Sometimes things can get complicated when it comes to online sports betting. You might not understand every single term you read, hear and see.
All the different betting options seem like a good idea. At one point or another you hesitate if you want to bet on a team, against the spread, on the money line, parlay this, round robin that and so on.
However, there’s a little something called Totals that can definitely make your online sports betting experience a more hassle-free one and most importantly, a more profitable one.
Go ahead and give Totals a try. You won’t regret what’s in store for you.
Overs/unders bets, otherwise known as Totals, are a type of wagering opportunity offered to bettors where they may bet that the final score of a game is over youwager.lv’s posted Total or it goes under the number. The winner of a Totals bet is determined by adding the final score of both teams. Yep, it’s that easy.
Placing bets on the over/under is very popular when betting on any of the major sports.
This is a type of bet that goes hand in hand with the combined Total of the points/goals scored by two competing teams. You can choose to place a wager and estimate if the Total will exceed or be less than a given number.
There’s a great deal of bettors out there that agree on the following idea:
It’s easier placing bets on overs/unders that trying to predict the winner of a game, either against the point spread or on the money line.
Betting on Totals is one of the most common forms of online sports betting. One of the most popular events this type of bet relates to is NFL.
Instead of picking which team will win the game, wagers are placed on whether the combined score of the game will go over or under a predetermined Total.
This is a lot of fun for bettors and allows them to enjoy the pure excitement of the wager even if the game is not close.
Betting overs/unders is another way to add some excitement to a game and many times will offer more betting value than trying to pick the winner. Many serious bettors concentrate on Totals, believing they are easier to win than picking which team is going to cover the spread. Now that you understand overs/unders, you're closer to experiencing the "Total" sports betting adventure.
A game Total is a set number of Total points that are likely to be scored in the game.
youwager.lv sets a Total number for the combined score of both teams and you can go ahead and wager on the game going over or under the predetermined Total.
This betting line is carefully set in order to create a fair and active market for both sides of the bet.
If a game Total is set at 44.5 and you decide to bet on the over, you would need both teams to combine for 45 points or more to win your bet. If you were to bet on the under, you would need the combined point Total of both teams to be 44 or less to win your bet.
Whenever the game Total is a whole number, it could very well be that the Total combined points scored in the game could end up being the exact same as the game Total.
In this case, the result would be considered a push and the wager would be graded as neither a win nor a loss, with the original bet amount being returned to the bettor’s account.
The Total bet is one of the most common types of “side bets”.
Let’s take a look at the following example:
Suppose the New England Patriots A are playing the New York Jets B
and the Total is set at 41 points. If the final score is Patriots
24 and the Jets 16, the Total is 40 thus those who took the under
will win. If the final score is team Patriots 22 and Jets 20 the
Total is 42 and thus those who took the over will win.
The Total bet is popular among bettors because it gives them the chance to bet on their overall perception of the game without the need of picking the actual winner.
Eve while the Total bet is most commonly made with the combined score of the two teams bettors can also consider many other statistics such as:
1. NFL Over/Under Bet
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: 44.5 o/u
In this example we have the Bengals taking on the Steelers. youwager.lv has decided to set the over/under point Total for the two teams combined at 44.5 points.
You will be faced with two options here: take the over Total or take the under Total. For the over Total to win this line, both teams need to combine for at least 45 points. For the under Total, there need to be a total of 44 points or less scored in order to win that bet.
* The vast majority of NFL football Totals will range between 32 and 52, with an average number right around 41 points. If two high scoring teams with poor defenses are facing each other, the Total may be posted higher. It’s possible that two sound defensive teams playing in poor, cold weather conditions may see the Total go below 32. However, this is an exception.
* It’s possible that if maximum bet on a football Total is accepted line makers will adjust the line by .5 points in hopes of attracting money bet the other way. However, this occurs on a one on one case. Online sportsbooks may very well move the line a full point or they may not move it at all.
Please note that when betting on football Totals, you risk $11 to win $10, just as you would do when making a wager against the point spread.
2. College Football Over/Under Bet
LSU Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide: 46.5 o/u
This Southeastern Conference battle between the Tigers and the Tide has been set up with a game Total of 46.5 points. This the total number of points installed for the combined score in the game. Bettors can place their wagers on the actual Total going above or below this mark. If you’ve picked the over to win you need 47 points or more between the Tigers and Alabama. If you’ve picked the under to win, you need 46 points or less.
Take into consideration that college football Totals may be even higher than NFL Totals, as some teams have great offenses and equally poor defenses. College football Totals can reach the 70-point range.
3. NBA Over/Under Bet
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors: 202.5 o/u
The Los Angeles Lakers are facing the Golden State Warriors and the total has been set at 202.5 points. This is the combined point Total for both basketball teams in the game. If you’ve taken the over you need 203 points or more is to win. If you’ve gone for the under, you need 202 points or less to win. Take into account that there’s no chance for a push with the half point in play.
In cases like this where there’s half a point added, the half-point eliminates the chance of a push occurring and wagers can only be won or lost. The amount you stand to win is determined by the money line odds attached to the over or under.
If you’ve placed a Total bet on a basketball game without half a point and the Total combined score is the exact number of the line then this bet would be graded as a push and your risk amount is returned to your account.
* When you place an NBA over/under wager, you will be focusing on one single statistic of that game – the Total number of points scored in the game by both teams. However, Over/under betting may also be available for each quarter or half of a game.
* It comes as no surprise that the over/under numbers are much higher in NBA games as many more points will be scored here as opposed to a football game, and Totals can range from 120, for a low scoring NCAA team, well into the 200s for an NBA game.
Please note that when betting on basketball Totals, you risk $11 to win $10, just as you would do when making a wager against the point spread.
4. Baseball MLB Over/Under Bet
New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox: 9 o/u -120
In this case the over/under total on the Yankees versus the Red Sox is 9 and for you to win your bet on the over the Total runs from both teams would have to be 9 runs or more. To win the under, the Total runs from both teams would have to be less than 9 runs.
Let’s say you place a $500 wager on the over, line movers are not likely to raise the Total to 9.5. Bettors who wish to bet over 9 risk $120 to win $100, which is written as -120. Those who would like to bet the under would then be able to bet at even money or +100, as Totals nearly always use a difference of .2, otherwise known as "20 cents."
If bettors continue to bet the over, line movers will continue adjusting the odds upward and eventually you may have to risk $145 to win $100, or -145. Here, an under bettor would risk $100 to win $125. Most of the time line movers will raise the odds up to -145 before raising the Total to the next number, which in this case would be 9.5.
* Baseball Totals bets use the same principal as football and basketball overs/unders, where the line movers post a number and you can either wager over that Total or under the Total, but there is one essential difference and that rests in the amount of money a bettor must risk to win $100.
*Since scoring in baseball is so much lower than in football or basketball, line movers almost never change the number of a Total and instead will adjust the odds.
5. Hockey NHL Over/Under Bet
Example of Game Total Betting
New York Rangers
Blackhawks vs Toronto Maple Leafs: 5/ou
In this example, the game Total is set at 5.5 and you can wager on whether the combined goals scored by both teams will go over or under this number. Here is the Rangers were to defeat the Maple Leafs by a score of 4-2, the Total combined score would be six, which means the game went over the Total.
* Hockey Totals bets use the same principal as football and basketball overs/unders, where the line movers post a number and you can either wager over that Total or under the Total, but there is one essential difference and that rests in the amount of money a bettor must risk to win $100.
*Since scoring in baseball is so much lower than in football or basketball, line movers almost never change the number of a Total and instead will adjust the odds.