Over and under bets are one of the most popular ways of betting in sports. They are more common sports where the total score combined is low, like baseball or soccer. Today, we’ll explain the basics of Over/Under bets plus tell you what makes this wager different in MLB.
As we mentioned in the introduction, this bet is directly related to the total score of the game. Hence, you’ll be betting for “over” the total expected score or “under” it. The projected score is usually setup by the sportsbooks, so it can be different in each one.
Research is required for you to find the most convenient bet. Once you’re done with collecting information, you may think that the combined points will be more than what’s projected. Hence, you’ll be betting for the “over.”
On the other hand, if you think the total result will be less than what was stipulated, you would bet for the “under.”
Over and under bets are also known as “totals.” It is one of the three main ways of betting in sports, the other two being the spreads and moneylines.
With all this information, you can assume that your bet doesn’t have anything to do with losers or winners. You will be betting for the total sum of both scores. Additionally, this bet type is widely used in baseball, basketball, college football and even the NFL.
Although it may seem a bit too challenging for a beginner, this is one of the easiest bet types someone can choose. As mentioned above, it takes only the combination of the scores that both teams achieve at the end of the game – it doesn’t involve favorites and underdogs.
Now, the mechanics work a bit different than those of the point spread.
In an over and under bet, there are three numbers involved, the “totals,” the “over” and the “under.” Let’s say that for totals we have 7.5, the over is -120 while the under is +140.
Taking the above information as reference, the total score of the game should be more or less than 7.5 points for you to win. For instance, if the finishing score was 4-8, that would mean that a total of 12 runs happened throughout the game. Hence, it is a higher score than 7.5 and you’ll win the bet.
Now, let’s talk about how much you’ll win by betting.
If you decide to bet for the “over,” which in this case has -120, you’ll have to risk $120 to get back $100. On the other hand, if you decide to bet for the under, which in this case is +140, you’ll have to risk $100 to get back $140.
It is worth nothing that the remaining .5 is only used to remark that “pushes” or “ties” are not considered on the bet. However, in other cases, they might be!
Pushes are possible too in Over/Under bets. This situation will only happen whenever the total is displayed as a single number without decimals, like 7. The mechanics are the same, except that if the total sum of both scores equals 7, the sportsbooks are obligated to return what has been wagered to all bettors.
Over and under bets are not at all complicated. It is one of the most recommended bets for beginners – although many experienced bettors opt for these bets as they have higher probabilities of winning than in other bets.
Still, more than relying on your instinct, research is still necessary as you’ll need information about both teams to find out what will result at the end of the game.
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