Since the day sports betting became popular, it was in its simplest form. Fast forward to now, and the betting opportunities have become abundant in terms of options for betting on events.
One such way to bet on a sports event is betting totals. This term is often referred to as the over/under and has become a very popular way to bet on sports.
Top Tips For Betting Totals
As mentioned above, the term is often called the over/under bet. To get an idea of what the term means and how to apply it to your betting strategy, you need to know a few tips first. The top tips for betting totals are:
- What is the betting total?
- Low and high score games
- Influences on the totals bet
- Bankroll check
What Is The Betting Total?
A totals bet, over/under, is a bet that is separate from the outcome of the game or event. This means that no matter what happens during a game, this bet is not dependent on a winner or a loser.
Judging by the name, you can guess that this bet is about the total, or the overall score, of an event. This means that you will be looking at things like goal scores, runs, and even points.
For example, we have two college basketball teams that a sportsbook has a totals bet on with it being 136. If they believe that Duke and North Carolina will score about this amount, then the estimated score of the game will be 136.
- Duke Blue Devils 69
- North Carolina Tar Heels 67
So now, the sportsbook will offer something like 135.5 if they believe that this game will get close to this number. They might be 136.5 or 135.5, something that is very close to their estimate.
If you bet on the "over," you are saying that you think that both teams' points combined will be over 135.5 points (136 or more). If you bet on the "under," you are saying that both teams combined will score less than 135.5 (134 or less)
The reason sportsbooks will have the .5 added to the number is that if the event or game happens to end exactly with a 135, the bet turns into a push, and bettors are refunded their money.
Low and High Score Games
When placing a totals bet, you need to know what sport you are betting on and how the scores will play out. There are two categories for the over/under scoring, which is high and low.
Sports that involve a high amount of scoring are ones such as basketball and football. These games typically go high on the points side since points are a little easier to come by.
Sports that involve a low-score game would include hockey, baseball, and even soccer. This means that points are harder to come by, making it more difficult to guess the total.
For example, soccer might have a totals bet of:
- Over 2.5 -180
- Under 2.5 +150
If you bet $10 on the over bet, you would profit $5.56. If you bet $10 on the under, you would receive a $15 profit.
The minus sign is the favorite or most likely to happen. The plus sign is the underdog or less likely to happen.
Influences On The Totals Bet
When looking into the totals bet, you need to look at factors that could influence the score of the game. These will determine the likelihood of the event having a high or low score.
The defense of the other team is something to watch. If two teams are head to head and one of them is the best defensive team in the league while the other is the worst offensive team, this could play in your favor.
Weather conditions, like in baseball, can greatly affect how a game is played. A windy day outside could hinder scoring or greatly increase it if it is at the back of the batter.
How about the coach? Is the coach a defensive-minded or offensive-minded coach? Researching this information will significantly benefit your totals betting.
Bankroll Check
With any betting, you are potentially going to like the feeling of winning some money on picks that you got right. But on the other side, you are going to lose some, so you need to understand what to do if you lose too much.
Set yourself some reasonable limits to how much time and money is spent on an event. Totals betting is simple but very easy to try and understand. You have to know where to draw the line on your betting strategy.
