BTTS Meaning Explained: How Both Teams to Score Bets Work

BTTS bets have become all the rage lately in the wild and exciting world of football investing, and it’s easy to see why. BTTS stands for both teams to score, so it’s an incredibly attractive wager for folks who love to cheer for scoring.

Let’s face it: most people bet on football for fun, and there’s nothing more entertaining than seeing lots of goals being scored. In addition to being loads of fun, BTTS bets can also be profitable to your bottom line. To make things even better, BTTS bets are easy to understand.

In this in-depth guide, we’ll dive into what a BTTS is, give you a real-life example of a BTTS, and show you which BTTS strategies can lead to a higher return on investment.

BTTS Bet Basics: How It Works

Folks who are tired of spending countless hours handicapping football matches will love BTTS bets because of their simplicity. Instead of diving into the ins and outs of each team to figure out who you think is going to win, BTTS bets only require you to decide if both teams will score a goal or not. That’s incredibly refreshing news, especially to newer bettors who may not have a lot of time to do lots of research.

If you bet ‘Yes’ on a BTTS wager, both teams have to score at least one goal for you to win. However, this isn’t the only way to attack the BTTS market. You can also bet on the ‘No’ option with BTTS wagers. Bookmakers know that the average gambler likes to bet on lots of goals in football, so they’ll often give out attractive prices on the ‘No’ with BTTS bets.

For the sake of argument, let’s look at some of the upcoming matches in the English Premier League. The best BTTS price you can find on a ‘Yes’ is +100 in Sunderland AFC vs Burnley FC. The odds range for the ‘Yes’ on this EPL slate is +100 to -171, which is a very common range for BTTS wagers across most football leagues.

As for the ‘No’, the best price is +122, and it’s available in two matches: Wolverhampton vs Bournemouth and Liverpool vs Newcastle. The overall odds range for the ‘No’ is +122 to -132, and again, that’s pretty typical for any football league.

Expert Opinion

Leo Coleman

Chief Editor / Gambling Specialist

Don’t forget about the ‘No’ option when dabbling in BTTS bets. As a general rule, I like to have more ‘No’ bets than ‘Yes’ bets in my BTTS portfolio. A good rule of thumb is 60% No and only 40% Yes. I know it’s more exciting to cheer for lots of goals, but the bookmakers already add an extra ‘tax’ to the odds because of this. It may sound counterintuitive, but betting against human achievement is often the more profitable route to take. This is especially true in the highly televised games that garner more overall betting volume.

Key BTTS Strategies, Statistics, and Factors

If you’re new to BTTS bets, you may be wondering which football stats matter and which ones can be tossed out. In this section, I’ll give you the top five scenarios to zero in on before placing a BTTS wager. This isn’t a hard and fast list, but it’s meant to help you spot situations where betting on the ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ may make sense over the long haul.

For Yes: Target Teams with Stellar Offenses and Bad Defenses

If you’re an action junkie who just loves rooting for goals, this is the best route for you to take. Make yourself a list of football teams that have strong scoring attacks but are lacking of the defensive end. I like to aim for teams that average more than 1 goal per game but give up more than 1 goal per game.

So, keeping with this criterion, we see that Manchester United is a great candidate in the English Premier League this season. Man U has a fabulous offense, as they average 1.78 goals per game, mainly thanks to Bruno Fernandes.

On the flip side, Man U has a lackluster defense, as they give up 1.48 goals per match. This is the perfect combination for making a BTTS ‘Yes’ wager, especially if you can find odds in the -145 or less range.

For No: Find a Team With a Stingy Defense + Strong Current Form

Betting on a BTTS ‘No’ requires a little more nuance, but there are still plenty of profitable situations out there for us to find. When looking to bet a ‘No,’ I want at least one of the teams in the match to have a top-tier defense. We need teams that have the ability to shut out their opponent.

One quick way to find these teams is to target squads that give fewer than one goal per match on average. If we stick with our EPL example, a fantastic choice would be Arsenal because they only give up 0.74 goals per game.

However, that doesn’t mean you should just blindly bet the ‘No’ BTTS on all Arsenal matches. This is where paying attention to current form comes into play. For example, Arsenal was in such a defensive groove to start the season that the ‘No’ BTTS bet cashed 6 straight times. That’s the kind of hot streak we want to be a part of as bettors.

Always Check Head-to-Head History When Betting BTTS

Regardless of which stats you like to peek at before betting, it’s always a good idea to check the head-to-head history between the two squads. I use EPL Fixtures Today regularly during the season because you can quickly check the matchup history.

You don’t have to go too far back with your search. I like to use the last three years’ worth of data because players change teams so frequently these days. Remember, the goal is to see if the BTTS ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ has hit more frequently. This type of info, when combined with other factors on this list, can help you decide which option to take.

Don’t Forget Injuries and Weather

A lot of new bettors get too caught up in stats and forget to do their due diligence on basic things like injuries and weather. This can severely limit your profits when taking BTTS positions. For example, let’s say you loaded up on a ‘No’ because two top-tier defenses are playing against each other.

That’s a wise scenario for a ‘No’ in theory, but if you forgot to check the injury report, you could be in for a rude awakening. What if one of the starting goalkeepers is hurt or gets the flu? All of a sudden, your BTTS ‘No’ bet doesn’t look so good with a 2nd string keeper in the net.

It works the same way with weather. Let’s say you’ve placed a BTTS ‘Yes’ bet because two high-scoring teams are facing off against each other. That’s a great situation unless you find out that the weather forecast is filled with tons of rain. That could and usually does limit scoring.

Choose a Wise Money Management Strategy for BTTS Bets

Bankroll management principles should be followed at all times in sports betting. Even with an easy-to-understand wager like BTTS, you must remember that there is no such thing as ‘locks’. Because of this, never risk more than 2% of your betting bankroll on a single play. Remember, this endeavor is called gambling for a reason, and unfortunately, solid bets lose all the time because of just plain old bad luck.

Real Example of a BTTS Scenario

In the wild and crazy world of sports investing, it helps to see examples of whatever type of bet you’re studying. Because of this, I wanted to share with you an actual BTTS bet I placed for an English Premier League match that’s coming up. Check it out below:

Credit: MyBookie

Now, let’s go over why this is a solid BTTS ‘Yes’ bet. Here’s a quick list of why this wager checks a lot of boxes for me and why I think it has positive expected value:

• Manchester United: Scores 1.78 goals per match; allows 1.48 goals per match (both during 2025-26 season (24 matches, per ESPN)
• Fulham: Scores 1.39 goals per match and allows the same number of goals per match during the 2025-26 season (24 matches, per ESPN)
• Odds: Meets our criteria of -145 or less
• Decent Head-to-Head History: Both teams have scored in 3 of the last 5 matches
• Injuries: Man will be missing one of its top defenders, Patrick Dorgu, so that could mean more offense for Fulham. Both teams will have their top 2 goal scorers available.
• Weather: A drizzle of rain is expected, but not enough to deter goal scoring.

Pros and Cons of BTTS Bets

Even though you’ve seen a real example of a BTTS bet in action, you still may be unsure if you want to use this type of wager in your football betting. This section may help you make a final decision. We’ll briefly list the major pros and cons of this type of wager below.

FAQs

What Is a BTTS Bet?

It’s a type of wager where you’re trying to predict if both teams will score or not in a football match. Gamblers have the option of betting on ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ with BTTS bets.

Why Are the Odds Usually Worse on a ‘Yes’ BTTS Bet?

Because the bookmakers know that most people love to bet on human achievement and not against it. The folks who set the BTTS odds know that most gamblers bet for fun and that they prefer to root for lots of scoring instead of rooting for no scoring. Because of this, bookmakers charge an extra ‘tax’ on the ‘Yes’.

Does Extra Time Count in BTTS Bets? 

Nope! Extra time doesn’t factor into the outcome of BTTS bets. All wagers are settled after 90 minutes of playing time. If you bet the ‘Yes’ and the score is 1-0 after 90 minutes, your bet loses, even if the final score ends up being 1-1 in extra time.

Are BTTS Bets Safer Than Picking Who Will Win the Match?

Not necessarily. BTTS bets require less research time and are often less volatile than straight moneyline wagers, but that doesn’t mean they’re ‘safer’. The odds range for BTTS bets is not as severe as picking the outright winner, but there’s still plenty of risk involved.

Should BTTS Bets Be Avoided in Marquee Matches?

This one’s left up to personal preference, but it’s a good idea to bet on the ‘No’ more often in marquee matches than the ‘Yes’. This may seem counterintuitive, but the bookmakers tend to worsen the odds on the ‘Yes’ on matches where they expect more people to watch. So, to summarize, you don’t have to completely avoid BTTS bets in big games, but try to keep more ‘No’ bets in your portfolio than ‘Yes’ bets.