The over/under (also referred to as the over/under pair or the over/under two-team race) in sports betting is the total number of points that will be scored in a game or sport. For example, in a standard 50-50 football wagering game, each team will score 10 points and thus the over/under is 20 points. If the over/under is 7.5, then you will win 7.5 – 20 = -12.5 units of football stock or sportsbook vouchers.
The main reason why you would want to bet on the over/under is to make sure you have picked a winning horse (or team) in the first place. For example, say you have wagered on the Chicago Bears and they won the game by 3 points, your payoff would be 3 points x 2 (plus 2 extra units for the cover of your bet) is 9 points. In other words, you would have won 9 – 2 = 7.5 units of football stock or sportsbook vouchers. This is in comparison to betting on the point spread where your payoff would only be 3 points x 2 (plus 2 extra units for the cover of your bet) which is 6 points (3 plus 2).
A good reason to bet on the over/under is the fact that it’s very easy to calculate. For instance, if you’re betting on whether the Chicago Bears will win the game, the over/under is simply the Bears’ total points (plus) the opposing team’s total points (minus). You don’t need to look up each team’s stats or perform any complex calculations to figure out the over/under. Simply add up the scores and that’s what you’ll get!
Another advantage of betting on the over/under is the fact that is can be hard to beat. As mentioned above, in order to figure out your winnings, you’ll just need to add up the scores. That’s it! Even if you’re using a risky strategy or looking for a way to maximize your winnings (which we don’t recommend), it’ll be very hard to beat the over/under. Especially since most bookies offer free bets or sign-up bonuses for new customers who are just starting out. You can’t beat winning when it’s free!
Despite the many advantages associated with betting on the over/under, this is not an ideal option for every bettor. The over/under can be a tricky wager to calculate since it requires you to know both the number of points that will be scored as well as the amount of time that will be in the game. For example, if you’re watching a college football game and both teams are having decent games, it might be tricky to figure out whether the game is going to be over or under 14 points. This is why we recommend using other types of wagers in those instances.
The Simple Strategy
The best strategy we’ve found for betting on the over/under is to use parlays and money lines. A parlay is when you wager on a group of sports together (usually two or more). For example, if you think that the Green Bay Packers will win the Super Bowl, you might want to wager on them winning the biggest game of the year (the Super Bowl) as well as the World Series. The payout for a parlay is usually very good because you’re not only getting the return of your investments (in the case of the Super Bowl), but you’re also winning the side games (in the case of the World Series).
A good place to find parlay wagers would be with a bookie that is participating in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. This is because many times bookies will give you the opportunity to parlay during the tournament. The downside to this is that you’ll need to know exactly when the games are so you can calculate your winning. For example, if you’re watching the games on TV and they start at 7:00 pm, it might be difficult to figure out what time the NCAA Elite Eight game ends.
Money lines, as the name suggests, are bets where you wager on the outcome of an event (usually a sport) with the prize being the return of your investment (minus a small commission to the bookie). This is similar to a parlay, but instead of wagering on two individual teams, you’re wagering on the outcome of a single game or event. For example, say you think that the Green Bay Packers will win the Super Bowl, you could put down a $100 bet on them winning the big game and collect back your investment (minus the $3.20 commission you’d pay to the bookie).
The upside to betting on the money line is that you don’t need to be concerned about timing as much as you do with parlay wagers. This is because once the game stops evolving and starts heading toward a conclusion, the money line will start moving in one direction (either up or down) and this is usually easy to predict. For example, if you’re following the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament closely, you know that each round will have at least one game where the scores are extremely close (usually ending in a tie). In those situations, it’s usually easy to assess whether the game is going to be a shootout or a close one. As long as you know what direction the line is going in, it’s easy to determine whether or not you’re going to make money from the bet. If you’re using a sportsbook, it’s also possible to monitor the progress of multiple lines on one page, which makes things a lot easier. This is important because sometimes getting all the games in your area isn’t possible and using streaming devices can make this task more convenient.
One final thing we’d like to mention about betting on the over/under is that it’s usually best to avoid betting on the total number of combined points scored by both teams. For example, in the Super Bowl above, you might want to avoid betting on Green Bay + New York because this is typically a low-scoring affair and it’s hard to know whether or not 28 points will be scored. You’ll lose more often than you’ll win betting on the total.
When to Bet On Which Sports
The important thing to keep in mind when betting on the over/under is that you need to bet on the right sport at the right time. In general, you’ll want to avoid betting on sports that end early in the evening because this is often a losing proposition. For example, if you’re living in the US, you won’t want to bet on baseball earlier than 8:00 pm because it ends late and the odds are usually very good. You can get a good idea of when to stop betting by using a time stamp, which we’ll discuss below.
Additional Tips For Betting On The Over/Under
There are numerous additional tips we’d like to share with you if you’re betting on the over/under. First, make sure you’re using a reputable source for line information. If you’re looking for a place to spend your Saturday nights, consider checking out some of the many bookie reviews online because this is one category where most online reviewers tend to be very positive. In addition, make sure you familiarize yourself with the following terms before using them:
- Under
- Over
- Point Spread
- Line
- Total
- Combined
The first three terms are important because they relate to your main wager. The under simply means that you’re wagering on the underdog (also known as the longshot). The over means that you’re wagering on the favorite (also known as the chalk). The point spread refers to the amount by which the favored team is favored to win the game. For example, if the favorite team is the Green Bay Packers and the spread is 7 points, you’ll need to wager $100 to win $70. The line is simply the total points scored by both teams (usually expressed as the favorite minus the underdog). The final term, combined, is simply the total number of points that will be scored in the game (either by both teams or by one team).