An over/under bet in sports betting is a wager on whether a given statistic for a game will be greater or lower than a pre-determined figure. A total bet is another name for this sort of bet.
The most frequent over/under wager is on the cumulative score of two teams in a game. A bettor will bet on whether the total number of points scored in a game will be greater than a pre-determined figure. If the actual number equals the over/under. The wager is a push. And all bets are reimbursed.
What Is an Over/Under Bet?
There are various names for over-under bets. This form of bet is commonly referred to as a “total” in the United States. All of these terms, however, refer to the same sort of bet.
A sportsbook will forecast a number for a specific game in an over-under bet. Bettors will wager whether the actual number will be greater or lower than this forecast. You are not attempting to predict the outcome of a match. Instead, you may believe that you will score more or fewer points.
A simple example is the easiest way to grasp this. Assume the Bills-Chiefs total is 54. This is a big number for the National Football League, and you may believe that the defensive strength of these teams will keep them from scoring so many points. As a result, you would put an over/under wager that the score will be lower. Then:
- You win if the Bills win by a score of 24-20 (44 points).
- You lose if the Chiefs win 34-24 (58 points).
When a score equals the specified value. The wager is termed a push, and all over/under bets are reimbursed.
Over/under bets are popular among newcomers to sports betting since they are simple to understand. Over-under bets, point spreads, and money lines are among the most common wagering choices in sports betting.
What is the Process of Over/Under Betting?
Over/Under betting is one of the simplest and most potentially successful bets, and because it is accessible in every sport, it’s worth learning how it all works. Oddsmakers assess how they believe each team will perform in the game, then aggregate those scores to determine how many total points both teams will score.
Here are some essential things to understand regarding Totals bets:
- In sports, a bet on the Over/Under line is a gamble that only analyzes the total score of each game.
- Let’s look at the casino’s line for a baseball game: Totals bet 6. An Over bet will win if both teams score 7 points or more, while a bet on the Under will win if both teams score six points or less.
- You may bet on the total points line regardless of what sport you’re betting on or if one side is likely to dominate the other.
- The odds on both the Over and Under bets are usually the same. This is due to the casino’s constant attempt to create a line that would elicit an equal response from the betting public on both sides of the line.
- Over/under bets typically have odds of -110, with the extra 10% reflecting the casino’s fee. A Dime Line is a line with odds of -110%.
- As a general rule, the line should be near to or equal to -110. However, this is not always the case. You may occasionally notice a line like O -105 / U -115. Alternatively, O +105 / U -125.
- We observe this changing of the “juice” in the lines because the house attempts to balance the entire action on either side of the line by making one side more enticing.
How Do I Interpret Over/Under Betting Odds?
While over/under betting is self-explanatory, there are a few things to remember when reading the odds.
As previously stated, over/under markets are often provided in half amounts. It is impossible to score a half goal. The total number of goals on each side will always be at least 0.5.
Sometimes the market is presented as a complete number. Such as five or more goals. In this situation, five goals would result in a victory.
The Bottom Line
Over-under bets, often known as total bets, are wagers on whether a game statistic will be greater or lower than a specified figure. A sporting event usually uses them to represent how many points were scored.
Over-under bets, like all sports betting, should be approached with caution. Every bettor takes the time to grasp the strange laws of wagers and only bets within their budget. It is only appropriate to bet on sports for entertainment purposes. Not for profit.
