What is over/under betting? Examples of how to bet on totals

Over/Under betting is a wager on the total number of points in a game, also known as totals betting. Bettors can wager whether or not the combined total will be over or under a total determined by the sportsbook.

Bettors are also able to bet on whether other outcomes will be over or under a given line, such as player points scored or passes thrown. The Post takes you through all you need to know about over/under betting.

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More on Over/Under Betting

• What does over/under mean?
• What does it mean to bet the over/under?
• How is an over/under determined?
• How to bet on the over/under
• How are totals odds made?
• Over/Under Betting Strategies

Over/under refers to the point total, either for an individual team or for both teams combined. If the combined point total in a football game is 41.5, for example, that number refers to the added score of both teams in the game.

What does it mean to bet the over or the under?

That you’re either betting on teams to score more than the total, or less than the total. If the combined total is 41.5 and the game ends 28-21, the over would win, since the combined total would be 49 points. If the game ends 13-10, the under would win, since the combined total would be 23.

For example, let’s say the New York Jets are playing the Baltimore Ravens, with the line set at 49 points. The Ravens win 30 – 24, meaning if you’d backed the over, your bet would win, but if you’d backed the under, your bet would be a loser. 

Your bet	Final Score	Win?
Jets vs Ravens Over 49	Ravens 30, Jets 24	YES
Jets vs Ravens Under 49	Ravens 30, Jets 24	No

These bets are also able to be placed on individual teams, with one team’s score needing to be over or under a predetermined score. 

You could bet the Ravens to score over 27.5 points, for example. If they score 28 or more, you win. 27 or fewer, you lose. If you were to bet the under, it’d be vice versa.

Your bet	Final Score	Win?
Ravens over 27.5	Ravens 30, Jets 24	YES
Ravens under 27.5	Ravens 30, Jets 24	No

A further example of an over/under market is only player props. Depending on the sport, bettors are able to bet on whether or not a player will score over or under a certain number of points, throw over or under a certain number of touchdowns, or over or under a number of rebounds. An example of this type of bet would look something like this:

Player Over/Under	Result	Win?
Lamar Jackson over 275.5 passing yards	Lamar Jackson: 301 passing yards	Yes
Lamar Jackson under 275.5 passing yards	Lamar Jackson: 301 passing yards	No

How is an over/under determined?

Bookmakers set odds by using computers to project the outcomes of games. Part of that includes projecting the score. Odds will move based on where the money is, but you can often see a correlation in the spread and the total for this reason. In the Baltimore-Miami Week 10 game, for example, the Ravens were favored by 7.5 with the total set at 46.5. That means bookmakers had likely projected the scoreline to be in the range of 27-20, Ravens.

Thinking of it like that can help you decide how to bet. Maybe you thought the Ravens could beat that total against Miami’s defense, or that the Dolphins wouldn’t be able to get to 20 points because their quarterback situation was a mess. In the first case, you’d want to take the over, in the second, you’d want the under.

You can also cross-check the overall total with the team totals. Interestingly, in the Ravens-Dolphins game, the totals were 27.5 for Baltimore and 17.5 for the Dolphins. That only adds up to 45 — 1.5 points less than the total for the game. Though it’s marginal, winning money is often because of marginal outcomes, and a discrepancy like that could give you a slight edge if you play it right.

How to bet the over/under

If you think it’s going to be a particularly high-scoring game, take the over. If you think it’ll be a defensive grind, take the under. The total, of course, will generally reflect what the game is expected to look like, so it’s not always quite that simple. But if you think a game will be higher or lower-scoring than public perception dictates, then bet accordingly.

How are totals odds made? 

Bookmakers set odds by using computers to project the outcomes of games. Part of that includes projecting the score. Odds will move based on where the money is, but you can often see a correlation in the spread and the total for this reason. 

This often varies from sport to sport, with the average betting totals for some of the major sports in the last completed season. 

Sport	Average Total
NFL	46
NBA	223
NHL	6.2
MLB	9.02

Using our earlier example once more, you are also able to work out whether or not you can gain an edge over the sportsbook when backing the over/under. 

In the Baltimore-New York game, for example, the Ravens were favored by 7.5 with the total set at 46.5. That means bookmakers had likely projected the scoreline to be in the range of 27-20, Ravens.

Thinking of it like that can help you decide how to bet. Maybe you thought the Ravens could beat that total against New York’s defense, or that the Jets wouldn’t be able to get to 20 points because their offense isn’t strong enough. In the first case, you’d want to take the over, in the second, you’d want the under.

You can also cross-check the overall total with the team totals. Using our example,  the Ravens-Jets game, the totals were 27.5 for Baltimore and 17.5 for the Dolphins. That only adds up to 45 — 1.5 points less than the total for the game. Though it’s marginal, winning money is often because of marginal outcomes, and a discrepancy like that could give you a slight edge if you play it right.

Over/Under Betting strategies

Whilst it is not plain and simple to win every time betting on overs or unders, there has been a trend over the last few years. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, under’s have been a better bet in every sport in the last five years, but only marginally. 

Sport	Under Win %
NFL	51.8%
NBA	50.01%
NHL	50.4%
MLB	51.8%

As shown in the table above, the sportsbooks know what they’re doing when setting over/under lines, as there is a pretty even spread of overs to unders. 

It’s likely you will want to root for points and offensive success instead of rooting for defensive dominance, but this shows that sometimes taking the under is the smart play.

What is the payout of an over/under bet?

Generally, over/under bets pay out at -110. That’s standard vig at most books, although you may see some fluctuation between -115 and -105, depending on the game.

How does an overtime game impact over/under bets?

If you have the over, then overtime could bail you out. It all counts the same — your bet isn’t just for regulation and it won’t be void if the game goes to overtime. You’re betting on the total for the entire game.