Along with spreads and moneylines, the Over/Under is one of the most common and easily understood kind of sports bets you can make. It’s also what make it one of the most popular sports bets.
At its most basic, the bettor wagers on whether both teams in a game will score more or less than the Over/Under amount of points (or runs in baseball). For example, let’s say that the Bears and Packers are playing an NFL game and the total is 39. If you “bet the Over,” you are wagering that both teams will combine to score at least 40 points. When you “bet the Under,” then you are wagering that the teams will score only 38 or fewer.
If the amount of points scored is exactly 39, then that is called a “push” and all bet money is refunded to the bettors. Neither the sportsbook or bettors win in that case.
But often, you will see an Over/Under amount that is not a whole number. For example, the playoff game between the Texans and Ravens had an Over/Under of 44.5, which means there is no way there could have been a “push.” The total of Saturday’s game was 44, meaning the Under hit.
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How to Bet the Over/Under
When sportsbooks set their Over/Under amounts, they are basically predicting the amount of points that will be scored. If they place the number unrealistically too high, not many bettors will put money down. That is not ideal for the book. But if the sportsbook sets the Over/Under too low, and a vast majority of bettors jumps on the Over, that could also be a big loss for the book.
So, the sportsbook tries to set the Over/Under at a number that will roughly have as much money put on the Over as on the Under.
For the bettor, trying to figure out which side of the Over/Under to wager on requires doing homework on the teams in the game. Is the weather going to be a factor? More rain, more snow, or cold weather can reduce scoring in football games, for instance. Are there any key players sidelined or limited with injury? Does one team seem to “own” the other team historically or recently? Are there any players on a hot streak?
Sportsbooks do try to take many of these factors into account when setting their Over/Under numbers, but it doesn’t hurt to dig a bit deeper and find out more about the teams and players involved in the game to get that betting edge!
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Other Types of Over/Unders
There are many other types of Over/Under bets aside from total points or goals or runs scored.
For football games, often there will be Over/Under options which are part of “player props.” Those bets are based on individual performances. For instance, you might see Over/Unders on passing yards for a quarterback, rushing yards for a running back, and receiving yards for wide receivers and tight ends.
In baseball games, there might be player prop Over/Under options for home runs, hits, RBI, etc.
In basketball games, you will often see Over/Under bets on points, assists,
Rebounds, and 3-point goals.
Over/under bets are popular because of their simplicity. They are great for adding legs to a multi-leg parlay. For example, let’s look at the Sacramento Kings-Phoenix Suns game from January 16, 2024. These were the Over/Under bets available:
Total points — 244.5
Kevin Durant — 26.5 points
Domantas Sabonis — 20.5 points
Malik Monk — 5.5 assists
And so on. You could do a single-game parlay combining all these O/U bets if you wanted to. The sky is the limit with Over/Under odds.
How to Read the Over/Under Odds
When you look at the Over-Under for a certain game, you’ll also see a plus or minus number alongside side of it. For instance, going back to the Kings-Suns game, the odds for the Over on 244.5 points were set at -112, and the odds for the Under were -108. This is called the “vig” — short for vigorish.
This means that, for the Over in this game, you would wager $112 and you would win $100 (plus your bet back) if 245 or more points were scored. To win on the Under, you would put down $108 to win $100.
If there is a significant imbalance in the betting on a particular Over/Under — for instance if a much larger percentage of bettors are wagering on the Over or the Under — the sportsbook might change the vig to encourage bets on the other side to balance out the bets more evenly.
To accomplish the same thing, the book might also lower or raise the total points number. This is usually what you’ll see.
(logo/link) At Tipico Sportsbook Colorado and New Jersey customers can deposit $100 or more of real money on their first deposit to receive up to $500 in protected bets!
