Along with moneyline betting and spread betting — the over/under bet is one of the three most popular types of bets across all sports. However, whereas both the moneyline and the spread deal with how the teams compete against one another, the over/under deals with how many points are scored between the two teams. In other words, you aren’t betting for Team A or Team B. And instead, you’re typically going to be betting on either a quiet game with few points scored, or a busy game with lots of points scored.
Not betting on a specific team can be a little weird for newcomers. Though if you know a sport inside and out, it can be a real money maker. And as one of the most popular bets offered by a sportsbook — it’s a bet type that all sports bettors need to get acquainted with.
How Does Over/Under Betting Work?
Over/under betting is pretty simple to understand. The sportsbook will pick the total amount of points they believe is most likely to be scored, and then you have to choose whether you think the actual amount of points scored will be over or under that number.
In the unlikely scenario that the total points scored is the exact number that the sportsbook predicted, then the result of the bet will be a “push”. This essentially means all over/under bets will be refunded.
As an example — let’s assume you want to bet on the Saints vs the Buccaneers. This has recently been a very tight fixture, and so the sportsbook sets the total at 32. There are then three possible results for how this bet can play out:
- The final score ends with more than 32 points being scored across both teams i.e. Saints win 28-14 — in this case the over bet wins.
- The final score ends with less than 32 points being scored across both teams i.e. Buccaneers win 17-7 — in this case the under bet wins.
- Or, the score ends with exactly 32 points having been scored i.e. Saints win 21-11 — in this case the wagers of both over and under are returned to the bettors.
As one of the most popular forms of bets on most sports, an over/under bet will typically be displayed on the main page of a bet. This is the pick’em as you’ll usually get the same odds whether you bet the over or under. However, you can also pick an alternative over/under by heading to the game lines section of the game you want to bet on and choosing your preferred total to bet over or under on.
Types of Over/Under Betting
As one of the popular forms of betting, over/under has a lot of variations. Below, we’ll be going over the most common types.
- Pick’em Total — This is the most popular form of over/under betting. The sportsbook will figure out the total, and then it’s your job to choose whether the actual total points will be under or over.
- You Pick the Total — Similar to the above. But instead of the sportsbook picking the total, you pick it.
- Betting Over/Under on Props — Instead of betting on the total points scored between two teams, you can instead bet the over/under on a different statistic. These bets can still be for both teams — however, they can also be for a specific player. For example, Lionel Messi to take over/under 4 shots in a game.
- Combat Sports Over/Under — Betting the over/under for combat sports is quite a bit different than other sports as you’re not counting punches or the judge’s scorecards — but instead how long the fight will go. For example, Connor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier to last over/under 2.5 rounds. In this case, 2.5 rounds literally refers to the 2:30 mark in the third round.
Are Over/Under Bets Worth it?
Over/under are probably the most difficult bets for casual bettors to get regularly right. As such, many newcomers shy away from it. But if you’re the sort of bettor who stays on the hunt for team news and loves to analyze every scrap of data available, then over/under betting can be seriously worth it.
