What Is Head-to-Head Betting?

Head-to-head betting, otherwise known as H2H betting, can also be referred to as two-way betting, because it's a wager on one of two outcomes as an outright market. Basically, you're betting on one of the two teams or players involved to win.

It’s one of the most popular types of sports betting, and it can sometimes involve a third outcome (a tie) for certain sports like soccer. Let’s take a closer look at how it all works.

How Do Head-to-Head Bets Work?

In a nutshell, head-to-head betting is predicting which team or player will win their game.

Sportsbooks offer odds on both sides to create a head-to-head matchup. It is your job as the bettor to predict which team or player you think will win, just like you would in a moneyline bet.

For example, a matchup in NASCAR could look like this:

• Kyle Larson vs. Denny Hamlin

Alternatively, in a golf tournament, a head-to-head matchup could appear like so:

• Rory McIlroy vs. Jon Rahm

Both of the above examples focus on predicting which individual athlete will win the game, tournament, or event.

Types of Head-to-Head Betting Markets

There are two types of markets available: Those for teams and those for players. This creates a broad range of opportunities and allows you to get creative with your wagers. But what are they and how do they work? Let's find out.

Team Head-to-Head Bets

If you're already familiar with moneyline bets, this will feel very similar. Team-based head-to-head bets are when you wager on the outcome out of two possibilities , which are Team A or Team B winning the game. This type of bet is very common for sports such as soccer, football, and basketball.

Player Head-to-Head Bets

Player-based markets provide a bit more choice and flexibility, and adds depth to your bets. You can place a head-to-head bet on almost any market, such as the most rushing yards between two NFL players or head-to-head matchups in a golf tournament.

Prop Bets

You can also get head-to-head prop bets, which cover pretty much anything else that the above two markets don’t. As long as your bet isn’t tied to any of the main markets, you can bet on almost anything you can think of.

Head-to-head prop bets can be on things like the most receiving yards between two players, the most passing yards, and much more. These aren't connected to the outcome of the game, so it’s accepted as a prop bet.

As you can see, whether you're betting on a team or player, these bets work in the same way. Let’s consider how head-to-head bets would work for popular leagues below.

Popular Sports for Head-to-Head Betting

NFL Head-to-Head Bets

Let’s say you're placing a bet on an NFL game and, after looking at the odds, you consider which team to back. If you choose to bet on the Kansas City Chiefs to win, the possible outcomes can occur:

• Dallas wins the game

• Kansas wins the game

• Both teams score the same, and the game ends in a tie

While rare, regular season NFL games can end in a tie, and it’s something to keep in mind.

NBA Head-to-Head Bets

Head-to-head betting is available on all NBA games and odds are given for both teams, allowing you to make your prediction. This type of bet also lets you pit NBA players against each other.

MLB Head-to-Head Bets

There are around 2,430 MLB games every season, and so there is an immense volume of betting markets available. Head-to-head bets are popular because they let you wager on players, total runs, most home runs, most strikeouts, and much more.

NHL Head-to-Head Bets

NHL games have a variety of head-to-head betting options, which include shots on goal, assists, points, and time on the ice. But keep in mind that because NHL games are low scoring, picking head-to-head bets on the total number of goals can sometimes be a challenge. You'll find ties in these games, too.

Are Head-to-Head Bets Worth It?

Depending on how you like to play, head-to-head betting may not be right for you. In this section, we'll take a look at some of the benefits of this type of betting, as well as some of the key downfalls.

Head-to-head bets provide more options on sports and events where wagers can be fairly limited, so you can get more action.

It also lets you support the individual players you like. When it comes to sports like Formula 1, there are so many participants that it’s difficult to back your favorite. But with a head-to-head bet, all they need to do is win that particular matchup.

Another great thing about head-to-head betting is helps boost your knowledge of the game. As you start analyzing the players across all the levels of the sporting event, you will gain a better understanding of the each player's strengths and weaknesses. This will help you when it comes to making betting decisions in the future.

While there are plenty of benefits of head-to-head betting, there are some drawbacks, too. Despite there being a lot of markets to bet on, you can't choose your own head-to-head bet. You are limited to the lines that the sportsbook provides. For example, your ideal bet may be to pit Kevin Durant against LaMelo Ball, but there's no guarantee this bet will be available.

You also need a good base level of knowledge prior to placing a head-to-head bet. While you don’t need to be an expert, you do need to be familiar enough to make good judgment calls. This can take a lot of time if you're completely unfamiliar with the sport, team, or players.

Head-to-Head Betting Strategy

Now that you know more about how head-to-head betting works and you've gotten some examples to see how they would perform in action, let’s look betting strategies.

Here are some popular tips that you can use to help inform your choices.

Research your chosen sport

Before you place a head-to-head wager, it's a solid idea to research the teams or players involved. Doing so could increase your odds of making the right pick.

Let's say you're placing a player bet. You can look into recent game data to see how likely they are to win the selection. Does the player have any winning streaks? What’s their record against their opponent? All of these aspects and more are good places to start.

Don’t wager if you’re not 100%

Something that bettors often consider is whether or not they can happily pick between the matchups. For instance, if you're looking at a head-to-head matchup and struggling to choose between them, you always have the option to walk away.

You don’t have to place the bet for the sake of it, and it's worth keeping that in mind. You can move on and check later for another option where you're more confident about picking a winner.

Stick with sports you’re familiar with

If you're an experienced sports bettor, it can tempting to place bets on sports that you don't know very well. At the end of the day, all you need to do for a winning head-to-head bet is choose between two teams or two players, and that makes it appear easier than it is. But if you don’t know what you are wagering on or have in-depth knowledge about the matchups, you could end up losing.

Choose player-based bets if team-based bets aren’t valuable

At times, there may not be many sports games on. This means that team-based bets can be pretty limited. Occasionally, there may only be two games on, which isn't much to choose from.

In this instance, opting for a player bet instead can unlock more opportunities. You're more likely to find a number of valuable player matchups at any given moment, and all you need to do is spend a bit of time analyzing these players' stats to see how they might perform and, more importantly, who will win.