Betting terms · Explained
What does AOS mean in football betting?
AOS stands for any other score: the correct score selection that wins on any scoreline the bookmaker has not listed. Here is how it settles, and how likely it is.
The short answer
AOS means any other score. In a correct score market it is the one selection that wins when the match finishes on a scoreline the bookmaker has not listed by name.
If the board lists every score up to 3-3 and the match ends 4-1, 0-4 or 5-2, AOS wins. If it ends 3-3 or 2-0, AOS loses, because those scores are on the board. Some bookmakers split it into any other home win, any other draw and any other away win.
How likely is AOS? It depends on the two sides’ expected goals and on how far the board goes. Type them in and the calculator adds up every unlisted score on a Poisson correct-score grid, splits the total by result and compares it with a price. Nothing is stored or sent.
Worked example
A home side expected to score 1.6 goals against an away side expected to score 1.1, with every score up to 3-3 listed. The listed 16 scores cover 89.75% of the grid, so AOS is the remaining 10.25%, a fair price of 9.75 (about 9/1). Most of it is home wins such as 4-1 and 4-0 (7.73%), with away wins at 2.40% and high draws such as 4-4 almost nothing. The likeliest single missing score is 4-1, at 2.02%.
Offered AOS at 9/1 (10.0 decimal), the price implies 10.00%, a shade under the model’s 10.25%, worth +2.5p per £1 on this model. That is a thin edge, and it rests entirely on the model’s high scores, so it is not one to chase. If the board went up to 4-4, AOS would fall to 2.90% (fair 34.50 (about 33/1)), so the same 9/1 would be a poor price. Always check which scores are listed before you compare.
| Match (expected goals) and board | AOS | Fair price | AOS home win | AOS draw | AOS away win | Likeliest missing score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 v 1.1, board to 3-3 | 10.25% | 9.75 (about 9/1) | 7.73% | 0.12% | 2.40% | 4-1 |
| 1.6 v 1.1, board to 4-4 | 2.90% | 34.50 (about 33/1) | 2.36% | 0.01% | 0.53% | 5-1 |
| 2.4 v 1.5, board to 3-3 | 27.24% | 3.67 (about 11/4) | 21.18% | 0.68% | 5.37% | 4-1 |
| 1.1 v 0.9, board to 3-3 | 3.89% | 25.74 (about 25/1) | 2.55% | 0.02% | 1.32% | 4-0 |
What makes AOS more or less likely
Goals, mostly. In a high-scoring match with expected goals of 2.4 and 1.5, AOS on a 3-3 board is 27.24%, more than one match in four. In a tight match at 1.1 and 0.9, it is only 3.89%. The imbalance between the sides matters too: a strong favourite pushes probability into 4-0, 4-1 and 5-0, which is why any other home win is usually the biggest slice.
How AOS is settled
Correct score bets, AOS included, are normally settled on the score at the end of normal time, 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Extra time and penalty shoot-outs usually do not count. Read the market rules for the bookmaker you use, including which scores it lists, because boards differ: some stop at 3-3 for draws but list 4-0, 4-1 and 4-2 for wins.
A word of caution on the tails
AOS lives in the tail of the grid, the high scores where any simple model has the least data behind it. A small apparent edge here is weaker evidence than the same edge on match odds. The Poisson match predictor shows the full grid and every other market, and the BTTS calculator uses the same expected goals for both teams to score.
The correct-score grid and how markets are read off it are covered in chapter 16 of The Stat Man; the chapter 8 worked solutions include an audit of a specimen correct-score market and its margin.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What does AOS mean in football betting?
AOS stands for any other score. It is the selection in a correct score market that wins if the match ends on a scoreline the bookmaker has not listed by name, such as 5-2 when the board stops at 3-3.
Does AOS ever include 0-0 or 1-1?
No. Low scores are always listed by name, so they can never settle as any other score. AOS only covers scorelines where at least one side goes past the highest number on the board.
Does AOS count goals in extra time?
Correct score markets are normally settled on the score after 90 minutes plus stoppage time, so extra time and penalties are usually ignored. The bookmaker’s rules for the market are what count, so check them.
Is any other home win the same as AOS?
No. Any other home win only covers unlisted scores where the home side wins, such as 4-1 or 5-0. Some bookmakers offer any other home win, any other draw and any other away win instead of one AOS selection, and the three together cover the same scores as AOS.
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