Sports Betting 101
You can be wrong on the winner and still win your bet on the total. If you are someone that enjoys making parlay wagers, then it would be wise to take a close look at over/under betting options when creating that parlay. If you already have a great feel on how a certain matchup is going to go in terms of the spread, you might also have a solid idea of how many points will be scored in a certain game. Live betting has become more popular in recent years, and much more widely available. Increased technology from the bookmaking side has increased their ability to offer these markets, and bettors often enjoy in-play betting. Fast pace and quickly changing odds create a dynamic environment that challenges both the bookmaker and the bettor.
As you can see in this example, it’s the exact same for the over and for the under. This is fairly common in sports like football and basketball, where there are a lot of points scored. In some sports where there are fewer points, runs, or goals scored you may see differing lines for each side of the over/under bet. Let’s say the New England Patriots are playing the Green Bay Packers, and sports betting sites set the Over/Under at 51.5. You can then bet whether the combined point total between the two teams will be more or less than 51.
Totals are one of the featured items on the baseball wagering menu. While scores are much lower in baseball than in basketball or football, that doesn’t impede the action. Many online sportsbook operators handle business in the same fashion.
If you believe that the total score will be less than 7.5, then you place the Under bet. It is entirely possible for over/under bets to generate exact outcomes, particularly when fractional points are absent. In order for this to occur, the final results of the match have to be exactly the same as the totals line set by the oddsmaker. If you believe the total points scored in this NBA over under bet will exceed 225.5, you will bet $120 to win $100.
The over/under, or total, for Rams versus Cardinals was 51.5 points on Tuesday. Bettors who wager on the Over at 51.5 need 52 total points scored or more to win their bet. Anything 51 points or under would be a winner for Under bettors. When looking at listed odds for a game, this is represented as total, over/under, and sometimes shortened as O/U.
This is especially true when considering the number of points scored in an NBA game. Let’s look at a possible example of an NBA betting line between the Brooklyn Nets and the LA Clippers. Favorites immediately draw new bettors, but the rewards for backing this team will be significantly less than the underdog. The more likely a favorite is to win means bettors will receive proportionately lower payouts in return. Let’s use point spread and say a sportsbook believes that the Cleveland Cavaliers are a 20-point better team than the Washington Wizards.