Betting Over Under Explained
The over/under, or “total,” is the second most popular bet on the board for sports events behind the point spread. Usually the over/under refers to the total points, runs or goals scored in a game. Hockey over/under betting, also known as the “Totals”, is a great way to take advantage and enjoy the game of hockey in a much grandeur sense. Instead of predicting and putting a wager on the exact number of goals scored by each team in a given matchup, hockey over/unders rely on the combined totals of both team’s score – the estimate. Simply put, you will have to risk a whole lot more money on a favorite to profit. On the flip side though, if you bet on the underdog, the potential profit is a lot bigger on the moneyline than betting on the point spread. That is because the likelihood of the underdog winning is slim on the moneyline.
Baseball over/under betting might seem complicated at first for a beginner but it is actually not that difficult once you figure it out. Baseball over/unders are based on the number of runs scored by the two teams playing. A baseball run is scored when a player advances through the three bases returning safely to the home plate.
What you are betting on is whether the total score of the two teams will go over or under a projected amount of the baseball online betting site. This is a very popular form of baseball betting, and sports betting for that matter.
* Please see illustration below to help understand over/under bets, text explanation follows.
For example, an online sportsbook posts the following over/under betting odds for the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees teams:
- 7.5
- Over (-120)
- Under (+140)
In this case you are betting on whether the score will be over or under the total score (total runs) of 7.5. That is, if the final score was 3-3, then the total runs would be 6, which is lower than 7.5 so the ‘Under’ bet wins. If the score was 4-5, then the total runs would be 9, which is higher than 7.5 and so the ‘Over’ bet wins. If you are betting that the score will be over 7.5, then you need to bet $120 to win $100. If you are betting that the score will be lower than 7.5, then you need to bet $100 to win $140. The .5 is there to show that you are betting either 7 OR lower for the ‘Under’ bet and higher than 7 for the Over bet; in other words, it is there to avoid any ties, and hence, a ‘push’.
Sometimes a sportsbook might not use .5 so the odds might show up as:
- 7
- Over (-120)
- Under (+140)
In this case if the final score does hit 7 then there is what is called a “push”. When this happens, the sportsbook has to return the bets to the bettors.
The fact that there is less scoring on average in baseball than in basketball or football makes each run more important. As a result, online betting sites will adjust the odds to even out the action. For example, in a certain game, a total score of 10 might be too high and a total score of 4.5 might be too low. The real money line on the total number of 10 runs could be -110 each way. However, the money line will likely be adjusted to Under -120. This way you have to bet more ($120 instead of $110) to win $100 since the total score of 10 might be too high. On the other hand, you will get a better deal if you’re willing to bet Over 10 runs with a money line of +100.
Baseball Over/Under Betting Tips
Baseball over/under betting is very popular in the world of online gambling. It is one of the simplest types of betting and if you really follow baseball teams you could stand to make some descent money. One of the most important baseball over/under betting tips is to make sure that you are following the sport very closely. You should know how the teams fare against each other and what possible score they are likely to get.
Another baseball betting tip to consider is not to start betting before June. This is because, before June, the weather could be less consistent and might affect the game. In addition, many pitchers and teams might start off slowly at the beginning of the season. Before June, you can use the time to closely study all the teams and how they might fare against each other.
One more baseball over/under betting tip to consider is to explore different odds offered by various online sportsbooks. Different sportsbooks will sometimes have different odds offered for the same over/under sportsbook estimate. You should look for odds that you think offer the best probabilities for winning and earnings.
Over Under Odds Explained
We have gone to the trouble of identifying the best online sportsbooks for you, so feel free to look through them in order to get your best service and odds.