Both teams to score

Yes or no

The bet asks one question of the final score: are both numbers bigger than zero? 2 to 1, yes. 1 to 1, yes. 3 to 0, no. 0 to 0, no. It is a soccer bet first, though some books offer the same idea on hockey, where it works the same way with goals.

Most books grade it on 90 minutes plus stoppage time, the way they grade the three-way line, so a goal in extra time doesn't count. An own goal counts for the team it is credited to, which is the other side from the player who scored it. If a match is abandoned before the end, the house rules decide, and the usual one is that the bet stands if the result was already settled when play stopped (both teams had scored) and is void if it wasn't.

Not the same bet as the total

People treat BTTS yes as a cousin of the over, and they're related, but they part company often enough to matter. A 1 to 1 draw is a yes and an under 2.5. A 3 to 0 win is a no and an over 2.5. Which bet you want depends on what you think the match looks like, not on how many goals you expect.

If I thought a strong team would win comfortably against a side that never threatens, I'd be interested in no, even with the over in play. If I thought two evenly matched teams who both like to attack would trade chances, yes made sense even if I didn't expect many goals. The totals page covers the goals line itself.

What the price says

Say a match has yes at -125 and no at +100. Yes needs 55.56 percent to break even, and no needs 50 percent. The two add up to 105.56 percent, so the book's margin on this pair is a little over 5 points, a touch more than a standard -110 line on each side. The prices are an example, and they move from match to match; the habit of adding the two up is what to keep.

The book knows who bets this. Most people watch soccer for goals and want to cheer for them, so the money tends to come on yes. A book that takes a lot of it shades yes a little shorter than it should be. I always found no the more interesting side for that reason, and it is the bet a recreational fan is least likely to sit through, because every attack by the weaker team is a sweat.

The combinations

Books sell BTTS stuck to other bets: BTTS and a team to win, BTTS and over 2.5, BTTS in both halves. These pay well because they are harder to hit. They are also priced by the book as one bet, so like a same game parlay you can't check the price by multiplying two lines together, and the margin is wider. I'd treat them as entertainment and stake them that way.

BTTS during the match is a different animal. Once one team has scored, the question is only whether the other will, and the price swings with every minute that passes without it. If you bet it live, know that the book's price moves faster than you can, and keep the stake small against your bankroll.

The soccer guide has the rest of what's on a match. BTTS is a simple bet with a simple question, and the useful work is all in the question: not how many goals, but whether the weaker team has one in it.