The meaning of over/under in sports betting depends on the context in which you use it. Let’s dive into the various usages.
In General
When you place a wager on the outcome of an event, such as the Super Bowl or World Cup, you’re making an over/under bet. This type of bet allows you to select the total number of goals that will be scored in the game. For example, if you believe that the total number of goals will be under 17, you would credit the under (17) side of the bet. If you believe that it will be over 17, then you would owe winnings to the over (17) side of the bet.
Over/Under Goals
When you make an over/under bet, the betting system will automatically add or remove points from your wager based on if the ending result is higher or lower than you predict. For example, if you think there will be at least five goals in the game, you would stake five dollars on each goal being scored. Your wager would be displayed as (+500) five dollars, because the total number of goals scored is over the five you predicted. If you believe that there will be only four goals scored, your wager would be displayed as (-400) four dollars, because your prediction was that there would be at most four goals.
Over/Under Total Meters
Another way to utilize over/under betting is to wager on the total number of points that will be scored in an event. For example, if you think that the total number of touchdowns (goals) in the Super Bowl will be between seven and nine, you would stake nine dollars on each touchdown being scored. Your wager would be (+900) nine dollars, because the total number of touchdowns is over nine, but under the seven you predicted. In this case, if any extra points are scored, you would lose your wager, because you chose the under (seven) side of the over/under total.
Over/Under First Half
When you place a wager on the outcome of a first half of an event, such as the Super Bowl or World Cup, you’re making an over/under bet. This type of bet allows you to select the total number of goals that will be scored in the half. For example, if you believe that the total number of goals will be under 10, you would credit the under (10) side of the bet. If you believe that it will be over 10, then you would owe winnings to the over (10) side of the bet.
Over/Under Holes
This type of bet works the same way as the ones mentioned above, except you’re staking on whether or not a particular team will hit a specific number of holes during the round. For example, if you think that Tiger Woods will break his personal record of most holes hit in one round, you would stake ten dollars on each additional hole he hits. Your wager would be on whether Woods will break the record or not, so you’re effectively making an over/under punt with the outcome being whether or not he breaks the record. This type of bet does not have any special meaning beyond being a simple wager on whether or not a specific event will happen.
Field Goals/Point Sink
Sometimes a bet will ask you to choose between two alternatives and whether or not you agree that the outcome will be a certain way. For example, if you think that the New England Patriots will win the Super Bowl, but you also believe that they’ll win by a point, you would choose (–100) the Patriots to win by one point. In this case, if the Patriots win by more than one point, you would lose your wager, because you chose the under (1) side of the point sink wager. If you think that the underdogs will win the Super Bowl, but you believe that they’ll win by more than one point, you would lose your wager, because you chose the over (1) side of the point sink wager.
Tie-Betting
When you place a wager on the outcome of a tie game, your betting system will determine the result based on the number of goals scored in the game up to that point. For example, if you think that the total number of goals in a tie game between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams will be even, you would credit the over (2) side of the bet. If you predict that the Patriots will win the game, your wager would be on whether or not it will be a tie, so you’re effectively making an over/under pick with the result being whether or not it will be a tie.
Handicap
If you’re playing at a casino and you feel like you’re having trouble keeping up with the betting action, you can try your luck at the casino handicap games. These are specialized games that take advantage of the fact that the house always wins. For example, if the Patriots are playing the Buffalo Bills, and you bet on the Patriots to cover the spread, the casino would win your wager since the spread is usually large in favor of the visiting team. In one of the games, the object is to pick the correct card that would win and be worth the most points based on the cards already played. For instance, if the card is a ten of spades and the last card played was a queen of hearts, you would win 10 points since a queen of hearts would beat a ten of spades. In this example, the casino would win your wager since they successfully applied their advantage and you did not.
Futures
Futures betting is a form of betting in which you make predictions about the outcome of events that have not yet occurred. For example, let’s say that you believe that the New England Patriots will lose the Super Bowl to the Los Angeles Rams. In this case, you would stake money on the Patriots not winning the Super Bowl. Your wager would be on whether or not the Patriots will lose the Super Bowl, so you’re effectively making an over/under bet on a future event.
What About Ante-Ups?
The ante-up bet is a type of wager that is often used in poker games. This is where each player puts down a certain amount of money and then the bets start coming in. The ante-up bet is used to increase the intensity of the game and add an element of risk since the players are more likely to gamble if there’s money on the line. However, since this is a poker game, the ante-up bet serves a different purpose. In sports betting, the ante-up bet is used to determine the winner of an event and is considered a form of lay betting, which we discussed above.
Final Takeaway
If you’ve read this far, then you’re most likely thinking that sports betting is quite the complicated game. However, you’d be mistaken, because all you need as an end user is to know what the different types of bets are and which ones you want to utilize. You should also know when you’re playing at a casino versus an online sportsbook, since the rules are a little bit different. Once you know the basics, it’s just a matter of learning how to read the odds and apply them to your bets. This is what will allow you to effectively and confidently place wagers on almost any sporting event.