SI

My Favorite Bet: Tied at Halftime, Either Team to Win or Overtime

Analyzing an often overlooked bet that's offered for a variety of sports and typically provides great payouts.

David Scipione

What I love about sports betting is it constantly evolves.

Sure, there are dinosaurs out there only making the traditional Against The Spread (ATS), Straight-Up (SU) and over/under bets—but even they have to admit the rabbit hole of props and futures is intriguing.

It all comes down to odds, people.

Yes, I love making traditional bets and cleaning up when they hit. However, unless you're parlaying, stacking bets or wagering huge amounts, you're not getting the most exciting odds and payouts.

This is where my favorite bet comes into play.

SMU kicker Chris Naggar
Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports

Whether you have a limited or infinite bankroll, not only is this bet a lot of fun, but it pays out nicely if it hits. Even better, it spans most sports and sportsbooks.

Check Out the Latest Odds at SI Sportsbook

Tied at halftime, either team to win—or the game to go to overtime.

I know, I know: it's really three bets. You're essentially betting a tie at the midway point by making two—or three—smaller bets for a big payout.

I love betting this for prime time games, and especially for the postseason. Recently, I was pretty successful with this bet for MLB playoffs: tied after five innings, either team to win. It exists for basketball as well, but I really enjoy betting this for soccer, baseball and football games where the scoring lends itself to a lot of ties.

For the NFL this season, just take a look at the Bills' past two games.

3-3 at halftime; win over Dolphins.

6-6 at halftime; loss to Jaguars.

I could give you more examples, but this is a bet based more on feel and the odds given—just imagine if you'd bet this for Jacksonville's latest win over Buffalo.

To prove how much fun this bet is, and that I do indeed bet it, check out the podcast below at the 4:18 mark.

When SMU football took on Tulane in 2020, I had a hard time finding a rooting—and betting—interest in either team. I checked the odds for tied at half, each team to win, and also saw odds for the game to go into overtime. 

+1600 tied at halftime/SMU to win

+2200 tied at halftime/Tulane to win

+4500 tied at halftime/overtime

Those odds are pretty spicy, and I couldn't resist—$100 on each outcome.

I'll save you the entire game recap, you obviously can guess this bet hit, but there definitely was some drama.

With 44 seconds left in the first half, Tulane kicker Merek Glover hit a 34-yard field goal to set the table for a very profitable night.

Score knotted 17-17 at halftime. (Boom!)

The third quarter was exactly what you'd want when placing this kind of bet (outside of the teams not scoring at all). Both teams kept it a one-score game, with SMU pulling ahead, 27-24, heading into the fourth quarter.

Opening drive: Tulane touchdown; 27-31

Fantastic! If either team was going to win, please let it be Tulane with a higher payout.

7:12 left to go: SMU touchdown; 34-31

Please, Tulane—PLEASE: Field goal or touchdown!

1:30 left: Tulane 27-yard FG; 34-34

At this point, I was ecstatic—but realistic. There was a lot of time left, and SMU kicker Chris Naggar had already missed a field goal in the first half to help give Tulane a chance to tie it—no way he'd miss again if given the opportunity.

Well, after six plays SMU was setting up for a 57-yard field goal.

I'll let Twitter tell you how it played out.

YES! YES! YES!

Wait... he kicked it with 21 seconds left, and Tulane has a chance from midfield. 

NOOOOOOOO!

I'll spare you the paragraph of four-letter words, but there were a lot of things said during those final seconds. 

I have a motto when it comes to betting on college teams: If the team costs me in a bet, my future kids will not be going to school there. 

Now, there aren't very many colleges left on the list for my potential offspring, but I'll tell you who made the cut: SMU and Tulane.

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David Scipione
DAVID SCIPIONE

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