Over Under Betting

Besides standard bets like point spread and moneyline wagers, over under betting, otherwise known as betting the “total” is also a great way to invest your money in a sports game. The total refers to the combined number of points scored between both teams for the game. However, you can also place bets on the total for individual quarters or halves of the game. To better illustrate this we’ll use the example of the Wizards playing the Lakers. The over/under, or total, is 203. This means the oddsmakers think that both teams will essentially combine to score 203 points, and you have to pick if you think the two teams will score more or less than that number. If the game goes into overtime, the total still remains the same, so overtime usually plays well into the hands of people who took the over considering they get the game extended by 5 minutes.

Many players like betting on the over under for various reasons. It’s refreshing to route for or against both teams, as opposed to cheering on one team to beat another, per usual in standard point spread or moneyline bets. And it also gives another aspect of the game to evaluate. While you may have no idea who you think will win or cover in a specific contents, you may feel that you have better information on the amount of scoring that’ll occur in that game. As a very strong 3rd option for your sports betting, the over under is always a strong option to consider when placing your wagers.

Another common technique used by many professional sports bettors is to parlay both a wager on the total for a game, as well as the point spread for that same game. So for example, if the New England Patriots are -7 points versus the Baltimore Ravens and the total is set at 52 points. It’ll add for a much larger payout when you parlay the two picks together, with the New England Patriots -7 points along with say the Over 52 points. Now all you need to do is win two wagers but you’re payout will be much larger than if you placed those two wagers separately. While your odds have been diminished some by parlaying because then you’ll have to win two games as opposed to one, some players choose to add a teaser to their play. A teaser allows you to buy points for the point spread or even the total for a game. So let’s say you want to tease the Patriots and the over, but you’re not comfortable betting the Patriots at -7. So by teasing them, you can buy points down to make it Patriots -5 and still take the Over 52, which will still result in a larger payout than if you took the two wagers separately.