A 1st quarter 3-way bet is a wager on the score after the first quarter only, with three outcomes to pick from: Team A leads, Team B leads, or the quarter ends tied. If the quarter ends level, the tie wins and bets on both teams lose, which is why sportsbooks often label this market “no push”: nothing is refunded.
The rest of the game does not matter. A team can lead 31-24 after 12 minutes and lose by 20, and a bet on that team to win the first quarter is still a winner.
How the three outcomes settle
Only the score at the end of the first quarter counts. Overtime cannot touch this bet, because overtime comes after the fourth quarter, and the result is final the moment the first quarter ends. Here is how three made-up first quarters would settle:
| Example score after Q1 | Team A bet | Team B bet | Tie bet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team A 28, Team B 25 | Wins | Loses | Loses |
| Team A 22, Team B 27 | Loses | Wins | Loses |
| Team A 26, Team B 26 | Loses | Loses | Wins |
That third row is the whole point of the market. In a 3-way bet the tie is a result you can back, so a 26-26 quarter is never treated as a void. It is a loss for anyone holding either team.
What happens if a game is abandoned after the first quarter depends on the book. Some settle the quarter bet on its completed score; others void every bet on a game that does not finish, or does not reach the minimum playing time written into their rules. Check your sportsbook’s rules before you rely on either.
3-way against the 2-way first quarter line
The same book will often list a second first-quarter market with only two sides, often called the 1st quarter moneyline. It pays on the same question, which team leads after the quarter, and it handles the tie differently. In the 2-way version a tied quarter is normally a push, so both sides get their stakes back, though a few books settle it differently.
| 1st quarter 3-way | 1st quarter 2-way moneyline | |
|---|---|---|
| Outcomes you can bet | Team A, Team B, Tie | Team A, Team B |
| Quarter ends tied | Tie bets win, team bets lose | Usually a push, stakes returned |
| Price on each team | Longer | Shorter |
The price difference is the cost of the refund. In the 2-way market the book is carrying the tie for you, so it pays less on each team. In the 3-way market you carry that risk yourself and get paid a little more for it. The same logic sits behind a zero spread, covered in our guide to what PK means in betting, where a tied game is also a push.
How to read the price
3-way prices are written as American odds, the same way as a full-game moneyline. Take this made-up basketball market:
| Example outcome | Odds | Profit on a $100 stake | Implied chance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team A leads after Q1 | -110 | $90.91 | 52.4% |
| Team B leads after Q1 | +125 | $125.00 | 44.4% |
| Quarter tied | +1400 | $1,400.00 | 6.7% |
To turn a minus price into an implied chance, divide the odds by the odds plus 100: 110 divided by 210 is 52.4%. For a plus price, divide 100 by the odds plus 100: 100 divided by 225 is 44.4%, and 100 divided by 1,500 is 6.7%.
Add the three together and you get 103.5%. The 3.5 points above 100 are the sportsbook’s margin, spread across all three outcomes. A bet only has value when you think its true chance is higher than the implied chance on the board. If you rate the tie at 5%, the +1400 price, which needs 6.7%, is a bet you should pass on.
Which sports use it
The quarter length changes how the market behaves, so it helps to know what you are betting on:
- NBA: four 12-minute quarters.
- FIBA and EuroLeague: four 10-minute quarters.
- NFL and college football: four 15-minute quarters.
- Men’s college basketball: two 20-minute halves, so books list first-half markets there.
- NHL: three 20-minute periods, where the same bet is called the 1st period 3-way.
Basketball scores a lot of points in a quarter, so a dead-level first quarter is rare and the tie price is long. Football is different. A first quarter can easily end 0-0, 3-3 or 7-7, and the tie is priced much shorter as a result. If you bet football quarters, the tie is a real outcome and deserves the same thought as either side. You can follow current games on our NFL predictions and NBA predictions pages.
When the 3-way is worth it
The 3-way market suits two kinds of view. The first is a strong opinion on one team’s start, where you are happy to lose on a tie in exchange for a bigger payout than the 2-way line. The second is a view that the quarter will be tight, where the tie itself is the bet.
It is a poor fit when you like a team but are worried about a slow start. In that case the 2-way line protects you against the tie, and the lower price is what that protection costs. Compare the two before you place anything:
- Example: Team A is -110 in the 3-way and -125 in the 2-way.
- At -110 a $100 bet returns $90.91 profit but loses on a tie.
- At -125 the same bet returns $80.00 profit and is refunded on a tie.
The $10.91 gap is what you are paid for taking the tie risk. Whether that is enough depends on how often you think the quarter ends level. In basketball a tied quarter is rare, so you give up little by taking the 3-way price. In football, where quarter ties are common, the refund on the 2-way line is worth more.
Common mistakes
Four mistakes cost money in this market, and none of them is about the game itself:
- Reading “no push” as “no tie”. It means the opposite: the tie is a live outcome and your team bet loses on it.
- Confusing the 3-way with the 2-way. They can sit on the same screen with similar names. Check the number of outcomes before you confirm.
- Assuming the full-game result matters. It does not. Only the first quarter counts.
- Ignoring the margin. Three outcomes means the book’s cut is spread across three prices. Add up the implied chances and you will see how much you are paying.
FAQ
What does “1st quarter 3-way no push” mean? It means the tie is one of the three outcomes, so a tied first quarter pays the tie bet and loses every bet on either team. Nobody gets a refund.
Does overtime count in a 1st quarter bet? No. Overtime is played after the fourth quarter. The bet is settled on the score at the end of the first quarter, and nothing that happens later changes it.
Is a 1st quarter 3-way the same as a 1st period 3-way? They work the same way. “Quarter” is used in basketball and football; “period” is used in hockey, where the NHL plays three 20-minute periods. Each one settles on the score after the first section of play.
What happens to my bet if the game is abandoned? If the first quarter was completed, some books still settle it on that score. Others void all bets on an abandoned game. Check your sportsbook’s rules, because this is one of the places where books differ.