It can be difficult for beginners to understand the numerous types of bets offered in the line of bookmakers. Some terms are difficult even for experienced bettors. A three-way total can also be attributed to rather complex concepts.
In this article, we will not only understand what a three-way total means in football, but also consider its operation using a real example.
The concept of the term
A three-way total is a bet on the number of goals / washers / games that has only three outcomes: over, equal and under. Also, this type of total is called three-way or 3way. Return on this type of bet is excluded, since all possible scenarios are covered. To a greater extent, a three-way total is used in football, less often in hockey, basketball and tennis.
This type of bet is not as popular with bettors as the regular total due to the difficulty of forecasting. At the same time, he is always rewarded with increased quotes.
An example of a three-way total in football betting
For a complete understanding of what a three-way total in football is, it is better to consider this type of bet on a real example. For example, we took the final match of EURO 2020 between Italy and England. Before the start of the fight, the bookmakers put up the following line for the three-way total goals:
Less than 2 – 2.74; Equals 2 – 3.5; More than 2 – 2.58; Less than 3 – 1.592; Equals 3 – 4.74; More than 3 – 4.5.
Three way total
Let’s say we assume that the regular time of the match will end with 3 goals or more. In this case, we bet on a three-way total over 2 with a coefficient of “2.58”. If the main time of the match ends with 3 or more balls (2:1/3:0/3:1/3:2, etc.), then our bet has played. In all other cases, a defeat will be counted, even with two goals scored. Recall that a three-way total has no return.
You can choose a less risky approach by betting on “Total Under 3” at odds. “1.592”. In this case, we will be satisfied with any score in which less than 3 goals will be scored (0:0, 1:0/0:1, 1:1, 2:0/0:2). If 3 goals or more are scored, then the bet will be considered lost. In the case of three goals scored in regular time, with a normal bet on “Under 3”, we would have received a refund, but the quote for such a bet would also have been much less – “1.23”.
Differences between a three-way total and an integer total
At first glance, the three-way total is almost identical to the integer total, but in reality this is not entirely true. These types of bets have two significant differences:
Possibility of return. A three-way total does not provide for the possibility of a return, while for an integer total, a return of the bet is provided for a specific number of goals. For example: we made a bet on “TM 3”, and the match ended with exactly three goals (score 2:1). In the 3way total, we will have a “failure”, but in the integer one we will have a return.
Quotes. The three-way total has much higher odds than the integer totals. The size of quotes directly depends on the possibility of return.
What is an individual three-way total
An individual three-way total is a bet on the number of goals/washers/games of one specific team. In fact, this is an ordinary three-way total, which fixes points for only one of the teams. It also has three outcomes (greater than/less than/equal to) and no return option.
An example of an individual three-way total
Let’s look at a real example, what is an individual three-way total in bets. For the experiment, let’s take the final match of the European Championship 2020 between Italy and England again. A couple of days before the start of the fight, the bookmakers put up the following quotes:
- Bet name Odds for the Italian team for the England team
- Less than 1 2.65 2.91
- Equals 1 2.57 2.59
- More than 1 2.2 2.875
- Less than 2 1.35 1.41
- Equals 2 4.64 4.4
- More than 2 8.8 7.6
Individual three-way total
For example, let’s bet on an individual three-way total 1 over for the England team. Now we have several options for the development of events:
- the British do not score a single goal in regular time – the bet is lost;
- the British score 1 goal in regular time – the bet is lost (there is no return);
- the English score 2 or more goals in regular time – the bet wins.
Basic Tips for Three Way Total Betting
Professional bettors do not recommend using a three-way total on an ongoing basis, since it is very difficult to develop a competent strategy with it. Nevertheless, you can play on it, the main thing is to follow certain rules when analyzing and predicting the outcome:
- Carefully analyze the attacking and defensive potential of opposing teams.
- Consider the last 5-10 fights of each side for performance.
- Study the statistics of head-to-head meetings between opponents.
- Analyze the personnel losses of the teams and the possible starting lineup for the participation of the main defenders, the goalkeeper and the main scorer.
- Avoid betting “TM” on matches involving attacking teams and vice versa.