
Now consider backing the Draw at +260 instead. Odds of +260 mean a $50 stake returns a profit of $130, for a total payout of $180. The draw is the highest-risk pick because draws are the least frequent of the three outcomes in most matches, but the odds reflect that extra risk with a bigger potential reward.
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Three-way betting strategies & tips
Applying a few basic principles before placing a three-way bet can make a real difference to your results over time. The tips below are written for beginners and focus on practical decisions you can act on right now, not abstract theory.
📊 Study recent head-to-head records before picking
Some fixture pairings produce draws far more often than others. Before backing either team to win, check the last six to ten meetings between the two sides and note how many ended level. If a rivalry consistently ends in stalemates, the draw price may offer better value than the favourite's odds suggest.
🔍 Factor in what each team needs from the result
A team that only needs a point to avoid relegation may approach the game cautiously, making a draw the most likely outcome regardless of talent levels. Always consider the table situation and what each club is playing for when you assess the three options.
🧠 Compare odds across betting sites before committing
Because three-way markets have three separate prices, small differences between sportsbooks compound quickly. Spending two minutes checking the same market at several betting sites could improve your return by several percentage points on the same selection.
💰 Use free bets to trial the draw option
The draw is statistically underplayed by casual bettors who tend to back one side or the other. If your sportsbook offers free bets as a welcome offer, they are a low-risk way to get comfortable betting the draw without putting your own money at immediate risk.
⏱️ Be cautious with very short-priced favourites
In three-way markets, a team priced at -300 to win is still losing roughly one game in every four to six when you factor in draws and upsets. The bookmaker's edge is spread across three outcomes, so a short price does not eliminate draw risk the way it might in a two-outcome market. Build that reality into your staking decisions.
📋 Consider team news and match context on the day
A missing striker or a key centre-back being suspended can shift the most likely outcome from a home win to a draw in a matter of hours. Check the starting lineups when they are released, usually 60 to 90 minutes before kick-off, before confirming your bet.
When does the Three-Way Betting bet win?
Your three-way bet wins only if the outcome you selected matches the final result at the end of regulation time. Back the home win and the home team must be ahead when the referee blows the final whistle - it does not matter what happens in extra time or a penalty shootout, because those periods are not included in the 1X2 settlement. The away win selection wins if the visiting team has more goals at full time, and the draw selection wins if both teams have scored the same number of goals (or none at all) at the end of 90 minutes plus injury time.
The most common edge case to understand is extra time. In knockout cup competitions, matches that are level at full time proceed to extra time and possibly penalties, but your three-way bet is already settled on the regulation result - meaning a draw selection already won. Some sportsbooks label their markets explicitly as "90 minutes" or "regulation time" to make this clear. If you are unsure, check the market rules listed on the bet slip before placing. Voided bets are rare in this market but can occur if a match is abandoned before completion, in which case most sportsbooks return your stake.
Mistakes to avoid when betting Three-Way
Three-way betting looks simple on the surface, but beginners regularly fall into the same traps. Understanding these mistakes before your first wager is far cheaper than learning them with real money on the line.
🚫 Forgetting the draw is a live threat - even for heavy favourites
Many beginners back a strong favourite and assume a draw is unlikely. In soccer, even the best teams draw roughly 20 to 25 percent of their matches across a season. Never treat the draw option as irrelevant just because one team is much stronger on paper.
⚠️ Confusing 1X2 with double chance betting
Double chance betting (explained in the related terms section below) lets you cover two of the three outcomes with a single bet - for example, home win or draw. Three-way betting covers only one outcome. Placing a three-way bet when you meant to use double chance is a costly mix-up that beginners make more than once.
💸 Staking too much based on recent form alone
A team on a five-game winning streak looks attractive, but form tables do not account for opponent quality, travel schedules, or squad rotation. Overbetting a "banker" because of a hot run is one of the most reliable ways to take a painful loss in this market.
🎲 Ignoring the juice on three-way markets
Juice (also called vig) is the built-in fee a sportsbook charges by setting odds slightly below true probability. Because three-way markets have three separate prices, the total juice across all three outcomes is sometimes higher than on a simple two-way moneyline. Add up the implied probabilities of all three prices and see how far above 100 percent they sit - that gap is the bookmaker's edge.
📉 Treating extra time goals as part of the bet
Backing a team to win and then assuming that a goal in extra time counts toward your 1X2 bet is a common misunderstanding. Regulation time only. A match that finishes 1-1 after 90 minutes and then sees the home team score in extra time still settles your three-way bet as a draw.
Is Three-Way Betting available at top US sportsbooks?
Three-way betting is a standard market at most major US sportsbooks, particularly for soccer. The format is so central to soccer wagering that you will find it as the first listed option on virtually every match from the Premier League, MLS, UEFA Champions League, La Liga, and other top competitions. It is one of the most consistently available markets you will encounter.
Operators including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, bet365, Caesars, and Fanatics all typically carry 1X2 markets across the major domestic and international soccer leagues. Coverage tends to be deepest for the Premier League and Champions League, with broader availability expanding during major tournaments. For hockey, three-way (regulation) lines are also common at most of these soccer betting sites and sports-focused operators, where the market is often labeled "60-minute betting" or "regulation result" to distinguish it from the full-game outcome that includes overtime.
Is Three-Way Betting available for live betting?
Yes, three-way betting is widely available as an in-play (live) option at most sportsbooks that carry soccer and hockey. The odds shift constantly during the match to reflect the current score, time remaining, and in-game events - a goal changes all three prices almost immediately, compressing the draw odds if one team is now ahead. Watching the match alongside the live market through live streaming is a useful way to track how odds move and understand why certain moments trigger large price changes.
In-play three-way betting can be useful if you want to wait and see how a match develops before committing. However, the sportsbook adjusts prices faster than most casual bettors can react, and the juice in live markets is sometimes wider than pre-game lines. Using a quality mobile app with a stable data connection matters more in this market than in most others, since odds can flip within seconds of a scoring opportunity.
Three-way betting pros and cons
Like every betting market, three-way betting has clear advantages for certain types of bettors and meaningful drawbacks you should weigh before making it a regular part of your wagering. The overview below covers the most important trade-offs.
- Simple choice between just three outcomes
- Draw option offers higher odds and value
- Standard market across all major soccer leagues
- Available pre-game and live at most sportsbooks
- Draw result loses money even if your team scores
- Bookmaker edge spans three prices, not two
- More outcomes mean more ways for the bet to fail
Related terms and similar bets
Several betting markets sit close to three-way betting in concept, and understanding each one helps you pick the right tool for a given situation. The terms below come up regularly when you explore soccer and hockey betting, and knowing how they differ from 1X2 will save you from choosing the wrong market.
🔄 1X2 (Home/Draw/Away)
1X2 is simply the shorthand code for three-way betting - "1" is the home win, "X" is the draw, and "2" is the away win. The terms are interchangeable, though 1X2 is more commonly used by European-facing sportsbooks. Read more about the 1X2 market and how it is displayed on bet slips.
🎯 Double Chance
Double chance lets you cover two of the three 1X2 outcomes with a single bet - for example, "home win or draw" or "away win or draw." The cost is lower odds, since you are accepting a broader winning condition. It is a useful tool when you are confident a team will not lose but are unsure whether they will win outright. Learn how double chance accumulators extend this idea across multiple matches.
🏆 Match Winner (Two-Way)
In a two-way match winner market, the draw option is removed entirely. This is standard in US sports like the NFL and NBA, where a winner must be determined. If you bet a soccer match using a two-way match winner market, the draw is typically treated as a void and your stake is refunded. Explore the match winner market to understand when two-way lines appear alongside 1X2 options.
📚 Final Result
Final result is sometimes listed as a separate market that settles on the full-time score including extra time and penalties in knockout formats, rather than regulation only. This is different from the standard 1X2 three-way bet, which always closes at 90 minutes. Check the final result market rules carefully before betting cup competitions to avoid confusion.
💡 Correct Score
Instead of picking which team wins, a correct score bet asks you to predict the exact scoreline at full time - for example, 2-1 to the home side. The market is harder to win but pays significantly higher odds. It sits within the same family of regulation-time soccer markets as three-way betting. Explore the correct score market if you are comfortable with the 1X2 format and want a higher-variance option.
Final thoughts
Three-way betting is one of the most accessible markets in sports wagering - the rules are clear, the choice is limited to three outcomes, and you will find it on almost every soccer match at major betting sites. The key discipline is remembering that the draw is always a live result, not an afterthought, and that a short-priced favourite still loses to a stalemate more often than casual bettors expect.
Before placing any bet, compare the 1X2 prices across a few sportsbooks, check for any promo codes that might add value to your first wager, and set a stake you are comfortable losing entirely. No market, however straightforward it looks, removes the built-in bookmaker edge - approach every bet with that reality in mind.
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FAQs
Common questions from beginners about Three-Way Betting.
What happens to my three-way bet if the game goes to extra time?
Three-way bets settle on the result at the end of 90 minutes of regulation play, including any stoppage time the referee adds. Extra time and penalty shootouts are not counted. If you back the draw and the game is level at full time, your bet wins regardless of what happens next - and the same logic applies to home or away win selections.
Is three-way betting only available for soccer?
Soccer is the sport most associated with three-way betting because draws are a regular and scoreable outcome. However, some sportsbooks also offer regulation-result lines for ice hockey, which function the same way - settling on the score after 60 minutes rather than including overtime. Other sports with mandatory winners (NFL, NBA, MLB) do not normally feature three-way markets.
Can I combine three-way selections into a parlay?
Yes, most sportsbooks allow you to add multiple 1X2 selections to a parlay, which is a single bet that strings several individual picks together. All selections must win for the parlay to pay out. Because the draw is a third possible losing outcome on each leg, three-way parlays carry more risk than equivalent two-outcome parlays, so keep your number of legs modest if you are new to this format.
