Understanding the Meaning of Over / Under Betting
In this section, we are going to talk about over under betting, also known as total bets. This form of betting is quite popular and deserves to be dug into for the sake of new bettors who still have no idea what they are doing.
The system is very straightforward and relatively easy to understand. It goes like this: a bookmaker sets a particular number, and your job is to make a guess whether the total number of the game, i.e. the goals scored in a soccer match or the points scored in a basketball game, will be lower or higher than that number. If you think that the actual number will be lower, you will be betting on the under. Respectively, if you believe that the number will be higher, it will be a wager on the over.
Depending on the type of sports, you will be betting on different things. Now, if you want a complete answer to the question, “What is over/under?” we shall discuss that in the following sections. Make sure to keep reading, and we will tell you how this strategy works by giving a few examples.
Over Under Betting on Football (Equal Odds)
Let’s say there are three upcoming football games. One of the bookmakers has set the following over under gambling numbers and odds:
Looking at the table, it is easy to see that the odds for each bet are the same, only the total number for each game is different.
The sportsbook has set a number that they think is likely to happen at the end of each game. However, no one knows what the actual number will be like. The only thing that we can tell is that the actual number will be either lower or higher than the suggested one.
Your goal as a bettor who wants to be successful is to guess correctly whether the end result will be lower or higher than the number set by the operator. Since the number is just a theoretical matter, the odds are all the same for the three games. What they reveal is that you will get a little less than what you staked. We hope that this section explains what is over under in football very clearly. The numbers above are taken out from a real betting site. You may find a lot of bookmakers reviews on our homepage.
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Place an Over Under Bet on Soccer (Varying Odds)
Now, let’s jump straight to another popular game – soccer – and see how over/under betting applies here.
| Goals Over/Under | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Over 2.5 | Under 2.5 | ||
| Team A vs Team B | Odds of 2.10 | Odds of 1.70 | 72 |
| Team C vs Team D | Odds of 2.25 | Odds of 1.62 | 72 |
| Team E vs Team F | Odds of 1.95 | Odds of 1.85 | 72 |
| Team G vs Team H | Odds of 2.00 | Odds of 1.80 | 72 |
As you can see, the over and under numbers are the same for each game – 2.5. However, as opposed to the previous example, the odds are different for each number. They show the likelihood of the actual number being higher or lower than 2.5 in the gambling operator’s view.
Varying Odds and Over/Under Bets at Soccer
The next example will depict that over/under betting can be very versatile with different bookmakers. Take a look at the following table.
| Goals Over/Under | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Over 1.5 | Under 1.5 | Over 2.5 | Under 2.5 | Over 3.5 | Under 3.5 |
| 1.29 | 3.50 | 2.00 | 1.73 | 3.75 | 1.25 |
This example is quite interesting. The table reveals different over/under bets for a single match. This bookmaker has decided to stick with multiple options instead of setting the same propositions for the over and the under. This gives you more freedom when it comes to controlling the risk, as well as how much you can make out of a single wager.
For instance, you could be convinced that the game will end with less than two goals, but still you can use the under 3.5 option for extra safety. This is a great opportunity to increase your chances of winning and your profits too. Of course, if you need to make a bigger profit, you can bet on the first option where the odds are 3.50. Yet, you should be aware that the higher the odds, the less likely a situation is to occur. However, if you guess correctly, the payouts will be huge.
Betting Over Under on Tennis (Varying Odds)
Here is the last example for over under wagering.
| Player A | Odds of 1.29 | Over 3.5, Under 1.22 |
| Player B | Odds of 3.50 | Over 4.00, Under 3.5 |
In this case, the bookmaker has set over and under numbers for the total number of sets that they think will be played during the game. Again, we have different odds. They suggest that the operator believes there the likelihood of under 3.5 is greater than that of over 3.5.
At the end of this article, we do hope we have shed more light on what over under is and how it can be presented at different bookmakers. We gave examples with different markets to help clarify the matter. Our job here is done, so let’s move on to the next section of our guide.
Other Types
If this article caught your attention, check out the ones in the table as well.