Quarter and Half Bets Explained: How to Wager on Game Segments 

There can be countless wager opportunities on any game with quarters or halves.

Quarter and half bets are a type of wager where you can bet on the moneyline, spread, or total for that quarter or half rather than the entire game. This option is also available for hockey games, where you can bet on periods instead of halves and quarters.

The primary difference when betting on the outcome of a quarter is that the spreads are smaller and moneylines are shorter because the game time is shorter. For example, a football quarter is 15 minutes compared to 60 minutes for a complete game, thus the difference in the odds listed.

Let’s look at the first half spread meaning and the second quarter total points meaning. Then, we’ll consider why bettors use quarter and half wagers, and learn about the most popular sports for quarter and half betting.

What Are Quarter and Half Bets in Sports Betting?

When you make quarter and half bets, you are betting on the quarter or the half of your choice. In this case, the first half spread only pertains to the first half.

Meanwhile, if you consider the second quarter total points meaning, you are only betting on the over/under total of the second quarter.

For instance, if the Kansas City Chiefs are a -7.5 point favorite over the Las Vegas Raiders for the entire game, that point spread could be closer to -3.5 for the quarter.

Similarly, if the Raiders are +250 on the moneyline to win the game, their moneyline odds for the first quarter could be closer to +115. As mentioned earlier, this is because, over the course of the game, Kansas City should beat Las Vegas handily.

Still, in only one quarter, many variables (turnovers, injuries, etc.) can give a team a better chance of competing and necessitate a smaller spread and shorter moneyline odds.

Why Bettors Use Quarter and Half Wagers

There are plenty of reasons why quarter and half bets are popular. Gamblers must consider a range of factors when placing a first-half spread. Second quarter total points factors may differ from total game points factors.

Quarter betting continues to increase in popularity for many reasons.

One reason is that the wager result occurs faster in quarter betting than full game betting. The odds of quarter betting also differ from full game betting, offering different betting opportunities.

Additionally, like live betting, quarter betting, and half betting can offer potential hedge opportunities against bets made before the start of the game. If a gambler laid points on a favorite who struggled in the first half, he can come back stronger with additional new bets in the third and fourth quarters or the second half at a better price than he received before the game.

Popular Sports for Quarter and Half Betting

Of course, the NFL, the most popular sport to wager on, is the most popular sport for quarter and half bets. Just like the television screen configuration and weekend game schedule that made football the perfect sport to watch and gamble on, quarter and half betting was made for football.

The NBA is popular for these betting methods because it is played nightly and in quarters.

Additionally, college football has emerged as the second most popular sport in America after the NFL, which feeds into its gambling options.

Football (NFL/NCAAF)

Keep in mind that the first half spread only pertains to the first half as far as winning or losing the bet. What happens in the second half or the final score of the entire game is totally irrelevant.

If the Chiefs trail the Raiders at halftime 17-14, they may offer improved value in the second half as a 5-point second-half favorite. Should the Chiefs win the second half 21-7 for a 35-24 final score win, and were 7-point favorites before the game, they would cover the second-half line as well as the pregame line.

Basketball (NBA/NCAAB)

The same holds true in basketball.

If the Los Angeles Lakers got off to a slow start, trailing after one quarter, some gamblers may like them for second-quarter action.

That can also hold for a game where a gambler bets over the total before the game, but after a low-scoring first quarter, the total points could be over the total in the second quarter.

Quarter and Half Betting Examples

In college basketball, you can only bet halves.

If you took the Duke Blue Devils -9 over the North Carolina Tar Heels before the game and it was tied 35-35 at the half, you could take Duke at -7 to come on strong in the second half. If Duke wins the second half 40-30, they not only covered the second half bet but also won the original bet 75-65.

First Half Spread Example (NFL)

An example of a first-half spread in the NFL could be the Green Bay Packers -7 over the Chicago Bears, despite a pregame line of -13 for the entire game.

If the Packers led 20-7 after the first half, the bet is a winner, even if they ended up losing the game outright 31-30, because the first-half spread and half-time score are all that matter. What happened after that has no relevance to the first-half bet.

2nd Quarter Total Points Example (NBA)

Betting on NBA totals is popular, especially for marquee games on national television. High-scoring NBA games feed into making quarter and half bets for over/unders.

If the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers scored high in the first quarter, gamblers may take the second quarter under the total of 60 despite betting the entire game over the total of 230. If the second quarter had a combined scoring total of 55 points, the second quarter total won the wager even if the full game went over the total of 230.

Strategies for Betting on Quarters and Halves

For sharps, the best way to make quarter and half bets is to hedge. This is where gamblers would compare the opening pregame lines for the entire matchup to the odds for the quarter or the half in question.

If the early results are vastly different from expected, the first-half spread would take the side of the underperforming wager against the pregame odds afterward.

How to Spot First-Half and Second-Half Betting Value

As mentioned earlier, first and second half wagering can offer plenty of hedging and line comparison opportunities. Like the stock market, many gamblers see quarter and half bets as a chance for a market correction within the game.

If a bad team got off to a hot start or vice versa, that is likely to correct itself over the course of an entire game. This means total points could be vastly different in the second quarter than in the first quarter.

The first half spread could also be entirely different from the spread in the second half compared to the entire pregame odds.

Using Live Betting Data to Make Smarter Quarter Wagers

Live betting data is a valuable tool for quarter and half bets, although it can’t be taken as gospel alone when assessing questions such as the meaning of the first half spread or the second quarter total points.

Live betting data is useful in assessing what was expected before the game and how possible a market correction is for a quarter or a half bet.

If a prolific passing team is underperforming or an elite defense did not shut down a team early, live betting data can help assess the potential changing factors in the quarters or half to follow.