What Are First Half Lines?
There are thousands of different ways to bet at Bovada Sportsbook – so which bets should you make when you’re just starting out? The easiest place to start is with the three “straight” or “single” bets: spread, moneyline and total. But what then?
Consider expanding your horizons with first half lines bets. These bets look and cook exactly the same as the standard straight wagers, but instead of betting on an entire game, you’re betting on only the results of the first half. It’s by far the simplest way to take your online sports betting at Bovada to the next level.
How Do First Half Lines Work?
Bovada will post first half lines (aka first halves, or 1H for short) alongside full-game lines for most football and basketball games, at both the professional and college levels. As with full games, the first half odds can move up or down in response to the betting action; however, the odds at the time you place your bet will be the odds used to determine your payout. First halves are taken off the board once the game in question has started, and your bets are graded based on the halftime score.
What Do First Half Lines Look Like?
Again, first halves look exactly the same as the full-game lines at Bovada Sportsbook. The following example shows you lines that were available during the 2022 NFL regular season, heading into the Week 9 Monday Night Football matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints:
Full Game
Baltimore Ravens –1.5 (–110) –125 O 46.5 (–105)
New Orleans Saints +1.5 (–110) +105 U 46.5 (–115)
First Half
Baltimore Ravens –0.5 (–105) –120 O 23.0 (–105)
New Orleans Saints +0.5 (–115) EVEN U 23.0 (–115)
The first set of numbers next to the team names shows you the point spread, followed by the moneyline and the total. As you might expect, the size of the first-half spread and total is roughly half of what you’ll find for the full game, while the moneyline odds are about the same.
How Do I Bet First Half Lines?
All you have to do is open the odds page at Bovada Sportsbook for your chosen sport, then find the game you want to bet on, and select “+ Bets” to open the full list of available lines (the number of active lines will be shown next to the “+” sign). The first half odds will appear immediately below the full-game odds.
Place your first half bets exactly the same way you would with full-game lines: Just select your chosen sides, and they’ll appear on your bet slip. Make any changes or corrections you deem fit, submit your bet slip, and wait to see how the first half plays out. Good luck.
Sign up to Bovada today!
Before you can begin placing bets at Bovada, you will first need to create an account. After making an account, claim your crypto sports welcome bonus to make the most out of your first bet. Then, head on over to the relevant betting page for the sport you wish to bet on: NFL odds, NBA odds, MLB odds and much more is available!
