Both Teams to Score Tips (Ireland): Price BTTS Yourself, Find Value and Skip the Traps

Updated 21 Oct 2026 · By the IrishBetGuide Editorial Team

Both teams to score, or BTTS, is one of those bets that feels made for a Saturday afternoon. You don't care who wins, you just want a goal at each end, and you're still in it right up to the final whistle. It's also a market where loads of people back "Yes" every week on a hunch and slowly lose. These tips walk you through pricing BTTS yourself, spotting when Yes or No is actually worth a punt, and the traps that catch most punters.

18+ only. This is general information, not betting or financial advice. Every match and price on this page is an illustration from a simple goals model, not a tip for a real game. Cloudbet, which we link to, holds a Curaçao licence and is not licensed by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), so Irish complaint routes don't cover it. If gambling is causing you bother, Gambling Care is free, confidential and open 24/7 on 1800 936 725 (Northern Ireland: 08000 886 725).

The short version

• BTTS Yes wins if both sides score at least once in 90 minutes plus stoppage time. BTTS No wins if one or both sides fail to score. A 0-0 is a winner for No, and so is a 4-0.
• The two numbers that matter are each side's expected goals. A side that's expected to score about 1 goal still draws a blank roughly 37% of the time.
• Take the bookie's margin out before comparing. A 1.80 / 1.95 market looks like 56% vs 51%, but the fair split is closer to 52% vs 48%.
• "No" gets far less attention than "Yes". That's exactly why it's worth checking every time.
• BTTS accas look like easy money and are anything but. Each leg adds the bookie's cut again.
• In-play BTTS prices drop fast as the clock runs, but not always as fast as the true chance does.

How BTTS bets settle

The market is simple, which is a big part of why it's popular. Here's how the common results land:

Goals in extra time and penalty shoot-outs don't count. If a match is abandoned before both teams have scored, most bookies void the bet; if both have already scored, Yes is often settled as a winner. The exact rule varies, so have a look at your bookie's football rules before you lean on it.

From expected goals to a fair BTTS price

Every BTTS tip worth anything starts with two numbers: how many goals you expect the home side to score, and how many you expect from the away side. A basic goals model (it treats goals as arriving at random at a steady rate, which is a fair starting point for football) turns those into a BTTS chance. Here's a table you can keep handy:

Two things jump out. First, BTTS Yes only becomes a clear favourite when both sides are expected to score well. Second, a big favourite can hurt BTTS Yes: in a 2.0 v 0.7 game there are plenty of goals expected, but the weaker side often fails to score, so BTTS is only around 43%. Lots of goals and both teams scoring aren't the same bet.

Where do the expected-goals numbers come from? Start with how often each side scores and concedes at home and away, then lean on underlying numbers (shots, big chances, xG if you can find it), and adjust for injuries to strikers, creative midfielders or first-choice centre-backs. Write your numbers down before you look at the prices, so the market doesn't anchor you.

Taking the margin out

Say a bookie offers BTTS Yes at 1.80 and No at 1.95. Those imply 55.6% and 51.3%, adding up to 106.8%. The extra 6.8% is the bookie's cut. To get the market's fair view, divide each chance by the total:

• Yes: 55.6 ÷ 106.8 = about 52.0%
• No: 51.3 ÷ 106.8 = about 48.0%

So the market thinks this is close to a coin flip, leaning slightly towards Yes. If your own number is clearly different, there might be a bet. If it isn't, walk away, however much you fancy a goal at each end. Our odds calculator does the conversions if you don't fancy the maths.

A worked value check

Take a made-up match where you expect the home side to score about 1.5 and the away side about 1.1. The model puts BTTS Yes at 51.8% and No at 48.2%, so the fair prices are about 1.93 for Yes and 2.07 for No. Here's what different prices are worth on average per €10 bet:

In this game, Yes needs about 1.93 just to break even. The 1.60 to 1.75 that people happily take on "two attacking sides" is a slow leak. The lesson isn't "always back No", it's that the price decides, not the feeling.

What pushes BTTS up or down

Use these to nudge your expected-goals numbers a little, not as reasons to bet on their own.

Clean sheets: the other side of the coin

BTTS No is really a bet that at least one side keeps a clean sheet. In our 1.5 v 1.1 example, the home side keeps a clean sheet about 33.3% of the time and the away side about 22.3%. Those two overlap at 0-0, which is why they don't simply add up to 48.2%. Thinking in clean sheets helps: if you reckon one keeper is going to have a quiet afternoon, No is the natural bet, and "to win to nil" is a sharper version of the same idea at a bigger price.

BTTS combo bets

Bookies love selling BTTS combined with other things, because combos are harder for punters to price and carry a bigger margin. Here's what the same 1.5 v 1.1 model says about the popular ones:

Notice that BTTS Yes and over 2.5 is not the same as just BTTS Yes: a 1-1 lands BTTS but not the over. Compare any combo price you're offered with the fair price before you take it. If the bookie is offering 2.30 on BTTS and over 2.5 when your fair price is 2.53, you're paying a hefty premium for the convenience. For more on combos, see our football bet builder guide.

First half, second half

Some bookies offer BTTS in the first half or second half. More goals tend to come after the break, so the second half is usually the more likely of the two. In our example, assuming 45% of goals arrive before half-time, first-half BTTS comes out around 19.2% (fair price about 5.2) and second-half BTTS around 25.5% (about 3.9). These are long shots dressed up as simple bets, so the margin bites harder.

In-play BTTS

Once the game kicks off, BTTS prices move with every minute and every goal. Here's the 1.5 v 1.1 match at different points, assuming the scoring rate stays steady:

A 0-0 at half-time cuts BTTS from about 52% to about 22%. Punters chasing Yes in a goalless game often take prices that look big but still aren't big enough. Real games aren't perfectly steady (trailing sides push forward, which helps BTTS a bit), but the shape is right. Live prices also come with a delay and a wider margin, so be extra fussy. Our guide to over 0.5 goals betting looks at the same clock effect.

Why BTTS accas bleed money

BTTS accas are everywhere: four or five "nailed-on" Yes picks at around 1.80 each. Here's what happens if each leg genuinely has a 55% chance at 1.80, which is already a slightly bad price:

A five-fold lands about once in 20 tries. And the small loss on each leg gets bigger with every leg you add. If you enjoy a BTTS acca for fun, keep the stake to pocket money. Our accumulator calculator shows the real win chance before you place one.

A simple BTTS routine

1. Write down expected goals for each side before looking at any prices.
2. Use the table above (or the model) to turn them into a fair Yes and No price.
3. Check two or three bookies and take the margin out.
4. Only bet when the best price beats your fair price by a decent gap, say 5% or more.
5. Be just as happy backing No as Yes.
6. Wait for team news if you can. Missing strikers and keepers move BTTS more than anything.
7. Keep level stakes and log every bet: your price, the price you got, the result. After 100 bets you'll know whether your numbers are any good.

Mistakes we see all the time

• Confusing "lots of goals" with "both teams scoring". A 3-0 is a big game for overs and a loser for Yes.
• Backing Yes because the last five meetings all had BTTS. Five games is a tiny sample.
• Never even looking at No.
• Taking the first price you see instead of shopping around.
• Chasing Yes in-play in a 0-0 game at prices that are still too short.
• Stacking up BTTS accas and combos, which carry the biggest margins.

Is betting on football legal in Ireland?

Yes, for adults. The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) licenses bookmakers, and the first remote betting licences commenced on 1 July 2026. GRAI-licensed bookies come with Irish protections and complaint routes. Offshore sites like Cloudbet aren't GRAI-licensed, so those protections don't apply. Our guide to whether online betting is legal in Ireland has the details.

Keep it a bit of fun

BTTS is quick and easy, which makes it tempting to back game after game across the weekend. Set a budget before the first kick-off and stop when it's gone. Never chase losses with bigger stakes in the late games. If gambling isn't fun anymore, Gambling Care is free and confidential on 1800 936 725, 24/7 (Northern Ireland: 08000 886 725). See our responsible gambling page for more support.

Our take

The best BTTS tip is a dull one: price the game yourself and let the price decide. Work out each side's expected goals, turn them into a fair Yes and No price, compare with the best on offer, and back whichever side is worth it. Give No a fair look, be careful in-play, skip the big accas, and keep a record. Do that and BTTS stops being a weekly donation and becomes a market you actually understand.