Football is the easiest sport for learning Betfair back and lay, because the match odds market has just three results. This page uses it as a classroom, with every figure labelled as an illustration.
A football match odds market lists the home team, the away team and the draw. Each can be backed or laid, so there are six possible positions in a single market. A lay on the home team wins if the match is drawn or the away team wins; a lay on the draw wins whenever either team wins. The exchange app description names football among its markets, though which fixtures are available in Pakistan has not been confirmed.
Learn these once and the rest of football betting follows. The odds in the examples are invented.
Stake 10 at 2.0. If the home side wins you receive 20, a profit of 10. A draw or an away win loses your 10.
Offer 10 of a backer's money at 2.0. Your liability is 10. You win the backer's 10 if the home side fails to win.
A draw usually has longer odds, so a successful back pays well, but it wins only when the scores finish level.
You win in two of the three outcomes. The catch is that liability rises with the draw odds, which are usually high.
Understanding why prices change helps you judge whether a position is still sensible.
A goal moves the market at once. The scoring team's price shortens, and the draw price lengthens if the lead holds.
Lineups and injuries change opinions before kick-off. Prices adjust as customers back and lay on the news.
In a level game, the draw price shortens as time runs out. A lay on the draw can look uncomfortable late on.
Commission is charged on your net winnings in the market once it settles, not on each bet and not on losing bets.
If a football market settles in a way you do not understand, the operator's rules decide the matter.
They explain how extra time, abandoned games and postponed fixtures are treated before you bet.
Betfair names Live Messenger, a direct message on its official Facebook page and the BetfairCS Twitter account.
Non-UK customers may take an unresolved case to eCOGRA after a deadlock email and can refer gaming complaints to the Malta Gaming Authority.
The sport is familiar, but the exchange's mechanics are not.
Confirm whether each position is a back or a lay before you confirm it.
A long-priced lay can carry liability many times the stake received. Set a maximum before you start.
Betfair's terms leave compliance with local law to the customer, and account holders must be at least 18.
Short definitions for market names and positions in football betting.
The market on the result of the match after ninety minutes, with home, draw and away as selections.
A bet that your chosen result will happen, at the odds shown.
A bet that a chosen result will not happen. You win if any other result occurs.
What you pay if the layed result occurs. It equals the backer's stake times the odds minus one.
Betting while the match is live, when prices adjust to goals, cards and time left.
Frequent questions about using back and lay on football markets.
It wins whenever either team wins, so you profit in two of the three results and lose only if the match ends level.
It can be, because the potential loss is the liability rather than a smaller stake. At short odds the difference is small; at long odds it is large.
No. Betfair says commission is charged on net winnings per market, not on losing bets.
The iOS app description lists football first among its markets. Individual leagues available in Pakistan have not been confirmed.
Yes. Doing both at different prices can lock a result whichever team wins, though commission and price availability affect the outcome.
No. They are illustrations. Live prices should be read directly from the operator.
Back and lay, explained